Supplementary Notes to "Tianxian Xinzhuan" - Supplementary Notes to the Outer Chapters

The celestial immortal's heart is passed on, his body as clear as crystal, pretending to meet the celestial forces, as if bearing the setting sun. When all attachments are let go, one inwardly observes one's own physical body as clear as crystal. Coupled with the illumination from the celestial forces, it is like holding a crystal bottle up to the setting sun, with light flowing in naturally, achieving clarity both inside and out. When the Firmament illuminates, life arises; when the Firmament focuses, transformation occurs. Transformation leads to birth, and this is the sole method of practice. Min's commentary states: "When illuminated, it illuminates universally; when annotated, it focuses intently; when born, it transforms into birth; when transformed, it changes." The methods of cultivation are different in this way, but one relies on the true essence. Therefore, it is said, "Work is solely based on the Dharma." Dharma, dharma, work, function, all depend on the application of the Dharma, for there lies the true self within. Shangnote: The Inner Chapter has already mentioned "generation, transformation, and transformation". This passage states that the reason for transformation lies only in the power of the true self's reflection and concentration. Heaven gives a lifetime, earth a hundredth. If one loses even a fraction of their life, how can crystal be achieved! Note: Heaven and earth come into being in an instant, and my body is also born in this life. My body is crystal clear and pure, and only then is it accomplished. One becomes one, sincere without any thought, nothing is left unestablished, and both man and law are dissolved. How can one be pure? "Return on knowledge." Sincerity without thought, without thought, because there is no thought within thought! Sincerity is the sincerity of nothing without sincerity; it is the true one. What exists is the existence of hearing and seeing; what does not exist is the non-existence of movement and change; what does not stand is to listen to its appearance and disappearance. People are human feelings, and laws are laws. When both are extinguished, their pursuit of knowledge is extinguished. When the function is like this, the thought will naturally fall silent and the mind will regain peace and stability. This is what should be sincerely adhered to from beginning to end. If one is sincere and steadfast, emptiness can reach its peak and stillness can be profound. The fetal breath will naturally form, the gateway will open, and the breathing will cease. The true 炁 cycle will complete without any obstruction or dispersion. Then, what is hidden and revealed is nothing but the true state. However, one always regards stillness and non-attachment as the absence of any hindrance. Shangnote: An ancient song goes: "To have no thought in the twelve hours and no thought in thought is true cultivation." In the mind, it is the present perception that is not lost; without mind, it is to be free from the past and present without discriminating against distractions (that is, not thinking about the past, not contemplating the future, and not discriminating against the present). Sincerity means being respectful, solemn and undisturbed. If one can be like this, there will be no such views as non-existence and non-existence, and the mind of stillness will be settled. The vital energy and the entrance hall are all based on this. The original spirit of use, rooted in each other's roots, placed in one, and centered in one's heart. In the Great Zhou Celestial Realm, it penetrates into the tiniest dust, is colorless and imperceptible, and blends into the true circle. Min's commentary states: "Yuan refers to the beginning and end of the original, and hu means interaction, which is similar to a cycle." The root is the root from which one originates. To call it so is to say that it is true oneness. "Place" means to settle. The body refers to the physical body, the one is the true one, and the mind is the consciousness mind. The celestial realm refers to the body, the unworldly realm refers to the nature, form refers to the physical body, and Dharma refers to the Dharma body. In strict accordance with the blending and transformation, the two bodies of the color-matching method are placed in the celestial heart to be shaped and forged. The essence of the technique lies in the fixation of the mundane and the turidity, while the true unity remains within. The method retains the spirit and the essence. After the mixture of the mundane, it is necessary to add the refinement of the pottery and further refine it. Only then will the true emerge and be perfected. The beauty of the technique lies in the phrase "mutual root". The words "placing oneself in" and "putting one in" below have already possessed the function of the great Zhou and the fine entering the spirit. The reason why one can reach the spirit is that "the mind is generated without abiding", thus it is said that "there is no form and no way, but the perfect and true are