Zhang Sanfeng's Elixir Classic Commentary on "The Song of Lead and Fire"

Kong De/Text [Original Text] The time of the Great Medicine for giving birth, at the end of the year of the Pig and the beginning of the year of the Son. The spirit merges with brilliance, and in a daze, the bright moon rises. After the sexual intercourse, a burst of water gushed down, and the first Yang energy returned and then gently dissipated. In a hurry, the Taixuan Pass must be closed, and the fire will force the medicine to pass through the Tailu point. When picking, keep your eyes on the clay balls and lower your left upper eye to rest. Forcing the mind to rise to a profound state, the right side is lowered and the fold rises again. The number "six six" indicates that Chinese medicine gives rise to Han, and the Yin and Yang energies move to the right. The door must be opened and closed to cool down, and the eyes must be fixed on the Kuntian field. The upper right and lower left froze, counting the days of the week. This scene is naturally intense and the temperature rises and falls naturally. There is no longing or gloom, nor is there a long journey of bathing. Only these two lines are true interpretations: "Cut off by different names and sweep by metaphors." Look at the characters "left and right" as "front and back". Do not mistake them. -- Sanfeng's self-record of Kong De's note: This "Lead Fire Song" is about the oral formula and celestial secrets of taking the great herb to pass the pass and practicing the cycle of MAO and You. Among them, especially in the mnemonic "MAO You Zhou Tian", it reveals the celestial secrets that have never been fully explained or explicitly stated by the alchemists throughout history. The so-called "lead fire", "lead" refers to real lead, which is a major medicine. "Fire" refers to the precise control of the heat when taking strong medicinal herbs. [Annotation] There is a specific time for the emergence of great medicinal herbs. It is the middle of the night at the end of the year of the Pig. The spirit merges with brilliance, and in a daze, the bright moon rises. What is a powerful medicine? Let's start with "medicine". The "Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Sutra" states: "The three grades of superior medicine are spirit, qi and essence." It can be known that "medicine" refers to spirit, qi and essence. Bai Yuchan said: Its essence is not sympathetic essence but is born from the mouth of the Jade Emperor; its qi is not breathing qi but is known to be too pure smoke; its spirit is not thinking spirit but can be compared with the primordial spirit. This means that the spirit, qi and essence are primordial spirit and primordial energy without essence. When these three herbs are combined, they form elixir, and when the elixir is formed, immortality is achieved. This is the mystery of the study of inner elixir immortality. The above is a general description. If we want to make it more clear, this herb has different sizes. The size of the medicine is distinguished based on the progress of the practice and the level of effect obtained. Take the primordial spirit, primordial energy and primordial essence for example. Since they are "primordial", they are innate things. As they are innate things, they are of course the purest. From this, it can be imagined that for a person who practices and cultivates the Tao, at a considerable stage of beginning the human path, one must obtain the purest primordial spirit and primordial energy. Primordial essence is impossible. It is like panning for gold in sand; only after going through a series of meticulous screenings to wash away all the sand and mud can true gold be revealed. It is also like iron ore being smelted in a furnace; first, it is refined into iron, and then iron is tempered to become steel. Therefore, those who initially practice in the "refining Essence into Qi" small cycle stage are called small medicines, also known as external medicines, or the elixir of jade liquid. The term "small" refers to the inpurity of the medicinal properties and the insufficiency of the medicinal power; the term "external" refers to the acquisition from the postnatal essence, energy and spirit that constantly overflow to the outside, that is, the small circulation movement that runs through the core of the living body and moves the Ren and Du meridians; it is called "jade liquid", mainly referring to the accumulation of accumulated essence and has the function of prolongs life. The "great medicine" is also known as the "superior medicine". The "Vital Principles of Life" states: Although great medicines are divided into essence, energy and spirit, the three elements are originally produced from one root. This means that at the stage of the production of great medicines, we can discuss their innate nature, purity and functional nature from the perspective of essence, energy and spirit. However, in essence, at this time, the three can no longer be clearly distinguished from each other. Because the great medicine is in the state of the Great Cycle of Heaven when it is born, there is no "external" circulation of the Ren and Du cycles of heaven, only internal movement and internal growth, thus it is called the Inner medicine. Also, because after taking the great medicine and passing the test, life can be infinitely regenerated, the ancients said, "It can live as long as heaven and earth," just like gold that endures forever, thus it is called the Golden Liquid Great Pill. As the saying goes, "The birth of the great medicine has a time, the first day of the year of the Pig is the midnight." The phrase "there is a season" is true, while "in the middle of the night" is a metaphor, indicating that the great medicine is produced at a time when it is still and still. Stillness is Yin, and movement is Yang. When Yin is exhausted, Yang is born, just like at midnight. The season of "there is a season" is after the third appearance of sunlight. Wu Chongxu of the Ming Dynasty said in "Nine Chapters on the Elixir of Life: Seven Days to Collect the Great Medicine Without a