Annotation of Zhang Sanfeng's "Rootless Tree" (5)

Liu Wuyuan's annotation, Li Hanxu's interpretation, and Kong De's commentary on the sixteenth poem: "The Rootless tree, with its flowers in full bloom, recognizes the true lead and the legitimate ancestor." The spirit and energy, cooked in a cauldron, transform a woman into a man and an old man into a child. To capture the white tiger in the west, one must first subdue the green dragon in the east. When the types are the same, one should work hard. When external medicine works, internal medicine works as well. Original note: (This poem) Liu Yan recognized genuine lead, while Li Yan was obsessed with genuine lead. In the annotated version by Wuyuan, "Nong" is written as "秾", "qin" as "qian", and "fang" as "yuan", all of which are the same. Kong De Note: The meanings of the characters remain the same. Today, "秾" is still changed to "strong" to avoid cold and different characters. [Liu's Note] "Thick" means rich, extensive and abundant. When the flowers are in full bloom, there is a balance of beauty and evil, right and wrong within them. Only genuine fairy-like flowers can be picked and used. What is the true fairy flower? That is real lead. True lead is the true feeling of true knowledge and the discovery of true spirit. Because of its true understanding that the exterior is Yin and the interior is Yang, and the exterior is black and the interior is white, it is called true lead ①. It is also called "gold in Water", "lead in Water Town", and "Moon in China". Its names are numerous, all resembling this one of the true knowledge. Only this true knowledge contains the primordial energy of the innate unity of heaven and earth, is the foundation of Yin and Yang, the seed of immortals and Buddhas, and the vein of sages and virtuous men, and is the legitimate ancestor of those who cultivate the Tao. If one recognizes the ancestors and brings them back to one's family, respects and serves them, never leaving them for a moment, then the essence, energy and spirit will naturally converge in one tripod, without any need to force it. For when his father returns, his son follows. Even with the power of fire refining, a woman can become a man and an old woman can regain her childhood. "Female to male" refers to a non-physical transformation into a male. Women are pure Yin. Through cultivation and enlightenment, they transform Yin into Yang, just like men. The term "old age turning into childhood" does not refer to a change in appearance. It is because the elderly have lost their vitality, achieved enlightenment through cultivation, and returned to their original state, just like a child. But the way for a woman to turn into a man and for an old man to become a child, although it is to recognize the true essence and knowledge, one must first be able to refine oneself. If the refinement is not yet complete, true knowledge will not come, and even if it does, it will not remain. Therefore, it is said: "Even if I lead the white tiger to the western garden, I will first subdue the green dragon to my eastern home." The white tiger belongs to the Western metal, symbolizing true feelings. The green dragon belongs to the wood of the east and symbolizes the true nature. True feelings and true nature are originally one family. How can they be controlled? Because it is entrusted to others later in life, truth is mixed with falsehood, true feelings turn into false feelings, kindness is accompanied by killing, like a tiger leaving its den, running westward to hurt others, not for me but to settle in his home instead. True feelings turn into false feelings, and thus true nature, which has flavor, also turns into falsehood. The false take action, while the true abdicate. Disharmony in temperament is like a dragon and a tiger facing west, never meeting again. If one desires to return to truth, one must first eliminate falsehood. If you want to stir up emotions, you must first adjust your temperament. The work of tonality is the work of self-cultivation. To refine oneself is to refine the nature of one's temperament. When the nature of one's temperament is transformed, the true nature will naturally manifest. When true nature is revealed, it remains motionless and unshaken, and true feelings are also exposed. When true feelings are revealed but false ones do not arise, it can bring back the white Tiger and the green dragon to cooperate and be in love with each other. The White Tiger is the ancestor of the true lead, but they have different names. Because of its true knowledge and unyielding strength, it is called the White Tiger. Because of its true knowledge, it is gentle yet firm, thus it is called true lead. "Pulling the white tiger" means taking genuine lead. The cloud of "pulling" is ④. It is not forced but a pulling that does not require pulling. The natural nature of one's feelings follows, and one follows those of the same kind. There is a way of mutual response between Yin and Yang inside and outside. It has the nature of strengthening the interior and belongs to Yin. It is an internal medicine. The essence of the body is external and belongs to Yang. It is an external medicine. Yin and Yang are originally one qi, and nature and temperament are surely of the same root. If internal medicine can be unobstructed, external medicine must not be blocked. When sex seeks love and love is attached to sex, the nature and nature are in harmony, the true spirit condenses, and the elixir