On the Cantong Qi (28): People Delight in Petty Arts, Not Pondering Whether the Dao Is Deep or Shallow

People delight in petty arts, not pondering whether the Dao is deep or shallow. They abandon the correct path for the crooked, seeking haste and blocking their own free flow—like the blind without a staff, the deaf listening to music, diving where there is no water to catch pheasants, climbing mountains for fish and dragons, planting wheat while expecting millet, or using a compass to draw squares. They exhaust strength and spirit all year without visible results. If you wish to know the method of ingesting and refining (fushi), its affairs are simple and not complicated. People all delight in petty arts, without regard to whether the way is deep or shallow. Abandoning the true method and pursuing heretical paths, they blindly seek swift cultivation and immediate response, only to leave themselves obstructed and unable to connect. It is like the blind who will not use a staff to find the way, the deaf who listen to music, diving where there is no water to catch pheasants and rabbits, climbing mountains to seek fish and dragons, planting wheat yet expecting millet, or holding a compass and trying to draw squares. They exhaust every effort and deplete their spirit, yet gain nothing after a whole year. If you wish to know the method of ingesting and refining, the matter is in fact simple and not at all complex. The sun’s flowing pearls ever wish to leave man. Suddenly they obtain the Flower of Metal; turning, they become mutual cause, transform into white liquid, and condense into utmost firmness. The sun’s flowing pearl is mercury. This substance is also generated in association with the Azure Dragon of the East; though a child of the eastern household, yet it lodges its body in the Flower of Metal of the West to be born. If mercury can obtain the Flower of Metal, it can form the golden elixir. Hence when one suddenly obtains the Flower of Metal, it transforms into white liquid, and what condenses from it becomes a thing of utmost firmness. The Flower of Metal leads first; in a short while it dissolves and transforms into water—horse-teeth lazurite. Yang then goes to join it; passion and nature are natural. The Flower of Metal is a real substance; place it into mercury and it turns into water, vanishes, and dissolves within. Here “water” should be understood as liquid. The principle is this: metal is produced out of water, so it must likewise be able to dissolve into water. The ancients observed that when metal dissolves in mercury, a further change occurs—the mercury grows cloudy after taking in the metal, its appearance as beautiful as horse teeth or as fine jade. Master Wei holds that this is caused by the joining of yang qi, and so it is the natural union of passion and nature. Likewise in cultivation: when true gold appears from within water and receives the harmony of yang qi, gold turns white. Thus though gold is a luminous thing, when cultivation is complete it becomes a mass of pure brightness—yet this brightness is like jade. As people know today, sunspots also move upon the sun; the places of most violent solar activity are not the bright areas, but those dark spots. If cultivation only attains the light of nature—white light shining in stillness, brilliantly illuminating the ten directions and three realms—yet within that blackness gold again arises. That is precisely: “Know the white, yet keep to the black.” This gold must again dissolve into mercury; its form then becomes like jade. Therefore what is refined becomes like jade, and within the vistas of the work, all around is also lustrous and numinous like fine jade. China has had a unique jade culture since high antiquity; Daoists have likewise esteemed jade since olden times. This is a way verifiable both within and without. As in the various legends of immortals’ realms, palaces are also built of gold and jade—such accounts are not without foundation. This step is spoken of with perfect clarity by the ancient worthies. Yet later ages often mistake obtaining light for having reached this stage. The light of nature is but dead light shining in stillness; though it nourishes the hun and po somewhat, it has no numinous qi and still less living qi—how can it be compared with the qi of gold and jade? Closely study the earlier discussions of golden liquid and jade liquid; compare and verify them, and the truth becomes clear. One step apart, and the paths of immortals and ghosts diverge. Press and hasten the yin of time; confine and store within the forbidden gate. The compassionate mother rears and nourishes; the filial son repays her kindness. The strict father issues orders and teaches the sons and grandsons. Since metal enters mercury and joins it, its color turns white. In cultivation this is truly the Flower of Metal within Kan rising, and the flowing pearl within Li descending; afterward the two crescents intersect and their qi respond. At this time one presses with intention, but one must close the Earth Gate and gather the true qi together. The matter has in fact become simple: the later process is but as said earlier—“The eldest son inherits the father’s body; through the mother the foundation of the omen is established.” The mother rears the son, and the son repays her kindness. This is