《張三丰先生全集》Vol. 8
About this page. The original text of 《張三丰先生全集》 Vol. 8 (Qing Daoist texts 清代道教文獻, 15 volumes) is shown in Classical Chinese as transmitted in the Kanripo (Kyoto University) edition. An English interpretation of the 53 passages on this page accompanies it: select a passage or press “Interpretation” to show it. All texts in English
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Source textInterpretation
The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng: A Vernacular Explanation
Book Title and Publication Information
This book is a reprinted edition of the Daozang Jiyao (Essentials of the Daoist Canon), titled The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng. It was re-edited by Li Xiyue, the mountain man of Changyi in Hanjia; respectfully recorded by Zhang Daoyuan (courtesy name Zishen); and published by Zhu Daosheng (courtesy name Wancheng) of Langzhong. The proofreaders included his nephew Ying (courtesy name Chuncheng) and Zhu Zan (courtesy name Suyuan); his son Huang (courtesy name Panxi) also participated.
Xuan Yao Chapter (Part One)
Imitating the Ancients, Two Chapters
(Author’s note: The Cantong qi says, “I dare not speak falsely”; therefore I imitated the literary style of the ancients and adopted this title.)
Chapter One
Primordial ancestral Qi (vital energy) is undifferentiated and plain, dim and dark; within it is contained the realm of “no trace,” beginning in undifferentiated namelessness. Once chaos is broken, the Qi of Taiyi (Great Unity) sprouts.
The two modes unite in virtue; sun and moon wax and wane. Qian intersects and Kun transforms; Kun seeks and Qian completes—different names yet emerging together, one source and the same root.
Inner and outer, void and solid, hard and soft all seek balance; Yin-Yang harmonize and regulate, and transformations divide into forms. True Jing (essence) and true Qi abide in the indistinct and obscure.
Kan and Li are reversed, rotating the Five Phases: After Completion generates Shen (spirit); Before Completion approaches death. The immortal Dao should be carefully guarded; the ghostly path leans toward evil and collapse.
If people aspire to the Heavenly Dao, they must quickly avoid the ghost gate; by entering the Heavenly Dao through immortality, one’s Qi can endure.
Chapter Two
The great Dao of Heaven and Earth embraces harmony and holds the center; it is the ancestor of the profoundly mysterious and the source of the wondrously wondrous. The mysterious and wondrous penetrate through, splitting open the primordial nebulosity.
The bellows (a metaphor for the orifice of Heaven and Earth’s breathing) serves as the gateway; the Vermilion Bird burns the void. The moon appears in the Geng direction; one gains a friend in the southwest—laughing, pour out the mysterious wine and feast in the Yellow Center.
When the two eights are accomplished, the crow and hare (symbols of sun and moon) blend; the divine light is silent, the Yellow House and the Mysterious Elder. The Xun wind blows and drums, filling the cauldron with rosy clouds.
Water and fire advance and retreat; in the morning Zhun, in the evening Meng. At Zi and Wu there is application; at Mao and You there is no work. When the count of ten months is complete, the hexagram images turn and conclude.
When the work of completing life is fully accomplished, pure Yang Qi surges; the wondrous function of the divine mechanism and the methods of the Dao are inexhaustible.
(Note: In popular editions these two chapters are often combined into one poem titled “General Discussion of Inner and Outer Fire Phases of the Golden Elixir”; the editor considered this inappropriate. Later, upon seeing the hidden edition of Immortal Wang, it was divided into two chapters, which accords with the original intention and makes the reading suddenly clear.)
Stairway to Heaven
During the Great Yuan period, a guest drifting far away, his beard and whiskers stirring like halberds. A song, “Stairway to Heaven,” can serve as a flying staff. Thinking back to when he first sought the Dao, his heart was like a stone that does not turn: he cast aside official rank, roamed the seas and mountains, and bitterly sought the secret essentials of elixir methods.
He bade farewell to the graves of his deceased parents; the mountains and waters of his homeland could not hold him. He took leave of his middle-aged wife; when he went out, the sky was just turning light. He abandoned his young child and turned away from the burning house (a Buddhist metaphor for the Saha world as a burning house; here it refers to worldly family and the reins of fame and locks of profit).
What people find difficult to finish, the traveler has finished; what people find difficult to sever, the traveler can sever all. To realize the fruit of long life, one must press forward with resolve (meaning to strive vigorously and break through barriers).
The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng: A Vernacular Interpretation
(Poems and Verses, Upper Section)
Riding an immortal crane and ascending, one must train the post-heaven practice solidly; though both feet hurry through the dusty world, the long years hasten the heart’s aging, and time passes like a white colt through a gap.
I raise my head and gaze far toward the Zhongnan Mountains, sighing three times toward heaven. Heaven sends down the Fire Dragon Zhenren (the guide for Neidan cultivation), and wondrous, mysterious words are verified with me one by one—at this point I already knew the Neidan was about to be accomplished, so there was no need to discuss the introductory methods of foundation building; Heaven also bestowed upon me the practice of Waidan. Earnest and urgent are the admonitions: refine the self and forget the emotions, gather the medicine according to the seasons; in the pre-heaven one does not measure by pounds and ounces, in the firing process one does not discuss trigrams and lines—only distinguish old and tender, divide civil and martial, and take true intention as the daogui, the key to the Golden Elixir, though it is difficult to analyze in full detail… For ten months embrace the primal embryo; for nine years face the wall; exchange the cauldron and again give birth to the descendant; ride the dragon amid thunderbolts; when heaven and earth decay, the immortal elder’s lifespan is boundless.
(Deep, powerful, and cadenced; suitable for the ancient song form and a “reading-the-moon” style.)
Personal Oral Instructions
The oral formula personally transmitted by the Holy Master—a famous formula passed down through all ages in the human world—how many people can truly understand it? When clothes are torn, cloth patches them; when a tree declines, earth nurtures it—when a person is damaged, what is used to restore them? It lies only in the mechanism of Yin-Yang transformation. Take the elixir within Kan (the Golden Elixir within the Kan trigram); a branch of golden flower appears; auspicious clouds open at the horizon; auspicious light blocks the root of death Qi. After it returns to oneself, one is dim and silent, as if drunk or stupefied. The Great Elixir is like a grain of millet; shedding its shell, it settles into Wuwei; roaming leisurely in the vastness of heaven and earth, the ten thousand phenomena are a pearl in the palm. If people can take this medicine, their lifespan will equal heaven and earth; if it cannot prolong life, then all my words are wrong.
Reply to Emperor Yongle
The heavenly mechanism is not willing to be easily revealed, for I fear that people today lack fierce resolve. Through a thousand grindings and ten thousand difficulties, through bitter toil, I now transmit the vein of heaven and earth. The emperor sought me out to ask about the Golden Elixir; the Patriarch left behind the formula for long life—what is the formula for long life? When the Dao is full and De is abundant, that is the excellent plan; restrain desires, clarify the heart, and calm the spirit and its thoughts—what other special practice is there for becoming an immortal?
(Below this there is also a five-character poem, which says: “The Golden Elixir weighs one catty; close the eyes and quietly preserve the Shen; simply seek it within the home—why labor to seek it outside? Refine it into the mercury of the Li maiden; swallow completely the essence of the Kan male; the Golden Elixir together with the firing process—mouth to mouth, each is the primal sound.” This was attributed to Patriarch Lü, and was probably written at that time in reply to Emperor Yongle.)
Song of Daoist Sentiment
Daoist sentiment is not ordinary sentiment; once one knows the heavenly mechanism, one must not treat it lightly. First set aside all worldly sentiments, then carefully study and refine the principles of the Dao. Before refining the Returning Elixir, first refine one’s nature; before cultivating the Great Medicine, first cultivate the heart—when the heart is cultivated, the elixir’s sign comes naturally and can naturally be trusted.
This scripture primarily elucidates the process and essential points of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) practice, divided into two sections:
The first section describes the phenomena and precautions during cultivation. When practice reaches a certain level, extraordinary manifestations like thunderclaps and flashes of lightning may appear. At this stage, one must remain composed and firmly guard the primordial Shen (spirit) — the innate spiritual nature of humans. Maintain the focused attention of a cat stalking a mouse or an eagle seizing a hare. All visions arising during practice are illusory; only that crimson light represents the true essence, containing the primordial Qi (vital energy). This phase demands utmost caution — the slightest distraction could undo all previous efforts. When the crimson light naturally subsides, the body will feel as comfortable as eternal spring, ultimately shedding all Yin qualities to transform into pure Yang embodiment. A temporary suspension of breath may occur, actually signaling entry into a higher realm.
The second section, "Song of Refining Lead," expounds the method of cultivating true lead (primordial Qi). All genuine immortals understand this technique. The author received this secret transmission from a Zhenren (Perfected Person) at age sixty-seven on Mount Zhongnan. True lead originates before heaven and earth, requiring no external substances. After eighty-one days of cultivation, golden treasure (Golden Elixir) emerges from the profound void. Practitioners must carefully regulate the firing process — gradually intensifying from single Yang fire to triple Yang fire — until all Yin substances are refined away, achieving pure Yang constitution.
The scripture concludes by emphasizing these secrets must never be lightly disclosed to unworthy recipients, reserved only for truly destined practitioners. The author summarizes these essentials in fifty-two verses, solemnly vowing to suffer celestial punishment if any word proves false.
Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Continued Essentials of Refining Lead
Harmonize once again; once again enter the earthen cauldron (Dantian). Only when the spiritual substance is full to the number of five thousand four hundred is it complete. The true wonder of refining lead lies precisely here. I exhort fellow cultivators who come after: do not take the refining of lead to be easy.
A Song of Prenatal Qi
What is born in us is originally the one prenatal Qi, hidden within the mountain of form (the human body), and people find it hard to encounter. I shall speak it out clearly; you must remember it: a single string of spring water wraps the shape and configuration; the lower mouth will take it and swallow it through the upper mouth. The twelve thunder gates are all startled and afraid. Drunk, drunk, and drunk again; spring penetrates the Dantian, red as jade; one freely drinks the fragrance at the mouth of the jar, like the flat peach. The Xun wind stirs the primal harmonious Qi; the yin demons are fought back, and a whole cavity is filled with spring; gods wail and ghosts cry, heaven and earth are overturned. When the work is finished and practice is fulfilled to three thousand, one rides the phoenix and mounts the crane, flying away as an immortal.
Song of Lead and Fire
The great medicine is born at a certain season; at the end of Hai and the beginning of Zi, exactly midnight (read in the entering tone), Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) unite; in a blur and daze, radiance gives birth to the bright moon. After union it flows down with a bubbling surge. When the single Yang returns, do not let it leak out lightly; urgently you must close the Great Mysterious Pass. Fire drives the medicine through the Weilu (coccyx) cavity. When gathering it, use the eyes to guard the Niwan (Mud Pill). Lower them, left up, and pause in concentration; this is called “looking into the brain and ascending to the mystery.” On the right side let it down, then rise and turn again. When the six-six count is finished, the medicine is born in Qian. When Yang reaches its extreme and Yin is born, move to the right; you must open and close the gate to withdraw the fire. The gaze looks down and guards the Kun field. Only when right-up and left-down have stabilized, and the two-eight count is completed, is one heavenly circuit done. This is the natural true fire timing; naturally it rises and falls, naturally it is added and withdrawn. There is no waxing and waning, no new and full moon, no bathing and no long discourse. Sweep away alternative names and sweep away metaphors; only these two lines are the true explanation. (The two characters “left” and “right” should be read as “front” and “back”; do not mistake this—Sanfeng’s own note.)
Song of Completing the Dao
(At the opening there is a ● and a tight pointing instruction; the poem also seems to be alchemical.) Shen (spirit) does not wander outward, Jing (essence) does not leak, Qi is not dissipated, and the spiritual sprout is planted. The Five Phases and Four Images enter the central palace; why worry that the Golden Elixir will not congeal by itself? Within there is true Shen, without there is response; the eyes are filled with illusory flowers, and white snow descends. When the single Yang returns at the junction of Hai and Zi, a round moon appears in the center; hurry to take action and apply effort. When metal is encountered while gazing into the distance, it cannot be plucked; breathing stirs up the fire of the Xuan Pass; the blue sky is split open and primordial chaos cracks; the Yellow River reverses its flow and ascends Kunlun. The nine apertures and three passes are all opened through. ---
Note: This text is Zhang Sanfeng’s Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation song formula; it involves terms such as the double hours (Hai and Zi), passes and apertures (Xuan Pass, Niwan, Weilu, Kun Field), and fire timing (adding and withdrawing, bathing), and so on. In the self-note at the end of the “Song of Lead and Fire,” “left and right should be read as front and back,” that is, left and right refer to the front and rear positions of the body, not literal left and right; readers should not mistake this. The end of the “Song of Completing the Dao” appears to be incomplete.
Vernacular Explanation of Selected Passages from The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
(Continued from the previous passage.) After penetrating and blending them completely, they transform into jade nectar and jade liquid, which is swallowed into the abdomen—like a mute person eating honey: the sweetness is in the heart but cannot be spoken. At this stage of practice one must be even more cautious: bathe at the proper times and accord with the seasons. In the saying about the “two grades of Yin-Yang,” things of the same nature belong to the same category, yet the two kinds of “fire tally,” inner and outer, are each distinct. When the numinous medicine has come into hand, although it is only for a moment, the work of warming and nourishing it still requires a full ten months; to refine it to full maturity, one often needs another three years. “Three times three makes nine”—one must be as strict and orderly as if facing a cinnabar wall. After the elixir is completed, one gives a long whistle and leaves the mountains, sometimes hidden and sometimes manifest, establishing merit and leaving transformative traces. The High God hears one’s name, issues a purple-letter edict, summons one to the heavenly court, and one flies into the azure sky. Later generations who diligently cultivate according to this method will be guests at the assembly of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing).
Song of Sitting Meditation
For beginners sitting in meditation and investigating the meaning of Chan, the crucial message lies entirely in the “Xuanguan” (the mysterious pass—the gate of entering the Dao and the place where spirit and qi meet). Regulate the breath continuously and closely; one Yin and one Yang are cooked and refined within the cauldron. One must awaken thoroughly to inner nature and receive the transmission for life; do not treat the fire phase as child’s play. Closing the eyes, observe the mind and guard the original life; purity and quietude, Wuwei (non-action), are the root. Within a hundred days there should be a response: a point of Yang qi within Kan (Water) surges upward; the “Yellow Dame” (Huangpo—the intention of the spleen in the central palace, the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang) acts as matchmaker in the middle; the “infant” and the “maiden” (metaphors for the mind-spirit and essence-qi) unite in a round embrace. It is indescribably wonderful—to whom can it be told? The whole body is filled and surging with qi movement. Who knows this message? It is like a mute person dreaming: it cannot be spoken. One must quickly act to gather the prenatal numinous medicine; a single point penetrates the Three Passes, rises straight from the Dantian to the Niwan summit (the Niwan palace at the top of the head), then descends through the Chonglou into the central palace. Only when Water and Fire are already joined are they true lead and mercury; without the stems Wu and Ji (Earth, a metaphor for intention and sincerity), the elixir cannot be formed. The mind must die (let go of distracting thoughts), the life must be firm; the light of Shen (spirit) illuminates the three thousand worlds. Under the shadowless tree the golden rooster crows; at midnight the red lotus appears. At the winter solstice, one Yang returns; a thunderclap shakes the heavenly dragon. Then the tiger calls and rejoices; immortal music resounds together—this is no ordinary matter. In a trance, as if present and as if absent, endless creation and transformation lie within. Mystery within the profound, profundity within the mysterious; the River Chariot (Heche—the circulation of true qi) transports it through the Three Passes. Heaven and Earth commune in peace, the myriad things are born; daily one drinks sweet dew as sweet as honey. Immortals are Buddhas, Buddhas are immortals; the one nature, perfectly bright, is fundamentally non-dual. The Three Teachings were originally one family. When hungry, eat; when tired, sleep. If one merely burns incense, bows, and practices Chan meditation, how would one know that the Great Dao is right before one’s eyes? Deluded and confused, if one merely eats vegetarian food and misses the opportunity, once this human body is lost, it is difficult for ten thousand kalpas. The foolish and deluded vainly imagine the road to the Western Heaven; it is a blind man walking into deep mountains at night. The wondrous point of the primal mechanism is no trivial matter; leaking the heavenly secret is a crime as heavy as a mountain. The principle of the Four Upright Directions should be investigated with care; break through the Xuanguan, and the wonder is hard to describe.
Note: This piece belongs to the genre of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation songs and uses many metaphors (cauldron, Kan and Li, infant and maiden, River Chariot, and so on); the vernacular rendering stays as close as possible to the original metaphors.
A Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng
Chapter on Penetrating the Mysterious (Tongxuan pian, excerpt)
The cultivation of penetrating the mysterious must proceed by unceasing effort according to the times of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You; rising early and staying up late to attend an enlightened master, only then can one form the elixir. Whoever recognizes true lead and mercury is an immortal of long life without aging. Persist day after day in practice; do not take cultivation as a trivial matter of the moment. When after three years or nine years the work is complete, one refines a single grain of Purple Golden Elixir. If you wish to know who made this song—the Empty Daoist, the Immortal Sanfeng.
Song of the Secret Essentials of the Dao
The essentials of the Dao, oh, the essentials of the Dao—those who do not know the essentials will surely encounter demons. Observe the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan) and regulate the True Breath (zhenxi): know these two, and cultivation is complete. Lead the primordial Shen (yuanshen) into the Qi Sea (qihai); when Shen and Qi merge in silence, one obtains one mystery, and the true sovereign appears. Lead the primordial Qi (yuanqi) into the Yellow Court (huangting); when Qi and Shen harmonize in dimness, one obtains another mystery, which is most perfectly bright. One mysterious wonder, one mysterious aperture: when there is desire, observe the aperture; when there is no desire, observe the wonder. These two are mystery upon mystery—this is where the essential secret lies; different names, same source—who knows this? Observing the Mysterious Pass has no other secret: first regulate the True Breath within the aperture. When Shen is tranquil and Qi is quiet to the utmost, naturally the wonder arises from nothing, and Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) appears. The ancient immortal elders spoke mostly in half-words, fearing to leak the true mechanism and not acting rashly—some say there is a fixed place in the center, some say there is no fixed place and one must receive it oneself. Now I speak fully: it lies between having a fixed place and having no fixed place—the fixed is called the aperture, the unfixed is called the wonder. What Lord Lao called mystery upon mystery clearly points to saving sentient beings and was left for our tradition as a tune for discerning ears. Those who encounter it but do not practice become lowly ghosts; to become a sage or an ordinary person depends on the individual. At the beginning of practice it is hardest to proceed: one leaves scatteredness and then becomes dull and sunk. A person of true stature who possesses real learning must distinguish the clear and turbid in Shen and Qi: prenatal Shen is most clear and bright; postnatal Shen is turbid matter. Sweep away turbid matter and guard clarity and brightness; close off the Three Treasures and dwell in the Spirit Valley (linggu)—this Spirit Valley is precisely the aperture; regulating the breath within the aperture requires deep reflection. One breath goes out, one breath comes in; breath after breath they rely on and nestle together, hidden and subtle, unnoticed by others. When Shen and Qi gather and surge, the nine apertures open. Practice thus and attain the wonder of the aperture—from where could dullness and scatteredness arise?
Song of the Great Dao (Opening)
Now cleanse your ears and listen to my words: the Dao has the prenatal and the postnatal. The postnatal dregs are useless; the single point of the prenatal is called true lead. Being ignorant of true lead and deluded about original nature—this is the first illness of cultivation. Few people walk in the Hall of Jade Clarity; I now point out and break open the mirror of immortals. Life (ming) must be transmitted, nature (xing) must be awakened; entering sagehood and transcending the ordinary is up to you. Quiet practice awakens nature…
(The following continues with the sequel section of the original scripture.)
Brief Explanations of Terms
Zi, Wu, Mao, and You refer to practice times such as Zi (midnight), Wu (noon), Mao (dawn), and You (dusk). Lead and mercury are Neidan (internal alchemy) terms, often metaphors for Jing, Qi, and Shen or for Yin-Yang medicinal substances, not ordinary mercury and lead ore. Purple Golden Elixir denotes the “elixir” formed through cultivation, a metaphor for the accomplishment of Shen and Qi congealing. The Mysterious Pass is the key gateway where Shen and Qi meet and enter stillness; its precise meaning differs somewhat among schools. True Breath is natural, deep breathing, as opposed to coarse postnatal breathing. Primordial Shen and primordial Qi are prenatal Shen and prenatal Qi. The Qi Sea and the Yellow Court are the area below the navel and the central chamber of the chest and abdomen, places for storing Qi and concentrating Shen. The Three Treasures commonly refer to Jing, Qi, and Shen, or to places such as the eyes, ears, and mouth that should be closed and guarded. The Spirit Valley, or aperture, is the Mysterious Pass mentioned above, the “aperture” on which breath regulation relies. True lead is the single point of prenatal true nature, the root of cultivation, not metallic lead.
The following is a plain-language interpretation of this passage of scripture:
When gathering the medicine, within there are the images of the tortoise and the snake; one must reverse and contract them. When the single yang first stirs, one should perform the work; turning the celestial pass (Tianguan) must be vigorous. When gathering the medicine—the Neidan (internal alchemy) practice of refining Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy)—there are within the body images of the tortoise and the snake, which must be reversed and drawn inward. When the first yang begins to stir, one should immediately perform the work; turning and rotating the celestial pass—the key point on the governing vessel at the crown—must be forceful and vigorous.
Yin is born at wu; yang is within kan. When practicing at mao and you, one must be unhurried. Yin is born at the wu position; yang is within the kan trigram. When practicing at the mao and you times, one should be calm and unhurried.
The Dipper’s handle turns the wheel and comes to the Purple Mansion (Zifu), as if smiling to welcome the immortal. As if the handle of the Northern Dipper turns the wheel, Qi arrives at the Purple Mansion (Zifu; the Dantian, or energy center, in the brain), as though smiling to welcome an immortal.
The zi guest and the Yellow Lord (Huang Gong); in the Yellow Dame’s (Huangpo) palace one meets Channü. Channü and the infant naturally pair; to build the foundation (zhuji), one must first refine the self (lianji). Zi, the kan water, meets the Yellow Lord; in the Yellow Dame’s palace one meets Channü. Channü and the infant pair with each other. If one wishes to build the foundation—to lay the root of cultivation—one must first refine the self, refining one’s own temperament and Jing.
When the self is mature, one understands gathering and taking. I received from my teacher a stage of work: first close the gates of the nine apertures and make them open. Only when the self is mature can one clearly understand gathering and refining. I received from my teacher a stage of practice: first close and guard the nine apertures—the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and other openings—so that the paths of Qi become unobstructed.
The nine apertures are originally at the Weilu cavity; first surge upward from the Yongquan at the soles of the feet. Surging up from Yongquan, gradually reaching the knees, the work below the knees must be done with effort. The Qi of the nine apertures is originally at the Weilu cavity. First it surges upward from the Yongquan (bubbling spring) point at the soles of the feet; from Yongquan it gradually rises to the knees. The work below the knees must be done with effort.
The Buddhist tradition calls this the “reed sprout”; it is also like insects crawling, and like pricking. Slowly passing the knees and reaching the Weilu, it is like a hard object pressing against one; only then may one practice all the highest work. The Buddhist tradition calls this the sign of the “reed sprout.” It is also like insects crawling and like needle pricking. Slowly passing the knees and reaching the Weilu, it feels as if a hard object is pressing against it; only then may one practice all the highest work.
The three stages of work have oral formulas. From this the three passes are opened with one thrust, and Qi turns back from the top of Niwan. The three stages of work have oral instructions: from this the three passes—Weilu, Jiaji, and Niwan—are opened with one thrust, and Qi turns back down from the top of Niwan.
Penetrating the Golden Lock Pass, it descends the Magpie Bridge (Queqiao); the twelve-storied tower is truly wondrous. Penetrating the Golden Lock Pass, it descends the Magpie Bridge—where the tongue touches the palate—and the twelve-storied tower, the successive levels from the throat to the chest, is truly wondrous.
The twelve-storied tower is called the Crimson Palace chamber; the Crimson Palace and Huangting have a definite correspondence. The twelve-storied tower is called the Crimson Palace chamber; the Crimson Palace and Huangting (Yellow Court) have a definite correspondence.
The single chamber of Huangting must be guarded with Jing; Jing is the one point of numinous awareness in the center. Do not muddle-headedly treat it as something hidden and unspoken. The single chamber of Huangting must be guarded with Jing; Jing is the one point of numinous awareness in the central palace. Do not muddle-headedly regard it as a secret that cannot be spoken of.
Huangting is precisely the true Xuanguan. If one does not know the exact place of Xuanguan, where will the true lead (Zhenqian) be placed when gathered? Huangting is precisely the true Xuanguan. If one does not know where Xuanguan actually is, where will the true lead—the innate Jing and Qi—be placed when it is gathered?
Have you not seen the poem of Wuzhen pian: one must rely on Xuanpin to establish the foundation; once true Jing returns to the golden chamber, a single bright pearl never leaves. Have you not seen what the Wuzhen pian says: one must rely on Xuanpin—the kan palace—to establish the foundation. Once true Jing returns to the golden chamber, the Dantian, a single bright pearl never leaves.
Again, have you not seen the Cantong qi: its form resembles Penglai, and the comparison is not false; the lower closure is called the no-upper closure; there are two apertures, and method and Qi depend on each other. Again, have you not seen the Cantong qi: “Its form resembles Penglai; the comparison is not false. The lower closure is called the no-upper closure; there are two apertures, and method and Qi depend on each other.”
From now on, when discussing the Dao and talking of mysterious principles, apart from this practice all is empty. From now on, when discussing the Dao and talking of mysterious principles, apart from this—actual practice of the Xuanguan and the gathering and refining—all is empty talk.
The pass is already open, the work already accumulated; forging the sword requires clear knowledge of the true signs. The pass is already open and the work already accumulated; forging the sword—cultivating the “sword” of the inner elixir—requires clear knowledge of the true signs.
Even Moye was made of iron; how much more is my sword originally straight. Even Moye, the ancient sword, was made of iron; how much more is my sword, formed by the inner elixir, straight by nature.
Heaven is the furnace, earth is the charcoal; metal and water are balanced; by no means be reckless. Heaven is the furnace, earth is the charcoal; metal and water must be balanced—metal generates water, and water gathers without leaking arbitrarily. By no means should one practice recklessly.