Trace" : When the sunlight appears three times, the pure Yang true energy has already condensed in the tripod, but it is hidden and does not come out of the ears. It will take seven days of gathering work before the fire beads in the tripod take shape. Liu Huayang said: When the sun appears twice, the fire is sufficient to stop the fire. Even if it is not the fire that rises and falls in the universe, it must not be separated from the fire for a moment. It should be constantly nourished and illuminated at all times, waiting for the sun to appear three times. Sometimes every other day, sometimes at the right time, and the elixir light still appears as before, surging out from the dantian, shining above the eyes and stopping between the eyebrows. After two or three times in a row, it is said that when the great medicine is produced, it is precisely the time when the moon is bright on the southwest road. This is what is called "the spirit converges with radiance, and the bright moon rises in a daze." In the "Seven Days of Gathering Great Herbs and Passing the Test" practice, after the sunlight appears three times, as the six senses are not exposed, the spirit further converges until the spirit does not know the spirit and the spirit does not know the spirit, and there will be the phenomenon of the six senses vibrating. That is, the dantian is like a blazing fire, the kidneys are like decocted soup, golden light is emitted from the eyes, the ears are like a rising wind, the mind is like a vulture, and the body surges, limbs tremble, nose twitches, and so on. Only when one is always determined to die with one heart can great medicine be produced. The "Great Success and Essentials" quotes the Supreme Master as saying: When the great medicine occurs, there is a state of shock and rotation within the qi points, sometimes for one or two days. Suddenly, one feels the opportunity to move or rotate within the qi points in the dantian, with a slight pain. After moving several times, gradually, one feels something emerging in the dantian, moving and rotating between the navel... This is the scene described in this poem as "bubbling down after sexual intercourse". This clearly shows that for the same level of cultivation, the feelings of practitioners cannot be exactly the same; they are always more or less the same. After the great medicine is produced, if it is not carefully maintained, it may be lost from the wrong path and all the previous efforts will be wasted. Therefore, this poem reminds us that "when the first Yang comes, rest and release gently", and "in a hurry, tightly close the Taixuan Pass, and the fire forces the medicine to pass through the tailu point". As for how to "relax and relieve" and how to "force the medicine to pass the test", the "Great Success Essentials" quotes Zhang Liang of the Han Dynasty's mnemonic "The Secret of Taking the Wrong Path of elixir" as follows: The great medicine is manifested in the qi points. It should be noted that there are four divergent paths below the qi points in the coccyx area: the upper path leads to the heart position, the lower path to the Gu Dao, the front path to the Yang Guan, and the rear path to the coccyx. Among the coccyx, there are seven natural orifices, with the upper, middle and lower orifices in the middle, which are the main path of the Yellow Dao and the Governor vessel, and the four orifices on the left and right are the divergent paths of the Equator and the Governor Vessel. All of them have solid marrow and blocked breathing. The Gu Dao is both weak and unobstructed, which is a mature path for the passage of qi and fluid. The tailu Pass and the Gudao Pass are respectively hollow and solid, and are called the Lower Magpie Bridge. The Tailu Pass, Jiaji Pass, Yuzhen Pass, and the upper Yintang of the nose are all filled with marrow and solid, causing breathing to be blocked. The two orifices below the nose are both hollow and open, serving as the regular path for breathing. The Yintang and the nasal orifices are respectively solid and hollow, and are called the Upper Magpie Bridge. When building the upper and lower magpie Bridges, both can release the true qi. One must be cautious and guard against dangerous paths. Therefore, it is said that a wooden seat is used at the bottom and a nose clip at the top. If one's mind is not distracted, all conditions will be empty. What is there to be afraid of? Because wooden hemp is used to block the valley path where it is easy to lose the great medicine, and wooden clips are used to hold the nasal passages (no longer breathing through the nostrils), the upper and lower "Taixuan Pass" are blocked. In this way, the "fire can force the medicine to pass through the tailu point". Regarding "passing the test by taking the medicine", there is still the secret of "Five Dragons Holding the Sage", which still requires the protection of a Taoist partner. The heat control is very subtle, and this will be discussed separately. The second half of the "Lead Fire Song" is entirely about the "MAO You Zhou Tian" method after passing the test by taking the great medicine. After passing the test by taking the great medicine, there is also the seven-day hibernation function, waiting for the great pill to be produced, and then the MAO You Zhou Tian is carried out. Master Zhang Sanfeng summarized the merits of the seven-day hibernation and the cycle of the Year of MAO and You as follows: "From then on, I gradually entered a state of great meditation again. Sometimes the sun and moon would stop, and the Xuanji would not work. Every time I reached the extreme of the netherworld and chaos, the celestial secrets would automatically come into play. Suddenly, the Kun Palace would sound like thunder, and the abdomen would feel like torn silk. The true qi would rush upwards, flow through the six void, and fly up to the mud balls." The wind rises from the moon cave, and the eyebrows glisten with a round light, transforming into jade liquid. It descends into the mouth, like the fragrance of ice flakes and the coolness of mint. It is swallowed as it