Zhang Sanfeng's Annotation on the Elixir Classic: "Liao Dao Ge"

Kongde's spirit does not wander outside, his essence does not leak, his qi does not dissipate, and his spirit sprouts. When the Five Elements and Four symbols enter the central palace, why worry that the golden elixir won't form on its own? Within lies the true moment, and outside there is the response; all that can be seen is the snowflakes falling from the empty flowers. When Yi Yang returned to Hai Zi Jiao, Tuan Luan Yue appeared in the middle. In a hurry, he put in a lot of effort. The golden Feng looked far away but could not be picked. Breathing stirs the flames of the entrance hall, and the blue sky splits the primordial chaos. The Yellow River turns its course and flows up the Kunlun Mountains, with all nine orifices and three passes penetrating through. It turns into nectar and is swallowed, leaving a mute speechless. At this point in the practice, one should be cautious and take a bath according to the season. The yin-yang substances of the three grades are of the same category, while the internal and external fire symbols of the two grades are different. When the elixir is ready, it still needs ten months of warm nourishment. It takes three years to reach maturity, three times three like nine red walls. Dan Cheng let out a long howl and left the mountain, revealing his achievements and the traces of transformation. God has written a purple letter to me, summoning me to fly to the sky in the blue. Later generations followed this practice and diligently cultivated it, which became the meeting of the Three Pure Ones. Note: This "Song of the Dao" covers the entire process from the stage of gathering the great herbs to the completion of the Dao. It is mostly a general description, unlike the "Song of Lead Fire" which provides very specific instructions on how to pass the test by taking the great herbs. However, the hierarchy and process are explained very specifically, and there are special hints at key points. It can serve as a yardstick for practicing and maintaining a proper balance. When the spirit does not wander, the essence does not leak; when the qi does not dissipate, the spirit sprouts. When the Five Elements and Four symbols enter the central palace, why worry that the golden elixir won't form on its own? These four sentences refer to the practice of remaining calm before gathering the powerful herbs. This kind of meditation is called great stillness and tranquility, much like a "living dead person". When the spirit does not wander outside, it naturally does not move within. Leaves fall back to their roots, and the consciousness spirit is fully transformed into the primordial spirit. As long as the essence does not leak, it will naturally breed the primordial essence. All qi, as long as it is not consumed or dissipated, will naturally accumulate and nourish the primordial energy. From the "Three Mortals" to the "Three Elements", the natural Yang first emerges, thus it is called the cultivation of "spiritual buds". Since the spirit does not wander, the essence does not leak, and the energy does not disperse, it is natural that the five desires of the spirit, soul, spirit and will are not separated. The four symbols, namely the eastern green dragon and the wood nature, the Western white tiger and the golden sentiment, the southern vermilion bird and the fire god, and the northern Black tortoise and the water essence, all belong to the central palace and the earth position. The "middle" in this "middle palace" is the "middle" where I have no upper or lower, no left or right, no front or back, no inside or outside, and the four elements have no boundaries. That is Tai Chi. After the above four lines, it is in response to the "Song of Lead and Fire" that "great medicines have their own seasons." Note: Although these four lines describe the state of waiting for the great medicine to come back, if the practitioner can enter this "center" of Taiji from the very beginning, it is called sudden transcendence and direct entry, which will greatly shorten the process of establishing the foundation. For the vast majority of people, the practice of sexual cultivation is extremely difficult. Therefore, the seemingly simple "entering a state of tranquility" requires almost a lifetime to cultivate and practice. As a result, most people have no choice but to take the path of gradual cultivation without exception. Within is the true moment, and outside there is the response; all that looks like empty flowers are falling like white snow. When Yi Yang returned to Hai Zi Jiao, Tuan Luan Yue appeared in the middle. These four lines depict the scene of the great medicine being produced, which is the meaning of the "Song of Lead and Fire" : "The spirit blends with the brilliance, and the bright moon rises in a daze." "Inner True Star" refers to the true meaning and primordial spirit within. It is like the Big Dipper in the sky that governs the movement of all the stars. As long as it remains in its position without moving, the great medicine of the primordial energy will be summoned from the outside and manifest within the body. The physiology of the physical body will then respond, and scenes like the sun shining brightly, snowflakes floating in the sky, and the bright moon will appear. In a hurry, he put in a lot of effort. The golden feng, looking far away, could not be picked. The key to taking the medicine is to pass the test, and the cooking time should be controlled after the "three appearances of sunlight". If the sun only shines twice, the medicine is not yet ripe. If it is picked too early, its effect will be minimal. If the three rays of sunlight are still not picked, the medicine will be too old and lose its efficacy. For instance, the full moon on the fifteenth or sixteenth night is when the metal water is at its peak. It is advisable to pick the moon at that time. However, if it passes the fifteenth or sixteenth night, the moon will gradually become the waning waning of the metal water, and picking it will be of no benefit. Here, the character "zhai" means the same as the character "CAI", which is a metaphor for picking flowers. The meanings of their age and tenderness are the same, so there is no need to elaborate further. The breathing movement of the entrance fire, the blue sky splits through the primordial chaos. These two sentences explain that to perform the practice of gathering herbs and passing the test, one must first apply the true spirit of the innate breath (fetal breath), describing that this practice is the regeneration of life, just like a new movement in the universe, creating a new natural world. The Yellow River flows upstream into the Kunlun Mountains, with all nine orifices and three passes clearly visible. These two sentences summarize the process and effect of the medicinal herb collection route, which starts from the reverse transportation of the Governor Vessel, passes through the collection, transportation and swallowing, and all the key points and acupoints of the body are thoroughly