At zi and wu one performs the work and must cast it into completion; able to be hard and able to be soft, able to take and able to discard. At the zi and wu times one performs the work and must cast the inner elixir into completion. One must be able to be hard and able to be soft, able to take and able to discard.
When the sword is complete, gather true lead; gather it before the primordial undifferentiated state (Hongmeng) was divided. When the sword is complete, gather true lead; gather it before Hongmeng, the primordial undifferentiated state before heaven and earth were divided—that is, the pre-heaven single Qi.
If one only gathers postnatal Qi, this merely uses it to prolong life. If one only gathers the postnatal Qi of breathing, this merely prolongs life; it is not the true elixir.
At the two-seven time there is a true mechanism; in Shenzhou and Chixian one should seek it. At the two-seven time—the fourteenth day, or a firing-cycle period—there is a true mechanism; in Shenzhou and Chixian, the world and also the human body, one should seek it here.
If one obtains both method and wealth, one should still think carefully and distinguish in detail. If one obtains both method and wealth—the teaching and the resources or provisions—one should still think carefully and distinguish in detail.
Pink clouds, pheasant skin, lips as if painted vermilion, skin like snow; intelligent, wise, and gentle by nature; Shen light like a lacquered pearl; hair pure black; Qi clear, gaze upright, and walk upright. These describe inner visions appearing in inner alchemical practice or serve as metaphors for choosing a partner: pink clouds, pheasant skin, lips as if painted vermilion, skin like snow; intelligent, wise, and gentle by nature; Shen (spirit) light like a lacquered pearl; hair pure black; Qi clear, gaze upright, and walking upright. These are mostly signs manifested in inner landscapes or in cultivation, and they also involve metaphors of dual cultivation. One must rely on a teacher’s transmission to distinguish them carefully and must not take the words literally.
Note: The entire passage is a Neidan cultivation verse formula. It mixes such terms as the tortoise and snake, Channü and the infant, the Yellow Dame, Xuanguan, true lead, the three passes, Niwan, the Magpie Bridge, the Crimson Palace, and Huangting, and it cites the Wuzhen pian and the Cantong qi. The plain-language explanation follows the literal wording and common principles of alchemical scriptures; the specific firing times, acupoints, and stages of gathering and refining must be transmitted orally by a teacher. Readers should not attempt them on their own based merely on the text.
A Vernacular Reading of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Song on the Fire Phases of Alchemical Refinement (First Part)
The method requires that months and years be calculated from the middle, taking "five thousand four hundred" as the base number from which the Yellow Path (Huangdao — in Neidan, the route along which Jing and Qi travel through the central palace) is generated. Out of the dark and the blur there arises the state of huanghu, when prenatal Qi is about to stir and the mind seems present yet absent; gather and refine it at the proper hour, steadying its rising and sinking, allowing not the slightest fraction of a measure to deviate, and above all never missing the moment. At this critical juncture one must understand the wonder of the "three-day crescent" (a fire phase like a new moon that is nearly, but not yet, full); the essence lies in the Geng-Xin position of the west, and its color is white (the image of Metal Qi and of the west). With the sword of wisdom (concentration and right mindfulness) one communes with the numinous, the heart utterly sincere; it is like tapping bamboo to open a passage and then playing the zither so the notes accord (regulating the breath, so that Shen and Qi resonate with each other). The heavenly ladder (the Du Mai, or the path of ascent in refining) must be used and cannot be dispensed with; who can fully know the close-woven workings within it? Do not go fishing recklessly for the giant turtle at the bottom of the sea, for fear that, once startled away, it will never return. Do not damage the furnace and cauldron; the count of phases must be kept clear. After the gathering and refining, the post-heaven work continues month after month; a single double-hour is again divided into six phases (six small stages of the alchemical work), and often by the second phase or so the Golden Elixir (the essence of inner refinement) has already begun to take shape, while the remaining four phases still hold wondrous work whose secret lies in transmission from heart to heart and is difficult to divulge. True lead (prenatal Yuan Jing) comes and ignites the spirit-fire; from west to east, it first seeks "me"; then move the true mercury (the speck of yang Qi transformed by Yuan Shen), that touch of red, to meet and yield to it, and the two join into a single grain. Passing the Three Passes (Weilü, Jiaji, and Yuzhen), it rises to Niwan (the Niwan Palace at the crown of the head), then descends the Chonglou (the region of throat and chest) and enters Guanghan (the cool, still inner realm, also a figure for the Dantian). At that time one is neither dull nor clever, neither awake nor drunk; were the whole body not filled with Jing and Shen, how could Yin-Yang, husband and wife, be paired to form the elixir? Once the elixir is settled the heart rejoices; the two hexagrams Zhun and Meng (images from the Yijing, figuring dark and light, movement and stillness) answer each other at dawn and dusk, and one knows that bathing (gentle nourishing, without exertion) is precisely at work within this. At the Mao and You hours (roughly two hours each, morning and evening) one should not advance rashly; guard the city and call off the battle, and the numinous sand will fill the cauldron and glow red. When ten months of work (Neidan often likens this to ten months of gestation) are thus brought to fullness, vessel and elixir-chamber are scattered and left empty. Enter the deep mountains, embrace the Origin and guard the One; the ten thousand things are all empty, and no effort is needed; cold and heat, hunger and toil cannot invade. Like the nine years of wall-gazing, one practices with towering perseverance, roaming the Northern Sea at dawn and reaching Yingzhou by dusk; then suddenly, on the day when both merit and practice are full, the Three Officials of the Water Bureau (Daoist deities who govern lifespan) reckon up one's years, and a writ of elixir descends from the jade heaven, with blue luan-birds and white cranes fluttering; until at last, in the realm of Tongming, having received title and paid homage, one becomes forever an immortal of deathless life.
Song of the True Bellows
Do not say that the great Dao is nothing but Wuwei (non-action). What is called working the bellows in the chamber (an ancient wind instrument, figuring how breath and Yuan Qi open and close within the body) — when it is about to rise, first be still, a moment of pure leisure; purple Qi and red light blaze and scatter in confusion. The Azure Dragon rejoices and the White Tiger is fierce (the Azure Dragon figures the yang Qi of Wood in the liver; the White Tiger figures the Metal of the lungs, or the desires); the Azure Dragon coils fast about the turtle shell (the image of Kidney Water and the Mingmen), and the two strands of upright Qi penetrate the Heavenly Palace. Above, clearly, stands the Pavilion of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing); within the pavilion is the Jade Pool (the saliva in the mouth, or the water-palace of the Dantian), and within it the medicine of deathless immortality; at the proper hour reach down and gather it, and taking it is like receiving bliss in Penglai.
Song of the Single Opening of the Mysterious Pass
The single opening of the Mysterious Pass (the crucial point where Shen and Qi enter and leave the body and where the elixir is formed, most often referring to the ancestral opening or the region near the Dantian) — when its true formula is penetrated, Qian and Kun are split open, and the Peng-hu (the fairy isle) opens wide all at once. In the Yellow Court (the region of the middle Dantian) dwells an old guest of the Origin, cradling a zither and awaiting the hour — (the closing line in the original scroll may continue into what follows; the sense is to guard the center and await the moment, the zither figuring the harmonizing of Shen and Qi).
Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
I. Imagery of Alchemical Practice (Several Opening Lines)
Keep watch on that one round moon at the horizon; the two waters are clear, the three waters turbid; the golden flower blooms at the Dui position (within the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), Dui belongs to Metal and often corresponds to the mouth and lungs). On Mount Emei purple clouds rise; the flying clouds become snow in the red furnace. Dragon roars and tiger howls press upon each other; the spirit turtle drains dry the blood of the golden crow (symbol of the sun). Riding a dragon and hanging up the sword, one returns home drunk; circulating through the Three Passes, one pays homage at the Northern Gate (images of the upper Dantian (energy center) such as the Heavenly Gate and Niwan).
II. Song of Refining Lead
The Most High (Taishang) proclaims again: one must clearly distinguish the prenatal from the postnatal. It discusses only lead being born after Gui (kidney water, yin Jing (essence)), and does not speak of Yang being born before Gui. Tether the horse of intention and lock the monkey of the mind, so that distracting thoughts do not arise and the intention remains single-focused; cut off the three poisons such as greed and anger, and eliminate the five thieves such as love and desire (a metaphor for the five organs or the five kinds of private desire). The water of the Flower Pool and the spring of the Upper Valley—the ancients used these to moisten the Three Fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian). If one knows the medicine that returns to the root and prolongs life, it must be the return elixir and the life-renewing lead. Lead comes out of the Northern Sea and runs to Western Sichuan; apply the craftsman's hand and plant the golden lotus. Capture the tiger's marrow alive and refine it in the furnace; seize the turtle's essence alive and decoct it in the cauldron. The prenatal one Qi (vital energy) is like the smoke of Great Simplicity; a single infusion of ghee can preserve the countenance. Having obtained this Dao (the Way), one can alter cold and heat; taking it, one can leap beyond the gate of life and death. Seek the first cycle, find the first crescent; now I point out the wondrous central origin: Water and Fire achieve Jiji (After Completion); after one union, Yin-Yang conjoin for three thousand counts. To reach the other shore, no boat is needed; extinguish worries, remove passions, and cut off delusive conditions. Quietly and clearly watch the treasure of life; dimly and silently guard the embryo immortal. Endure hardship for two or three years; the Yang Shen (spirit) appears, and the sage's work is complete. Nurture the fire without anxiety, complete creation and transformation, attain long life without aging, and a lifespan equal to Heaven.
III. Song of the Golden Elixir
A single grain of the Golden Elixir weighs one jin (catty; a metaphor for its precious rarity); if people in the world know it, they can attain long life. Building the foundation means sweeping away all worldly affairs; refining the self is simply nurturing the original Shen. The Yellow Court (the middle Dantian) is the earth cauldron, and prenatal mercury is within it; all worries are empty, and worldly passions are cut off. To depart from one's own body is not the Dao; to cling to one's own body is also emptiness. Now I leak the heavenly mechanism and speak to all heroes who study the Dao: the road to long life is right before your eyes, yet countless ordinary people are deluded about the original source. Sweep the spirit terrace clean until not one thought remains; with the body at leisure and in pure quiet, circulate the mysterious work. Breathe in emptiness, and let Shen guard its dwelling; the hundred vessels return to the source, clear as water. Within the body, true lead naturally appears—a single red light bright as the moon. The mysterious pass comes and goes without a fixed location; Yin-Yang rise and fall at their appointed times. Take the month from within the year, and the day from within the month; at Mid-Autumn the wheel of moonlight appears. For thirty days just sit at home; at every moment do not leave the Purple Star (the heart of Heaven, the original Shen).
Facing south and gazing up at the handle of the Northern Dipper—this is exactly when the sun stands at high noon, yet it is like the third watch of midnight (a cultivation moment when Yin-Yang are inverted and the fire timing is special). Place the elixir furnace in the northwest to refine the spiritual medicine, and set up the cauldron in the southeast to perform the spiritual work; only when furnace and cauldron face each other is there true skill. Hang the sword of wisdom in the “Crystal Palace” (a metaphor for the clear and luminous place within the body); invite the “Yellow Woman” (the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang) to act as matchmaker, and welcome the “spirit turtle” into the furnace, entering deeper and deeper. Clear as if ambrosia were poured over the crown, use the true bellows (the opening and closing of breathing and Qi movement) to gather the one Qi of pre-heaven; each breath is tied to the “Heaven Valley” acupoint. The River Chariot (a metaphor for Qi ascending along the Governing Vessel) transports it straight up to Kunlun; after passing the Magpie Bridge, it enters the Flowery Pool and then descends through the twelve-storied tower. Passing Weilu and Jiaji, it breaks through the Three Passes; the “Golden Lord” returns to its dwelling and enters the Yellow Court. Lead comes to join mercury like a cat catching a mouse; mercury goes to join lead like a hare seeing a hawk (Yin and Yang mutually absorb, restrain, and unite). The nine-times refined divine elixir enters the golden cauldron; when the ten-month embryo is full, the work of creation is accomplished. Not noticing cold or heat—this is true creation: when the body transforms into pure Yang, that is true gold. Accumulating three thousand merits in the dusty world, one may ascend in broad daylight and pay homage at the Jade Capital.
Song of the Golden Liquid Return Elixir, Dispelling Confusion
The formula of the Return Elixir, the formula of the Return Elixir—I now explain it to you in detail: the side doors and minor arts have three thousand paths; apart from the Golden Elixir, all are byways; every kind of dross is not the true Way. One must graft true Yin and true Yang directly together; Yin and Yang unite, lead and mercury join, and the Infant and Maiden fiercely combine in emptiness. Dragon and Tiger turn upward and downward, rising and soaring; the spirit turtle at the sea bottom sports with stars and moon. Nurturing the Yellow Sprout, flying the White Snow, the golden dew within water—all are pre-heaven secret formulas. With the true Yellow Woman and the true bellows, the Golden Elixir is the medicine of long life. First build the foundation, then advance the medicine; the hundred days of work must be held firm. If one pursues the two Qi and returns them to the Yellow Path, and the three families meet, then the immortal embryo is formed. Nature must be refined and life must be joined; do not take the illusory months and years of the human world as real. If lead and mercury are returned to true Earth, adding mercury and withdrawing lead, one will never be extinguished. Crow (Yin) eight ounces, Hare (Yang) half a catty; the two things enter together the village of Wu and Ji (the central palace, the Earth position). Martial at both ends, civil in the middle; the Four Symbols are seized and cooked in one place. With ten months of diligent work, when the fire timing is sufficient, pure Yang is refined and life becomes endless. Change the cauldron and move the embryo; after three or five years, nine years facing the wall, the Yang Shen emerges. Mystery is the ancestor, the Female is the source; before Heaven and before Earth, it is the root of all things. Point it open and penetrate the earth, and the heavenly eye becomes unobstructed; turn the heavenly pass, and the Dipper handle moves backward. When the aperture is about to open, Qi naturally flows through; thunder turns the Dipper handle, and the sound truly booms. Clouds rise from the sea bottom, and the water-drawing dragon churns the waves; wind arises at Niwan, and the tiger’s roar sounds. If one understands the method of inverting Yin and Yang, the creation of Qian and Kun is accomplished at once.
The teachings of Wuzhen and the principles of Cantong are fundamentally one tradition. Although this medicine comes from within the body (in this context “chamber” mostly refers to the transformation within the body, not the vulgar interpretation)…
The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng: A Vernacular Interpretation
Section One (Distinguishing the Golden Elixir from Longevity)
To cultivate the Golden Elixir (Jindan) and the Great Liquid (Daye) in the body—the true essence and fluids transformed after the Golden Elixir is refined—is different from ordinary health-preserving methods. Merely swallowing Qi, refining Jing, and sealing the Weilu (the tailbone gate at the end of the Governing Vessel; in internal alchemy it is often said that Jing is gathered here), while hoping to fly up and ascend, will in the end fail without the Golden Elixir.
Birds and beasts also understand “preserving form”: turtles regulate Qi through nasal breathing; deer move the Weilu as if refining Jing; cranes constantly embrace the embryo and at night keep company with clouds and pines, quietly nurturing Shen. These creatures can live a thousand years, yet humans do not awaken to long life. People of the world crave fame and profit and do not fear Yama’s ghostly ledger of death. Humans have birth and death, beasts have death; when the three-inch breath is cut off, ghosts become one’s neighbors.
Prenatal medicine (xiantian yao) and postnatal medicine (houtian yao) are the true wondrous substances of Yin-Yang: prenatal medicine can lead to transcendence; postnatal medicine prolongs the shell of life. If people of the world knew the mechanism of planting and grafting (zaijie)—in Neidan, the method of borrowing the Yin-Yang of heaven and earth to continue the source of life—then long life without death and great awakening would still be possible. Nature must be cultivated, life must be completed; gather the prenatal and plant it in Niwan (the upper Dantian, the brain); the Child (Tong’er; Yuan Shen, original spirit) cultivates Jing and Qi to fullness; in stillness, one Qi can ascend to heaven. Only through Wuwei (non-action) and not damaging the body can one cultivate to become a true Great Luo immortal (Daluo xian).
If one loses original Yang in youth and takes up the path halfway, the nature becomes frantic; the Qian line enters the Kun line and becomes the Li trigram, empty within and outwardly expansive. Take the solid at the center of the Kan position, return to the root and restore the original, becoming Yang again; true water and fire are matched with Yin-Yang—let the people of the world not speculate wildly. Even if you sit emptily in Wuwei, you cannot avoid death and burial at Beimang.
Practicing quietist exercises and guarding Zhonghuang (Central Yellow; the central palace of Huangting) may still, by old age, be wasted through a single deviation; even if one clearly understands true-suchness nature, the yin-po soul enters the ghost realm to take rebirth. Life-extending medicine and soul-returning nectar—the Golden Elixir is the king among medicines; if one swallows a single grain into the belly, one returns to youth and long life. Abandoning one’s wife, cutting off grain, keeping fasts and preaching of going to the Western Paradise—no matter the thousands of side-door methods, apart from this same kind, all become madness.
I have leaked the whole heavenly mechanism: returning the elixir is truly the immortal recipe; immortals generation after generation obtained it thereby, leaving the dusty world and ascending to heaven. I urge those who later study the Dao: do not listen to heterodox teachers’ talk of short and long; if you obtain the oral formula and the Golden Elixir medicine, you will prolong your years, remain in the world, and have boundless longevity. By this, cultivate the path of long life, repay your teacher’s grace, and thank Heaven above. I compose this formula as a compassionate ferry; when practice is full and merit complete, you will move the Jade Emperor. Who composed the Golden Liquid that breaks delusion? It has been transmitted for ten thousand ages from Yuanhua Zhang.
“Song Pointing Out Delusion in the Dragon-Tiger Returning Elixir”
Even if you ask everywhere for the ladder to immortality, only when the first Yang first stirs (as the alchemical texts say, at the winter solstice when one Yang is born, or referring to the beginning of refining Jing into Qi) is it called wondrous; water submerges Kunlun and overturns the jade sea; a tiger howls at the rock… (The song verses begin here; dragon-tiger and water-fire symbolize the stages of returning the elixir, and one should continue by consulting the complete song formula.)
In the text, Golden Elixir, Weilu, Niwan, Kan and Li, the first Yang first stirring, planting and grafting, and similar terms are all common Neidan terminology, not worldly ingestion of medicines or minor side-door arts. Master Zhang here focuses on clarifying “having the elixir and lacking the elixir,” “prenatal and postnatal,” and “dual cultivation of nature and life,” and warns against trusting heterodox teachers and side doors.
Vernacular Interpretation
First Passage (Song of the Essentials of Cultivation)
The head is the foundation handed down from the ancestors, directly pointing to the shortcut to freedom and ease; a bright moon shines on Mount Sumeru, with a tiger in the water and a dragon in the fire.
The Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and Five Phases appear within the radiance; seize the dragon, and purple mist arises; subdue the tiger, and golden flowers and dewdrops appear. Why can the two images (Yin-Yang) establish the root of the Dao? Only because one has long walked the road of Caoxi. Male paired with female, Yin paired with Yang, their union is clearly like a great battle. Wu-Ji Earth serves as the Yellow Chamber; when Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) are clear and transparent, that is the Medicine King; refine one grain of purple Golden Elixir, and you can ride a crane or mount a phoenix to pay court to the Jade Emperor.
Second Passage (Another Song)
The tiger hides in the blue sea and sleeps beside the infant; the dragon coils back from the sun at Fusang. When the spring intent of one Yang stirs: the tiger releases golden light, the dragon spits saliva. With a precious sword hanging at the waist, gather in the dragon’s mist; when the tiger sees the dragon return, each hides together. The two things follow one another and return to Wu-Ji; a furnace of true fire slowly cooks and decocts. From the Zi hour to the Wu hour the firing process must be strict; at Mao and You the added attention must not slacken. Swallow ancestral Qi, chew jade nectar; true emptiness within form—who can explain it in detail? The method of refinement lies only at the place of “birth into body”; the ten kings of the underworld also share this same square inch.
Quickly awaken, do not go on foolishly craving; do not say that what the old man speaks is heterodox. Even if you glibly discuss the teachings of the Three Baskets, without awakening to no-birth it is all idle. Break open this iron bun, and you will be free and at ease for a hundred million years.
Commentary: “Nine Emperors Elixir Scripture,” Third Month Generating the Hun-Soul—Song of the Golden Elixir’s Three Returns and One Reversion
Month after month, all are in the stage of “the young”; within the lotus is true Jing (essence) and blood. There is no need to set up a furnace and establish a cauldron; simply use Wuwei (non-action) to draw it out completely. Nor must you wait for the two bowstrings; when Qi arrives, only watch the Yintang and Xingque. Nor must you wait for eight liang and half a jin to make the living Zi hour; only wait for five thousand four hundred to be the proper month. No need for spiritual union or bodily separation; only use upper exhalation and lower inhalation.
The first saying: warmth throughout the whole body; the second saying: the fontanelle opens through; the third saying: the heavenly eye opens, and one sees the great thousand worlds—such signs; the prescription is precisely to generate the placenta, generate the embryo, and generate the hun-soul. Clearly he instructs the cultivator: you must ride the crane among the clouds; by no means be buried in sand and earth.
Commentary: “Nine Emperors Elixir Scripture,” Fourth Month Generating the Po-Soul—Song of the Golden Elixir’s Four Returns and Two Reversions
The Old Ancestor is named the Ancestor Who Subdues Demons and Protects the Dao, penetrating and connecting the seven po-souls, controlled at You; within You there is true metal, and metal can preserve long life. The Imperial True Po and the origin of life from here become ever more wondrous. On the wedding night in the bridal chamber, facing the scene, forget passion—Yedali.
(The above are esoteric songs and formulas of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation; tiger and dragon, Wu-Ji, Mao and You, and the like all refer to the internal body’s Yin-Yang firing times and to Shen and Qi, not to ordinary worldly matters between men and women; the road of Caoxi is a metaphor for the gate of sudden awakening, and the iron bun is a metaphor for the obstacle of attachment.)
This scripture primarily expounds the essential techniques of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, divided into three sections:
The first section discusses the seven-month cultivation method from the "Jiuhuang Danjing" (Scripture of the Nine Imperial Elixirs). The Dao Lord (a revered Daoist deity) descended authentic methods from the Taiwei celestial realm (a heavenly constellation), using a mysterious circular symbol and seven lunar phases to illustrate the Five Numinous Spirits (deities corresponding to the five viscera) within the human body. Practitioners must activate their Celestial Eye (the mysterious gate between the eyebrows) to open the Seven Orifices (eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth, also representing key acupoints), ultimately ascending to the jade terrace of the immortal realm. Here, the "Five Numinous Spirits" correspond to the organ deities, while the "Seven Orifices" signify both facial openings and crucial internal energy points.
The second section presents the ten-month cultivation formula. It employs the metaphor of Princess Nongyu (Duke Mu of Qin's daughter, a legendary immortal) playing her flute to describe guiding genuine Qi into the Primordial Pass (Dantian energy center). This cavity serves as the foundation of heaven and earth—when innate Qi becomes abundant, the practitioner's body manifests the Eight Scenes (internal visions of cultivation) and Twenty-Four Celestial Realms (internal landscapes). Through the interconnected Nine Orifices and nourishment from True Qi (primordial energy), the Sacred Embryo (inner elixir) takes form. References to the Golden Nectar from the Queen Mother's Jade Pool and the Lotus Heart symbolize the pure Yang essence of the Golden Elixir. The section concludes with examples from Patriarch Chunyang (Lü Dongbin) and Perfected Lord Xu (Xu Xun, a renowned Jin dynasty Daoist), demonstrating how cultivation enables daylight ascension.
The third section details the Leak-Stabilization Method (techniques to prevent essence leakage). It explains how to circulate Shen (spirit) through the Nine Orifices, seal the Three Passes and Eight Gates (critical energy junctions), and cultivate within the Yellow Court (middle Dantian). The union of the "Infant and Maiden" (Yin-Yang energies) symbolizes the completion of the Golden Elixir, accompanied by descriptions of radiant bodily illumination upon achieving the inner elixir. Energy must flow unimpeded from the Muddy Pellet Palace (crown chakra) to the Bubbling Spring points (soles), emphasizing the purification of Jing (essence) and gathering quintessence in the Seven Treasures Pool (another name for Dantian). Finally, it mentions clearing the Twelve-Storied Tower (throat region) and Seven Principal Meridians to ensure whole-body cultivation effects. "Leak stabilization" refers to securing vital energies—the foundational practice of internal alchemy.
This passage contains several poems and mnemonic verses by Zhang Sanfeng, primarily conveying the states of Daoist cultivation and a carefree attitude toward life.
The "Song of Firm Containment" discusses the essential formula for cultivating the Golden Elixir (Jindan). It advises practitioners to guard their Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) like a securely sealed vessel, refining the lead and mercury (symbolizing yin and yang energies) within the body into the Golden Elixir. Upon achievement, the phenomenon of the "infant manifestation" (representing the appearance of the primordial spirit) will emerge, enabling one to share the longevity of heaven and earth. It concludes by emphasizing this as the true secret to immortality.
The "Song of Enlightenment" portrays the transcendent life of a Daoist cultivator. Like a carefree insect in the mundane world, the practitioner doesn't cling to social etiquette or conventions—eating when hungry, sleeping when tired, making heaven and earth their home, untroubled by tigers, leopards, or demonic influences. Having shed fame, profit, and worldly disputes, they leap beyond the red dust of human affairs to attain genuine freedom.
The "Reversible Verse" depicts the leisurely life of reclusive cultivation. By the willow-lined pond in a moonlit courtyard, half the gate remains closed. Nights are spent playing the qin zither amidst clouds, while days are devoted to gathering herbs and refining elixirs. Dwelling in deep mountains with a gourd hanging by one's side, far from worldly clamor, one hears only the murmuring stream.
"Returning to Truth Through Dao Cultivation" from the "Golden Elixir Poems" recounts the cultivation journey. After decades of wandering rivers and lakes, the master's guidance (symbolized by "biting through the iron steamed bun" representing enlightenment) reveals that cultivation requires wondrous refinement of both form and spirit through the dual cultivation of nature and life (xingming shuangxiu). Upon comprehending this truth, all worldly troubles are forgotten.
"Leaving Dust for Seclusion" describes the realm of reclusive cultivation. Maintaining a serene mind far from worldly noise, one plays the qin and drinks beneath moonlight while refining the internal elixir (with "dragon and tiger" symbolizing yin and yang energies), ultimately achieving complete unity with the Dao.
A Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Spring at the Bottom of the Broken Jar (continued)
In the spring at the bottom of the broken jar, the Five Qi (vital energy) return to the Origin and grow day by day, while the Three Flowers gather at the Crown and renew hour by hour; when the Great Elixir is refined, one transcends the ordinary and departs—these poems are carefully inscribed to awaken later generations.
Sweeping the Environment and Cultivating the Mind
Inner and outer disturbances tangle, and scenes are as confused as hemp; there are places to gallop and deeds to boast about. Let go without losing the true shortcut; turn back in reflection, and that is my home. When the six roots are pure, there is no obstacle at all; when the five aggregates are empty, not the slightest flaw remains. Clear and forgotten, the square inch is still; a single bright moon shines over Nanhua.
Fighting the Sleep Demon
When Qi is muddled and one craves sleep, the harm is not slight; as soon as the first watch comes, drowsiness arises. When there is something one must do, one should always be fearful and vigilant; simply make the mind firmly awake. Even when one’s thoughts and feelings are like intoxication, rouse the spirit and sit until dawn. With this whip one must sharply reflect: what undertaking could not be accomplished?
First Seeking the Mysterious Pass
The single aperture of the Mysterious Pass is the crucial junction; it is neither the heart nor the kidneys, but the deepest and most hidden. The bladder and the valley path are sought in vain; do not idly search the spleen, stomach, or Niwan (Mud Pill). The root of Shen (spirit) and Qi is always indistinct; carefully probe within the cave of emptiness and nothingness. In the end it is simply the place of spiritual clarity; nurture the Returning Elixir and roam riding a crane.
Seeking the Mysterious Pass Again
The puppet on stage can nod its head, but one should know it is always drawn by strings. Although pulling it depends on human strength, when it comes to making me pull, who is the one who plans? It originally relies on the master being constantly bright as the moon, hoping to make every place elegant and free. If, in refining the Elixir, one wants to find the winter solstice, one must seek it in the stillness of the Spirit Terrace.
General Discussion of the Mysterious Pass
The body itself is Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth); do not seek outside. The single aperture of empty spirituality is the deepest and most hidden. Two and three may be allowed as companions; why not let one and four be partners? The fifth earth establishes the center and governs development; where the Xun (Wind) trigram rises, hardness and softness are determined. Ever since I recognized the wonder of returning to the Origin, in the six-six palace spring returns and autumn follows.
Casting the Spirit Sword
The teacher transmitted the method for forging the Green Snake; it is refined and completed in the Kun cauldron and Qian furnace. Neither iron nor metal, it generates a killing aura; without form or shadow, it naturally communicates with the spirit. Drawn from its sheath, Qian and Kun seem narrow; gathered into the breast, a mustard seed is born. Ten thousand taels of gold cannot find its whereabouts; hidden beside the body, it cuts down goblins.
Post-Heaven Foundation Building
When Qi is depleted and blood is weak, it is fitting to supplement and connect; an enlightened teacher personally transmits the oral formula. Swallow the jade liquid of the Hua Pool in due course; sip the jade nectar of the Peach Hollow day by day. Cut off worries and forget thoughts, with the heart of a newborn child; returning to the root and restoring life is the work of the immortal. When the Dantian (energy center) is warm, one returns to a child’s complexion.
Explanation: This text consists of Master Zhang Sanfeng’s cultivation poems and verses; it involves Neidan (internal alchemy) terms such as the Mysterious Pass, foundation building, and sword casting. The Mysterious Pass refers to the place where Shen (spirit) and Qi meet; the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and the Five Qi Return to the Origin are stages of inner refinement; post-heaven foundation building refers to replenishing and nourishing Jing (essence), Qi, and Shen through practices such as ingesting substances and regulating breath, thereby laying the foundation for higher cultivation.
A Smiling Face, Stubborn Emptiness Exhausted, Head Like Snow
This line is often an opening or inscription: the countenance smiles, stubborn emptiness—attachment to emptiness—is utterly exhausted, and the hair is white as snow. It describes long practice and a mind that is empty and clear.
Refining the Self in the Post-Heaven State
Who can truly know the work of refining the self? Jing and Shen constantly accompany me. Not stained by a single speck of dust, the mind is wholly still; all worries are forgotten, and one’s nature seems foolish—not truly foolish, but undisturbed by external things. Evil thoughts and outer disturbances find no way to invade the inner realm. The student serves the strict master all day; when hungry, he drinks the wine of longevity—a metaphor for inwardly nourishing Jing and Qi—and daily he is tipsy, drunk as mud, describing Shen and Qi guarded within and a free, easy state.
Refining the Self and Obtaining the Medicine
The work of refining the self follows the building of the foundation; all worries in the heart have already been forgotten. A round of moonlight is one’s companion; at the fifth watch, thunder-like inner scenes—vibrations of Qi and channels—are known only to oneself. In stillness snow flies in white specks, a metaphor for the gathering of Shen and Qi; from emptiness sprouts grow yellow branches, a metaphor for the first budding elixir. Seize the Yang Qi and return it to conceive; finally give birth to the “thousand-year crane-riding child,” a metaphor for the accomplished elixir fetus and the fruit of the immortal path.
Beginning the Work of Refining the Self
Though bodies are separate, the principle of Shen and Qi communicating is very detailed; at the outset, body and mind, Shen and Qi, must mutually correspond and cooperate. Set up the furnace and establish the cauldron—establish the Dantian and focus on key points—to seek the true seed, pre-Heaven Qi; face circumstances, forget emotions, and recognize the original mind and homeland. Seize the dragon’s head—guide the upper burner and Ren Mai, the Conception Vessel—to gather purple mist; chisel open the tiger’s tail—the lower burner and Du Mai, the Governing Vessel—to reveal golden light. Dragon and tiger symbolize Yin-Yang, water and fire. A speck of true lead is swallowed into the abdomen; all things shine and lifespan is extended.
Pre-Heaven Cauldron and Vessel
Once the aperture of primordial chaos is penetrated, one recognizes the Qian-Kun creation furnace—the place of internal alchemy within the body. No need for divine effort to regulate water and fire; spiritual Qi naturally penetrates the skin. Morning after morning the yellow crane hides in the golden cauldron; night after night the silver toad pours into the jade flask—symbolizing Yang Qi rising, Yin Qi descending, and Jing and Qi becoming full. To know the true matter of the Golden Elixir, one must work at the place before the body was born—the single thought before parents gave birth, the pre-Heaven state.
Pre-Heaven True Lead
People throughout the world love to enter the mysterious, but having entered the mysterious, they do not recognize this pre-Heaven. Within five thousand days the Yellow Path arises; within thirty double-hours recognize black lead—at a specific fire timing, one recognizes pre-Heaven true lead. It is not after Qian and Kun have divided—the post-Heaven world—but only before parents gave birth—pre-Heaven Qi. Such a supreme treasure exists in every household; it is only that foolish people’s views are biased and they fail to see it.
Pre-Heaven Great Medicine
Truly, the principle of the Golden Elixir is most refined; few understand the one speck of pre-Heaven. It is not limited by poverty or wealth—every household has it; regardless of worth or folly, all are born with it. Swallowed into the abdomen, it conceives; yet taken in the palm, it has no form—it cannot be grasped by appearance. When people ask me, it is hard to answer directly; I can only point afar to the moon rising in Geng at the horizon—Geng is west and metal; the moon symbolizes the elixir and fire timing; cryptic language points to it.
Capturing the Pre-Heaven
Smiling, I see the wondrous mystery in the Divine Land; whispered closely into the ear, the master’s oral formula is transmitted. Chisel open chaos to seek golden mercury; split primordial obscurity to catch water lead—seeking pre-Heaven Jing and Qi before differentiation. A single millet-grain pearl is contained in the North Sea—the Dantian; myriad rays of toad light illuminate the Western River—Shen and Qi gathered, inner light shining. If a person gathers it and swallows it back into the abdomen, why worry that an ordinary person cannot become an immortal? This means everyone possesses it; the only question is whether one can recognize and refine it.
Note: The above are Neidan poetic formulas. They often use furnace and cauldron, lead and mercury, dragon and tiger, Yellow Path and black lead, and other metaphors to refer to body-mind cultivation and the gathering of Shen and Qi, not to the taking of Waidan drugs. They should be read as cultivation imagery, not as concrete prescriptions or superstitious magic.
Recognizing the Golden Elixir
Understanding the way of the “Golden Elixir” lies precisely in grasping that single point of prenatal subtlety; the wonder is entirely therein. When within the “gate of the female” (the yin aperture, the gate for drawing yin essence) that one grain of true lead is stirred, the gate of the Mysterious Female opens; this is the foundation of the creation of the three families (Jing [essence], Qi [vital energy], and Shen [spirit], or Heaven, Earth, and Humanity). It congeals in the Dantian (energy center) like jade leaves being born; when sent back to the earthen cauldron (the Dantian, the furnace and tripod), it grows like a fungus of jade. If people in the world wish to penetrate the principles of the prenatal, they must recognize the “red flower crowning the black tortoise”—namely the image of Kan and Li in copulation, of water and fire mutually completing each other (the red flower denotes Li fire, the black tortoise denotes Kan water).
Identifying and Harvesting the Medicine
Identifying the medicine and gathering the medicine: the sun is red as at the bottom of the sea, the moon on the mountain peak; at the assembly on the sacred mountain, seek that “eggplant-colored” flower blooming and the birds singing the sound of spring. In inverted fashion, take and use dragon saliva matched with tiger blood (dragon is the liver, tiger the kidney, or the images of lead and mercury), and the divine light shoots into the jade kettle field (the Dantian). Following the secret numerical cycles of oral formulas such as Kun-Shen and Zi-Wu, refine with a knife-point measure (a tiny medicinal guide) for a hundred days, and the great elixir can be completed; once the elixir is complete, one may forever be a guest of Penglai.
Directly Pointing to True Lead
True lead is originally the “flower within the moon” (the moon is yin, and lead occupies the yin position). The northwest mutually generates it, and it is originally one family. The female conceals the male, and only then does it become the supreme treasure; taking white from within black, one sees the spiritual sprout. When metal is abundant and water scarce, then it is precious (with metal and water properly balanced); when yin flourishes and yang declines, it is not yet sufficient. One must further recognize the Wu-Ji earth concealed within it; only when the furnace fire is raised at all times can cinnabar be refined.
Directly Pointing to True Mercury
True mercury is originally the essence within the sun (the sun is yang, and mercury occupies the yang position). East three and south two naturally generate each other (the directions of wood and fire). That fire is hidden within wood is no empty saying; only when the male harbors the female is it a precious treasure. Do not let even a trace of yin turbidity stain it; you must cause the whole body of the great sun to be bright. In the meantime, use Si earth to cultivate the primal Qi, and refine so that the spiritual sprout gradually grows to maturity.
Lead and Mercury Meeting
True lead and true mercury mutually meet, like lacquer and glue, their intent never ceasing. Using mercury to enter lead is like bathing the sun; using lead to control mercury is like adding oil. Lead harmonizes mercury’s nature, and they constantly lean on each other; mercury loves lead’s feeling and happily swims and roams. When the inner and outer Five Phases are gathered and stabilized, they form the head of the great red-white elixir.
The Wondrous Use of Inversion
What difficulty is there in seeking the truth and inquiring after the Dao? It only requires that the human heart recognize “inversion.” Do not seek the supreme medicine in mountains and forests; one must look for true lead within the city (Neidan [internal alchemy] often says that true lead is in the human body, not in outside mountains). The Azure Dragon is locked in place as Li unites with Kan; the White Tiger is led back as Dui enters Qian. This technique’s effects are clearly evident; when the time comes to go, naturally there is a road up to the blue heaven.
Harmonizing and Combining the Elixir Head
Once the Yellow Path is born, the first sprouts grow; there must be true yang returning in response to the season. The fire of samadhi issues from the Li position, and a clap of thunder comes from the Zhen palace. Qi and Shen harmonize and combine to nourish the spiritual substance; heart and life depend on each other to form the sacred embryo. If one penetrates the inner message within, the three passes and nine apertures open all at once.
The Meeting of the Three Families
Earnestly request the Yellow Woman to act as a skilled matchmaker; from nothing she produces something, and we are indebted to her cultivation. Then, because the maiden (Chanu) waits at that moment, she entices the young gentleman… (The final line in the original scroll may be connected with the following passage; here it conveys the sense of drawing together the elixir and of water and fire being matchmade: the Yellow Woman symbolizes spleen-earth or the officer of intention; the maiden and the young gentleman symbolize the two entities yin and yang, which await the matchmaker’s union before the elixir foundation is completed.)
The Lord Comes from Outside (The Two Orifices Interpenetrate)
The lord comes from outside; the two orifices interpenetrate with no obstruction. In the central palace they gather and do not separate. In harmonious union, spring is boundless; it gives birth to an infant, called the sacred embryo.
Coming from outside means true Qi (vital energy) enters from without; the upper and lower orifices interpenetrate with no blockage. Qi gathers in the central palace (the Dantian, energy center) and becomes a single whole. Naturally in accord, like boundless spring, it conceives an “infant,” called the sacred embryo—a metaphor for the initial formation of Neidan (internal alchemy).
The Ninefold Great Return
For the work of the ninefold great return elixir, one must know that “below the mountain a spring emerges” (the image of the Gen trigram, meaning Jing, essence, and Qi rise from below). The wondrous function of setting up the furnace depends on Kun earth; the work of operating fire relies on Xun wind. Only when Dui-tiger and Zhen-dragon are blended, and Kan-male and Li-female are further harmonized. Once the Four Images return to the center, the mechanism of creation is in my own body.
In the entry-level work of the ninefold great return elixir, one must understand that Jing and Qi arise from below like a spring beneath a mountain. Setting up the furnace and cauldron—the fire phase of body and mind—depends on Kun earth, the lower abdomen and the virtue of earth; regulating the breath and operating the fire relies on Xun wind, breathing and air. Dui metal is the tiger, Zhen wood is the dragon; they must first be harmonized. Kan water is male, Li fire is female; they must be joined. After the Four Images—metal, wood, water, fire, or body, mind, Shen, and Qi—return to the center, the key to creation lies within one’s own body.
The Subtlety of the Fire Phase
Years, months, days, and hours are gathered into one moment; within one moment, Yin-Yang must not be confused by a hair. Withdrawal and addition must match the signs and timings, as when rabbit (Mao) and rooster (You) arrive; the work of ascent and descent is fierce as dragon and tiger. Guard against danger and take precautions; when the fire work should stop, stop it. Weigh ounces and grains to match the tally of hexagram lines. Naturally, when the count is full, it joins the celestial circuit; day after day like this, practice for ten months.
In years, months, days, and hours, gather down to the precision of each moment; within a single moment, Yin-Yang cannot be mixed by the slightest margin. Withdrawal and addition—increasing or decreasing the fire phase—must accord with signs and timings, such as the hours of rabbit (Mao) and rooster (You); the work of ascent and descent must be intense as dragon and tiger. Guard against danger and take precautions; when the fire should stop, stop it. Weigh the ounces and grains so they match the count of hexagram lines. Naturally, when the number is complete, it forms one celestial circuit—one breath or one circulation of Qi; day after day like this, complete ten months, a metaphor for the alchemical cultivation cycle.
Escape the Embryo and Spirit Transformation
When the elixir is complete, my life is not ruled by heaven; let hills and valleys change as they will. Honor and disgrace do not touch me; I am joyful wherever I am. Profit and fame do not hang on me; I follow the times at ease. I know only the Qian and Kun scenery within the pot; who still remembers the jiazi years of the human world? If you ask where my destination is, in drunkenness I point far toward the white clouds.
After the elixir is complete, nature and life are not wholly governed by heaven; though the world’s hills and valleys shift, the mind is unmoved. Honor and disgrace are irrelevant, and one is at peace everywhere; profit and fame do not cling, and one is free according to the times. One knows only the wondrous Qian and Kun within the pot—within the body; who bothers about the jiazi years of the human world? If asked where one returns, in drunkenness one points far into the white clouds.
Nine Years Facing the Wall
Nine years facing the wall to nurture the spirit body; silently, dimly, as if refining the self. Without restraint or hindrance, attaining freedom; following conditions and one’s share, able to know when to stop. The heart shines with the great radiance of sun and moon; I and Qian and Kun are inner and outer. Breaking through emptiness is no small matter; gathering the six directions into one millet grain.
Nine years facing the wall—quiet cultivation—to nurture the sacred spirit body; silently and dimly as if refining the self. Without bonds or constraints, one attains freedom; following conditions and one’s portion, one knows contentment. The heart shares the great radiance of sun and moon; the body and Qian and Kun are inner and outer. Breaking through emptiness is not ordinary; finally the six directions—heaven, earth, and the four quarters—are gathered into a single millet grain, one point of true Jing, one grain of elixir.
Changing the Cauldron and Dividing the Embryo
Reset the furnace and establish the cauldron, set Kun and Qian in place; with skillful hands move the elixir into the upper field. When Dao and De are lofty, Shen becomes more transcendent; when emptiness is shattered, the Dharma door is boundless. From now on, the old dwelling is changed and becomes new substance; afterward, dividing the embryo enters further mystery. The child nurtures the grandchild, the grandchild nurtures the child; old man and old mother together become immortals.
Reset the furnace and establish the cauldron, fix Kun and Qian; with skillful hands move the elixir into the upper field—the upper Dantian, Niwan palace, the crown. When Dao and De are lofty, Shen (spirit) becomes more transcendent; when emptiness is shattered, the Dharma door is boundless. From now on, the old dwelling—the old form—is changed and becomes new substance; afterward, dividing the embryo enters a deeper mystery. The child nurtures the grandchild, the grandchild nurtures the child—a metaphor for Shen and Qi cultivating in succession; old man and old mother—a metaphor for Yin-Yang or the parental spirits—together become immortals.
Transformation and Spirit Communication
Nurture the mysterious grandchild until it gradually matures; it strengthens the lineage, surpasses the ancestors, and is good at planning. Last night under the lamp it met a fine mate; today in the hall it gives birth to outstanding offspring. Each child stands like a jade tree; ethereal immortal heirs cluster like golden stems. This whole company surpasses the jade discs worth many cities; it is tax-free good land, only to be cultivated by oneself.
When the mysterious grandchild—a deeper level of the “sacred embryo” in inner cultivation—is nurtured to gradual maturity, it surpasses the ancestors and is good at cultivating itself. Last night under the lamp it met a fine mate—Yin-Yang union; today before the hall it gives birth to outstanding excellence—another new realm appears. Each one is like a dense jade tree; immortal heirs cluster like golden stems. This whole company—inner wondrous function—surpasses the jade that could buy cities; like tax-free good land, it need only be cultivated and nourished by oneself.
Ninefold Spiritual Transformation
The ninefold elixir cinnabar, as years and months deepen, nurtures sarira that even ghosts and spirits revere. A furnace of white snow is pure as jade; a full cauldron of yellow sprouts surpasses gold. I have seen luan birds fly and phoenixes dance; I only watch tigers roar and dragons chant. Five metals and eight minerals all become treasures—the last line in the original may be missing; common continuations are phrases like “wondrous function inexhaustible.”
Ninefold cinnabar elixir, refined through deep years and months, nurtures sarira—a metaphor for the firmness of Neidan—which ghosts and spirits revere. A furnace of white snow is like jade; a full cauldron of yellow sprouts surpasses gold. I have seen luan and phoenix dance together; I only watch tigers roar and dragons chant—inner-scene transformations. Five metals and eight minerals—metaphors for external medicines—all become supreme treasures; the whole piece concludes with the meaning of inner cultivation’s ninefold transformation and spiritual marvels.
Note: The above belongs to the Neidan poems and praises of the Zhang Sanfeng lineage. They often use terms such as furnace and cauldron, Kan and Li, sacred embryo, celestial circuit, and upper field; they should be understood in light of the traditional sequence of “refining the self and laying the foundation—refining Jing into Qi—refining Qi into Shen.” The literal wording is largely metaphorical and should not be taken directly as a worldly narrative.
Precious Return: Refining the Heavenly Origin (Tianyuan) and Ascending with the Whole Household
Refining the Heavenly Origin
As for the grade of elixir called Heavenly Origin, who can truly understand it? From Non-being arises Being—such a thing is rarely seen in the world. Only with Heaven and Earth as the furnace is there true creative transformation; with Yin-Yang as the medicine, the wonder lies in the mysterious and subtle. A chicken that eats it can become a crane and fly into the blue clouds; a dog that eats it can become a dragon and soar in broad daylight. Only then is it counted as supremely wondrous; I would take your hand and return together.
Carefree and Unfettered
The Daoist has long ceased to be bound by ears and eyes; he is free and easy, without restraint. At dawn he rises with the sun from Fusang; at dusk he goes to lodge at the foot of the clouds on Kunlun. How many years since the green ox crossed the pass? This Dao is clear before my eyes. Last night, after the jade zither had played three strains, the whole sky was cold with wind and the moon shone beautifully.
Completing the Dao (the Way) and Ferrying Others
Blowing the iron flute twice pierces the dawn mist; we meet again after many years. I once took the matter of Wuwei (non-action) beyond things and entrusted it to the tip of a brush, yet it cannot be fully transmitted. A few strands of white hair—you have already grown old; how many times through the blue clouds have I gone first? To exhaust all inquiry in the world comes only to this; why not travel together and return to the cave-heaven?
General Ode on Internal Matters
Purify body and mind, cultivate the inner medicine, nurture Qi (vital energy) and blood, and restore a childlike form. Borrow the lead cauldron to seek the true seed; transmute my mortal frame into the foundation of sagehood. For ten months bear the embryo and apply gentle fire; for nine years face the wall and nurture the spirit-child. Chang’e loves the child most for its youth; night after night, with music and song, she feasts at the Jade Pool.
General Ode on External Matters
True lead and true mercury become husband and wife; their two intentions join in delight and produce a child. The young child becomes an adult and leaves the ancestral estate; the great-great-grandson takes charge and establishes a new foundation. The family way is grandly expanded and completes three undertakings; the household gate opens wide in the ninth branch. A room piled with gold is hardly worth envy; just look at the whole household ascending to dwell in the Jade Pool.
Ode to the Pre-Heaven (Xiantian) Cauldron
Whose daughter is the maiden of twice seven? At the tips of her brows is a colored radiance. Others all crave love and desire; I see her as my very mother. When a single speck of numinous elixir penetrates, her whole body is fragrant with fine sweat. In an instant it dries my mercury and exchanges my bones, making me pure Yang.
Twenty-Four Golden Elixir (Jindan) Poems
These twenty-four Golden Elixir poems symbolize the twenty-four solar terms. When Liao Fusheng of Luzhou carved and printed them, he introduced errors and plagiarized to win fame. He once compiled poems of ancient immortals into a volume entitled Awakening to the Dao: Refined Sayings, and for the names and styles of the assembled Perfected, he left most unrecorded, wishing those who had not seen them to marvel and take them as his own work—precisely what Elder Zhengfeng called “a ghostly scheme of stingy greed, stealing the mystery of the Dao.” Now they have been corrected according to the authentic edition of Immortal Wang.
Vernacular Interpretation
Explanation: It is hoped to restore the old orthodox view, so that those who are fond of the Dao will not go astray.
Collect the Qi of the prior heaven (xiantian) to refine the form of the posterior heaven (houtian); circulate the two qi, which share the same root and source. If you wish to know that the formed arises originally from the formless, you must recognize the first-quarter moon and the last-quarter moon. At the moment when Qian and Kun are about to divide but have not yet divided, before father and mother have given birth—imbibe this Dao: chaos will be like a dream, transformation like an infant, and you may extend your great years.
The moon has no light of its own but borrows the sun’s light; from the last day and the first day of the month (hui and shuo) it each time establishes Yin-Yang. The toad (moon) and the crow (sun) unite to form the true substance; the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet in the vast haze. When the Hun-soul responds to the Po-soul and becomes sage, one endures as long as Heaven and Earth. If students understand the wonder within, the Purple Mansion (the Dantian in the brain) will hang on high, and their names will be as fragrant as incense.
After seven days a single yang comes, descending the Magpie Bridge; husband and wife wander freely on the bridge. The seawater flows backward to the Heavenly Valley; the wind-filled sail turns backward and moves the Dipper’s handle. Grasping Qian and Kun in hand, one divides creation; step by step one proceeds according to years and months—such is always the method of immortals; how could they contend in words with ordinary men?
The bellows (tuoyue) blow and puff, borrowing the Xun wind; they carry up the Kun fire from the primordial chaos (hongmeng). Slowly draw it up to the summit of Kunlun; gradually swallow it back into the Earth Cauldron Palace. Lead and mercury meet and become the supreme treasure; Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) coalesce and transform into an infant child. In the future, leap beyond Qian and Kun, no longer within the transformations of the jade mechanism (xuanji).
Set up the furnace and establish the cauldron to refine the Golden Elixir: water fears drying up, fire fears turning cold. Before refining, always guard it; at the stage of Zhun and Meng (the initial, unenlightened refining), one must watch diligently. Drawing out lead and adding mercury must be done with urgency; consider danger and guard against peril, and do not relax. If there is the slightest discrepancy, the work will not be accomplished; to give up halfway is even harder to bear.
The dragon rises and the tiger descends, turning the River Chariot (heche); red fire is seized to control the white sand. When the two qi congeal into the embryo, lead naturally decreases; when the Three Flowers gather at the crown, mercury is still added. Opening the furnace and stirring freely, it becomes stalactite; raising the cauldron, one should know it is horse-tooth. Grasp both things together and do not let them go; if you let them go, you will lose the beautiful golden flower.
Gather back from the Kun earth the abundant water and metal; plant it in the Qian household and enter the river of love. Yang fire and yin tally advance and retreat accordingly; the lead dragon and mercury tiger naturally harmonize. The sap is collected in the eastern position and becomes sweet dew; the wine is drunk in the west and one is intoxicated amid silk and gauze. Only be utterly sincere and diligently care for it; when the embryo is full in ten months, it transforms into the Green Maiden.
Seize the one point of Jing from Qian and Kun; when Yin-Yang copulate, it naturally completes. Husband and wife meet and gather the three surnames; Wu and Ji are added and cluster the Five Phases. At the new and full moon, at Zhun and Meng; at the cock’s leap (mao time, 5–7 a.m.), at the dark and the quarter; at Ji and Wei (wei time, 1–3 p.m.), tiger and dragon contend. Earth and Heaven are gathered into the mysterious pass (the meeting place of the Ren and Du vessels).