mixed". The subtleties therein cannot be fully described by words. Note: Although the essence of cultivation lies in eliminating falsehood and preserving truth, it is essential to be both falsehood and truth, and both truth and falsehood, without attachment to either. This is the attainment of the divine. Non-attachment means non-abiding. The mind that arises from non-abiding and non-emptiness is the true mind, that is, the "prajna 波罗密多 mind". The Dao says "the primordial spirit and the true self", so it is said, "And the reason why one acquires the spirit is that the mind arises from non-abiding." It is the true self, the physical body and the external body, invisible to the eyes and inaudible to the ears, with supernatural powers changing, appearing and disappearing as one pleases, with perfect achievements and complete conduct, ascending to a level of purity and clarity. Min's commentary states: The true self is the true person. The so-called external body is compared with the physical body, because it can be separated from the physical body, and its origin is the same. The following two lines are quotations from the scriptures, aiming to prove that the true self is the essence of the Tao. It is precisely to enlighten the world's confusion and prevent one from being trapped in established theories, thus falling into delusion and failing to attain enlightenment. The last four lines indicate that the void is not empty, the truth is not without. The foolish person does not recognize that the three elements of heaven and earth are just one, but they yearn for the hidden appearance of the wise person, and thus can be hidden infinitely. They do not recognize the cause of the hidden appearance, which is only due to the single mind. When it appears, it appears; when it disappears, it disappears. It is because of the human heart that once it has been established, heaven and earth remain unchanging and unceasing, thus it can reveal and manifest infinitely, and its supernatural powers are unfathomable. At first, the physical body had not yet created the pure Dharma, so there was the practice of blending and transformation. After creating the pure Dharma, it had not yet created the natural state, and still could not be elevated to the level of jade and purity. Therefore, there was blending and non-blending, blending and rounding, leaving the body to live in the world to serve. When one's achievements are perfected and one's conduct is fulfilled, one will be elevated to a state of purity and clarity. When it comes to prosperity and peace, it means that there is no longer any toil to break through the top or reach far and wide. Since the six states and three continents are united by one heart, there is no place to go. There is no distinction of high or low, near or far. How can one toil to enter, exit, rise or fall? All of this is the divine skill of blending into one, the Great Zhou and the small, achieving harmony with the virtue of heaven and earth. It is far from the various immortals of earth, water, gods and ghosts, who still have a long way to go to heaven and must ascend to the realm of jade and purity. Therefore, it is called the skill of celestial immortals. Shangnote: The true heart is the essence of the Dao. How can it be reached by hearing, hearing, speaking or moving? Yet it is both true and false. All the sun, moon, stars, thunder, lightning, wind and clouds, mountains, rivers, the earth, and the movement of the soul are manifestations of the true heart. Therefore, in terms of merit and virtue, the three bodies and four wisdoms, the five eyes and six supernatural powers, as well as the indescribable and immeasurable divine transformations, can all manifest themselves at will, and are comparable to the elimination of emptiness and the evil of emptiness! In summary of the above two chapters, Min Zhen said: I have heard the above two chapters from my teacher. On the day Renchen of the Daoguang reign, I recorded the golden Cover for all the eyes, and the internal and external elixir techniques are all complete! Therefore, it is called the "Inner and Outer Chapters". Shangnote: Here, "inside and outside" refers to the physical body inside and the Dharma body outside, or "inside" refers to one person and "outside" refers to one lifetime. Therefore, the "inside and outside elixir formula" is probably a formula for the cultivation of both physical and Dharma aspects and the benefit of one's life and existence. Therefore, the Inner Chapter states that to form the body within the body, to nourish and bathe, and to achieve the unity of reality, is equivalent to refining essence into qi and refining qi into spirit. The "Outer Chapters" specifically discuss the cultivation of the spirit to achieve the formation of the physical body and the external body. This is equivalent to refining the spirit to restore the void, refining the void to unite with the Dao, and when the Dao unites, it naturally follows. How kind! Tai Xu, Yi De Er Zhen Ren! As for the secrets of cultivation and enlightenment, eight or nine out of ten have been revealed. How admirable!!