takes shape. The Pure Yang Weng said, "When the nature remains, the qi will naturally return; when the qi returns, the elixir will naturally form." Ziyang Weng said, "If one wants to achieve the Nine Transformations, one must first cultivate one's own mind of holding." All of this means that to restore the elixir, one must first refine oneself. Ah! True lead is easy to obtain, but it is the most difficult to smelt. The merit of self-cultivation is truly remarkable! [Note] ① Lead: The text on the tablet reads "ship", which is obviously incorrect. ② Image: Here it is used to describe and explain. ③ Wuyong: It means not to need. ④ The term "qian" means "the actual meaning of using the expression 'qian'". [Li Jie] "Nong" means the intensity of emotions. "Lead" is the real lead of human beings. When real lead is discovered, the affection for it is at its peak. As long as one recognizes the truth and acquires it, the golden elixir will be immediately established. This genuine lead is the upright form of the Yellow core and the ancestor of the Great Elixir. It was taken to make mercury, and when the three families met, a baby was born. By extension, thousands upon thousands of generations, from generation to generation, all originated from real lead. Therefore, real lead is regarded as the ancestor. "Essence, energy and spirit are cooked in one caulpod." This is the result of lead being subdued by mercury, and the meeting of the three families. But those who make real lead first have the magic formula of a woman turning into a man and an old man turning into a child. The fire of Yuanfu leaving the palace is truly exquisite. The water of Kan Palace is the true energy. In the middle of Kanli, there is also a wonderful land for use. It is truly a deity. The first is true meaning. When qi and essence interact and are governed by the spirit, metal will arise from the bottom of the water and mercury will descend from the fire. Then, with the spirit in control of its balance, it regulates its victory and defeat. By boiling vigorously and refining rapidly, the fire boils and the water boils, and the gold rises along with the water. This is the power of "the essence, energy and spirit being cooked in one cauldron". When he entered the Li Palace, the Li fire was extinguished by the Kan water, neither flying nor leaving. The qi was captured by the spirit and moved forward, the essence was captured by the spirit and condensed, and both lead and mercury died, returning to the thick earth together. The three surnames gathered in the central palace and refined a purple gold pill. Therefore, it is also the wonderful saying that "essence, energy and spirit are cooked in one cauldron." Before that, the son of the eastern master sent his body to the west, and the Dui of the West was a young girl. The girl acted on behalf of the mother of Kun, and a man named Zhen appeared in the female tripod. This was called "a woman transforming into a man". This "man" is called Jiusan Langjun. He is very young. In fact, it was Mu Gong who said that you were born into a child's womb. Therefore, Mu Gong changed his title to Gongzi, which means "old age has turned into a child". This young master rode a white tiger on a journey to the west, which was extremely fierce and valiant. Sometimes a Taoist saw him and asked, "Is this boy riding a tiger of yours transformed from Mu Gong?" The boy knew that the human heart had true enlightenment and dared not hide it. He replied, "Yes." The Taoist then turned around and smiled, saying, "The lead in the water town is only one flavor. What Lord Cui said is true." Now if I want to call back the boy, I must capture him, the White Tiger. I must first go to my master and subdue the green dragon. The white tiger is a symbol of metal affection. The green dragon is of the wood nature. When wood is exchanged with metal, fire will rise within the wood, and the fire will return when it meets. When metal is combined with wood, water surges within the metal, and the water turns to extinguish the fire and move forward. These four are different but actually the same, different types but actually similar. Since they are of the same kind, I use my Xuan Gong to bring them together in one place. Thus, the inside meets the outside, and the outside returns to the inside. The external medicine connects with the internal medicine, and the internal medicine also connects with the external medicine. This passage only mentions real lead, not real mercury. Because where there is lead, there is mercury; if there is no mention of mercury, mercury is already within it. Therefore, it is said that when external medicine works, internal medicine works as well. Lead, qi, male, child, and tiger are all external medicines. Essence, female, and dragon are all internal medicines. As for the divine, it lies between the internal and external essence and energy. [Note] ① Cui Gong: Also known as Cui Xifan, an inner alchemist of the Tang Dynasty, who authored the renowned alchemy classic "The Medicinal Mirror". The seventeenth poem: The rootless tree, its flowers are in full bloom, the sky responds to the stars and the earth responds to the tides. The dragon-slaying sword, the tiger-binding tassel, and the rotating Celestial Constellation ladle. Train a furnace of true sun and moon, and sweep through three thousand six hundred. Walking through the clouds, free and easy, all the impurities of the mundane world are wiped away with a stroke of the