Brief note: The whole text belongs to the terminology of Neidan (internal alchemy, refining Jing, Qi, and Shen within the body): lead and mercury, dragon and tiger, River Chariot, Magpie Bridge, Earth Cauldron, and so on are mostly metaphors, not the external refining of gold and silver. Readers should understand them in terms of “regulating the breath, concentrating the mind, and fire timing (huohou),” and should not cling to the literal meaning of burning and refining vessels.
Plain-Language Interpretation
The River Chariot (Heche) moving within gives a thunderclap-like sound. When the “River Chariot”—the true Qi circulating up and down the spine—operates in the body, it sometimes feels as if there is a thunderous sound or vibration.
The water and fire in the body are precisely the mutual union of the two Qi of Yin-Yang; when they unite, they can transform into purple light (a vision in internal alchemy). Daily drinking the life-extending wine like sweet dew, constantly swallowing the soul-returning syrup—both describe the state of abundant Jing and Qi and the arising of inner vitality.
The mystery within is not something ordinary people can recognize; this “great medicine” (Neidan, internal alchemy) must be tasted and verified personally by those who aspire to the great Dao.
When the ninefold work is complete, one seems to return to the Great Beginning; when Kun’s yielding quality is fully refined, it changes into Qian’s firm strength—describing yin exhausted and yang purified, a return to the original source.
Fire is blazing, water flows; the River Chariot transports and circulates naturally and ceaselessly. A piece of jade from Kunlun is originally priceless, yet the bright pearl from the vast sea seems to be cast into darkness—a metaphor for the body’s supreme treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen) often being buried and unrecognized.
Samadhi first arises from below Li (Fire, the heart); a single tally first floats up from within Kan (Water, the kidneys)—heart and kidney intersect, water and fire are joined. Who can truly understand one’s own inner news? Do not chatter and show off before others.
Cultivating immortality requires cultivating the way of the heavenly immortal; the Golden Liquid Divine Elixir must be examined carefully. The adding is in the Li palace, the withdrawing in Kan; it lodges in Dui (Lake) and is planted in Qian (Heaven)—all positional metaphors in Neidan for the rising, falling, lodging, and dwelling of heart-kidney and Jing-Qi-Shen.
At the juncture of life and death, the decisive matter is not [external] Shen and Qi; the work of the dual cultivation of nature and life lies in “mercury” and “lead” (usually symbols for spirit, Jing, Qi, and so on, not literal quicksilver). Many in the world talk about the Dao; how many among them reach the true meaning here?
Refining the self and making one’s truth firm is not difficult; first seize the marrow of the Po and pair it with the crow’s liver—a metaphorical way of saying that in internal alchemy one gathers and condenses the Jing and Po and harmonizes Yin-Yang.
Lead the dragon to the tiger and return to the root aperture; control mercury and cast it into lead to open the gate of restoring life—dragon and tiger copulate, Jing and Qi return to the source. Metal Qi passes back and forth through Jiaji (the spinal pass); the River Chariot carries it up to Niwan (Mud Pill, the upper Dantian). Husband and wife (Yin-Yang) together enter the Yellow Dame’s (Huangpo) chamber; when the fire timing is adjusted, the elixir naturally forms.
Opening and closing Qian and Kun in the form of a bellows; in the hexagrams Zhun and Meng, breathing the essence of Kan and Li. The cauldron harmonizes the Four Images, and true lead descends; the furnace prepares the Three Powers, and wondrous mercury is born. “One having, two not having” transform together; “two not having, one having” complete one another—describing the mutual transformation of being and nonbeing, Yin and Yang. People of the time who would know the wonder within the mystery must carefully discuss the pairing of Green [Dragon] and joining with the Moon Maiden (Yin-Yang pairing).
In the central palace, Wu and Ji (central earth) know their own sound; the two things, mediated, join in one heart. The Maiden (Channü) blows a holeless flute; the Metal Lord (Jingong) embraces a stringless lute—describing spirit and intention withdrawn inward, with no external seeking. Deep, dense, and secret—who can fathom it? Vast, obscure, and dark—who can seek it out? In but a few days, after the returned elixir is accomplished, it is said that the whole earth will become gold—a metaphor for perfect completion, not to be taken as literal wealth.
The lead cauldron is warm and penetrates the curtain; recognize the “living Zi hour” in the human body—the key timing in alchemical work. At a single tiger roar, seize it busily; when the dragon first intones its command, act urgently—describing the capture of the moment of rising and falling. Guarding the city and fighting in the open field turn heaven and earth over; entering the chamber, guard against danger as Kan returns to Li—the fire timing and critical passes of each stage of cultivation. Seize the round marrow of the turtle and phoenix; I invite you to consume it and go to the Jade Pool—a metaphor for the accomplishment of Neidan, with spirit and form both wondrous.
Enter the chamber with an empty heart to refine the great elixir; divine power and wondrous function are not difficult (for one who understands). Able to peer into heavenly skill and participate in original Qi; able to drink a daogui measure and seize the purple pill—a metaphor for obtaining prenatal Qi and successfully forming the elixir. When the tally of the new and full moon comes, the Three Surnames unite; at the dark and quarter moons, fire retreats and the Five Phases gather—harmonizing according to the seasons and fire timing. Even if Yi’s wife can run to the toad [moon]—the sense may continue in the following text; here “Yi’s wife running to the moon” often symbolizes the movement of Yin Jing.
Note: The entire text belongs to the metaphorical system of Neidan fire timing, the River Chariot, dragon and tiger, mercury and lead, and so on. It should be read under a teacher’s transmission or with reliable commentaries; the plain-language explanation aims only to clarify the literal sense and cannot replace practical guidance.
A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
The contest in the cave is like a celestial maiden riding a colorful phoenix
Struggle in cultivation is like a celestial maiden riding a colorful phoenix.
Sand and mercury within wood, gold within water—do not search aimlessly in the Li Palace and Kan position. Simply distinguish host and guest through Qian and Kun, then determine what rises and sinks through the Dragon and Tiger. Thus Metal and Wood can become the “three surnames,” and husband and wife can become of one mind. They return to the courtyard and gather together; the Yellow Woman, who brings them into harmony, is the matchmaker and kindred spirit.
Sand and mercury are found within wood, while true gold is concealed in water. Do not go searching blindly in the Li Palace and Kan position. Simply use Qian and Kun to distinguish host from guest, and the Dragon and Tiger to determine what rises and sinks. In this way, Metal and Wood can become the “three surnames,” and husband and wife can become of one mind. When they meet in the courtyard, the Yellow Woman—the intermediary who harmonizes Yin and Yang—serves as their matchmaker and kindred spirit.
Only the true furnace and true cauldron can set the true mechanism in motion. To gather the medicine, one must wait until the end of the hai hour. The lead mother swirls in mist, its light about to stir; the golden embryo leaps as the time for the fire approaches. Do not forget to regulate the breath and preserve emptiness; keep Kan and Li in motion. In the midst of battle, do not lightly let the “enemy” escape. Remain vigilant and diligent, and guard against danger.
Only the true furnace and true cauldron can set the true mechanism in motion. To gather the medicine, one must act as the hai hour draws to a close. The lead mother swirls in mist, its light about to stir; the golden embryo leaps as the time for the fire approaches. Do not forget to regulate the breath and preserve emptiness, while setting Kan and Li in motion. In the midst of battle, do not lightly let the “enemy” escape. Remain vigilant and diligent, and guard against danger.
When ten months of work are complete, the work of transformation is firm; to add more fire would surely damage the Elixir. Forget entirely the qi and blood of the immortal chamber; there is no need to look again at the precious cauldron and golden furnace. After nine years facing the wall, the form sheds its shell; the body rises beyond the Three Realms and grows wings. Because the millet grain is swallowed and brought back into the belly, once the work is complete and merit fulfilled, one rides the phoenix.
When ten months of work are complete, the transformation is secure; adding more fire would surely damage the Elixir. The qi and blood of the immortal chamber are entirely forgotten, and there is no need to look again at the precious cauldron and golden furnace. After nine years facing the wall, the body sheds its shell and rises beyond the Three Realms, growing wings. By swallowing the millet grain and bringing it into the belly, one completes the work and fulfills one’s merit, then rides the phoenix.
Swallow above and take in below, both arcs; guard each stage as they enter the Jade Field. They come and go, and the guest returns to the host; husband and wife reverse and harmonize. Rejoice when the sign of the infant appears as the Elixir forms; the shedding of the shell depends entirely on the Holy Mother. Travel far and near to behold the Four Directions; roam freely east, west, south, and north.
Swallow above and take in below, both arcs, guarding each stage as they enter the Jade Field. They come and go, and the guest returns to the host; husband and wife reverse their roles and harmonize. Rejoice when the sign of the infant appears as the Elixir forms. The shedding of the shell depends entirely on the Holy Mother. Travel far and near to behold the Four Directions, roaming freely east, west, south, and north.
Conceal your radiance and hide your traces in the dusty world. Who can know that what is done is wondrous and all the more true? To subdue the Tiger and tame the Dragon, one must mingle with ordinary life; to transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood is astonishing. Practice the Dao of the Elixir in deep secrecy; let the highest spirit shine forth in brilliant clarity. The mysteries of the Mirror of Medicines are now fully revealed; through them, people of every age may reach the Ford of Heaven.
Conceal your radiance and hide your traces in the mortal world. Who can know that what is done is wondrous and all the more true? To subdue the Tiger and tame the Dragon, one must mingle with ordinary life; to transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood is astonishing. Practice the Dao of the Elixir in deep secrecy, then let the highest spirit shine forth in brilliant clarity. The mysterious workings of the Mirror of Medicines are now fully revealed; through them, people of every age may reach the Ford of Heaven.
The Golden and Jade Text, the Cantong qi, and the Pointing to the Mystery; Cui Xu’s treatises on nature and life, and Zhongxian. The precious characters of the Yin Talisman exceed three hundred; the numinous text of the Dao De runs through five thousand. In the Mirror of Medicines, examine the bellows; in the Wuzhen pian, investigate the traces and the means. These earnest teachings bring the Golden Elixir close at hand, and together they explain the preceding and following arcs.
The Golden and Jade Text, the Cantong qi, and the Pointing to the Mystery; Cui Xu’s works on nature and life, and Zhongxian. The precious characters of the Yin Talisman exceed three hundred; the numinous text of the Dao De runs through five thousand. In the Mirror of Medicines, examine the bellows; in the Wuzhen pian, investigate the traces and the means. These earnest teachings bring the Golden Elixir close at hand, and together they explain the preceding and following arcs.
The work of the fire cycle is natural by its very nature; whoever understands this mystery becomes an immortal. The Five Phases gather together to steal from Heaven and Earth; the Eight Trigrams revolve to make sages and worthies. In the furnace of transformation, the sun and moon are cooked; within the Qian-Kun cauldron, golden lotuses are born. Whoever understands these subtle principles may rise with me to pay court before the Emperor.
The work of the fire cycle is natural by its very nature; whoever understands this mystery becomes an immortal. The Five Phases gather together to draw upon Heaven and Earth; the Eight Trigrams revolve to make sages and worthies. In the furnace of transformation, the sun and moon are cooked; within the Qian-Kun cauldron, golden lotuses are born. Whoever understands these subtle principles may rise with me to pay court before the Emperor.
With reverence, bow and pay homage to the Star Lords; prostrate yourself before the stars, and may they protect your body. May the twenty-eight lunar mansions shine brightly together, and all three hundred and sixty degrees be fully arrayed. The Highest Saints can gather the years, months, and days; in the central palace, preserve and unite Qi, spirit, and essence. May their light shine upon you and grant you long life.
With reverence, bow and pay homage to the Star Lords; prostrate yourself before the stars and ask them to protect your body. May the twenty-eight lunar mansions shine brightly together, and all three hundred and sixty degrees be fully arrayed. The Highest Saints can gather the years, months, and days; in the central palace, preserve and unite Qi, Shen, and Jing. May their light shine upon you and grant you long life.
Note: Throughout, the text uses Neidan terms such as furnace and cauldron, lead and mercury, Kan and Li, Dragon and Tiger, the Yellow Woman, and the infant. It describes the stages of cultivation, including gathering the medicine, regulating the fire cycle, forming the Elixir, and shedding the body’s shell. It also refers to alchemical scriptures such as the Cantong qi, the Mirror of Medicines, and the Wuzhen pian. The final passage is a prayer for worship of the stars, protection of the body, and long life.
Eight Poems on the Great Elixir
(Written for the Daoist chamber at Wudang to present to the disciples)
Long life shines together with the renewed radiance of the sun and moon.
(Continuing the preceding thought) The years of life reflect the splendor of the sun and moon, as though the celestial luminaries had been renewed.
First poem
To study the Dao and cultivate the Real is to rise beyond worldly toil and dust. Roam freely among clouds and streams, taking joy in one’s natural, uncontrived state.
The “numinous medicine” within the body is not a medicine made from metals and stones, and the “spirit cinnabar” in the abdomen is not mercury.
The work of gathering and refining should follow the principles of the sun and moon’s courses; the timing of the firing should accord with the position of Geng and Xin, associated with Metal.
“Yellow Matron” acts as matchmaker, bringing the three families of Jing, Qi, and Shen into harmony. Then one may drink wine and admire flowers, with spring seeming to spread everywhere.
Second poem
What is gathered is the true lead of “the other family”—that is, primordial Jing and Qi. One seizes Jing and refines Qi to replenish what is innate.
“Eight ounces at the forward bowstring, eight ounces at the rear bowstring” refers to the Yin-Yang proportions of the waxing and waning moon. In cultivation, one must grasp the ebb and flow of Yin and Yang.
When the inner medicine returns, the outer medicine returns with it. In the Purple Palace—the Dantian (energy center)—the Mysterious Palace lets fall precious dew; “yellow sprouts” and “white snow” transform into a golden toad.
The wondrous workings of the immortals are often like this: even in fire, one can cultivate a nine-jointed lotus, a metaphor for bringing cool and subtle effects forth amid the heat of inner refinement.
Third poem
The initial, middle, and final passes, and the lower, middle, and upper fields, are arranged in distinct levels, like the squares of a well.
The work of applying fire must follow “Qian Qian”—pure Yang, firm and vigorous. The chamber’s windows shine bright; from the third watch until daylight, it glows red.
Warm and nurture all nine cauldrons, a metaphor for the body’s apertures. Diligently turn and refine the civil and martial methods, Yin and Yang, opening the myriad apertures so that the spirit-mind may ascend to Heaven.
Fourth poem
The work within my body is known to my own heart. Who can fathom the mysteries of Heaven’s workings?
At first, one seeks the Dragon and Tiger to contend, a struggle between Yin and Yang; then one sees the Tortoise and Snake joyfully singing in accord, as Yin and Yang come into harmony.
One contemplates Heaven and Earth in their reversal, discerning negation and peace through what seems contrary. The start and stop of the fire tally lie in Xu and Wei, two northern lodges among the twenty-eight lunar lodges, hinting at the subtle timing of the firing process.
The Southern stars and Northern Dipper shine before and behind; the sun and moon, like a crow and a toad, fly back and forth, circulating within the body and mind.
Fifth poem
The Great Dao of cultivating the Real has its source in the ancestral Qi of Qian and Kun. Only by gathering Yin and Yang and setting Creation in motion can one accomplish the work.
To restrain the “Heavenly Soul” and bring forth the White Tiger, one must seize the “Earthly Po,” giving birth to the Azure Dragon. These images represent the transformation of spirit, Qi, Jing, and soul in inner refinement.
Turn the supreme treasure back and return it to the central chamber; transform the Yang spirit and bring it into the upper palace, the Niwan.
When a single Qi condenses into one grain of elixir, whoever can swallow it may have the appearance of a child.
Sixth poem
There are countless teachings of side paths, but without knowing the timing of the firing, all effort comes to nothing.
First investigate the wondrous principles and arrive at true understanding; then pay respect to a clear-sighted teacher and receive the instructions.
To bring the three families of Jing, Qi, and Shen into harmony of heart and intention, one needs only a steadfast Daoist heart.
Day after day, refine the spirit, Jing, and Qi; form the True Spirit and ascend to the ninth Heaven.
Seventh poem
To seek the Real, one must recognize the “aperture of emptiness,” the formless and imageless mysterious pass. The work lies wherever intention arrives.
Move back and forth, following and reversing, to refine Yin and Yang; the ascent and descent of Kan and Li depend on reversal, on using Kan, Li, and Yin-Yang in the body and mind in an unconventional way.
In a hazy, indistinct state, Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) is born; in deep obscurity, the sign of the infant appears—the first stirring of the primordial spirit within the hidden depths.
To emerge from Xuan and enter Pin happens naturally. Guard the altar and furnace, the mysterious pass and Dantian, with a presence that is at once absent and abiding.
Eighth poem
Know what comes first and understand what follows as you refine the Golden Elixir. If the fire grows cold and the water runs dry, the work cannot be completed. To know only the sequence without understanding how its parts come together makes success in elixir cultivation difficult.
Those of highest De (Virtue/Power) attain sagehood through Wuwei (non-action); those who practice at a lower level through action become restless and distracted.
(The final line may continue the preceding poem. In essence, the highest sage accords with the Dao through Wuwei, while those attached to deliberate action exhaust themselves and struggle to complete the work.)
Note: These poems use the language of Neidan (internal alchemy). Images such as lead and mercury, Dragon and Tiger, Tortoise and Snake, Yellow Matron, the three families, Kan and Li, and the firing process are metaphors for Jing, Qi, Shen, Yin-Yang, and the timing of inner cultivation. They should not be read literally as instructions for taking Waidan (external alchemy) or as belief in magical techniques. They are best read under the guidance of a qualified teacher and in light of the Classics as a whole.
Vernacular Interpretation
Continued from the previous piece: one must peer into the mystery at the point where the first Yang stirs within the Zhou Tian (heavenly circuit), and accomplish the way of Buddhas and immortals when the two Qi of heaven and earth merge. “Planting flowers in the moon” vanishes in an instant, while “toad light” illuminates all of western Sichuan—this describes subtle scenes within inner vision.
Poem on the Jade Flower
Jade branches and jeweled trees originally belong to the immortal households; people of the world may not recognize this flower. Its clear elegance is untouched by mundane dust, rain, or dew; its lofty purity forever bears ancient mist and rosy clouds. Through the years, how could it ever age? Unrivaled in the world, it must not be vainly exaggerated. Several times I have wished to carry it back to heaven and plan to borrow a spirit raft from Bowang (Zhang Qian, who according to legend rode a raft to explore the source of the Yellow River).
Seven-Character Quatrains
The first quatrain says: the true mind is vast and inexhaustible; countless immortals are transformed from it. People of the world drown in their tiny physical bodies and fail to recognize the single mysterious pearl (the Neidan or true nature).
The second quatrain says: the Buddha-seal (Chan verification) points out “empty yet able to awaken”; Danyang’s secret breaks through “there is something within nothing.” Seize that one point of truth from the primordial beginning; for ten thousand ages and a thousand autumns the body will not perish.
The third quatrain says: the Yi River (perhaps a metaphor for true Qi) flows straight upward to Penglai; sweet springs scatter and moisten the nine regions. From then on the Dantian receives this moisture, and yellow sprouts (the first budding of the elixir seedling) open everywhere at once.
The fourth quatrain says: if in year, month, day, and hour one clings to the hexagrams and lines, then even jin and liang (weights, a metaphor for calculation) become fragmented. If one has understood the meaning of “continuous and as if existing,” that is precisely the time of “do not forget, do not help” (the gist of Mencius’s nurturing of Qi, often used in internal alchemy).
The fifth quatrain says: the great medicine is not much—only one pill; one must seek those of the same kind (Yin-Yang) to rejoice together. If people of the world wish to ask the secret of long life, they should first seek the two-grade elixir of Yin and Yang.
Publication Information (Vernacular)
The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng contained in the Reprint of the Daozang Jiyao (Essential Collection of the Daoist Canon) was recompiled by Li Xiyue, the Changyi Mountain Man of Hanjia; respectfully transcribed by Zhang Daoyuan, styled Zishen; and published by Zhu Daosheng, the Late Accomplished Master of Langzhong. His nephew Ying Chuncheng and Zhu Zan Suyuan jointly collated the text, and his son Huang Panxi took part.
Xuan Yao Chapter, Part Two: Ascending the High Terrace
Editorial note: The Cantong qi contains the line “close the eyes and ascend the high terrace,” which means to break open the layered mystery so that the mind and eyes become bright, as if ascending a high terrace where both far and near are fully seen; the tune title takes this meaning.
The creation of the Golden Elixir is wondrous beyond words; who can discern its mysterious and subtle principles? Fortunately, meeting a clear teacher who points it out, one then sees “heaven in the water” (the sky reflected in water, a metaphor for inner vision).
The stages of cultivation, as described in the lyric itself, are these: first, one is taught to guard and stabilize the mysterious pass, sit cross-legged, regulate Shen and Qi, eliminate all thoughts, block the opening, and lower the eyelids (close the eyes and withdraw the gaze). Then one is taught to stir the Xun wind (breath and inner Qi), move water and fire, guard and solidify true Jing, stabilize primal Yang, and turn the heavenly pass (the region of key points along the Governing Vessel). Then one sees only yellow sprouts… (echoing “yellow sprouts everywhere” in the preceding poem, a sign of the elixir seedling first sprouting).
Note: This piece consists mostly of Neidan poetic instructions. Terms such as Zhou Tian, toad light, yellow sprouts, mysterious pearl, and heavenly pass refer in Daoist internal cultivation to intention, breath, Jing and Qi, and states of attainment; they should not be taken literally as worldly narrative.
Vernacular Interpretation
The Qi (vital energy) and blood, like river water, flow on without cease and reverse upward: from Yongquan (the soles of the feet) they pour into Weilü (the tailbone), then pass through Jiaji (the spine), rise to Niwan (the crown of the head), pass Mingtang, and enter Huachi (the saliva in the mouth). The divine water gradually fills; then it descends through Chonglou (the throat), enters Jianggong (the heart), and falls all the way to the Dantian (energy center)—this is what is meant by “building the foundation” and “refining the self” (laying a foundation and transforming oneself).
From this point on, one may prolong life and extend one’s years. But if one still seeks the highest path of ascent, one must again set up the furnace and establish the cauldron, gather the prenatal and pair it with the postnatal: at the Zi and Wu hours, single-mindedly guard the firing times; at the Mao and You hours, bathe the Golden Elixir. First one must understand the mechanism of Heaven and Earth and clearly distinguish Yin-Yang—“Where there is Heaven, there is first a Mother; without the Mother, there is no Heaven either.” This is precisely the root of the Great Dao (the Way). Count the celestial circuit from its beginning and place Qian and Kun in inverted order: gather the postnatal, diligently refine the jade, and seize the prenatal; only then can one become a sage or an immortal.
I once served an enlightened master and received his heart-to-heart transmission and oral instruction: when building the foundation, one must first understand the “Tuoyue” (the bellows—the hinge of breathing and the opening and closing of the Dantian); when refining the self, one uses only true lead. Kan is full within and Li is empty within; take from Kan to fill Li, and only by practicing in reverse can one become immortal. When the dragon swallows the tiger’s marrow, one becomes human; when the tiger snatches the dragon’s saliva, one becomes immortal. What one delights in is the Wood Dragon hiding mercury; what one loves is the Metal Tiger spitting lead. At the moon’s fullness, the oral formula is on the lips; at the hour of Zi, the wonder is transmitted in the heart. The work of gathering the prenatal depends entirely on Wu-Ji (the stems Wu and Ji, spleen-intent); seizing the Qi of the postnatal lies in the first crescent of dragon and tiger (the first union of Yin-Yang).
The Azure Dragon and White Tiger fight each other; the Jade Rabbit and Golden Crow are rolled together into one place. One only guards against lacking the sword of wisdom within the body, and fears only that at the rapids one cannot hold the boat. One waits only for the Yellow Dame (intent, or the central palace) to draw them together, and waits only for the maiden to open the lotus. This matter is hard to speak of: within five thousand days one must calculate; for thirty double-hours one secretly revolves it; before and after Zi and Wu, one must look clearly. Before the lead-yang has moved, Gui (yin Jing, yin essence) appears in front, and true lead and true yang follow behind. When the medicine arrives at the furnace, do not be idle at this moment; quickly take action and seize it into the pass. Then use six hundred cycles of withdrawal and addition; in ten months the embryo is complete and the infant appears. Facing the wall for nine years, one alone reveals the true meaning; only then does one become an immortal beyond things in Langyuan and Penglai.
Note: This lyric by the patriarch has no old tune pattern to follow; it only seeks to elucidate the alchemical purpose (to clarify the essentials of Neidan [internal alchemy]). The tune books were all created by the ancients—why not make oneself an originator? The tune title “Ascending the High Terrace” originally takes a line from the Cantong qi, and it happens to accord with the mysterious sound.
Vernacular Explanation
Notes on the Title and Prosodic Form
Some people praise the theme and conception of this ci poem as excellent, but complain that it has too many stanzas. In fact, ci tunes such as Shaobian and Yingtixu often divide into three or four stanzas; there is no problem with this text having four stanzas, and one need not be rigidly bound by formal rules such as ling, man, single, and double.
Tianxian Yin (common name Nangong Ci; original name Tianxian Yin. According to the Wuzhen Pian: “To learn immortality, one must learn to be a celestial immortal; only the Golden Elixir is the most exact and proper.” The original title takes this meaning, hoping people will penetrate deeply into it. The following four tunes differ slightly; judged by the ci poets’ division of forms, this piece is the first form.)
In order to seek the “heaven” within the earth and look for the “lightning” that falls from the clouds (referring to prenatal Qi and the movement of true Yang), one must at all times subdue the horse of the will and at every moment tether the monkey of the mind, without sleeping day or night. The work of refining the self is hard to interrupt, and one’s resolve to hold fast becomes ever firmer: shut the Three Treasures within, like guarding a deep abyss; seize and control the Five Thieves outside, like watching an imperial park. Cause both the other and myself to be steady in “suchness,” and make Yin and Yang reverse and invert again and again. To repel the host of demons one relies entirely on the sword of wisdom; to gather Qi one begins with the turtle’s breathing, to take Jing one begins with the White Tiger at the first crescent; set the Heaven Root straight upright, make the Moon Cave hang in emptiness and display its numinous power; plant a lotus in fierce fire, pole a boat in weak water—after sweeping everything away, the mind is clear and the intent quiet, and through preservation Jing becomes full and Qi complete. One does not envy the world’s beautiful and delicate flowers, but only waits for sweet dew and the sweet spring. Make the insentient let go of the face born of a mother, attack Shenzhou, break through Chixian, seize the golden essence and carefully lead it into the Dantian, guard against danger and consider risks, remove miscellaneous thoughts, settle the breath and calm the Shen, cut off delusive conditions, bathe and wash the mind, and stop the battle; then the sacred embryo comes forth, and one faces the wall for nine years, refining Shen and returning to emptiness—this is the completion of our cultivation.
