Commentary on the Taiji Elixir Classic: "Collected Explanations by Mr. Sanfeng" ③

Author: Kong De [Note] Mr. Zhang Sanfeng said, "I and Hanxu Zi (Li Xiyue, styled Hanxu, with the pseudonym Tuanyang. During the Jiaqing and Xianfeng periods of the Qing Dynasty, the Neidan Faxi School was founded to distinguish it from the eastern schools in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The characteristic of the elixir technique is the combined use of tranquility and the cultivation of both Yin and Yang. He claimed to have met Zhang Sanfeng and obtained the secret essence of his elixir techniques, compiling the "Complete Works of Zhang Sanfeng". Later, he met Lu Dongbin and passed on his true teachings to him, thus achieving immortality. This chapter seems to use the mouth of Mr. Mitutoshi to promote his own insights and understandings of the elixir technique. Talk about the way of returning the Golden Liquid and the Great Pill seven times and nine times. Han Xu said, "Based on what you have said, Sir, I believe that the most crucial aspect lies in the ingenious application of the knife and the GUI." Later, Han Xu wrote the "Wu Ji Dao GUI Pian" based on this, which was in line with my original intention. This article is specially recorded for public dissemination. If a person who studies the Tao wants to achieve the goal of immortality, without an understanding of the "wonderful uses of the sword and the scepter", they cannot reach the state of divine mastery. Li Hanxu said, "In the 'Wuzhen Chapter', it is stated: 'If one has not yet achieved the state of Wu Ji after leaving the Kan, even if it contains the four symbols, it cannot be regarded as a pill.'" It was only because they both cherished the true earth that the golden elixir was returned. (Note: The Li hexagram is external Yang and internal Yin, symbolizing the acquired heart spirit; the Kan hexagram is external Yin and internal Yang, symbolizing the acquired kidney essence.) The earth element of Ji belongs to the primordial spirit, expressing true feelings and belonging to metal. Therefore, it is called the White Tiger and also known as True lead. The Four Elements are fire, water, wood in nature and metal in emotion. Among the Four symbols, the Earth King is in the middle. From nature to nurture, earth generates metal, metal generates water, water generates wood, and wood generates fire. Looking at it in reverse in this order, the latter is a consumption to the former. The latter fire is a concentrated manifestation of the consumption of the top ones. Therefore, those who practice Taoism adopt the approach of returning from the acquired to the innate, transforming consumption into savings. When fire ceases, it consolidates wood; when wood consolidates water; when water consolidates metal; and when metal consolidates earth. Then, the hexagram Tianxin Shenli, on the surface, only contains fire and metal, with no earth. In fact, once this earth falls into the sky, it is obscured and cannot be seen. Just like people eat vegetables, they only know that vegetables are vegetables. Have they ever seriously considered that they can grow without soil? In fact, it's still the soil at work. Therefore, the true nature of the wood is rooted in the soil, which is the original soil, that is, the true soil from the innate to the acquired. The earth of Yi belongs to Yin. Yin governs tranquility, attracting and accommodating, and is hollow. It is related to the same kind and kinship, and can attract the earth of Wu to return. When Wu Yi is united, the four symbols can cluster together. When the five elements are integrated into one, the golden elixir can naturally be accomplished. The earth of Yi is born from within one's own heart, thus it is called this; the earth of Wu comes from the universe and nature, thus it is called that. Both are also known as the inside and the outside." These four lines of poetry elaborate in detail on the mystery of Hehe Dan Tou. The reason is that although fire seems to be fire, it actually contains the wood mercury that generates fire. Water may seem like water, but in fact, it contains the metal and aluminum that generate water. (Note: In alchemy, when used in reverse, it overcomes the nature of the heart, thus it is said that fire generates wood; it eliminates emotions and consolidates essence, thus it is said that water generates metal.) So, although Kanli is just two hexagrams, it represents the four symbols of wood, fire, metal and water. The cultivator finds the self from the parting and the Wu from the kan. With the two earths of Wu and Ji as the medium, the four images can be harmonized. Or one might ask, since the true meaning belongs to the earth, and earth is divided into the Wu and Ji, isn't there two meanings? I would reply like this: It's somewhat true to say there are two meanings, but it's not. Why? Because when it comes to meaning, there is only one, but to be called earth, it must be divided into two. To divide one idea into two, it is necessary to explain from two perspectives, and it is necessary to distinguish from the inside and the outside, this and that. The key issue of separation lies in clearly understanding the origin, development and function of movement and stillness. In fact, Wu Earth is the primordial spirit, known as the external medicine. It is the true Yang within Yin and is mainly characterized by movement. In the "Qu Kan" stage of transforming essence into qi, one should focus on the extreme of emptiness, stillness and Yin. However, stillness must lead to movement, and Yin stillness must give rise to Yang movement. The ability to know when to move can, of course, be called intention. Based on this characteristic of the primordial spirit, when it moves upon knowing it, it is called "one earth", that is, "Wu Earth". The earth of Ji represents the true meaning and is called inner medicine. It is the true Yin within Yang and is mainly characterized by stillness. After the "filling and