senses, trickling down the heavy tower, and should be sent to the central palace with true intentions. This goes on for seven days, and it cannot be fully swallowed. Each time, it is transported to the "MAO You Zhou Tian" to be collected. How to perform the "MAO You Zhou Tian"? Master Zhongli said: A drop of golden liquid and jade dew falls from the upper dantian onto the yellow Court, and it is quickly collected through the MAO, You and Zhou Tian. One must use the true mind of the eyes to rise left and fall right from the Kun umbilicus to the Gan Ding, and be fixed at four, nine, thirty-six. Then it rises right and falls left, and be fixed at four, six, twenty-four. This is the meaning of the lines "six six counts the medicinal herbs to grow dry" and "three eight counts the entire week of tian" in this poem. As for the MAO, you and Zhou Tian, it means the interaction of emotions and the convergence of dragons and tigers. The material pillar is placed at the entrance of the hall, the eyes guard the mud pill, and the bottom shines on the Kun navel. Over time, the living Zi Yang will be generated. A fire bead will be placed in the middle of the qi point, rotating left to the navel, ascending to the Jiang Palace, bending the left hypochum, passing through the left shoulder, ascending to the left ear root, passing through the left eye to the Cun mountain root, turning right, passing through the right ear root, descending to the right shoulder, circling the front to the heart, descending to the navel, and still returning to the dantian. This is called entering the Yang fire thirty-six times. When the heart swings and the kidneys heat up, the meridian Yin is activated and then rotates to the right and descends to the left. This is called the Retreat Yin Talisman, which undergoes twenty-four interchanges. This is the convergence of metal and wood, representing the celestial cycle of MAO, You, and Zhou. When it reaches a state of perfection, it naturally ascends both left and right, or through the middle of the umbilicus, it ascends both front and back. The decoction of the Two Kidneys is wonderful in that it does not pass through the three passes. It starts from the sides of the body, slowly ascends to the top of the Kunding mountain, descends to the root of the mountain, reaches the nose, enters the philtrum, passes through the Magpie Bridge, and the concentrated liquid is like an egg. It enters the area under the tongue, passes through the Chonglou tower, and falls into the central palace. If the Yin pathogen has not been completely eliminated at the acupoint, there will be slight pain during the operation, but the Yin pathogen will be completely eliminated, and the innate constitution will be fully restored. This golden liquid condenses the form of the MAO, You, Zhou and Tian. This divides the MAO You Zhou Tian into two sections. The first section is called "The Convergence of Metal and Wood MAO You Zhou Tian", and the ascending and descending movements on the left and right are very specific. However, the so-called "thirty-six times of sunlight entering and twenty-four times of Yin retreating" merely symbolizes the ascending and descending degrees of the sun, moon, Yin and Yang, and does not necessarily represent the actual thirty-six and twenty-four times. The latter section is "Jin Ye Lian Xing MAO You Zhou Tian", in which case there is no left-right ascending and descending, but it might be "Zhong Huang Zhi Tong" or front-back ascending and descending. It is believed that the reason for these ascending and descending in different directions is that "the Yin pathogenic factors in the meridians have not been completely eliminated", and it is necessary to "fight against all the Yin pathogenic factors", which naturally makes the network circulation line of the meridians like the meridians and the weft meridians, and every link needs to be unblocked. Therefore, there are left and right, front-back, and the middle line. However, in the postscript of this poem, the Patriarch Sanfeng clearly pointed out, "The words' left and right 'should be used to look at the front and back, without any mistake." This indicates that Sanfeng's lineage and his feelings are only in the cycle of the MAO and you cycles, without any actual left-right cycle. He also believed that the use of "left and right" is merely a synonym or metaphor for "front and back." This understanding is based on the fact that before the Qin and Han dynasties, people valued the right over the left in terms of position, regarding the right position as the supreme position of "up" and "front", and the left position as the humble position of "down" and "back". Therefore, the right represents the front and the left represents the back. It is also emphasized that later scholars must not misunderstand this. The above different opinions on "left and right", in my humble opinion, should not be biased towards one side. Yang Jian's form has "left and right", which roughly means that when the Great Pill cycle has not yet reached freedom and maturity, some guidance that conforms to the direction of the meridians was added; "When it reaches maturity, both the left and right naturally rise, or the umbilical space is unobstructed, and both the front and back rise." Master Sanfeng had no "left and right" but "front and back". This was probably because there was no teaching of "left and right", and also because in the process of following the principle that "this is the natural true heat, naturally rising and falling, naturally adding and removing", his meridians did not have the feeling of rising and falling left and right. This "left and right" had been unobstructed imperceptibly in the natural process. Therefore, there is no fundamental disagreement between the two views. Later, fellow practitioners, having reached this stage of practice, should not consider it wrong to have "left and right", and it should also be feasible to have "front and back". When guiding, it is better to do it first; when not guiding, it is even more proper to just let things take their natural course.