Second Form
Reading the Chapter on Returning to the Root and Restoring Destiny and observing the Scroll on Nourishing Nature and Cultivating the True, only then does one know that water is hidden within metal, and only then does one recognize that heaven is inherent in earth. Subtle and mysterious, mysterious beyond mystery: originally life and killing are separated by a single thread, and dragon and tiger are hidden between the two bowstrings. Discussing the Mysterious Female, one exhaustively investigates Wu and Ji in the Daodejing and the Immortal Scriptures; awakening to the true exposition, one discusses in the sacred classics the Geng direction, where metal is generated, and speaks of the river-source where medicine is produced at the Dui position, clearly pointing straight at Chixian. Like dew, like lightning, like mist, like smoke, one only waits for the turtle to exhale its breath and the White Tiger to spit its saliva; when the Three Corpses are cut down, the realm is extinguished and demons hide; when the Five Thieves are seized, the horse lies down and the monkey sleeps; pursue Qi and Shen until they return to the Ocean of Origin, move true Qi so that it circulates like a gushing spring; gather the golden essence and bring it into the Dantian, and naturally it penetrates the hundred joints of the whole body. Wherever it circulates everywhere, the heart is like fire, the intent like silk.
Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng: A Vernacular Interpretation
Third Body
Electricity (prenatal Qi) comes to nourish the Golden Elixir, and mercury (original Shen, the spirit) gradually becomes full. Closing the mouth, forgetting speech, and cutting off external conditions, one faces the wall for nine years without interrupting the work; Shen roams to the farthest reaches of the eight directions. After the seven returns, the infant (original Shen) naturally appears; the six thieves (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) flee without trace; the number of the Five Phases is complete; and people throughout the four seas all know to turn toward Langyuan (the immortal garden).
Fourth Body
First regulate the breathing until it is even, then merge metal and wood. Lead essence (Jing and Qi) is stored in the female gate (Dantian, the energy center); mercury fluid (original Shen) is hidden in the Mysterious Gate (the Mysterious Pass). The root of creation has a sign within the dark and obscure; in the indistinct it cannot be seen or heard. Nurture the medicine sprout and always keep the furnace whole; take the yellow sprout and do not let the cauldron be damaged. Keep original Shen from leaving the square inch (the heart), and seek golden water to pour into Kunlun (the crown). Rely on the sword of wisdom to pursue and drive out the myriad demons; close the Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen) and keep mind and intention careful; capture the five thieves (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body) and be diligent in refining the self. Cut off greed and anger, remove the ten thousand worries, and when encountering times and scenes, remain unstained by a speck of dust.
I only wait for the moon to rise over Qujiang at the Gengshen hour; in the mountain of form I tread the snow seeking spring; I gather golden essence just as it leaves Red Water, and harmonize the true breath to circulate through the whole body. I move my mercury to wrap the yang essence; the furnace fire stays constantly warm. Moment by moment I advance with diligence, appearing foolish and dull. Sitting silently, forgetting words, I keep to poverty and preserve Complete Perfection (Quanzhen). I face the wall in the deep mountains where no one asks after me; in the quiet room, with ashen heart, I alone tune Shen and breath, relying on my own discipline. I do not speak of ten months’ pregnancy, only of nine years’ toil; today my practice is complete and my merit fulfilled, and only then do I verify the root.
Fifth Body
At leisure I read the Dragon-Tiger Scripture; quietly I contemplate the Mirror of Entering the Medicine. Originally lead is one flavor, but it is falsely given many names. It hides its form at the bottom of the water; it is lodged at the summit of Xiyi (the Invisible and Inaudible); it dwells in the pit of creation; bright and bare, it hides in the sweet spring; densely packed, it is stored in the elixir well.
I only wait for the winter solstice, when the one yang first stirs; for the autumn equinox, when the two Qi just rise; and for the Flowery Pool (Huachi), where there is a sign and the mysterious pearl bursts forth. When benevolence calls, bestow De (Virtue/Power); establish righteousness and institute punishment; guard against changes and deceit, and entice joyful feeling. Observe the Divine Land, where Qi is abundant and yang ascends; see the Red County, where Gui stirs and lead is born. The bare dragon’s head stands straight up; the red, swaying turtle’s eyes open wide; the pitch-black tiger’s mouth gives forth sound and visibly contends. This can reverse Yin-Yang, merge metal and wood, capture the turtle essence of the Northern Black Tortoise, and lock it in the Yellow Court (the middle Dantian). In bathing, constantly sweep the Three Fields (upper, middle, and lower Dantian) until quiet; in warming and nourishing, one must make the nine revolutions spiritual. When eight hundred deeds of hidden merit are fully accumulated, one’s name is written in Shangqing (Highest Clarity), one’s Shen ascends to Yujing (Jade Capital), and after the banquet and reward of the peaches of immortality, one is thoroughly drunk.
Plain-Language Interpretation
Main Scriptural Text
I do not allow the will-horse to gallop wildly; how could I let the mind-monkey run loose? The Three Corpses no longer stir up trouble, and the Six Thieves all submit and are subdued. All demonic realms are forgotten; I maintain and nourish the spirit so that it becomes vigorous, and harmonize the blood and Qi so that they become strong. All anxieties are forgotten; departing from greed and anger, the myriad conditions no longer arise. Delusive thoughts are sent away. The divine maiden attends the furnace; the forging of the sword relies on metal and water. The pairing of hard and soft depends on the craftsman’s hand; seizing them alive and capturing them is as easy as turning over the palm. Using the blade-and-spoon measure, I open the lock and key; I untie the ropes and reins of the dragon and tiger. I drink the immortal wine that prolongs the years and take the jade nectar that continues life. When the elixir enters the belly, fragrance arises throughout the body; when emotion returns to nature, the bones are exchanged and yang is restored. I let the mind’s scenery rest; I firmly seal the earthen cauldron. I extinguish intention; in the depth of spring I close the bridal chamber. Keeping far from sounds and sights, I firmly guard true constancy and take precautions against injury. If ever urged toward indulgence, do not lightly let it be lost. After ten months the infant descends; when regulated, it becomes spiritually penetrating, and meeting with spirit, one walks alone in the immortal land. Who knows that within stillness heaven and earth are vast? I love the long sun and moon within the gourd. Let the human world slander me with its rights and wrongs; I put on cloud garments and a crane cloak, hold the elixir writ and jade tablets, and the immortals of the Purple Palace all celebrate and praise.
Editorial Note (on the Tune and Its Division into Sections)
Note: Tianxian Yin is also a tune created and named by the Patriarch; its meaning is highly elegant and orthodox. For it must be thus; only then is it the Great Way of the Golden Elixir. If it were made into a Southern Palace tune lyric, it would be diminished. The Southern Palace is a Fulu (talismans and registers) school and is different from the Golden Elixir. Moreover, those who reach the Southern Palace still undergo samsara before they can attain the Way. The Taishang Duren Jing says: “When a late learner’s Dao is shallow and his immortal rank is not yet complete, and his destiny is due for extinction, his body passes through the Great Yin. At the moment of crossing, fellow students and perfected ones offer incense and recite the scripture ten times on his behalf to save his corpse form; according to the method, his soul and spirit go straight up to the Southern Palace. According to the merit of his study, his days are counted and he is renewed; he is born and turns in the wheel without extinction, and only then does he attain immortalhood.” On this basis, the Southern Palace stream consists of those who seize another’s body and enter a womb. How can the wondrous purport of the heavenly immortals be named after the Southern Palace?
Furthermore, this lyric should not be divided into sections. The present division into two sections is made only where it can be divided. The Zhang and Deng printed editions divide it into three sections: the first is titled Queqiao Xian, the second Yunü Yao Xianpei, and the third is made a coda—this was done by those who sing Daoqing. Moreover, Queqiao and Yunü are ancient tune names; since the Patriarch’s composition does not rigidly adhere to old scores, what meaning is there in rashly assigning names? Now I have corrected it according to the Wang edition.
Brief Glossary of Terms
The will-horse and mind-monkey are metaphors for distracting thoughts and the deluded mind. The Three Corpses are, in legend, three worms dwelling in the human body that make people crave desires, food, and the like. The Six Thieves are deluded thoughts induced by the six consciousnesses of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The blade-and-spoon is a metaphor for a small amount of elixir or a key method. The earthen cauldron and bridal chamber are Neidan (internal alchemy) metaphors for the Dantian (energy center) and a quiet realm within the body. The infant is a metaphor for the achievement of Neidan, obtained as if through “ten months of pregnancy.” The Southern Palace is, as the scripture says, a place where the soul and spirit temporarily reside; it is different from the direct Golden Elixir path to heavenly immortality. The Golden Elixir is the way of internally refining Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and the dual cultivation of nature and life.
Note on the Ci Tune “A Branch of Flowers” (Yizhihua)
The tune name is “A Branch of Flowers” (also called “Beautiful Golden Flower,” Meijinhua). In Elder Yuchan’s Song of Joy (Kuaihuo Ge) there is the line “At midnight the yellow sprout is one branch of spring,” and in this collection’s After the Fifth Watch (Hou Wugeng) there is also “A branch of spring colors, the golden flower is lovely.” The tune name derives from these. The textual form of the ci follows Peng Haogu’s selected edition and the Zhang-Deng block-printed edition, and has been collated with the Mirror of Immortals (Shenxian Jian).
A Branch of Flowers
In practicing the work of creation and transformation, one begins by regulating primordial Qi. After I had completed my studies under a teacher, I alone kept to the Dao of Wuwei. The Jade Liquid—the bodily fluids—is constantly raised upward, and primordial Qi returns to its true place. The Three Passes are opened, Weilu is passed, and the River Chariot is reversed, rising to Niwan; Kunlun is struck open with a thunderous shock. The Sweet Spring—saliva in the mouth—is fragrant and sweet as honey; entering the Jade Pool, it transforms into Golden Liquid, and one freely drinks the sweet dew. It descends of itself through the twelve tiers of the Chonglou, firmly sealed, guarded, and maintained. It is, in fact, Jing, Qi, and Shen returning to the root and restoring life; it is the Five Phases—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—gathered together in the mystery within mystery. Within it is the deathless Returning Elixir; within the wonder of wonders lies the foundation for continuing life. Who does not practice it, who does not know it, who does not do it? The key lies entirely in gathering from the single aperture of pre-heaven. How could the deluded be willing to act recklessly? I, too, in the midst of the flowers, tap bamboo and play the qin; my mind is like water. From now on I penetrate the true message: forget objects and forget form; before Zi and after Wu it can be held; within Mao and You is the time of bathing. Why speak of birth-and-death transmigration? Why speak of the Charming Maiden and the Infant? One need only gather that single grain of millet from before Hongmeng was divided.
First
The mind is like a lotus rising from water; the intent is like lightning within clouds. Last night, over a trivial matter, I mistakenly entered Lichun Yuan, a brothel. At every moment I subdue the horse of intent; at every instant I lock up the monkey of the mind. Day and night without sleep, my work of refining the self is unbroken. I close the Three Treasures and guard the Yellow Chamber within; I capture the Five Thieves and observe the Upper Court without. I make self and other remain steadily in suchness; I cause Yin-Yang to turn upside down and reverse. Repelling the host of demons, I angrily raise the sharp-edged sword and dare to pluck those fresh flowers blooming over the wall, one after another. I put on the iron face I was born with, and make them unable to stir in the slightest. Their tender, alluring forms and slender ten fingers cannot stir my horse of intent and monkey of mind. I am the touchstone: high and low are at once revealed. I am the iron bun: hard to bite into. I am the ocean of purity and stillness, unstained by a speck of dust. I am the night-luminous pearl, forever hanging in the void. My Dao is firm and my resolve far-reaching; in my youth I often…
(The block-printed edition may contain a continuation below; here the text ends with the scripture as given.)
Vernacular Interpretation
(Continued from the preceding text)
Refine body and mind to pure oneness, never greedily seeking or clinging to fame and profit. Let the “Three Corpses” (Sanshi, the three baleful worms said in legend to dwell in the human body and incite greed and sloth) be refined away in the cauldron (a metaphor for the elixir furnace and the Dantian [energy center]), and the resolve must be firm. What I study is the Dao (the Way) of creation and transformation, which outsiders cannot see; what worries me is that the work will not be completed and the name not established, so that time is wasted for nothing. How worrying—sun and moon fly like a shuttle, and even the young will grow old; one day I will turn the “Heavenly Pass” (Tianguan, a metaphor for the mysterious gate and critical apertures in cultivation) and soar into midair; only then can I truly unfold the Daoist tradition of purity and detachment.
Third
First one must understand the mechanism of heaven and earth’s movement, and then set Yin-Yang in proper order. “If there is heaven, there is first the mother; without the mother, there is no heaven either”—this is the root traced back by Daoism. Count the “Zhoutian” (the circulation of Qi [vital energy] through the Ren and Du and other channels in one round) from the beginning, and settle Qian and Kun in inverted arrangement (a Neidan [inner alchemy] metaphor for the copulation of Kan and Li and the upper-lower interaction). The essentials of the full moon lie in the oral formula; the wonder of the Zi hour lies in mind-to-mind transmission. When I am raised, I am like a sharp sword without a blade; what I fear is that at the rapids it is hard to stop the boat. To respond, one responds to the “Yellow Dame” (Huangpo, the medium in Neidan that harmonizes Yin-Yang, often a metaphor for earth or intent) coming to entice; to await, one awaits the “young girl opening the lotus” (a metaphor for yin essence [jing] and Kan-water)—this matter is hard to speak of. For five thousand days one must firmly calculate in close quarters; for thirty double-hours one revolves secretly in the dark. I will raise the dragon head straight up (to press upward and pierce through), and suspend the moon cave in the void; displaying divine power, I plant a lotus in fierce fire; applying the craftsman’s hand, I punt a boat against the current. I do not envy those lovely, delicate flowers; I only await the sweet dew and sweet spring. Attack the Divine Land and breach the Red County; seize the golden essence and carefully lead it, sending it into the Dantian. Guard against danger and consider risks, remove miscellaneous thoughts, bathe in naturalness, face the wall for nine years—only then can one become a transcendent beyond things, like those of Langyuan and Penglai.
Fourth
To seek the profound meaning of the Great Dao, I traveled to the ends of the earth. Casting aside fame, profit, and power, abandoning family property and fields and gardens, I endured every hardship, with clothes torn and shoes worn through. The master is hard to meet; what worries me is that sixty or seventy years of time are short. Entering the Zhongnan Mountains, I was moved by the Fire Dragon to receive a command personally from his mouth, telling me to leave the mountains to seek companions and seek lead (a Waidan [external alchemy] and Neidan term, referring to obtaining the resources of cultivation or the “lead” of Yin-Yang union), and to visit all famous worthies; yet most were scheming, stingy, and stealing the mysteries of the Dao. It was also my destined affinity to leave the world; fortunately I met the righteous and generous Shen Wansan, but alas his strength was limited and he could not complete it, so I had to cook the furnace fire and complete the ninefold cycling. At Lichun Court I gathered medicine and performed talismans for five years; entering Wudang Mountain, I faced the wall and regulated the Shen (spirit) for another nine years. Suddenly I heard that an imperial decree had been proclaimed. If I wished not to look upon the ruler’s face, I feared that Minister Hu’s life would be endangered. Riding the clouds straight to Chaoyang Hall, when the emperor saw me his dragon countenance stirred with delight. I wished to transmit it orally from mouth to mouth, but feared violating my master’s instruction (or my master’s intent).
The Jade Emperor issued a decree commanding me, so I had no choice but to mount the phoenix and ride the luan-bird up into the Nine Heavens.
In Praise of the Method of the Hidden Dragon
Fisherman’s Song
The hibernation method is soundless, yet it has a voice;
Voice after voice, it speaks for the inner heart to hear.
Shen (spirit) is utterly silent; Qi (vital energy) is deeply obscure;
Though the hidden dragon sleeps, even in sleep it wakes.
Song of the Hidden Dragon
Sleeping immortal, sleeping immortal,
Lying high at the stone’s root, forgetting the years.
The Three Luminaries sink; nature of itself becomes complete.
Qi after Qi returns to the mysterious aperture;
Breath after breath is left to the natural.
Do not scatter or grow disordered; you must be calm and serene.
Warm and nurture until the mercury nature is round;
Wait for the lead flower to appear.
Do not let it go astray; have a guard and enclosure;
The true firing process (huohou) moves within.
Practicing the seven returns is not difficult;
Refining the nine reversions, why sigh?
Quietly watch the dragon and tiger battle on the field;
Secretly turn Yin-Yang upside down.
People say I am a muddled fellow,
But I sleep—yet sleep I have not slept.
Having learned true sleeping meditation (wochan),
Having nurtured the true fetal origin (taiyuan),
When the hidden dragon rises, at once it ascends to heaven.
Who transmitted this hibernation method?
Resting on a bent arm as a pillow, from Mount Ni himself—
The joy within no one knows.
Five dragons leap and fly out of the deep pool;
Heaven is about to transmit this method to Tu’nan.
Who in the Tu’nan lineage can carry it on?
The slovenly Daoist Zhang Fengxian.
Two Poems on the Beautiful Golden Flower
Note on the meaning of the title: In ancient records such as the Cantong qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three), the titles are given as Dragon and Tiger and The Yellow Emperor’s Beautiful Golden Flower; Dragon and Tiger and Golden Flower are both books of instruction left by the ancient sages. Neidan (internal alchemy) practitioners use “Golden Flower” as a metaphor for true lead. Thus the text of the Cantong qi says: “At last one obtains the Golden Flower, and through successive causation it transforms into white liquid and coagulates to extreme hardness”—this means that mercury obtains true lead and transforms into liquid, enters the Yellow Court, and becomes the supreme treasure. It also says: “The body of lead is black outside but harbors the Golden Flower within,” referring to how the elixir maker extracts white gold from black lead and makes Wu Earth, calling it the Beautiful Golden Flower. The Golden Flower is precious beyond measure. The tune title is taken from this.
First Poem
The Golden Flower blooms fresh, blossom upon blossom;
Without wealth it is hard to cultivate.
I dare not speak of it to others;
Each person muddles through his own reckoning.
I sought an external guardian but have not met one;
The lofty worthy has held fast to Heaven’s mechanism for years,
Only testing the wonder—ever more mysterious.
Relying on the sword of wisdom, I gather the prenatal;
Today I know at last that the Dao (the Way) is right before my eyes.
Only now do I believe the Golden Elixir has an orthodox transmission:
What is blown is the flute without holes;
What is plucked is the stringless string.
What delights me are Yellow Sprout and White Snow;
What I love is the red lead of the first menstruum.
What I drink is the immortal wine that prolongs life.
(Note: Yellow Sprout, White Snow, Red Lead, and the like are Neidan terms; they symbolize, respectively, the first sprouting of Jing (essence) and Qi, pure Qi, and the essence of lead and mercury. “External guardian” refers to one who protects and supports the practitioner during cultivation. Seven Returns, Nine Reversions, the Yellow Court, mercury and lead, and so on are all metaphors for Neidan firing times and medicinal substances; here they have been translated according to the original imagery without further elaboration.)
Plain-Language Interpretation
First Passage
What I take is the soul-returning numinous elixir; what I do is the work inside the gourd; what I play with is the golden toad at the bottom of the sea. I seize the sun and moon and refine them in the furnace; I snatch heaven and earth and decoct them in the cauldron—this is the true formula of my cultivation, the method of my renunciation. I regret that in the beginning I had no money, and day and night I pleaded with Heaven—pitiful indeed. Now my time has come and fortune has turned; I await only the completion of my practice and the fulfillment of my merit, when I will let go and roam freely as a transcendent beyond the world.
Second Passage
The golden flower and jade stamens are fresh, yet people of the world find them hard to distinguish. For long life one must subdue the Qi; for grafting one needs true lead. Build the foundation and refine the self; gather the post-heaven jade liquid. Even if through the return elixir one gains dwelling in the world and extended years, one must still seek the ninefold return of the golden liquid. The masses study to become immortals, but every one of them practices blindly and refines ignorantly; stage after stage, who knows how to truly investigate and genuinely inquire? Within heaven and earth the yellow sprout grows full; filling heaven and earth, the white blossom opens. All depends on water being exhausted and metal being born, when the moon is exactly full. Here I lift the precious sword and hang it on the Southern Mountain; I have slain all seven emotions and six desires, all the entanglements of affection and love; I have swept away ten thousand li of floating clouds, so that not a speck of dust stains me, frightening the five ghosts and three corpses until their hearts and gall turn cold. I turn Yin-Yang upside down; with divine mechanism I secretly align with the heavenly circuit. I guard body and mind, and take precautions against danger and risk; gently I shake the earth’s axis, slowly I turn the heavenly gate—one thunderclap, and heaven beyond heaven.
Third Passage: One Secret of the Heavenly Mechanism
The Song of Knocking the Lines says: “People of the time do not fathom the principle within the flower; one secret of the heavenly mechanism is worth ten thousand in gold.” The tune title is taken from this.
I will tell you the true oral formula; I will point out to you the moon at the edge of the sky: when the moon is full, the jade stamens arise; when the moon wanes, the golden flower falls away. Three and five according to the season; carefully distinguish the old and the tender; send them into the Yellow Dame’s chamber, and do not let them leak away. Graft and graft: the spirit turtle draws all the blood of the golden crow. Resolve fiercely, resolve fiercely: become a guest of the three islands of Penglai.
Song of the Mysterious Pass and Union
The Great Dao fundamentally has nothing to say; its wondrous principle is difficult to explain fully. At the Mysterious Pass, one point is Bodhidharma’s formula: above, it reaches Kunlun and the Niwan crown; below, it reaches the deep abyss and the Yongquan point. Lead is the mother, mercury the father (to fit the rhyme); lead and mercury, Yin and Yang, join to form the child; the Maiden and the Infant rest together in one place.
Song of the Yin-Yang Conjunction
Reverse the Li within Kan; dragon and tiger, wind and clouds converge. A single point of wondrous mystery encompasses heaven and earth; whether minute or vast, people do not know it.
Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Scripture Text (Essential Instructions for Cultivation)
Returning the Three and Circulating the Five: one must thoroughly penetrate the heavenly mechanism. The yang line within Kan must “leave,” and the yin line within Li must “return to Kan.” The Kan and Li hexagrams are water and fire. Let water and fire circulate within the body, coming and going between east and west. The Infant and the Chaste Maiden (in Neidan, the two Qi symbolizing Yin and Yang) are paired as husband and wife. Yin draws Yang Jing (essence), taking the solid Yang from Kan; Yang conceals Yin Jing, replenishing the void of Li. Three-three and six-six are clearly the principle of Heaven and Earth.
These practices are by no means easy. With one slip, Qian and Kun invert and the prenatal One Qi leaks away.
Six Stanzas of Pure Singing in the Cave-Heaven
The tune name comes from the era of Patriarch Qiu’s “Song of the Blue Sky,” when pure sounds rang day and night in the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) cave-heavens; each stanza is one lyric.
First Stanza
I only wish to split open the shell of Hundun and break through the aperture of Hongmeng; I only wish to find a drop of life-continuing syrup and a sprig of soul-returning herb. I see that when the tiger roars, Qi (vital energy) surges like the tide; Gui (kidney water) is stirred and the medicine sprout germinates. The Yellow Dame (the “matchmaker” who harmonizes Yin and Yang) strikes the qin-drum, and the Metal Lord (symbolizing Yang) beats the bamboo clapper. Before I know it, the Dantian (energy center) grows hot: the treasure of life has entered the Yellow Path. At that moment Shen (spirit) and breath are evenly regulated; in stillness I watch water and fire commingle.
Second Stanza
I carry a bottomless basket and hold an unstringed qin. Lightly I adjust the red phoenix’s head, and with a chuckle I slip into the turtle’s aperture (the red phoenix and turtle symbolize the meeting place of heart and kidney, Yin and Yang). I seize Yang Qi and cross the Magpie Bridge (tongue touching the palate, joining the Ren and Du channels), urgently moving the Yin Fu to enfold it. Suddenly the Niwan Palace (crown of the head) boils like soup, and the Dantian burns like fire. I enter the state of Zhun and Meng (a blurred primordial chaos), forget all dusk and dawn, and my four limbs steam. If a demonic realm beckons, here I only sit quietly, unmoved in suchness.
Third Stanza
Refining the self: pacify the Five Thieves (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body). Transforming the scene: gather and subdue the Seven Emotions. Sweep away the Six Desires, and the Three Fields (upper, middle, and lower Dantian) become pure. When nature is settled, one naturally connects with the numinous; when the heart is empty, inner light shines of itself. Hard and soft are matched, metal and water balance, and one understands how Yin-Yang reverses and proceeds. When the work of Jiji (After Completion) is accomplished, all spirits obey one’s command. Upon hearing the summons, one may ascend, for one’s name is already inscribed on the elixir terrace.
Fourth Stanza
I only wish to hide in the marketplace and silently cultivate quiet practice; I choose a good place to apply effort. Relying on the sword of wisdom, I nurture white snow (prenatal One Qi); with the craftsman’s hand I plant yellow sprouts (elixir seedlings). I move the fire to refine true emptiness and seek the light to break through Hongmeng. I gather the two Qi and return them to the Li gate; I collect one Yang and bring it into the Zhen palace. I learn from the traces of Jingyang (Xu Xun), soaring upward on a vermilion phoenix; I imitate Xuanyuan’s spiritual power, ascending astride a fire dragon.
Fifth Stanza
Gather lead Jing and match mercury sprouts; establish the furnace and cauldron and cultivate the mysterious essentials. Seize the mechanism of Qian and Kun’s creation; comprehend the wonder of the sun and moon’s waxing and waning.
Note: The entire text uses Neidan terminology—Kan and Li, the Infant and Chaste Maiden, the Yellow Dame and Metal Lord, the Magpie Bridge, Niwan, Dantian, the Five Thieves, the Three Fields, and so on. These are all metaphors for the body’s water and fire, the union of Yin and Yang, and the formation of the elixir and ascent; they do not refer to worldly sexual union or Waidan (external alchemy) calcination. The lyrics use the operatic “stanza” form and belong to the same elixir-method system as the preceding oral instructions.