leaving" stage of transforming qi into spirit, one should cultivate it in a quiet and gentle manner. At this stage, the qi starts from the minute to the intense, from the weak to the strong, and moves without ceasing. However, when movement reaches its peak, it must remain still; when the anode returns to the Yin, being able to know stillness and remain still when movement reaches its peak is, of course, a true manifestation of the intention, hence it is called true intention. According to this characteristic of the true meaning, when it is known to be still and still, we call it the "one earth", that is, the "one earth". This is the reason why one intention is divided into two, mainly to explain why the two pieces of soil are separated in this way. In fact, in the end, it is still necessary to combine the two meanings into one meaning and the two earths into one earth, no longer making a distinction between self and earth, between internal and external, or between each other. One earth exists both externally and internally, while the other mind is both dynamic and static. From this, we can view a situation in this way: for instance, Ji Earth originally belongs to Inner Dan, but it can also transform into Wu Earth. This is because Li is like the sun and Kan is like the moon. Li shines its light on Kan and Moon, planting lead and obtaining lead. At this time, Ji shifts to the position of Wu, and what is seen is only Wu rather than Ji, and stillness also enters movement. For instance, Wu Earth originally belongs to the category of outer elixir, but it can transform into Ji Earth. This is because there is fullness in the Kan middle and deficiency in the Li middle. Fullness represents Yang and deficiency represents Yin. When full Yang is used to replenish deficient Yin, mercury is planted and mercury is obtained. Wu fills the position of Ji. Therefore, at this time, only Ji is seen and Wu is not, and movement is merged into stillness. When these two meanings are combined into one, they are not subject to each other, and movement is also merged into stillness. These two meanings form one meaning, and thus are no longer confined by each other or the inner and outer lands. Then, if one were to ask, when Wu and Ji both hold true earth, does it mean that each holds a true earth or that they share one true earth? I can't answer this question. Because smart and lively people can naturally understand. Note: I wish I could talk more about this issue. Laozi said, "The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth, and the named is the mother of all things." The name of Wu Ji is derived from the generation of all things, which is based on the physical form acquired later in life. In the intangible primordial nature, Wu is no longer Wu, no longer oneself; it is originally one spirit, one energy, and one essence. Even this divine spirit is just a forced name; in fact, it has no name and no form. From the innate to the acquired, there is an independent individual human being. When this thing falls into the human body, it becomes oneself. But outside the human body, this thing is still endless, so it is called Wu. Therefore, the true earth is originally one thing. Because a body encloses just a little bit of it, it becomes two in terms of the outside of the body. Since it has reached the point of wu, two still returns to one. Since the two have merged into one, how can there be any talk of self-restraint? The way to return the golden elixir cannot be achieved without the true meaning. The function of the true meaning is not only to harmonize the four symbols of water, fire, metal and wood, but also to direct them to play their respective roles in the cultivation process. How can we tell? Now let's specifically discuss the exertion of the functions of the Four symbols: For instance, in the hexagram of Li, the true nature is wood. The true nature of wood contains the fire of the heart spirit. Concentrating the mind in the dantian is like pouring fire into the water town of kidney essence. The fire ignites the water town and burns it, and the kidney essence produces the true Yang qi. This is the essence of kidney essence, thus it is called "gold born from water". After the birth of metal, it ascends by carrying the metal energy with the wood of true nature, the mercury of the wood of true nature disappears and returns, and the fire of the heart spirit gains metal and returns. This is the role played by fire and wood. For instance, the kidney essence of the hexagram Kan is water. The water of kidney essence contains the golden essence of the original Yang and true feelings. The divine fire rises in the water town, refining the essence to generate the golden essence of true Yang energy. Metal rises in the opposite direction of wood, passes through the circulation of the celestial body and returns to the dantian. This is called the return of lead and the return of metal to fire. (Note: Fire and metal are the same as spirit and qi.) In the primordial state, it is originally one thing. The carrier of the spirit is qi, and the function of qi is the spirit. After falling into the postnatal stage, due to sensing the true Yin and true Yang of one's parents, it is divided into two. One receives the direct Yang of the father and stores it in the kidneys, which is qi. To obtain the true essence of one's mother and store it in the heart is to become a deity. Therefore, when the spirit unites with the qi, it becomes fire and returns; when the qi unites with the spirit, it becomes fire and returns. The methods and processes adopted for the return of the metal and fire, which are opposite to the spirit and qi, are called "seven returns and Nine Returns". This "seven returns and nine reunions" refers to the fact that the spirit and qi need to meet several times before they can merge into one. When the two are combined into one, that is the golden Liquid Great Pill (Note: The process of the return of god and qi can be illustrated with