just as “Yellow earth is the father of metal; the flowing pearl is the child of water”—all depends on earth, that is, true intention, to bring things about. Strict father, compassionate mother, filial son—these three are the foundation. Without a strict father there is no hastening; without a compassionate mother there is no rearing; without a filial son there is no repayment of kindness. If these three are absent, it is hard to pass the lineage down through generations. Since olden times, great households have never managed their families apart from these principles. Take the Liao clan: their ancestral rules are strict, so many are accomplished, and the lineage is passed down through generations. Hence it is said: nowhere in the world can cultivation not be seen. The Five Phases reverse their kingship; relying on one another they are born. The nature of fire melts metal; metal fells wood and makes it flourish. Three and five become one—the utmost essence of heaven and earth. It can be conveyed by oral formula, but is hard to transmit in writing. Each of the Five Phases keeps to its own boundary; their flourishing or not changes with the seasons. In cultivation they shift with the timing of the work. Broadly speaking, it remains only: east Wood, west Metal, south Fire, north Water; earth holds the center, sustained by the mutual generation of the five phases. Mercury can dissolve metal because it has the nature of fire, for fire can melt metal, and metal can fell wood—this is all Fire overcoming Metal and Metal overcoming Wood. Yet “the dragon emerges from the fire”; here the dragon truly comes from fire, and the dragon belongs to Wood, while metal is in turn refined and transformed by the dragon. This is “the dragon emerges from the fire; the tiger is born in the water.” The dragon is obtained from east three and south two, together five; the tiger from north one and west four, together five. With true intention further intensifying them, central earth is also five—the wonder of three and five becoming one. As the saying goes: “Zi and Wu make three in number; Wu and Ji are reckoned as five.” Zi is the Dark Warrior (Xuanwu), Wu is the Vermilion Bird (Zhuque); what they join is truly the gathering of the four images. The wonder within is hard to put into words—easier to awaken through oral formula, harder to detail in writing; one need only heed it with the heart. Zi turns to the right; Wu rotates eastward. Mao and You are boundary-severed, yet named host and guest. The dragon calls to the tiger; the tiger draws in the dragon’s essence. The two feed each other, both bringing them to join and merge; they then interlock, swallow, masticate, and devour one another. Turning right from Zi to You, and rotating Wu eastward to Mao, actually forms the following diagram: Chen Mao Yin Si Chou Wu Zi Wei Hai Shen You Xu People often mistakenly think that when Zi-Wu reach Mao-You it is the place of bathing. In fact the Way of cultivation never departs from water and fire. This diagram should truly be read as: Mao and You occupy the positions of Kan and Li—precisely as said, “Kan and Li, water and fire, cross through mid-heaven.” Si-You-Chou form Metal by triple combination in Kan—the tiger is born in water. Hai-Mao-Wei form Wood by triple combination in Li—the dragon emerges from fire. This is truly the image of Metal and Wood cast toward each other, of dragon and tiger mating: as said above, the metal qi within water rises, the wood within fire descends, and they meet at the central palace. Earlier it was also said: “The crescent moon models the furnace and cauldron; the white tiger is the pivot of the decoction. Mercury is the sun and the flowing pearl; the azure dragon goes with it. Raise the east to join the west; hun and po of themselves hold each other.” How can Kan and Li join? Mao and Xu join to form Fire; Kan and Li cross. Chen and You join to form Metal; again Kan and Li cross. What clash are Yin and Shen—yet Yin is drawn away by Wu-Xu into Fire, and Shen is drawn away by Zi-Chen into Water. The joining of Zi and Chou actually sits at the positions of Shen and You; the joining of Wu and Wei again sits at Yin and Mao. Among the remaining branches, Zi and Chou join at Kun and Dui—this is the two-seven joining; Wu and Wei join at Zhen and Gen—this is the three-eight joining. The fire qi returns to the tomb at Xu, and Mao joins it away; the water qi returns to the tomb at Chen, and is again joined away by You. This is the celestial mechanism of the fire-timing of bathing. At the time of bathing, one neither advances the fire nor withdraws it: for the whole image is already joined; though it is called stopping the fire, in truth it is receiving the join. Xu and Hai still dwell at Qian; Chou and Yin from Gen to Kun; Chen and Si still return to Xun—only reversed and added. Xun Zhen Gen Li Kan Kun Dui Qian After the reversal, the positions that in the Later Heaven become Qian and Xun are the places where the “heavenly root” and “moon cavern” come and go; what in the Earlier Heaven is unchanging is Kan and Li. If matched to the Earlier Heaven eight trigrams, it is still more wondrous. Dui-Xun Qian-Zhen Xun-Gen Li Kan Zhen-Kun Kun-Dui Gen-Qian Therefore the Song of Grand White Immortal says: “The art of reversing the Five Phases—the dragon emerges from the fire. The Five