brush. Original note: (In this poem) Liu Yan used a large amount of medicine, while Li Yan had six different degrees of heat control. [Note] ① Wo: The text on the tablet reads "gan" (i.e., the simplified character "Gan"), which clearly shows a formal error. [Liu's Note] True spirit is hidden in the later stage of life. It is concealed by accumulated habits and courtesy, making it the hardest for flowers to bloom. Occasionally, it would burst forth, and a flash of light would emerge from the void, like pearls and dewdrops, tender and delicate, with the base image being the most charming, as if it were not yet fully opened. The primordial energy of chaos is as bright as the stars in the sky but not large, and as moist as the earth's tides on the earth but not wet. When the stars are bright and the ground is damp, both are signs of the initial movement of Yang energy. When the Yang energy begins to stir, it is the time when the true spirit flowers are tender. When it is in its prime and delicate state, it is easy for it to recognize that the divine is causing delusion through the spirit, with disordered nature and shifting emotions. In such a hurry, it is necessary to cook it vigorously and refine it quickly. Du Jian guards against the slightest disturbance, supports Yang and suppresses Yin to protect the life treasure. The "Dragon-Slaying Sword", thus it has the property of preventing qi. "Binding the tiger's tassels" is to suppress false emotions. When the nature of qi does not arise, true spirit will manifest; when false emotions do not sprout, true feelings will arise. True nature is revealed, true feelings arise. By rotating the Kui and Gang, turning the Dou and the ladle, killing can be transformed into life, punishment can be turned into virtue, and a furnace of true sun and moon can be trained. The character "sun" represents the presence of Yin within Yang, symbolizing the spiritual knowledge contained in the true nature. Lingzhi is the female among the male, the true Yin. The character "Moon" represents the presence of Yang within Yin, symbolizing the true knowledge contained in true feelings. True knowledge is the white within the black, the true Yang. Refining the two kinds of gunpowder of true Yin and true Yang, condensing them into one qi to form a pill, and swallowing it to prolong life and shorten the period, this is the highest level of the wonderful way, not the work of the three thousand six hundred heretics who cling to emptiness and form. With the attainment of the Great way, one can "ascend to the clouds and roam freely", and all kinds of "SINS and impurities in the mundane world" can be wiped out with a single stroke. Those three thousand six hundred heretics are all pretentious on the surface of a stinking body, just to stir up sin and defilement in the mundane world. How could they eliminate sin and defilement in the mundane world! [Note] ① "Wang" : The text on the board reads "forget", which is clearly incorrect. ② When false emotions do not arise, true feelings arise: In this sentence, the two characters "meng ze" are written as "Ding ying" in the original text. It seems that after printing, these two characters were unclear and were mistakenly corrected, causing the sentence to be incomprehensible. Now it is corrected. ③ Wo: The text on the board reads "gan", which is incorrect. [Li Jie] "Jiao" is used to express tender words; it is the moment when a word first sprouts. The sky is above and the earth is below. When the sun rises, there are specks of starlight on the eyebrows. The ancients called this "the earth responding to the tide". It is true that the medicine has such signs. It is not a false accusation. Wu Yuan's explanation is that "the starlight of the sky and the dampness of the earth" can be compared to the fact that Yang was not large and not moist at the beginning of his life. There are even those who, based on the "Medicinal Mirror", refer to the "Heavenly Response Star" as the upper Magpie Bridge and the "Earthly Response Tide" as the lower Magpie Bridge. All of them have profound truths. However, I have heard that "responding to the stars and the tides" is used to respond to the moon and the time. That is, the stars understand the moon, and the tides understand the time. This is precisely the crucial timing for Lei Huidan. Here are a few words excerpted from "Shen Tong Qi" for verification. The "Shen Tong" states: "The metal number is fifteen, and so is the water number." At the stove, it was fixed to two liang of zhu, with a surplus of five fen of water. When both believe it to be true, the gold is as heavy as its original form. The third one did not enter, and the second one followed him. This is the justice of "responding to the stars and the tides". The phrase "Metal must weigh fifteen taels" indicates that metal is accurate to the month, symbolizing the vigorous vitality of metal essence. Five thousand forty-eight days later, the natural energy begins to be complete. "Fifteen taels of gold" can generate "fifteen fen of water", and this is the fifteenth day of the first half of the month. The water number corresponds to the metal number, that is, the tide number corresponds to the star number. If the golden water is insufficient, the true water will not be generated. This means that "heaven" does not "respond to the stars" and "earth" does not "respond to the tides". How can the two be determined? If one wants to "respond to the stars and the tides", the fifteenth day