cleared. It turns into nectar and is swallowed, leaving a mute speechless. These two sentences describe the process and feelings of returning the elixir. The mantra of Sanmao Immortal's "Golden Liquid Returns the Elixir of Heaven" : "Nourishing the fetus mainly involves entering a state of meditation." If one remains calm and composed for a long time, one will naturally feel a bit of heat rising from the Kan to the heart. One should guide it through the tail, through the spine, through the jade pillow, and into the clay balls. If something touches the brain, it will drop from the upper palate one by one into the mouth, like bird eggs, with a taste like Yang Su, turning into golden liquid, dripping like water, fragrant like nectar, and with a taste like sweet dew. "Quickly welcome it with your heart, slowly swallow the heavy tower, and watch it off inside the stove and cauldrons. Let it flow freely in your limbs, and beauty lies within." " This is the scene. Because this delightful and pleasant feeling is hard to describe accurately with the best metaphors and others cannot feel it, it can only be like a mute eating honey, sweet in one's own heart and unable to be expressed in words to others. At this point, one should be cautious and take a bath according to the season. The yin-yang substances of the three grades are of the same category, while the internal and external fire symbols of the two grades are different. These four sentences are a summary of the highly challenging task of passing the test by taking large medicinal herbs. First of all, it should be pointed out that taking this step is the key to determining the success of laying a foundation. A slight mistake could lead to all previous efforts being wasted. Secondly, it should be noted that during the process of taking the herb and passing the examination, whether it is picking, passing, or bathing, it must be done in accordance with the season. It depends on the situation reflected by the major drug and should not be subjectively and arbitrarily applied with technical means. Secondly, it should be noted that although essence, energy and spirit have distinctions of Yin and Yang and sequence, they are not completely distinguishable but have a transformational relationship. The essence, energy and spirit of the acquired Yin and turbid nature, after accumulation and exercise, can all be transformed into the innate essence, energy and spirit. The essence, energy and spirit of the acquired Yin and turbid nature are also transformed from the innate essence, energy and spirit of the pure Yang nature. The three grades of Yin and Yang are divided into internal and external. The internal refers to the physical form and the acquired constitution. The external is heaven and earth, the innate. In the future, the heaven will summon the primordial, so the heaven can return to the primordial. Among them, "inspiration" and "return" are different from "fire talismans". Inspiration is called "fire", which is an active and positive behavior, yet this behavior is subordinate to one's innate nature. Returning to "Fu" is the response made by the object, and it is the immediate reaction of the innate after the postnatal conforms to the innate. Therefore, inspiration is to let go of the self and return to the state of selflessness, experiencing the feeling of having no feeling. However, "returning" is the innate primordial energy from the external universe entering "me", and thus "me" will have special sensations in its physical and physiological aspects. The practice of taking large medicinal herbs to pass the test is based on the symptoms of two different situations: "attraction" and "return", and then corresponding methods of taking medicine to pass the test and bathing are adopted. This process can be compared to a crop beating a person. Plowing, fertilizing and sowing are the active actions of farmers, while the germination, growth, flowering and fruiting of seeds are the natural reactions between seeds and the external environment such as the land. This is like the relationship between inspiration and return. However, after the crops grow, applying additional fertilizer and pest control to keep them growing normally and healthily, and harvesting them when they are mature, this is the application of fire control technology. Especially the maturity period of crops and the timing of harvesting are often just a few days. It's too early, and the crops haven't fully matured yet. If it's too late, the crops will drop seeds. Only when the harvest is just right can every grain be safely stored. When the elixir of medicine is purchased, it still needs ten months of warm nourishment. It takes three years to reach maturity, three times three like nine red walls. These four sentences summarize the entire process of attaining the Tao after laying a solid foundation. It is relatively easy to talk about the great medicine, but to reach the ultimate goal of the Tao in the future, one still needs to go through a series of stages such as "ten months of pregnancy", "three years of breastfeeding", and "nine years of facing the wall". Dan Cheng let out a long howl and left the mountains, revealing and revealing his achievements and the traces of transformation. The meaning of these two sentences is that after completing the foundation-building practice, there is a guarantee for eternal life, and there is no need to worry. There is no need to rush into future efforts. First, do some good deeds that benefit people and heaven in society. According to the social situation, when it is necessary to publicly display one's identity, one should do things openly; when it is not convenient to do things openly, one should do them secretly. When successful, one should benefit the world; when poor, one should cultivate oneself. Only when one day comes and all the merit is fulfilled will the social meritorious deeds come to an end and one continue to complete the final efforts. God has bestowed upon me the purple merit, commanding me to fly in the sky as green as the blue. These two sentences use the name of God to describe the greatest success of spiritual practice. It is truly a matter of teaching according to the individual. Later generations followed this practice and diligently cultivated it, and thus it became the meeting of the Three Pure Ones. Tell the readers that these rhymes are all genuine essentials of spiritual cultivation. By diligently practicing them, one is bound to succeed. The so-called "Three Pure Ones" generally refer to the immortal realm. According to Taoist legend: "The Great Luo gives birth to the three energies of Xuan, Yuan and Shi, and transforms them into the Three Clear Heavens" (The Taoist Doctrine of the Shu, Volume 7, quoted from the Taizhen Section). The first one is the Clear Micro Heaven, which is the residence of the Jade Clear Primordial Heavenly Lord. On the second day, Yu Yu Tian was the residence of the Supreme Deity Lingbao. The third is the Great Red Heaven, which is the residence of the Supreme Lord of Morality of the Pure Land.