an example:) Just like a chef kneading dough, there is a basin of water on the left and a basin of flour on the right. This chef pours water into the basin and flour into the basin at the same time. After the water is evenly distributed on both sides, they are combined into one basin. The flour is poured into the water, and the water is poured into the flour. The water is no longer water, and the flour is no longer flour. It is poured into a dough that can be used to make noodles, steamed buns, or pancakes. And in it, Zhenyi plays the role of a chef. If a person wants to achieve the Great Pill accomplishment, without the true intention playing a dominant role in it, then what conditions can be relied upon to accomplish it? The significance of true meaning has been evaluated by predecessors. Zhang Ziyang Zhenren (Zhang Boduan. The patriarch of the Southern Branch of the Neidan School, a man of the Northern Song Dynasty, once wrote in a poem: "The red dragon and the black tiger are each in the west and east, and the four images are interwoven within the inner self." The immortal Tao Hongjing (a renowned Taoist priest, medical scientist and alchemist of the Southern Dynasties) also composed a couplet saying: "The dragon emerges from fire; the green dragon turns into a red dragon." The tiger turned to water, and the white tiger was renamed the Black Tiger. The four characters "dragon, tiger, red and black" here have already summarized the four symbols. And the so-called "superimposition" is actually clustering. And both superimposition and clustering refer to the effect of the true intention. In my opinion, for those who practice elixirs, if they want to bring the four symbols together, they must bring the five elements together. For instance, the "Wu Ji Zhong" mentioned by Ziyang Zhenren, this "zhong" is neither Li Zhong nor Kan Zhong, but rather the middle of the palace and the center (Note: This middle of the palace and the center do not refer to specific locations, but rather the void of the four elements that are untainted, the center without any inside or outside.) This "zhong" is the "Wu Ji Zhong", which is the "Dao GUI". The separation of the postnatal Kan and Li is like the separation between the east and the west, which can only be brought together with a knife and a GUI. This way of integration is to divide the Kan and se into four symbols, and then mobilize the four symbols to play a unifying role. When the four symbols unite as one, because the true intention is always involved, the five elements also come together. Only when the five elements come together can a pill be formed. So the next two sentences are: "From now on, 姤 can be applied, and the golden elixir will not succeed." (Note: The Hexagram Fu, with Kun above and Zhen below, symbolizes the return of one Yang.) The 姤 hexagram, with Gan above and xun below, symbolizes the generation of Yin from the anode and stillness from the flourishing of movement. For the application of the two hexagrams of fu and 姤, these are the fire talismans used in the "ten months of pregnancy" level. The fire enters when the fu hexagram is presented, and the retreat talisman is at the stage when the 姤 hexagram is produced (note: Fu does not indicate the entry of fire either, and 姤 also indicates the retreat talisman.) As long as the correct usage of compound and 姤, advance and retreat is grasped, and the application of extraction and addition naturally conforms to the rules, the golden elixir will be refined. The reason why the cultivators chose Wu Yi as the knife and Er Tu as the GUI is entirely due to the fact that in terms of the structure of the characters, they adopted the interest of the disassembly method and the associative method, presenting to people the meaning of unity and assembly in the alchemy method. Two "earths" combined form "GUI", which is something everyone can understand. However, the mystery that "Wu" and "Ji" form "dao" is known to fewer people. Lu Qianxu said that a Confucian scholar used the method of understanding the meaning to interpret "", the character "ji" is "", and the character "wu" has no original meaning, seemingly having grasped it. (Note: I do not understand the meaning of this passage, so I copy it verbatim with doubt.) Li Hanxu said, "This is not without foundation." For instance, in a musical score, several characters' radicals are combined into one character, and these characters are all formed by taking one stroke to create the special characters used in the score. The characters created in this way make it easier to know whether a sound should be played on the left or the right. This single word encompasses the method of playing the piano, which here means taking the score as the foundation. "Youdaoplaceholder0" is the initial character of "ji", and "丿" is the radical of "wu". Therefore, "" and "丿" together form "knife", and "wu" and "ji" together form "GUI". In total, they are "knife GUI". The meaning of this character creation is to hope that the Taoist practitioners will combine "Li Yi" and "Kan Wu" in one place. The hidden sayings of immortals often originate from the structure of characters. Note: The "dao GUI" was originally the smallest unit of instrument used to measure medicine in ancient times. It was named so because its shape resembled the very tip of the back of a knife. Because it is the smallest unit, it is the most minute and accurate. This medical measuring instrument might have been first developed and used by external alchemists. Therefore, from its name, shape to its application, it is all related to elixirs, and thus was borrowed by internal alchemists. Although there are tangible and intangible differences in the cultivation of lead and mercury external elixirs and divine spirit internal elixirs, there are commonalities in theoretical methods and processes. Therefore, internal alchemy can be compared to all the terms of external alchemy. 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