Phases do not proceed in order—the tiger is born in the water.” Yinghuo (Fire Star) holds the west; Taibai (Metal Star) crosses the heavens. Where killing qi arrives, what could not overturn? Cats and dogs keep watch on mice; crows and sparrows fear the shrike. Each has its function—how dare they make a sound? When one goes from Wu to You, it becomes You to Wu; this is when killing qi arrives. Yinghuo is the Fire Star; holding the west, it can restrain metal. “When Taibai appears at Wu by day, it is called crossing the heavens—this is disorder of the regular order.” Xu You Shen Hai Wei Zi Wu Chou Si Yin Mao Chen After the next rotation, You becomes Taibai and Wu becomes Yinghuo. Mao and You in the center are both places of bathing, yet in truth different: here You sits in Wu’s position, so killing qi has arrived; in the previous diagram Mao sat at Wu, which was the joining of life-qi. Without grasping the principle, one may not speak wildly. Exhausting family property, wife and children starve in poverty—from antiquity to the present, those who love the Way number in the billions, yet hardly any meet with harmony; few can succeed. Widely seeking famous medicines is contrary to the Way. Unless one truly understands the principles within, one dares not speak carelessly. The art of the elixir Way encompasses heaven and earth; its principles are broad and subtle. Some spend all their family wealth seeking the Way while leaving wives and children to suffer hunger and poverty—already they are drifting far from the great Way. From ancient times to now, those who love the Way are more than a billion; yet most meet no opportunity, while still hoping for success, they run everywhere seeking famous medicines. All of this runs counter to the great Way. If one truly encounters [the right opportunity], observe its beginning and thread. Compare by categories; measure things from start to finish. If one wishes to meet a true teacher, one should be careful: first observe that person’s conduct, and from details see who they are. If it is truly a true teacher, whatever is asked, they can answer one by one; few things they cannot answer. A blind master, however, usually knows nine parts in ten not at all; they can only invent bizarre things by the hundred to leave people muddled, or tell people that only wordlessness is the Way, or say that only sitting meditation and contemplating emptiness is the path. Ask them about sand and mercury, tiger and dragon, the interval of Metal and Wood, the three-day Zhen image, or reversing the Earlier Heaven—mostly they cannot answer. In general, matters of cultivation are all likened by category: speaking of trigrams is not really speaking of trigrams; speaking of things is not really speaking of things—it is only an analogy for ease of understanding. Therefore those who cultivate the Way must grasp “comparing by categories,” then ponder the beginning and end of things, and from them continually gain awakening—this is the true path. Focused and concentrated, without leakage, one can complete the Way. Set up a pole and its shadow appears; call into a valley and the echo returns. Is this not numinous? The utmost images of heaven and earth. The Five Phases overcome one another, and in turn become father and mother. The mother holds the nourishing liquid; the father presides over conferring. Essence condenses into flowing form—metal and stone do not decay. Focused and concentrated, without leakage, one can complete the Way. Set up a pole and its shadow appears; call into a valley and the echo returns. Is this not numinous? The utmost images of heaven and earth. Though the Five Phases overcome one another, within overcoming life-mechanism can arise, so they can again become father and mother. What is meant by father and mother are only Qian-Zhen and Kun-Dui: Qian and Zhen are father, Kun and Dui are mother. It is only that father takes the lead, conferring qi upon Kun, and then metal is obtained—this is the substance that survives through kalpas without decaying. Once obtained, one must carefully guard against leakage; continuing thus, one can attain the Way. This follows the principles of heaven and earth, so in practice its effects are immediate—like shouting once into a void valley and at once receiving an echo. Its supreme numinousness is truly the most excellent image of heaven and earth. If one is given an inch of wild kudzu and a tael of croton, the moment they enter the throat the body stiffens and one cannot bow or straighten. At such a time—even if King Wen of Zhou cast the milfoil, Confucius divined the image, Bian Que handled the needles, or Wu Xian beat the drum—how could they make the person revive and rise to run about again? If wild kudzu and croton are fed to a person, it is like poison entering the mouth—they will die at once. In such a situation, even if Confucius divined the image, Bian Que applied needles, and Wu Xian performed rites, could they revive a corpse and make it rise and run about? People all know that a living person who takes poison cannot come back to life, yet they do not know that once the golden elixir enters the mouth a person cannot die again. With a true method of ingesting and refining, taking poison would certainly do no harm. Thus distinguishing the false and preserving the true is not hard to verify.