of the first half of the month should be taken as the standard. From the new moon to the full moon, one and a half days should be regarded as one minute. Two and a half days and three days of the Geng day are sufficient. This is the "two-part true water", where "heaven" also "corresponds to the stars" and "earth" also "corresponds to the tides". If it is up to the fifth day of the lunar New Year, it will be three points. Three points will not be used. If the eighth day of the lunar month is five fen, and five fen is more than enough, it is not "corresponding to the stars or the tide". It is necessary to have half water and half fire, which is truly "in response to the stars" and truly "in response to the tides". The second is the true faith of Kan Shui. At the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, water was born. By the hour of the second hour, the water source became clear and had no substance, which is known as the "White Tiger Head Meridian". Just as the tiger was exhaling, the dragon met it with two parts of true fire and refined it into a core elixir. As for the generation of metal with two parts of water, it is necessary to wait until the fifteenth day when the metal essence becomes vigorous and the water tide begins to rise. The so-called "second seven" period marks the beginning of the descent of true lead, which is "in response to the stars and the tides". Or one may ask, why must fire be divided into two parts? Saying ② : In a short period of time, divide the fire into three symbols and six stages, and stop using the fire of one symbol and two stages. In this way, the dragon and the tiger are evenly distributed, swallowing and devouring each other. By this time, it is necessary to hold the sword to subdue the dragon, 拏 to subdue the tiger, and bring the constellations and forces back to the central palace. The sun and the moon will refine and refine it, and then the right path will be attained. My master Wushan has another lecture, which is more precise and thorough. I will elaborate on it here: The Heavenly Stem is a Yang star, that is, the essence of the fire in heaven, and it is Yin within Yang. Kun Di is Yin Chao, that is, the water energy of the earth, which is Yang within Yin. Essence is the father of fire, and qi is the jellyfish. When the father of the Earth and the mother of the Earth are in harmony, water will arise from the fire and the Kan. Therefore, it is said, "The sky responds to the stars, and the earth responds to the tides." The cloud of "response" refers to the opportunity of mutual interaction and response. The "Shen Tong" states: "How could one obtain water slurry without the stars and the moon?" " It can be known that when the sky illuminates the earth, it responds with stars; when the earth's energy supports the sky, it responds with tides. Immortals use the stars in the sky as a metaphor for the fire in people's hearts. Fire is the nature of human beings. The zodiac sign is the Dragon. If it does not descend, the stars will fly and the fire will disperse. Therefore, one should take up the dragon-slaying sword to subdue it. The sword is like great wisdom. The tides of the earth are used as a metaphor for the water within a person, and water is the emotion of a person. If one's love is in the Year of the Tiger and they do not subdue it, then the tide will soak and the water will flow. Therefore, one should hold the tassel that binds the tiger to subdue it. Tao is a great wisdom. Great skill appears clumsy, great wisdom appears foolish. Wisdom is boundless; it gives rise to a wonderful mind. The transformation of the Heavenly Stems and the Wutou Dipper cannot be achieved without a brilliant mind. The Heavenly Stems, also known as the Big Dipper. The Lord of the Heavenly Stems is born to care about the ladle, and there is vitality wherever the ladle points. If a person with a wonderful mind can move the ladle of the celestial stems, then one can turn death into life. The ladle swirled around, and within the golden elixir man. The golden elixir enters, and the wonderful heart returns to me. The wonderful mind is the true body that neither arises nor perishes. It is in harmony with the virtue of heaven and earth and the brightness of the sun and the moon, which is the true sun and moon of the human body. If one desires a wonderful mind, one must return from the postnatal state to the innate state. First, one should expose the light of the external sun and moon to the outside world, understand the heat and the symbols, and only then can one obtain it. This is the ultimate goal. It is necessary to keep the inner sun and moon shining within, always bright day and night, and to nourish and harmonize them. Then, one can "cultivate a furnace of true sun and moon". It is the profound truth of the Golden Elixir Path, the seventh and ninth return of the profound mystery, having swept through three thousand six hundred heretic sects, allowing one to "ascend to the clouds, enjoy freedom and ease, and wipe away all the impurities of the mundane world with a single stroke." If one does not understand this, there will never be a day of liberation on the Great way. The SINS and impurities in the mundane world increase day by day. How could one possibly understand? [Note] ① First: The word "not" is used in the text, which is obviously a clerical error. It is hereby corrected. ② Said: The text on the board reads "day", which is obviously incorrect. Therefore, it is corrected.