Selections from The Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng: Vernacular Interpretation
Combining water and fire, burning to left and right, cause the hun and po souls to come and go, intermingling and supporting each other; let the four seasons not lose their order, and accord with the eight solar nodes in response to the hexagram lines. Distinguish dusk and dawn, understand waning and growth; observing the heavenly Dao, one must make the Zhoutian (microcosmic orbit) complete twelve circuits.
Unite “water” and “fire” and burn them together to left and right—this refers to the harmonizing and circulating of the two qi of Yin-Yang, water and fire, within the body—so that the hun and po souls come and go within, joining and cooperating with each other. One should accord with spring, summer, autumn, and winter without disrupting their sequence, and also accord with the eight solar nodes of the year, such as the Beginning of Spring and the Spring Equinox, responding to the changes of the hexagram lines in the Zhouyi. To distinguish dusk from dawn and understand waning and growth is to use the heavenly Dao as a mirror. In cultivation, one must let the “Zhoutian” circulate through twelve full cycles; “circuit” means one complete round.
Sixfold Repetition
This is a section or chapter title; literally it mostly means sixfold folding or sixfold repetition, and in alchemical methods it is often connected with Huohou (fire timing) and the number of Zhoutian cycles.
After the seven returns, the great pearl is clear and nature is illumined; after the nine reversions, the golden liquid returns and the Great Elixir is complete. With a thunderclap, the Zhenren (True Person) is already seen emerging from the crown.
After the “seven returns,” the great pearl—the inner elixir and the gathered true nature—becomes distinct, and the substance of one’s nature is illuminated. After the “nine reversions,” the golden liquid returns to the origin, and the Great Elixir is achieved. Suddenly, like a thunderclap, the image of the True Person—the manifestation of the Yuanshen—emerges from the crown of the head.
Two Lyrics of Lichun Court
In Lichun Court the moon wheel hangs high; new flowers on the jade tree break the solitude. At midnight I open the elixir stove; at the third watch I turn the Dipper handle.
In Lichun Court the moon wheel hangs high, and the newly opened flowers of the jade tree break the stillness. At midnight one opens the “stove” of elixir refining—the fire timing of the Dantian—and at the third watch one turns the Zhoutian like the handle of the Northern Dipper; “Dipper handle” refers to the handle of the Northern Dipper and symbolizes the circulation of the qi mechanism according to the watches of the night.
Who can truly reach the Jade River and the Milky Way? The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl seem to laugh at the edge of heaven. In the Zifu the immortal hosts assemble; return, return—worldly defilement dissolves.
Who can truly reach the Jade River and the Milky Way? The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl seem to laugh at people from the edge of heaven. In the Zifu—the Purple Mansion, the abode of immortals in the brain or Dantian—the immortal hosts assemble. Return, return; thus the stains of the world dissolve.
Another
In Lichun Court the sunlight is clear; the golden liquid returning elixir has already been refined. To make Qing return to Xing, one must first unite Xing with Qing.
In Lichun Court the sunlight is clear and bright; the golden liquid returning elixir has already been refined. To make “Qing”—emotion or passion—return to “Xing”—one’s nature—one must first unite nature with emotion as one.
No more ask of wealth, honor, merit, or fame; the infant and the maiden are profoundly wondrous. The furnace and cauldron emit light; from now on one walks atop the Kunlun summit.
No longer ask about wealth, honor, merit, or fame. The infant and the maiden—inner alchemical symbols of Yin and Yang, not ordinary men and women—meet with profound wonder. The furnace and cauldron emit light, and from this point on one may walk the Dao atop the Kunlun summit—the crown of the head and the highest realm.
Xijiang Yue
The Dao lies in the one aperture of the Xuanguan; the aperture contains Yuanqi and Yuanjing. Yuanjing and Yuanqi nourish the Yuanshen; when the spirit is full, movement and stillness naturally occur. In movement and stillness, through three returns and nine turnings, it circulates and transforms Qian and Kun. Between the inversion of Qian and Kun, the flower root is planted; when the root sprouts, the Xijiang moon is just right.
The Dao is precisely in the one aperture of the “Xuanguan”—the mysterious pass, the Dantian or the meeting place of the Ren and Du channels. This aperture contains Yuanqi and Yuanjing; using Yuanjing and Yuanqi to nourish the Yuanshen, when the spirit is full one naturally knows movement and stillness. Amid movement and stillness, passing through “three returns and nine turnings,” the qi mechanism circulates everywhere, and Qian and Kun—heaven and earth—transform accordingly. Between the inversion of Qian and Kun, the flower root is planted; when the root sprouts, the moon over the West River is just right—a symbol of inner completion and clear illumination of the mind.
Two Lyrics Inscribed on “The Rootless Tree”
Zhegu Tian
Note: In this tune, the fifth and sixth lines should properly be three-character lines rhyming with one another for it to be a Zhegu Tian; another edition merges the two lines beginning “Hard to explain in detail to the people of the world” into one line, which then resembles a Rui Zhegu. Both readings are retained here. Rui Zhegu is close to the form of regulated seven-character verse.
The Dao method transmitted has orthodox and heterodox forms; those who enter heterodoxy and turn from orthodoxy fill the ends of the earth. Cloud-piercing phoenixes that soar are rarely seen; many who sink and drown become frogs at the bottom of a well.
The Dao method transmitted has orthodox and heterodox forms; those who enter heterodoxy and turn away from orthodoxy are everywhere in the world. Those who can truly soar—cloud-piercing phoenixes—are rarely seen; many who sink into heterodox paths become frogs at the bottom of a well.
It is hard to sort out amid confusion and clamor; all take red earth to be cinnabar. To know the true road that penetrates the mysterious, carefully contemplate the flower beneath the rootless tree.
It is hard to distinguish matters in detail with people of the world amid confusion and clamor. Many take red earth as cinnabar and refine it wildly. To know the true road that penetrates the mysterious, one must carefully contemplate the deep meaning of “the flower beneath the rootless tree.”
Maihua Sheng
Beneath the rootless tree I speak of true eternity; sentient beings of the six paths share one light. When one understands the matters before and after Weiyin, one realizes there is originally no coming or going, and the Dharma body is dignified.
Beneath the rootless tree I expound true eternity—the eternal, unchanging Dao. Sentient beings of the six paths are originally of one light. When one awakens to the matters before and after Weiyin Wang—a Buddhist expression referring to the awakened one of a distant kalpa—one then knows that originally there is no coming or going, and the Dharma body is stately and dignified.
Twenty-Four Daoist Lyrics on the Rootless Tree
There are two explanations of The Rootless Tree in the world; they reveal the primordial mystery almost without omission. Those who aspire to the Dao should read them carefully.
“The rootless tree” refers to the lead qi in the human body. Alchemists cultivate it within the realm of emptiness and nonbeing.
“The rootless tree” refers to the lead qi (qianqi) in the human body—paired with mercury and symbolizing true Yin, Yuanjing, and related substances. Alchemists must cultivate and nourish it within the realm of emptiness, purity, and nonbeing.
Note: In Zhang Sanfeng’s context, Lichun Court mostly symbolizes an inner landscape or Daoist arena, not a brothel in the ordinary sense. “Infant and maiden,” “furnace and cauldron,” “lead and mercury,” and similar terms are Neidan terminology symbolizing the union of spirit and qi; they should not be understood literally.
In his series of poems "The Rootless Tree," Patriarch Zhang Sanfeng reveals a fundamental truth: while cultivation appears rootless, it actually embodies the supreme principles of heaven and earth. Both the innate (congenital Qi) and acquired (cultivation achievements) emerge from emptiness (Wu), demonstrating that Daoist practice, though seemingly rootless, possesses profound foundations.
When cultivating acquired skills, one must first enter the state of emptiness to seek true Qi (primordial energy), then return the obtained energy back to emptiness. When cultivating innate skills, one must bring one’s attainments into emptiness before returning from emptiness to reality. The twenty-four poems of "The Rootless Tree" guide practitioners to contemplate this profound mystery, detailing key aspects of cultivation such as the "medicinal substances" (Jing, Qi, and Shen), "fire timing" (the critical moments in practice), "grafting" (harmonizing Yin and Yang), and "gathering" (collecting and refining the elixir).
The first poem uses the metaphor of a rootless tree to illustrate the foundation of practice, depicting worldly people drowning in mundane desires as adrift in a sea of suffering, urging them to turn back in time. The second poem compares grafting new branches onto an old tree to the "grafting method" (a dual cultivation technique of Yin and Yang), explaining how even the aged can rejuvenate through proper practice. The third poem clarifies that cultivation does not require complete abstinence from wine and sensual pleasures; the key lies in moderation—"letting wine and meat pass through the gut while keeping the Dao in the heart."
The fourth poem emphasizes the importance of harmonizing Yin and Yang, as solitary Yin cannot generate life, nor can solitary Yang sustain growth—mere static meditation leads to the exhaustion of Jing and Qi. The fifth poem further elaborates on the principle of Yin-Yang interaction: ordinary people follow the natural course of Yin and Yang to bear children, while immortals reverse this process (transforming Jing and Qi through specific methods). The sixth poem uses flowers as a metaphor for cultivation mysteries—"Kun’s direction" refers to the lower Dantian (three inches below the navel), and "plucking the flower’s heart" subtly alludes to the method of gathering primordial Jing, containing invaluable secrets of practice.
The Rootless Tree is a classic by Patriarch Zhang Sanfeng that expounds the essentials of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation through poetic verses. This series of poems uses the metaphor of a "rootless tree" to represent the human body's Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit)—seemingly without roots yet possessing an innate foundation. Through nine poems, it reveals the profound mysteries of cultivation.
The first poem teaches practitioners to guard their Jing and Qi as one would tend to flowers and fruits. Human vitality resembles blossoms on a branch, yet they are easily disturbed by external influences (symbolized by the "monkey and horse" representing a restless mind). One must summon iron-clad determination, wielding the "Azure Dragon Sword" (symbolizing true intent) to sever delusions. Just as flower gatherers never leave a treasure mountain empty-handed, cultivators must seize the moment to gather innate primordial Qi.
The second poem explains the cyclical principle of Yin-Yang. Withered flowers will bloom again in due season, mirroring the celestial circulation of "lead and mercury" (code words for Jing, Qi, and Shen) during practice. Gather the medicinal herbs (collecting vital energy) at full moon, and nurture them (replenishing the primordial spirit) at sunrise—these subtle timings require even immortals to calculate carefully.
The third poem emphasizes the necessity of enlightened guidance. The flowers (vital energy) gathered from the "Crescent Moon Furnace" (Dantian) can prolong life and cure illness, but to form the "celestial treasure" (Golden Elixir), one requires the "Dharma wealth" (cultivation resources). It admonishes practitioners against self-conceited speculation, warning never to proceed without proper instruction.
The fourth poem depicts the maturation of the Golden Elixir. The fruit (elixir), round as a vermilion tangerine, demands vigilant protection. By learning from nature's law of plants returning to their roots, one should establish a quiet hermitage in sacred land, ultimately returning to the primordial origin to complete the Great Reverted Elixir.
The fifth poem reveals that the rootless tree secretly contains the roots of heaven and earth. Though seemingly rootless, it connects through the "Three Powers" (heaven, earth, and human) orifices and the essences of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases. Just as heaven-earth intercourse generates all things and sun-moon interaction regulates seasons, cultivation must seize the opportunity of Yin-Yang union.
The sixth poem cautions against false paths. Faced with beautiful scenery (meditative visions), maintain clarity—when the "golden essence" (true Yang) appears, it's easy to be dazzled. The "five metals and eight minerals" (external alchemy ingredients) and "ten thousand herbs and thousand formulas" (minor techniques) are mere illusions. Only those who recognize "true lead" (primordial Qi) qualify as genuine masters.
The seventh poem describes cultivation's hardships. Though flowers bloom everywhere (various methods), they lie beyond the "River of Desire" (emotional attachments). One must tread steadily through the "dragon-tiger den" (Dantian), plucking the "yellow flower" (true Yang) to return it to the "Purple Mansion" (upper Dantian), thereby ascending the immortal register straight to the Great Luo Heaven.
The eighth poem portrays the Golden Elixir's achievement. When the "lead cauldron" (Dantian) emits treasure light, one may glimpse the "winding river" (Qi circulation) upon the "golden bridge" (Governing and Conception vessels), seeing the sun within the moon (Yang within Yin). Swallowing the "raven's liver and hare's marrow" (Yin-Yang essences) washes away worldly dust, transcending fame, profit, and earthly affections.
The ninth poem summarizes cultivation's true meaning. The rootless tree may appear frail yet contains seeds of immortality. Practitioners should sit like fishermen (cultivators) firmly upon their platforms (central Yellow Court), refining themselves in the "Eight Trigrams furnace" (the entire body), harmonizing the "Four Symbols" (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise), ultimately merging with the Dao in perfect unity.
The Rootless Tree (Wugen Shu), One
The rootless tree, its flower is fresh—talisman-fire (fuhuo) simmers and scorches; mercury and lead meet by the furnace, and the vision appears before one. Gathering and refining rely entirely on the Dharma boat that ferries across; the craftsman’s hand is strong, firmly holding the rudder, letting the huge waves churn at the bottom of the sea. Passing the Three Passes (sanguan), penetrating Niwan (Mud-Pill Palace), one soon threads through the nine orifices of the whole body.
(The Neidan tradition often uses the “rootless tree” as an image of the human body: it has no fixed root-capacity, and yet it can flower and bear fruit. Talisman-fire, mercury, and lead are metaphors for fire timing and Yin-Yang medicinal substances, not ordinary chemistry; the ferrying Dharma boat and holding the rudder refer to using the heart-method to steer the process of cultivation; the Three Passes, Niwan, and the nine orifices refer to the body’s passes and apertures and the pathways by which Shen and Qi communicate.)
The Rootless Tree, Two
The rootless tree, its flower is at full richness—recognize true lead as the very ancestor; Qi with Jing and Shen are cooked and refined in one cauldron; the female turns into male, the old become children. To capture the White Tiger in the west, first subdue the Azure Dragon at the eastern house; when their kinds are the same, it is good to apply effort; when external medicine (waiyao) opens, internal medicine (neiyao) opens.
(True lead and “ancestor” image the prenatal root; White Tiger and Azure Dragon belong respectively to Yin and Yang, while west and eastern house indicate directional correspondences. The opening of external and internal medicine means inner and outer fire timing arrive together, and only then is transformation possible.)
The Rootless Tree, Three
The rootless tree, its flower is tender—Heaven responds with stars, earth responds with tides. The dragon-slaying sword and tiger-binding cord revolve Tiangang and turn the Dipper’s tip; forge and refine in one furnace the true sun and moon, sweep away all three thousand six hundred strands. Tread the clouds, roam at ease, and karmic stains and worldly dust are erased with one stroke.
(Heavenly stars and earthly tides image the resonance between Heaven and humanity; cultivation must accord with Heavenly timing. Tiangang and the Dipper’s tip are stellar correspondences; true sun and moon mean Yin-Yang Jing and Qi; the three thousand six hundred strands image scattered thoughts and worldly entanglements.)
The Rootless Tree, Four
The rootless tree, its flower is high—waves reach the sky, the moon plays with the tide. The Milky Way road reaches the Nine Heavens; the raft’s shadow crosses the sky and moors at the Dipper’s tip; touch the Weaving Girl’s loom-support stone, tread all over the Cowherd’s magpie bridge. Meeting the immortal hosts, courage is bold, and one steals the Queen Mother of the West’s peach from Jasper Pool.
(Tide, moon, Milky Way, raft, and Dipper’s tip use ascent to Heaven and travel on the Heavenly River to image the rising of Shen and intention. The Weaving Girl’s loom stone, the Cowherd’s magpie bridge, and the Queen Mother’s peach borrow immortal lore to write the achievements of the inner landscape and images of longevity.)
The Rootless Tree, Five
The rootless tree, its flower is just right—dragon and tiger ascend the altar and fight a round; lead is cast into mercury, Yin-Yang paired, and the ritual image is a mysterious pearl without price. This is the true seed of the home garden; returning from old age to youth, lifespan is long; ascending to Heaven’s bliss, one avoids transmigration and seeing Yama.
(Dragon and tiger, lead and mercury, Yin and Yang are metaphors for Neidan compounding and refining; the priceless mysterious pearl means the essence of the inner landscape that is obtained. The true seed is the one point of the prenatal; when it is accomplished, one prolongs life and transcends transmigration—within the context of alchemical scriptures this is a literary expression of the stage of cultivation and realization.)
The Rootless Tree, Six
The rootless tree, its flower is extraordinary—cultivate in the moon for a brief moment. With cloud-grasping hands and cloud-ladder steps, gather the first branch of the prenatal one Qi; drinking wine with flowers, Shen and Qi are refreshed, making the immortal elder laugh, drunk like mud. Entrust it to the heart’s knowing, carefully guard it, fearing only that the fire timing in the furnace may fly away.
(Cultivating in the moon and the first branch of the prenatal refer to gathering the prenatal one Qi in stillness and concentration. The flying of fire timing images a scattered Shen-mind and an unstable furnace and cauldron, which must be guarded at all times.)
The Rootless Tree, Seven
The rootless tree, its flower is yellow—born in the central Wu-Ji region. The eastern house’s maiden and the western house’s youth are matched as husband and wife and enter the bridal chamber; the Yellow Dame urges them to drink ambrosia wine, and every day they are steamed and intoxicated. This immortal formula, the soul-returning nectar, raises the dead and brings back life; it is the king of medicine.
(The Wu-Ji region images the central palace, the place of spleen and intent; husband and wife, bridal chamber, and Yellow Dame are common Neidan images for Yin-Yang union and its medium; ambrosia and soul-returning nectar image the wondrous function after Jing and Qi have blended.)
The Rootless Tree, Eight
The rootless tree, its flower is bright—the moon’s white at the heart of Heaven presses the sun’s soul. The Golden Crow’s marrow and the Jade Rabbit’s essence: seize the two things and cook them in one place. Yang fire and Yin tally are divided by Zi and Wu; bathing is applied at the Mao and You gates; guard the Huangting (Yellow Court) and nourish the Gushen (Valley Spirit); a man conceiving a fetus makes people laugh.
(The moon’s white, the sun’s soul, the Golden Crow, and the Jade Rabbit separately image Yin Jing and Yang Shen; Zi-Wu and Mao-You are fire-timing hours; Huangting and Gushen are the places for intent focus and nourishing Shen. “A man conceiving a fetus” is a Neidan metaphor for inward gestation, not a worldly meaning.)
Note: The above are Neidan poems from the Rootless Tree series attributed to Zhang Sanfeng. The whole uses images of flowers, trees, furnace, medicine, dragon and tiger to describe the stages of cultivation; they should be read as metaphors for practice, not literally as ordinary medical prescriptions or immortal tales.
Rootless Tree (Two Poems)
First Poem
Rootless tree, the flower is just red—pluck all the red flowers, and the whole tree is empty. Emptiness is form, form is emptiness; to penetrate true emptiness is precisely to be within form. Clearly realizing true emptiness, though form-aspects perish, Dharma-aspects endure forever; not falling into the name of emptiness, perfect penetration is called the Great Hero. The nine generations of ancestors transcend and ascend, up to the ninefold heavens.
(This is a Neidan (internal alchemy) poem: “rootless tree” is a metaphor for the human body having no fixed foundation; flowers opening and falling metaphorize the dialectic of form and emptiness. To awaken thoroughly to “true emptiness” is not to depart from form but to see one’s nature within form; form-aspects may perish, but the Dharma body endures forever—only this is called “perfect penetration, the Great Hero.” When cultivation and realization are complete, nine generations of ancestors transcend and ascend, reaching the ninefold heavenly realm.)
Second Poem
Rootless tree, the flower is just nothing—without shadow or form, it is hard to paint. Nameless and without surname, yet one hears people call; seized into the central furnace of creation, set the heavenly circuit and the samadhi fire in motion, forge true emptiness and return to the Great Nothingness. Pay homage at the immortal capital and receive the heavenly tally—only then is one a true man and great husband.
(Since the flower is already “nothing,” it has no form or shadow; the true self is nameless and surname-less, yet is seized by creation into the “furnace,” refined by the fire timing of the heavenly circuit and the samadhi fire, causing true emptiness to return to the Great Nothingness. Only after going to the immortal capital and receiving the heavenly tally does one count as a great husband.)
Daoqing (Daoist Songs) for the Four Seasons (Self-Sung on Zhongnan Mountain)
These four poems were written by Zhang Sanfeng when he was practicing in seclusion on Zhongnan Mountain, sung by himself for his own amusement. The form carries the flavor of Zhuzhici (bamboo-branch songs), with pauses and turns from section to section; it seems disconnected, and the wonder lies precisely in “connection through disconnection.” (Author’s note)
Spring
Spring colors delight; peach and apricot blossoms open, filling the eyes with newness; the scenery of the mountain garden is tender, and looking at it one has no gloom. What the immortals delight in: roaming in spring in the grotto-heavens, Master Zijin (Wang Zijin, who according to legend played the sheng and ascended as an immortal) blows the jade sheng, and listens with kindred spirits. As for me, at leisure I burn a stick of incense and play a tune on the qin.
Summer
In summer, admiring the lotus pond, mandarin ducks fly over the water, in pairs; in the clear wind and bright moon they play at leisure. The immortals delight that Patriarch Lü (Lü Dongbin) met Zhongli (Zhongli Quan); the two elders left behind a land of longevity and rode the clouds away on Zhongnan Mountain. As for me, at leisure I burn a stick of incense and play a game of chess.
Autumn
Autumn scene: clouds are sparse, distant peaks are dark yellow, the leaves wither; at night I watch the Milky Way spread out, and the Cowherd and Weaver Girl cross. The immortals delight that Master Junping (Yan Junping), who sold divinations and lived in hiding in Chengdu, carried a jade flask; earning a hundred coins a day, he bought wine. As for me, at leisure I burn a stick of incense and read a scroll.
Winter
Winter scene: snow flies; for ten thousand li, the passes and mountains are like piles of jade; Hejing (Lin Hejing) closes his hut and sleeps; in the cold, a crane keeps watch within Lone Mountain. The immortals delight that Han Xiangzi delivered Duke Wen (Han Yu): repeatedly urged to turn back, he would not turn back; only on the Blue Pass road did they meet. As for me, at leisure I burn a stick of incense and paint a tree of plum blossoms.
Four Daoqing Poems Inscribed at Qingyang Palace
Seeking an old friend at the edge of the world, I do not see him; I sigh that deluded followers want to learn to become immortals. There is a type who clings to stubborn emptiness—having Yin but no Yang—(such people have not awakened to the principle of dual cultivation of Yin and Yang, and it is difficult for them to become true immortals.)
(Qingyang Palace is a famous Daoist temple in Chengdu; tradition connects it with Laozi and Zhang Sanfeng. The Daoqing inscribed here mostly satirize the one-sided obsession with “guarding emptiness” and encourage true cultivation.)
Plain-language interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
First passage
Refining only Yang Qi, practicing solitary Yang alone: that is a method of a certain kind that requires a “cauldron vessel” (a term in internal alchemy that metaphorically refers to the human body or a ritual vessel). Those who speak of “abandoning death and forgetting life” or of “gathering and battling” (a type of bedroom arts) each cling to one side, and each claims to be orthodox. If you do not know which side the Mysterious Pass (the crucial opening in internal alchemy) lies on, do not use “purity and Wuwei (non-action)” to dress up your public image—these are all just the appearance of an empty school. How can you find companions who are clouds among the clouds and rosy mists among the mists (kindred spirits with a shared aspiration and an affinity for immortality)? You must also blend with the ordinary world and temper your brightness, and spend several years at it. To seek the Dao, you must seek the “precelestial” (the precelestial One Qi and the precelestial Dao, as opposed to postcelestial physical form). The precelestial is transmitted directly by the immortals. Immortals, immortals—they sleep only among the flowers. (This hints that the true Dao is not found in sitting motionless in an empty mountain, but is seen amid the bustle of human life and the union of Yin and Yang.)
Another passage
To refine the millet grain (in internal alchemy, a metaphor for the Golden Elixir, essence, and Qi), you need two things: “method” and “means.” Matters of the heart must be entrusted to two or three companions. How can one find companions like Zhang Ziyang (Zhang Boduan, author of Awakening to Reality)—people who protect and support fellow cultivators and discuss the mysteries together? Ma Banzhou (Ma Yu, a disciple of Wang Chongyang) cultivated alongside others; Xue Daoguang gave up his worldly occupation; Wang Chongyang was fortunate to meet a suitable partner. Elder Zhang Boduan visited a friend in Fufeng County. Even Patriarch Bodhidharma awakened to the Dao at Lichun Courtyard (a brothel)—only then can one understand that even the pleasure quarters may be places to contemplate Chan. There is no need to speak again of sitting motionless in purity and Wuwei. To seek the Dao, you must seek the precelestial; the precelestial is transmitted directly by the immortals. Immortals, immortals—they sleep only among the flowers.
Another passage
I have visited enlightened masters again and again, with earnest devotion, and each claimed to impart the true teaching directly. One “immortal” and his fellow practitioners say one should replenish the “upper field” (the upper Dantian); another says to strengthen the “lower source” (the lower Dantian and the essence and Qi); another says to guard the “central yellow” (the central palace, or Yellow Court). Each calls this the true eye of the Dharma. They even mock others for taking the space between the two kidneys to be the Mysterious Pass. There are a thousand schools and ten thousand gates, and a pole a hundred feet high; countless worthy people have lost their footing. To seek the Dao, you must seek the precelestial; the precelestial is transmitted directly by the immortals. Immortals, immortals—they sleep only among the flowers.
Another passage
Those who study the way of immortality, listen to me: never cultivate blindly. You must understand what inner and outer, Yin and Yang, and “seeking what is of the same kind” (in cultivation, the mutual seeking of men and women, or of essence, Qi, and Shen) mean. You must cultivate in accordance with Yin and Yang in order to cultivate Yin and Yang. From worldly methods, cultivate the methods that transcend the world. Following the way, one becomes human; reversing it, one becomes immortal—this one sentence surpasses thousands upon thousands. There is no need to speak again of purity and Wuwei: without them, the restored Elixir cannot be attained, and all effort is in vain. To seek the Dao, you must seek the precelestial; the precelestial is transmitted directly by the immortals. Immortals, immortals—they sleep only among the flowers.
“Daoist Sentiments at the Fifth Watch”
The title means that the five watches should be understood flexibly: it refers to uninterrupted practice. Do not assume that the first watch means the practice of the first watch, the second watch the practice of the second, and so on.
At the beginning of the first watch, tend the blue ox alone (a metaphor for guarding the One and subduing the mind, also recalling Laozi riding a blue ox). Do not let it run wild or wander idly. Here, I change the scene and shift the mood, climbing toward the flowers…
Note: The recurring phrase “Immortals sleep only among the flowers” points to a teaching often associated with Zhang Sanfeng’s lineage: the true Elixir Dao is not found in fleeing the world and sitting in desolate stillness, but in understanding Yin and Yang, having a companion, and experiencing human life. The text also criticizes heterodox approaches that locate the Mysterious Pass between the kidneys or simply guard the upper, middle, or lower Dantian.
Vernacular Interpretation of the Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Refine secretly by breaking willow branches; cultivate in seclusion, closing the six gates. With Wuwei (non-action), remain quietly watchful; capture the five thieves, restrain them by method, and bring firmness and gentleness into balance.
Work in secret and refine with care. Close the “six gates”—the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, heart, and awareness—and remain quietly watchful with a Wuwei mind. Capture the “five thieves,” such as greed, anger, and delusion (a metaphor for desires that disturb the nature of the mind), and restrain them according to the method so that Yin-Yang and firmness and gentleness are brought into balance.
Endure the passing seasons; as Qi grows abundant and Shen becomes whole, why worry about gathering the medicine?
Endure the changing seasons and let your practice deepen over time. True Qi will gradually grow abundant and Shen will gradually become whole; then there is no need to worry about gathering the “medicine,” the refined essence of internal cultivation.
Again (the first watch of the night)
In the second watch, bring things into balance and harmony; disperse all Yin and drive away the host of demons. I need only summon the phoenix to its nest, call the tortoise back to its cave, and guide the tiger home to its den.
In the second watch, harmonize Yin-Yang and bring Water and Fire into balance. Disperse the evil Yin Qi and drive away the mind’s inner demons. The aim is to let the “phoenix” return to its nest, the “tortoise” to its cave, and the “tiger” to its den—all metaphors for returning inner Qi to its proper place, so that Jing, Qi, and Shen each settle where they belong.
When you see lead arise, know to guard it carefully. When the moon appears, recognize whether it is true; do not make a mistake when you begin.
When “lead” (a symbol of Yin essence, or primordial essence) first appears, guard it with care. When the “moon appears” (a symbol of Yang emerging within Yin, the first stirrings of Yang), recognize the true turning point and do not err in beginning the work.
When the time comes, pass over the Red River; hold the pearl within, and creation’s transformations cannot be stopped.
When the time is right, it is like crossing the Red River and holding a pearl within: the transformations of nature proceed of themselves, beyond obstruction or control. This means that once the right moment in the firing process arrives, its subtle effects unfold naturally.
Again (the second watch)
In the third watch, a single Yang has just begun to sprout. The gate of the Red District opens, and true Qi begins to rise.
In the third watch, a single Yang has just begun to stir. The gate of the “Red District” (a metaphor for the body’s Dantian and the area around the Gate of Life) opens, and true Qi begins to rise.
At this moment, lead’s bloom appears faintly; a jade bud begins to form, and golden essence half emerges.
At this moment, true essence appears faintly, like the bloom of lead; it begins to form like a jade bud and is half revealed like golden essence. These images describe the first stirrings of Yang and the coming transformation of Jing and Qi.
Lock up the mind monkey, and the dragon’s roar will draw clouds in response; tether the thought horse, and the tiger’s roar will raise the wind.
When the restless “mind monkey” is restrained, it is like a dragon roaring and clouds answering. When the scattered “thought horse” is tethered, it is like a tiger roaring and wind rising. Once the mind and thoughts are quiet, the movement of Qi follows of itself.
Gather the finest essence of the spirit mushroom and send it into the Yellow Court; seal and secure it without fail, and in a hundred days the work will show its efficacy.
Gather the finest essence of the spirit mushroom and send it into the Yellow Court (the central palace, or Dantian). Seal and secure it without loss, and the work will show its subtle effects after a hundred days.
Again (the third watch)
As the fourth watch draws to a close, drink your fill of the finest nectar. Ride Zhang Qian’s raft, and let Magu’s laughter ring out.
As the fourth watch ends, it is like drinking the finest nectar (a metaphor for true fluid or sweet dew), or like Zhang Qian riding his raft and Magu offering long life: the inner landscape is joyful and free.
With this single point, irrigate the three fields, open all the channels, moisten the skin, and let it circulate everywhere.
With this single point of true Qi, irrigate the three fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, located in the head, heart, and abdomen. Let it flow freely through all the channels, moisten the skin, and circulate throughout the body.
Secure the scholar’s cauldron firmly. When the cycles of ascent and descent are complete, guard it carefully as before. Let thoughts and worries fall away; put aside sounds and sights, and warm and nourish the embryonic immortal for ten months.
Secure the Dantian firmly like a scholar’s cauldron. When the cycles of ascent and descent are complete, continue to guard it as carefully as before. Let thoughts and worries fall away and put aside sights and sounds. Warm and nourish the “embryonic immortal” (the inner elixir conceived like a fetus) through roughly ten months of practice.
Again (the fourth watch)
At the end of the fifth watch, draw out lead and replace it with mercury; change the cauldron, divide the elixir, and move it to the upper field.
At the end of the fifth watch, draw out mercury and replace it with lead (a metaphor for transforming Yin essence into Yang and dispelling Yin entirely). Change the cauldron, divide the elixir, and move it to the upper field, the head.
From now on, Yang grows and Yin wanes; nature matures and life is made whole. The body becomes firm and strong. Quietly regulate Shen, and the circuit gradually expands.
From this point on, Yang gradually grows and Yin gradually wanes. Cultivation of nature and life becomes complete, and the body grows firm and strong. Quietly regulate Shen, and as the circuit of the body runs, the elixir gradually expands.
Practice diligently as if facing a wall. After nine years, return to the origin; when conduct is complete and the work fulfilled, after eight hundred or three thousand days, unite with the Dao and become one with the true. Then you are an immortal.
Practice diligently, as if sitting in meditation before a wall, and return to the origin after nine years. When your conduct is complete and the work fulfilled, after eight hundred or three thousand days (a metaphor for prolonged cultivation), unite with the Dao and become one with the true. Then you are an immortal.
The Sentiments of the Dao Across the Five Watches
In the first watch, lead and mercury are fully harmonized. The three corpses and six thieves all disperse. The mind monkey and thought horse are firmly tethered. The lead cauldron is warm, the water is not cold, and none of the demons dares show its face.
In the first watch, lead and mercury are fully harmonized. The “three corpses” (a metaphor for disruptive forces within the body) and the “six thieves” (the desires associated with the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) all disperse. The mind monkey and thought horse are firmly tethered. The lead cauldron is gently warm, the water is not cold, and none of the demons dares to raise its head.
Settle Shen and regulate the breath, letting nature take its course. The dragon roars of itself, the tiger rejoices of itself. Once this wondrous principle has become familiar through practice, Water and Fire throughout the body are brought into balance with Li and Kan. Why lament the prospect of becoming an immortal or sage? Even attaining long life is no difficult matter.
Settle Shen and regulate the breath, letting things proceed naturally. The dragon roars and the tiger responds. Once this wondrous principle has become familiar through practice, Water and Fire throughout the body align with Li and Kan. Why lament the prospect of becoming an immortal or sage? Even attaining long life is no difficult matter.
I remember the Fire Dragon’s direct instruction: obtain the Returning Elixir, and roam freely at ease—an immortal at ease.
I remember the Fire Dragon’s direct instruction, a metaphor for Yang Fire rising straight to the upper palace. Obtain the Returning Elixir, roam freely and at ease, and become an immortal who is free and at ease.
Again (the second watch)
In the second watch, an edict of the elixir arrives. Ride a dragon and mount a phoenix beyond the blue vault of heaven. Everyone cherishes the Great Returning Elixir once it is in hand, and only then believes in the wonder of the Golden Elixir. The mother of the ingredients and her cherished child gather into one heap (a metaphor for the union of Yin and Yang, mother and child together); rest in peace, as if in a foolish stupor.
In the second watch, it is as if an edict of the elixir descends and you ride a dragon and mount a phoenix beyond the blue vault of heaven. Once the Great Returning Elixir is in hand, everyone prizes it and believes in the wonder of the Golden Elixir. The mother of the ingredients and her cherished child gather together (a metaphor for the union of Yin and Yang, mother and child reunited); rest in peace, appearing almost dazed.
Dwell in a clear and empty place, unstained by dust. From now on, put an end to old debts and enmities; become one who lives forever without aging, and cultivate a radiant complexion like apricot blossoms and peach petals.
Dwell in a clear and empty place, unstained by worldly dust. From now on, put an end to old debts and enmities. Become one who lives forever without aging, with a radiant, healthy complexion like apricot blossoms and peach petals.
(If the sections of “The Sentiments of the Dao Across the Five Watches” for the third, fourth, and fifth watches follow, they can be provided and translated in the same style.)
Vernacular Reading of Relevant Passages from The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Watches (Cultivation Verse Instructions)
At the third watch, precisely what Neidan (internal alchemy) calls the “living Zi hour,” a wonderland-like scene appears at Huachi (“Flower Pond,” a metaphor for saliva in the mouth and the upper Dantian): as if the spirit turtle drains the marrow of the golden crow (the sun, Yang), and the elixir phoenix brings the fat of jade marrow—describing Yin-Yang and Jing-Qi meeting and absorbing each other within the body. Drinking Xuanming wine as if intoxicated, all Yin disperses and one Yang returns; a branch of spring color, golden flowers radiant; the beauty has intent, the young man fondles her, and both are delighted. If one attains this state, it is returning to the origin and restoring the root, with a lifespan equal to heaven.
At the fourth watch, deeper still, lead arises after gui (Yang born at the extreme of Yin, the water element activated); the Yin-Yang boundary is exactly the “one string” (the half moon, an image of equal Yin and Yang); metal and water are full, just like the spring light of orioles and flowers in the second month. Not greedy for wealth, not fond of fame, one drinks jade nectar and listens to jade sounds; the blue sky joins the water, and waves are flat as a mirror. Before the Hall of Empty White, tie up the horse of intention; beneath the Shadowless Tree, lock up the monkey of mind—gather the mind and stop thoughts. After three returns and nine revolutions, the Zhenren (True Person) appears; having met the prenatal Great Dao, one’s lifespan is compared to Qian and Kun, heaven and earth.
At the fifth watch, after gathering the true Jing (essence), fame, achievement, and wealth may all be cast aside; with whole heart one longs for Penglai and makes a home among the Ten Continents and Three Isles. Desire-fire has no entanglements; this long life is nurtured within oneself, and affectionate ties must not go astray. Tell no one of hardships; fear neither weapons nor tiger calamities. Even if a beautiful woman lowers the curtain, one no longer loves the roadside willow or the flower by the wall—external conditions are entirely cut off, and one only guards inner cultivation.
Daoqing of the Five Watches
At the first watch, enter the meditation room; purifying body and mind need not be hurried. The monkey of mind and horse of intention must not be lightly released; guard the Lingtai (Spirit Terrace), and white jade light appears. The inactive Zhenren is hidden within; the master sits upright at Kunlun. Huangpo (Yellow Dame, the mediator that harmonizes Yin-Yang, often meaning intention or the spleen’s intent) leads them into the bridal chamber; the Infant and the Maiden become a pair; the Three Families meet on Qujiang—describing the inner scene in which Jing, Qi, and Shen, the three families, meet and Yin and Yang copulate.
At the second watch, on the rush mat, contemplate the original face before one’s parents gave birth, which manifests constantly. Gather the prenatal to supplement the postnatal; the Three Passes circulate up to Niwan (Mud Pill Palace). The divine water of Huachi is swallowed again and again; water and fire interact and warm the lower Dantian; in the Yanyue furnace, the supreme treasure is decocted; through three returns and nine revolutions, the elixir is refined.
At the third watch, one Yang arises; Kan and Li unite in marriage; without ties or attachments, one remains constantly pure. At the seabed, the mud ox rushes straight upward; continuous Qi penetrates Kunlun; the metal-water husband and wife join; white snow grows in Huangting (Yellow Court). Refining the Golden Elixir into an indestructible body, only then does one thoroughly understand the nature of the mysterious pass.
At the fourth watch, seek the ancestral wind; the meaning of the West-coming is therein (the Chan “original face” and Neidan practice are interconnected). Apply effort at all times; the bright moon in the sky shines upon the heart. Continue guarding the aperture and regulating the breath, practicing the dual cultivation of nature and life, in order to clarify this meaning.
Explanation: The “third, fourth, and fifth watches” and “first through fourth watches” are both night-time divisions and metaphors for the stages of Neidan cultivation. Terms such as “Infant and Maiden,” “Kan-Li copulation,” “Huangpo,” and “Qujiang” are mostly esoteric expressions for internal Yin-Yang and the combined refining of Jing, Qi, and Shen; they are not narratives of worldly passion. They should be read in light of the traditional Neidan language of “gathering medicine, moving fire, and forming the elixir,” not taken as literal human affairs.
Zhang Sanfeng’s Complete Works · Daoqing of the Five Watches (Vernacular Interpretation)
Prefatory Introduction
Using the “red light” at the crown of the head to illuminate one’s inner “master” (the true self, primordial Shen), one then knows what “lead entering mercury” in the furnace really means—what appears within the exquisite tower is the true source (original awareness, the true Dao). When the Golden Elixir is refined, it is true emptiness; for a thousand years and ten thousand ages, if this body does not move (meaning Shen is condensed, form is stabilized, and one is united with the Dao).
Another (Opening Lead-in)
At the fifth watch, one aligns with the rhythm of the heavenly mechanism; few know this aperture, the mysterious pass. Who can recognize where life and death turn? It depends entirely on the stems Wu and Ji (spleen-intent, true intention) to “produce the infant” (yang Shen, the holy embryo). Golden light shines brilliantly, revealing Muni (Buddha-form, awakened nature); the supreme treasure is stored in the Dantian (energy center), nurturing the spiritual root until it equals the heavenly Dao (the Way). The wondrous body of yang Shen is identical to the great void; a single millet pearl encompasses heaven and earth.
Daoqing of the Five Watches (General Opening)
In stillness, observe the face and observe the images, seeking the root source of the Dao aperture. Circulate the celestial circuit in the Taiyi furnace and refine it with the samadhi true fire; like an arrow shot through the ninefold heavens, the iron drum of the three passes turns; at Niwan (the crown), grasp the precious moon and sleep paired with the sun. At this time lead and mercury meet—
(To the tune of “West River Moon”: this is an ancient immortal’s tune pattern; the patriarch borrowed it for the opening lead-in to the Daoqing of the Five Watches, and therefore still uses this tune.)
First Watch
In the first watch, the horse of intention is steady; do not let the monkey leap wildly. Qi (vital energy) is calm and Shen (spirit) is clear, and the mind-ground is naturally swept clean. Guard the Huangting (Yellow Court) and circulate the Dao of prenatal heaven; in purity and stillness, observe leisurely, and the wonder within the mysterious shines through. Seizing this moment, only then are mind and nature settled; at the horizon and the sea bottom, at the place of life, awaken to the bronze mirror—the bronze mirror is imageless yet luminous. Iron is hard; look at how you transform Qian and Kun. Gather the essence of the sun; all obey the Dharma King’s command.
Second Watch
In the second watch, ten thousand lotuses bloom in the furnace; refine a single point of yellow sprout, which descends from heaven. Rouse life within death; without image yet with image, it universally illumines the ten directions, bright everywhere. See the heavenly ditch shining brilliantly; pasture the flock, clap your hands and laugh, having long leapt beyond the cloud dream—leaping beyond the cloud dream, feet treading the spirit terrace, call out aloud. Look at you receiving the gold tablet and proclaiming your name, having attained realization of the Dao of Wuwei (non-action).
Third Watch
In the third watch, temper it until it is towering and utterly motionless; sleeping alone on a single pillow, see through the yellow millet dream. The white crow comes to pay homage to Taiji (Supreme Ultimate); the cavern of light is bright, and when the sea dries up, play with pearl after pearl. Stand alone in the Palace of Purple Yang; play idly in the crystal palace—what a nine-grade land of no-birth, the commander in the great hall with vajras arrayed. Look at you, the ladder to heaven—how could you know coral stone and true lapis?
Note for Reading the Poem
The five watches divide the night into five time segments, each corresponding to a stage of inner cultivation. Lead and mercury, yellow sprout, infant, the three passes, Huangting, Niwan, and Dantian are Neidan (internal alchemy) terms; they mostly refer to transformations of Jing (essence), Qi, intention, and the body’s passes and apertures, not to Waidan (external alchemy) compounding of medicines. The “master” in cultivation refers to the unmoving, abiding awareness and primordial Shen, not the everyday small self. The closing phrases such as “coral stone” and “true lapis” symbolize superior attainment and the state of purity, clarity, and perfect radiance.
Vernacular Interpretation
In the fourth watch, one must valiantly do battle with the demon king. In the Palace of No-Form, wield the double-tailed sword; drive the demon king back ten thousand li until all becomes one expanse. The bodily form is unconstrained, and one enters the Penglai courtyard again. Who knows this news for himself? One ponders it oneself and laughs to oneself—what a mystery within mystery, mystery within mystery! A set of chess pieces clamors on the board: look at the advisor, elephant, and pawn in their ranks; the cannon advances, and chariot and horse give check.
Another
In the fifth watch, only upon waking do I myself feel the mind open and awaken. Urgently intensify the work; advance another step at the top of the pole; rush to Ziyang Palace and penetrate through the Caoxi Road. These exercises should not be casually discussed. Raise the golden countenance, grasp the sword hilt, gather yourself, do not allow leakage, and release the flood dragon to fight. When the flood dragon fights, do not let the sheep go hungry and thin. Look—your defenses must be strict; the thief will not steal, and you hold firmly to the Zhoutian (celestial circuit) timing.
Daoqing for the Fifth Watch
Rolling the Yellow River backward, a single vein opens; what is nurtured becomes soft and weak like an infant child. If people of the world ask the path to long life, I smile and point to Penglai east of the jade-blue sea.
In the first watch, cultivate carefully; do not let the mind-horse run east and west. Running east and west, the monkey is locked in the square inch of the heart. This green ox Laozi can ride. (Repeat one line; the same applies below.) Golden Elixir flower, first strain: the precious sword is thrust into the furnace; dragon and tiger meet; Kan and Li, water and fire, are inverted and become Jiji (After Completion). The Golden Elixir flower is joyful; with every thought offer one invocation of Buddha: Namo Buddha of the Chaotic World; Namo, flowers bloom and leaves fall. (The blooming of flowers and falling of leaves compares to the time when Yang is born and Yin is exhausted; if it were an ordinary flower, then when the flower blooms the leaves also grow. The rest follow this pattern.)
Another
In the first watch, cultivation raises correct mindfulness; before the crossroads refine the Golden Elixir. Refining the Golden Elixir does not use water or fire, does not use charcoal; it is only necessary to awaken through sitting in meditation and Chan contemplation. Golden Elixir flower, second strain: the Yellow Dame leads the infant (Ying’er) up to the Niwan (Mud Pill), penetrating the mysterious pass; infant and maiden (Chanu) are reunited in complete roundness. The Golden Elixir flower is joyful; with every thought offer one invocation of Buddha: Namo Shakyamuni Buddha; Namo, flowers bloom and leaves fall.
Another
In the second watch, cultivation requires reunion; the maiden and infant are on either side. On either side, Yellow Duke and Yellow Dame serve as matchmakers, binding the two families into a karmic union. Golden Elixir flower, third strain: when speaking of birth and death, it is not difficult; not difficult, and yet…
Note: The original is Zhang Sanfeng’s Daoqing, a song formula on cultivation by night watches, using terms such as the watches (first to fifth watch), Golden Elixir, infant and maiden, dragon and tiger, Kan and Li, and other Neidan (internal alchemy) terminology, as well as metaphors of a chess game, the Yellow River, Penglai, and so on, to discuss practices such as sitting in stillness, refining Qi (vital energy), guarding the apertures, and preventing leakage. After the final line’s “yet” there appears to be missing text, perhaps “yet difficult” or similar; here the break is retained according to common Daoqing conventions.
Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
Again
The difficulty is not close at hand but over there—the Golden Elixir flower opens in joy, and in the heart one recites a Buddha’s name with each thought: Namo (Homage to) the Tathagata Buddha of the West; Namo—when the flower opens, the leaves fall.
Again
At the second watch, cultivate and keep the mind single-minded. Raise a Shadowless Sword—the Shadowless Sword drives the Six Thieves to the Palace of the Demon King and beheads the Three Corpses (sanshi). Before my eyes the Golden Elixir flower blooms—the fourth tally. Today I have met an enlightened master, who points out a road for us: apply effort at every moment; the Golden Elixir flower opens in joy, and with each thought recite a Buddha’s name: Namo Maitreya Buddha of the Big Belly; Namo—when the flower opens, the leaves fall.
Again
At the second watch, cultivate and guard against danger. Do not let the Six Thieves stir you up—if they stir you, gather qi and concentrate the spirit and remain utterly unmoved. Burn paper money and send them out; the Golden Elixir flower blooms—the fifth tally. Today I have attained the skill: gather the prenatal to replenish the postnatal, and roll out through the Cloud Gate to the heaven beyond heaven. The Golden Elixir flower opens in joy, and with each thought recite a Buddha’s name: Namo Cundi Buddha, who guides and receives; Namo—when the flower opens, the leaves fall.
Again
At the third watch, cultivate and do not leak the mechanism. The Yellow River rolls backward up the heavenly ladder—up the heavenly ladder, stand firm at the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan) on the green ox’s hoof. Reverse upon reverse: take Kan to fill Li; the Golden Elixir flower blooms—the sixth tally. The lion is refined into a fire monkey. Today I think of wandering among the clouds, passing beyond the jiazi cycle to Yingzhou. The Golden Elixir flower opens in joy, and with each thought recite a Buddha’s name: Namo the Eighteen Arhats Buddhas; Namo—when the flower opens, the leaves fall.
Again
At the fourth watch, cultivate with an attentive mind. In the Twin Sal Tree Grove, light the lamp of wisdom—light the lamp of wisdom, illuminate the World-Honored One; he goes to wait a while before the gate of the Land of Ultimate Bliss; the Golden Elixir flower blooms—the seventh tally. Someone in the void lends support; ride the green ox through the Mysterious Pass and refine a Golden Elixir perfectly round. The Golden Elixir flower opens in joy, and with each thought recite a Buddha’s name: Namo Dipankara, the Ancient Buddha of the Burning Lamp; Namo—when the flower opens, the leaves fall.
Again
At the fourth watch, cultivate and apply effort. You must watch for the Xun wind rising in the southwest—when the Xun wind rises, water and fire are in mutual completion; apply them in reverse and send both medicine and fire together into the furnace; the Golden Elixir flower blooms—the eighth tally. The Infant and the Maiden flourish; the master recognizes them, and beating them into one whole, one becomes an adept. The Golden Elixir flower opens in joy, and with each thought recite a Buddha’s name: Namo Great…
Note: The whole text uses the second, third, and fourth watches to describe the effort of Neidan (internal alchemy) practice in different periods, interspersed with oral formulas such as “Namo… Buddha” and “when the flower opens, the leaves fall.” This is a common juxtaposition of Buddha names and alchemical methods in Ming-Qing alchemical songs. The Six Thieves refer to the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and the like, which disturb the mind-nature. The Three Corpses are the three worms said in Daoism to dwell in the human body; they must be beheaded. “Taking Kan to fill Li” is a Neidan metaphor for the union of Kan-water and Li-fire, the mutual completion of water and fire. The Mysterious Pass is a crucial point in the qi pathways. The Infant and the Maiden are symbols of the two qi of Yin-Yang. Tally four, tally five… tally eight are counts of fire timing or stages in alchemical songs, and different schools explain them differently. In the final entry, the text after “Namo Great…” is missing and must be completed by collating other editions of the complete works.
This passage presents Patriarch Zhang Sanfeng's essential cultivation instructions conveyed through Daoqing (a Daoist chanting style). While opening with Buddhist imagery like the golden-winged garuda and peacock wisdom king, it actually reveals the mysteries of Neidan (internal alchemy) practice.
During the fifth watch (3-5 AM) cultivation period, one should maintain vigilance like a rooster heralding dawn. The metaphor of "an iron tree blossoming" illustrates how the Golden Elixir (the core achievement of Neidan) is difficult to attain, yet naturally manifests when practice reaches perfection. The Dao of the Golden Elixir appears universally accessible—said to exist yet elusive, declared nonexistent yet undeniably real—this profound state knows no bounds.
When cultivation reaches the "crimson sun" phase (Yang Qi activation), practitioners must carefully regulate the "firing times" (mental focus during practice), lest all efforts come to naught. Upon achieving myriad radiant sunbeams and golden lotuses emerging, the Golden Elixir spontaneously crystallizes. At this stage, cultivators return to their fundamental authenticity, reuniting with the "True Person" (realized self).
The depiction of thatched huts in remote mountains symbolizes withdrawal from worldly clamor. After "subduing the dragon and taming the tiger" (mastering restless thoughts), one's spiritual horizons naturally expand. When practice reaches "the yellow dragon penetrating three passes" (authentic Qi circulating through the three dorsal gates), the achievement of "soaring on crane-back" becomes attainable. Golden flowers (inner luminosity) bloom as celestial edicts arrive, forging the indestructible vajra body.
The concluding "ninth-watch Daoqing" reveals life-and-death mysteries: the birth gate becomes death's pathway, a truth few worldly people realize. Quoting Patriarch Zhongli Quan, it emphasizes that longevity and immortality depend wholly on self-cultivation. Turning toward goodness during the first watch (7-9 PM), the arduous cultivation path resembles primordial chaos after departing Ancient Spirit Mountain (symbolizing the prenatal state).
The recurring refrain "blossoms bloom while leaves fall" implies aligning practice with natural rhythms. Chanting phrases like "Homage to [various] Buddhas" reflects the characteristic Three Teachings syncretism. The numerical progression from fifth to ninth watch secretly corresponds with the Neidan "nine-cycle elixir refinement" stages.
A Vernacular Reading of Selected Passages from The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
First Watch (the Initial Watch)
The teachings of the West in the world have their origins, but the root of our nature and life (xingming) originally lies in the East (China). Once nature and life fall into the dusty world, they lose their way—this is the root that was lost before the “Old Mother” (the prenatal true reality, the maternal body before birth) had even been born.
Second Watch
In the second watch a person grows to adulthood and puts down roots in the city of worldly affairs: knowing hunger and thirst, understanding high and low, noble and base, yet not knowing where birth and death begin. Dwelling in the “second room” (the acquired discerning spirit, the whole apparatus of the ordinary mind), one cannot distinguish true from false, does not cultivate a way out, cares only for what lies before the eyes, follows the Six Thieves (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) in reckless behavior, and ruins one’s own “Master” (true nature, primordial spirit).
Third Watch
In the third watch one must abstain from sexual misconduct, tether the thoughts firmly, and lock up the intent-horse and mind-monkey (yima xinyuan). Do not linger greedily in the flower streets and willow lanes, do not touch the wives and daughters of others, and do not break the precepts—those things are all demonic obstructions, hooks cast by the two ghosts. When the time comes to enter the underworld, it will be hard again to see the face of the Tathagata.
Fourth Watch
In the fourth watch the wise and the foolish are hard to tell apart; those who have awakened can see through the mechanism and perceive that the days of worldly people are short, a hundred years of time rushing like an arrow. Turning back early is precisely what one should do in middle age: go and bow to a true teacher, seek the oral formula transmitted from one to another, and be pointed back to the “face before your mother gave birth” (your original face, your prenatal face).
Fifth Watch
In the fifth watch take refuge in the Tathagata. For the great matter of birth and death, cut off affection and love, see worldly affairs as wounding to the heart, and fear incurring the debt of samsara. Lock the mind-monkey and do not damage it; raise right mindfulness, boundless and without limit, and take advantage of the fragrant breeze to return early in time.
Sixth Watch
In the sixth watch carefully recognize your original source: lock the monkey in the room, do not relax whether it comes or goes, day and night hang up the sword and guard the deep palace, lock the four gates, and suppress the demonic wind. See through the red dust—all is empty—and let the Master constantly recite the true scripture.
Seventh Watch
In the seventh watch you must escape the dust. Relying on the gracious teacher’s guidance, receive and uphold the three rules and five precepts, and make a great vow never to break them. Worldly affairs are all small; the matter of birth and death is great. Cut off samsara and become indestructible like the vajra; amid the rolling waves a single branch of white lotus appears.
Eighth Watch
In the eighth watch guard the true lead (zhen qian). The ancient Amitabha sits reversed at the mysterious pass (xuanguan); breathing the primordial yang, the energy turns up and down, and front and back the “Three-One” (sanyi, a Neidan term for firing times) is carried load upon load. The Yellow River rolls backward, the mud ox plows the field, the magpie’s nest anoints the crown, the earth surges with golden lotuses, and from the summit of Mount Sumeru a ray of spiritual light appears.
Ninth Watch
In the ninth watch bitterly refine the Three Families (sanjia). In the red furnace the firing times are not mistaken; beneath the shadowless tree golden flowers appear; the two of nature and life (xing and ming)… (This section concludes with the dual cultivation of nature and life, with refining and transformation in the furnace, continuing the same thread as the preceding watches.)
Note: The whole text uses the “first watch” through the “ninth watch” to set out the stages of night practice—cultivation, abstention from desire, seeking a teacher, guarding the thoughts, reciting scriptures, upholding precepts, the firing times at the mysterious pass, and refining transformation. This is a night-lesson structure commonly used in Neidan. Such terms as the Six Thieves, the intent-horse and mind-monkey, the Master, the Old Mother, the face before your mother gave birth, the mysterious pass, and true lead are all common metaphors in Daoist alchemy, not ordinary household language.
Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng
Opening (Riddle-Style Punctuation and Parsing)
The gist of the riddle sentence is this: "two ends, three carts, transporting, Zhaozhou pouring tea, going to the West to pay homage, the Buddhist little infant seeing its mother and laughing uproariously"—these are mostly cryptic code words and nested character puzzles drawn from Neidan (internal alchemy) and Chan Buddhist allusions. They must be read together with the whole piece, "Lamenting Leaving the Family," and should not be forcibly interpreted one line at a time in isolation.
Seven Daoqing Songs Lamenting Leaving the Family
Editor's Note (parenthetical in the original)
The "seven poems on leaving the family" are often adopted wholesale among the yuliu (Daoist priests), who put their own names to them; some also suspect that they were composed by the Ming Confucian Luo Hongxian and may not be by Zhang Sanfeng. The final piece contains the line "fifty-two lines of profound principle, plainly spoken to you," which is generally thought to refer precisely to the "Daoqing Song." On this basis, they are still mostly regarded as transmitted within the lineage of Master Feng (Zhang Sanfeng). The Wang edition (one particular edition) offers further corroboration on this point.
First
Lamenting leaving the family—how wondrous indeed! I have seen through the ways of the world as cloud and mud; my whole heart is unstained by red-dust affairs. Let there be floating fame and fine profit, let there be beloved children and a charming wife—to wear out the body is not as good as returning to the mountains. How could I be willing to gallop about all day? How could I be willing to ponder all day? In cultivation one should rouse a resolve that pierces the heavens, be a generous and heroic man, smash the mechanism of birth and death, and be free of vexation, irritation, and anxiety.
Second
Lamenting leaving the family—how serene indeed! I have cut off deluded thoughts and sorrow. How can human life be without dust and defilement? How could I be willing to scheme for profit and crave gain? How could I be willing to give up in vain? I will resolutely not fall into the hands of impermanence; I make a great vow to seek a teacher; making a great vow, I will practice the true cultivation. Naturally one day the elixir will be accomplished; then let me ride a crane or board a boat, let me stroll and wander at ease—who can penetrate the true mystery and wondrous Dao (the Way)?
Third
Lamenting leaving the family—how profound indeed! I learn something of "borrowing the false to cultivate the true" (using this body to cultivate the true Dao). In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, I stabilize the true mind. What I love is to nourish Qi (vital energy) and raise Shen (spirit); what I delight in is Wood descending and Metal rising (a common Neidan image of the Wood Qi descending and the Metal Qi ascending). The spiritual light appears, round as a mirror, and in an instant every orifice becomes spiritually numinous; the Yellow River's water reverses and turns toward Kunlun (the Qi channels rising like river water, corresponding to images such as the Dantian and Kunlun), and naturally one recognizes the true Xuanpin (gateway of mystery, true Yin, and other essential sites of cultivation).
Fourth
Lamenting leaving the family—how mysterious indeed! I have seen through sitting in meditation and investigating Chan; when the master (the nature of the mind, the primordial Shen) appears, what thing is it? The principle within the mystery is silently without words. In movement and stillness I add mercury and withdraw lead (Neidan terms: refining Jing into Qi and regulating Yin-Yang), as if foolish and as if drunk, while Shen does not tire. When advancing the fire, civil and martial are smelted together; when warming and nourishing, after Zi and before Wu (times and fire phases), water and fire are already joined and cooked together.
Fifth
Lamenting leaving the family—how refined indeed! Be fully prepared with fierce generals and strong soldiers, and guard against the Six Thieves (the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind that disturb the nature) who come to plunder. Let them ride the mist and soar the clouds, let them be skilled in war—by wondrous function alone I will overcome them. Raise the eye of wisdom, and ten thousand riders charge together.
Note
The above translates only the literal, textual level of meaning; the Neidan fire phases, hexagram images, and cryptic language require the guidance of a teacher's transmission and other sections of the complete works.
This text comes from The Complete Works of Mr. Zhang Sanfeng. It contains several “Lamenting Renunciation” Daoqing (Daoist songs) and the opening of “Daoqing of the Moon at the Horizon”; these are verse pieces on Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation and world-transcending sentiment. The following explains the general meaning in continuous plain-language paraphrase.
Imagery of Battling Demons and Securing the Realm
Raising the sword of wisdom, one cuts off demonic Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy); the Three Corpses (sanshi, the “three corpse worms” in the human body that incite greed) are bound, and the demon kings obediently appear. Showing a loyal and courageous heart, one naturally sees the realm of “enriching the state and pacifying the people; when one battle is won, all is tranquil.”
Lamenting Renunciation (No. 1)
Alas, leaving home is good too—what one learns is carefree and untrammeled; in the reversals of favorable and adverse, one penetrates the mysterious wonder. How much can one eat from a single ladle of rice? After three cups of wine go down, the face looks immortal. In peach-blossom streets and willow lanes, one laughs heartily; a small gourd constantly hangs at the waist. Carrying a few packets of the Myriad Spirit Elixir, one brings convenience to people everywhere. When there is affinity, fine wine and choice dishes; when it is plain, drinking water from a gourd and a bamboo dish. Wealth, honor, poverty, and success are all fixed by Heaven. Let him wear the purple robe; let him have fine horses and golden sable—in a blink, impermanence cannot be avoided. The three-inch qi drifts faint and distant; the whole family weeps and wails—what does it matter that your sons are worthy and grandsons filial? All reckoned, cultivating the Dao (the Way) is still the highest: prolonging life, reducing illness, and dispelling disaster, without worry, without anxiety, without affliction. When the time arrives, one steps into the clouds, meets the Eight Immortals, and goes to the immortal bridge; only then is the wonder within the mystery revealed.
Lamenting Renunciation (No. 2)
Alas, leaving home is real—one must wash the source of the mind; one must be pure and quiet, and only then can the principle within the mystery be seen. Clearly cultivating truth and nurturing nature—who comes to ask? I too have traveled through rugged mountains and steep ridges, prefectural and county cities, great capitals and marketplaces, mixing radiance with dust. Some avoid rank-smelling meat and avoid lust; some are broad-minded, endure anger, and are clear in matters of wealth. In the southwestern lands I honored friends. In former days I was drunk and muddled; with sober eyes I look upon the myriad living beings of the four seas and the rolling red dust. The golden flower is tender; the moon at the horizon—who takes it seriously? Which affair in the world is clear? Everyone harbors an interest in cultivating immortality.
Fifty-two lines of words within the mystery are told to you plainly: bow to an enlightened teacher, seek a lofty person; only with earnest diligence can one attain long life.
Nine Daoqing Songs on “The Moon at the Horizon” (taking the meaning of “the moon at the horizon emerges at geng”—in Neidan, geng often refers to the metal of the west, lunar phases, and the firing times for gathering the medicine, etc.)
First Song
The moon at the horizon, its moonlight bright, shines on the human world like an overturned basin. Beneath the overturned basin are how many formations of enemies? Only after kalpas of cultivation does one obtain a human body, yet one may lose the eight treasures of true-suchness nature, hard to find again through ten thousand kalpas. Coveting wife and children is like a sheep accompanying a tiger pack; boasting of wealth and honor, relying on power to bully the poor—but bullying the poor still brings Heaven’s retribution. Better to leap out of the red dust, bow to an enlightened teacher, and go early to cultivate; then one will naturally have a share among the immortal family.
Again (Second and Following)
The following text is still the various songs of “Daoqing of the Moon at the Horizon,” with a consistent theme: using “the moon at the horizon” as a metaphor for the spiritual light, the firing times, and the world-transcending mind in inner cultivation; it urges people not to lose true suchness amid fame, profit, wife, and wealth, but to seek a teacher and cultivate the Dao early. If the original text here still has several songs that are not recorded in full, structurally they form the same set of linked “Daoqing” chapters, repeatedly awakening people with images such as the moon, geng, red dust, the enlightened teacher, and long life.
Reading Notes
The Three Corpses (sanshi) are three “worms” that Daoism considers attached to the human body, making people lustful, gluttonous, and sleepy, and obstructing cultivation. “Mixing radiance with dust” means not showing one’s sharpness, blending with the world while inwardly preserving the mysterious principle. “The moon at the horizon” and “emerging at geng” in Neidan contexts are often linked to lunar phases, the metal qi of the west, and the times and states of gathering medicine and refining the elixir; they are not mere scenery. “The eight treasures of true-suchness nature” refers to the inherently luminous nature, which cultivation fears losing amid the human affairs of samsara. “Treading the clouds, meeting the Eight Immortals, the immortal bridge” are immortal-way imaginings of ascending to immortality, meeting friends, and crossing a bridge, symbolizing transcendent accomplishment.
The following is a plain-language interpretation of this group of cultivation verses from The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng, each of which begins with “The moon at the edge of the sky.” The explanation follows the original’s divisions.
One
The moon hangs at the edge of the sky, its shadow deep and mysterious. The world is greedy for wealth and glory; who is willing to let them go? If people cannot stop, how can the affinity with the immortals draw near? Alas, worldly people are bound fast by mundane affairs.
A solitary boat is like a bubble floating on water: once it bursts, there is nowhere left to rest. Better to turn back in time and take a worthy master as one’s teacher.
Ride backward on the green ox, a metaphor for the immortal’s journey; accumulate merit and cultivate good deeds. Once the Elixir is complete, hold fast to your resolve. When you have found success wandering among the clouds across the four seas, you may step onto Yingzhou, the immortal isle. Only then will your name be entered on the golden steps, the register of Heaven.
Two
The moon at the edge of the sky, its shadow bleak and cold. Becoming an immortal is not difficult—yet first, the Three Corpses, a metaphor for the hidden forces of greed, anger, and delusion within the human body, must be cut down completely. The bowl for subduing the dragon is passed on by word of mouth; there is a secret for taming the tiger, but it is hard to speak of and must not be spoken of. Do not reveal spiritual powers to people with corrupt intentions.
Planting a lotus in fire takes the skill of a master craftsman. Do not take up the task of rowing upstream recklessly: the Master, the original spirit and true mind, must steady the sail. Only amid the surging waves can one gather true lead and make one’s way to the Hall of Numinous Heaven.
Three
The moon at the edge of the sky, its shadow hanging high. An immortal rides the Magpie Bridge, a metaphor for the union of Yin and Yang and the timing of the fires in the alchemical work. The Magpie Bridge is perilous, and ordinary people cannot reach it. Gather the medicinal sprout in the Yellow Court Palace, around the middle Dantian. Water flows in the Silver River; only as its tide rises and falls does the mysterious wonder within the mystery appear.
The Cowherd descends from the Heavenly Court, while the Weaver Girl eagerly beckons him over. The Cowherd and Weaver Girl rejoice together, praying Heaven to send a Matchmaker, Huangpo, to bring them a good union. Huangpo is the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang, and in alchemy often represents the timing of the fires or a guiding force. Only after they meet in a hazy, elusive union and the work is complete can one receive Heaven’s edict written on a celestial text.
Four
The moon at the edge of the sky, its shadow lonely and still. A true cultivator is a man of great resolve; only such a person sets foot on the path of cultivation. Zhang Xiangu once paid homage to Patriarch Lü, Lü Dongbin, and a Dragon Maiden appeared bearing a precious pearl. The pearl welled forth, guarded by Chang’e. From the Muddy Pellet Palace, the upper Dantian in the brain, descended pearl-like jade nectar; there was also wine brewed from oranges and ambrosia, a metaphor for sweet dew formed from Jing and Qi.
Ambrosia reaches the mouth like sweet dew. Advance the Yang Fire and withdraw the Yin Talisman; seal it firmly within the Dantian. Then a path to Heaven will open of its own accord.
Five
The moon at the edge of the sky, its shadow drifting. An immortal plays a jade flute, and its music opens the “aperture that reaches Heaven.” Earth and Heaven in Peace, the name of a hexagram and a state of cultivation, signifies the harmonious meeting of Heaven and Earth without reckless movement. Remain still and steady; use inversion in the practice. The method must be skillful—only with skill does the mysterious wonder within the mystery emerge.
White clouds rise to the highest heavens; the yellow sprout grows into a numinous shoot. Who knows the mysteries of the precelestial? A pearl rolling on a tray is hard to draw or describe. The Muni Hall stands firm and secure; only then can one repay the kindness of one’s teacher.
Six
The moon at the edge of the sky, its shadow hanging low. Eighteen disciples play with Muni; Muni enters the realm of long life. The meaning of the Westward Coming—as a Chan Buddhist phrase, here used to point to the hidden workings of the Elixir Way—is like … The final line of this section is sometimes joined to the next chapter in commonly circulated compilations. Its meaning is generally taken to unite Buddha-nature with the Way of long life: the disciples play with the revered image of Muni, an allusion in fact to inner cultivation entering the realm of “long life.”
Note: These verses combine Neidan imagery with mythological images. The Cowherd and Weaver Girl, Huangpo, the Muddy Pellet Palace, true lead, and the Hall of Numinous Heaven are all metaphors for cultivation, not references to worldly romance or literal geography.
A Plain-Language Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
One
Drunk and entranced, contemplating one’s own freedom, pure and still in Wuwei (non-action). Within Wuwei there is wondrous function; in action one raises lead and casts in mercury—a Neidan (internal alchemy) metaphor for gathering and refining Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), and for the union of water and fire—so that life may equal heaven and endure. Water and fire unite, forever preserving one from harm; the Three Corpses shrink back, and demon kings retreat. The wine of longevity needs no cup; sweet as honey, one drinks the daogui (a “spoon-measure,” a grain of Golden Elixir from inner cultivation) oneself, and, merry, goes to the Pantao Feast (the immortals’ peach banquet, a symbol of attaining the Dao).
Two
The moon at heaven’s edge, its shadow round; beneath the ancient pine one awakens to the true mystery. The true mystery can be seen only by oneself—phoenixes soar high in the mountains, parrots sing in the Niwan (the upper Dantian, the energy center at the crown). In the Niwan one sees the face of the infant (in Neidan, the infant symbolizes prenatal Qi and Shen, spirit); holding the moon’s radiance, neither behind nor before, one embraces the sun and sleeps. No earth, no heaven; with no heaven it instead becomes an exquisite palace (a symbol of an empty, clear body-mind and inner vision). May Heaven grant a gust of clear smoke, and holding a millet grain (a symbol of Jing-Qi and the elixir seed) rise above the clouds; only then does one go to the Lingxiao Hall (the celestial immortal palace, a symbol of the highest state).
Three
The moon at heaven’s edge, its shadow gone; without form or mark, it is hard to paint, and if painted it is hard to fit into a cultivation manual. It has no name or surname, yet it answers when called; with no direction or body, who can tell kin from stranger? The wondrous function of kin and stranger is entirely unrevealed; when there is no thought, what use is effort? Where there is no imagining, the original substance is ruru (suchness, just as it is). Only ruru is the innate path of one’s birth; in the Formless Realm there is a true road, and without hindrance there is an immortal capital; only then does one step on colored clouds (a symbol of becoming immortal).
Selected Three of the Twelve Daoqing (Daoist Songs) of One Sweep of Light
First
One sweep of light reveals the true; patting one’s breast, the whole being is spring. Jade is not treasure, pearls are not precious; the road to Beimang (the graveyard hills north of Luoyang, i.e., death) does not go with you. Whatever has form and image is false; only what has no sound and no scent is true. The body is not the Dao, the Dao is not the mind; do not take body and mind as the True Person (the one who attains the Dao).
Second
One sweep of light reveals you; before flowers and under the moon, drunk and merry. Writing is not words, learning is not text; Lord Dong (the spring god) laughs at people’s scant knowledge and experience. Peach red, willow green, pear blossoms white—finished in one stroke, with no further thinking or seeking. People are bustling, things are bustling; no different from others, yet naturally transcending the crowd (the awakened person does not compete in outward appearances).
Third
One sweep of light reveals the Emperor (a symbol of the Heavenly Emperor and the great Dao); the divine transformative mechanism suddenly agrees. Fish leap of themselves, kites fly of themselves; how could creation ever secretly calculate? Qi transforms and form is born, the foundation first appears; a point of harmonious Qi returns to the root and stem, envelops the void, and gives birth to heaven and earth. Once this state is seen, all things naturally accord with one’s wish.
Note: This entire text belongs to Zhang Sanfeng’s lineage of elixir poems and Daoqing; it frequently uses Neidan terms (lead and mercury, Niwan, infant, daogui, millet, and so on) and immortal-realm imagery (Pantao, Lingxiao, the immortal capital). It should be read in light of inner cultivation—“refining Jing into Qi, refining Qi into Shen”—and not merely as a literal tale of gods and immortals.
A Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
There Is Something to Grasp in the World
(This line stands alone in the original and is not continued there. Its meaning may be understood as: in all affairs under heaven, there is always some point that can be grasped.)
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: life is originally a single breath of harmonious Qi (chonghe). When the Two and Five—Yin-Yang and the Five Phases—come together, Jing (essence) and nature are principle, while life is feeling. The wondrous function of swirling Qi: now one is confused, now one retrieves it; at every turn one misunderstands, and after awakening one picks it up again—everywhere there is Shen (spirit). Death comes of itself, life comes of itself—nurturing causes growth, overturning causes collapse; planting and overthrow each follow their own nature.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: spiritual awareness (ling) roams by day and rests by night in the exquisite pavilion. Waking, it is here; sleeping, it is here; when spring comes, nowhere is not green. The keen-eared do not listen to the stringed qin; the clear-eyed must read the wordless Jing (scripture). Do not be vague, do not be dark; always be awake, always be still.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: one thread runs through all; it ends in the One and returns to the One. The sage is one, the worthy is also one; heaven, earth, and the myriad things are none other than One; the hundred anxieties of the human world all lead to one; all different paths under heaven return to the One. The immortal is one, the ordinary person is also one; when each one is understood clearly, a hundred affairs naturally become simple.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: mind. Confucian books, Buddhist scriptures, and the classics of the immortals are all tumors and growths, each expounding its own Dao. People set up diagrams and images, wasting mental cleverness; analogies and indirect explanations merely wear out lips and teeth. Not clinging to traces, not stuck in text—this is to be a person divine and bright.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: at the first division of Hundun (chaos), where were there written words? Qin burned the books; Han annotated the classics—annotating the classics causes the classics to perish; burning the books causes the true meaning to remain. Transmission from mind to mouth and transmission by written text are always making trouble where there is none. Without robe and bowl, without sword and qin, only then is one a person unstained by a single mote of dust.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: immortals. Only then does one believe that the word “penetrate” is merely forced speech. The aperture is not the wondrous; the female is not the mysterious; it is not water, not fire, not mercury, not lead. There is no Wuji either; it joins with Youji; there is no pre-heaven and post-heaven. Nature returns to life, life returns to heaven; returning to life and returning to the root before Hundun.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: Buddha. Know that on the other shore there is originally no Buddha—Buddha is not mind, mind is not Buddha. In vain one keeps vegetarian discipline and recites Maitreya. Do not take Lingshan for the land of Buddha; apart from Lingshan there is another Buddha—round and perfect, shining brightly; this one point the thousand sages do not transmit.
Another Sweep, and the Light Shines Forth
A single sweep brings clarity, and one sees: sages. Penetrating heaven and earth, a single bright mirror; in stillness see movement, in movement see stillness; let the myriad things come and go without invading. Flowers bloom and fall, yet the ground is naturally firm; clouds come and go, yet heaven is always pure. Upright, great, and bright; bright, upright, and great.
Vernacular Interpretation of The Complete Works of Master Zhang Sanfeng
If Able to Harmonize, Surely Able to Respond
To be able to harmonize, to be able to stabilize, to be able to respond—being able to integrate, to abide securely, and to respond to affairs.
Zhegu Tian
To subdue demons, one must first subdue the demon of sleep; this is the first essential matter in cultivation. To endure the hardship of staying awake through one night—within the pot, the sun and moon can exchange for a thousand years.
In laying the foundation and establishing the resolve, one must be firm; from the place of the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin), one must seek the mystery of mysteries. Only when spirit returns and Qi is restored can the elixir be formed; only after that may one open the furnace and speak of refining lead.
Daoqing of the Five Watches
First Watch
At the first watch, all affairs cease; rouse the spirit and sit at the head of the bed. The master guards the center, towering and unmoved; in the crescent-moon furnace the yellow sprout stirs, in the forest of seven treasures the jade liquid flows. When true yang strikes once, the three passes are penetrated; in an instant water and fire are already harmonized (Jiji), pouring into Niwan and descending through Chonglou.
Second Watch
At the second watch, the mind must be firm; the Three Corpses spirits are right before your eyes. Use the seven emotions and six desires to temper yourself; before your eyes raise the green-bladed sword, ride the white ox backward up the mountain. The yang spirit goes to battle the yin soldiers; in an instant water and fire are already harmonized, and in a flash the three passes are struck through.
Third Watch
At the third watch, one must persist in practice; gather the prenatal and encounter the true sign. It comes from within the obscure and indistinct; lead and mercury meet and return to the furnace and cauldron; take and fill Kan and Li into the inner court; the Yellow Dame uses intention to draw them together. In an instant water and fire are already harmonized; in the sixth month, ice forms at the bottom of the well.
Fourth Watch
At the fourth watch, apply effort diligently; raise high the lamp of wisdom. Only then can tiger and dragon be captured and fixed; Ziyang practices the dual cultivation of nature and life. Scattered, it becomes Qi; gathered, it becomes form; the nine returns and seven reversals are recognized by the True Person. In an instant water and fire are already harmonized; withdraw the yin tally and refine the yang spirit to completion.
Fifth Watch
At the fifth watch, do not let go of your practice; drive the white ox up the mountain. The infant emerges into view and the bright pearl appears; a single grain of Golden Elixir like a bead. Gather it and release it, let it return as it will; lock the corpse-thief in the Hall of the Empty King. In an instant water and fire are already harmonized; when the hundred-day work is complete, the old one changes to a child’s face.
Questions and Answers on the Profound Mechanism
(Previously, in a Daoist manuscript, I saw two passages in which Master Zhang Sanfeng asks and answers himself; they are extremely profound and wondrous. Some also say that the Yongle Emperor asked from afar and the Master answered from afar—this is another account.)
Question
You Daoist, as soon as you open your mouth you talk about the Dao. I ask you: who gathers and closes the breath? Who raises and lifts it? That single point of true yang before father and mother were born—where are its movement and stillness cultivated? Where are the roots nourished and the stem? Where does one establish life and settle the foundation?
Plain-language interpretation:
What you have told me is that one clear principle in the “Primordial Sound” (Yuanyin). Whatever you do, do not state it wrongly, muddle it, or lead it astray.
The other replied:
That Daoist bowed in salute with his hands clasped and said, “Look at my breathing—it draws itself in, closes itself, lifts itself, and raises itself. The single spark of true Yang from before my parents had given me birth—its movement and stillness are both in the void; cultivating the root and nurturing the stem are also in the void; establishing life and securing the foundation are in the void. This is precisely the clear principle of the Primordial Sound we speak of. Why, then, point east and guess west, circling around and around?”
Source text: Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（KR5i0071）; Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report an error / feedback