"Sleep on a bed of bamboo. Rise in the wee hours of the morning, cross your legs, and sit".

When the post-celestial vapor emerges, regulate and steam it, and the true wheel will begin to move. ... In time the gates will open, and the One cavity will expand naturally. When the true vapor rises to the Mudball (niwan) cavity, the path of the waterwheel will be open. ... In the transition between movement and stillness, fan the fire gently, route the vapor through the Tailbone (weilu) cavity, and let it flow backward (and thus upward) into the Celestial Valley (tiengu) cavity. In this way, generative energy will be transmuted into vapor. When the vapor waxes strong, it will fill the three palaces. ... Swirling inside, the vapor will not dissipate or become disorderly. Once you have attained the true vapor, you should protect it ... like a dragon nourishing its pearl ... . In time, the vapor will descend to the Yellow Pavilion to coagulate into a bright red ball known as the internal pill."

p. 71

master Tao’s scheme of 4 steps

1^st "opening the gates"

2^nd "building the foundation"

3^rd "obtaining the medicine"

4^th "refining the body"

p. 72

generative energy will fill the valley spirit." ...

p. 73

When the breath sinks low, vapor will penetrate the Bubbling Spring (yongquan) cavity and will flow in and out continuously. ...

p. 74

the path connecting the cowherd and the weaving maiden will be open. The silver stream will be connected ... . ...

let the sweet nectar sink into the Yellow Pavilion (huangting).

After the true lead has moistened the three palaces, it will be used to transform mercury. When vapor is transmuted into fluid, the yin fire will ebb

p. 75

and the pearl drops will not dissipate. When the fluid is transmuted back into vapor, it is time to stoke the yang fire and turn the waterwheel again. ... When the mercury within is secure and stable, you should take eight ounces of the pre-celestial essence to complement the half pound of the post-celestial substance."

the second part involves refining the self externally and internally. ...

activating the process of refining the jade. ...

recovering original nature. ...

Internal refining of the self is concerned with the work of the waterwheel. According to the Triplex Unity, the production of the jade elixir is necessary for refining the body internally".

p. 78

Next, we need to tame the white tiger and obtain its precious true metal."

p. 79

"When you use the paired method (which is working with a consort), the process of refining the self internally is concerned with using your partner’s lead to refine your mercury and letting them mutually control and create each other. ... the partner’s lead is used to nourish your mercury so that lead and mercury can strengthen each other."

p. 80

"Both generative energy and vapor are necessary for building the foundation. To refine the self is to dissolve desire and recover original nature. ... In refining the self, we must temper and tame the mind so that it is alert and bright. Original nature is manifested in mind."

p. 81

Internal refinement is concerned with steaming mercury and transforming it into red cinnabar. ...

The immortals tell us : "Internally, the mind must be awake; externally, the mind must be dead to the world." ... For the mind to be dead to the outside world, we must refine the self externally."

p. 82

the pre-celestial within the pre-celestial procedures.

The post-celestial procedure works with the vapor of the yin bridge, which is the root of procreation. ... If the practitioner can rouse it and direct it into the internal cauldron, generative energy will be transmuted into vital energy, and gates and the One cavity will be open.

The procedure of the pre-celestial within the post-celestial is concerned with routing the vapor to the five viscera ... . ... When the vapor has returned to the dantian, it is time to ... wait patiently for the mechanism of the waterwheel to move. When the waterwheel starts, you will hear a whistling sound. Immediately after this, the vapor will toot to the top of the head. {Likewise, a whistling-sound from a locomotive is accompanied by emission of steam.} ...

p. 83

The pre-celestial procedure requires using the sword to collect the vapor. The vapor is then harmonized, moved along the waterwheel, and finally sealed within the Yellow Pavilion. ... Then, use the true vapor in the cauldron to entice the pre-celestial essence you your consort to emerge. This process is known as "swirling the celestial constellations." When the partner’s pre-celestial essence emerges, capture it immediately. This grain is the mother of lead and is known as the external pill.

The procedure of the pre-celestial within the pre-celestial involves using lead to create the true yang. When collected, this true vapor of yang will shine like sunlight streaming through translucent curtains. ... Engage the yin fire and fan the yang flames daily. Preserve and treasure the fire so that is can be transformed into the golden fluid. ... After the elixir is ingested, the sacred fetus will be conceived. After the ten months of incubation are complete, the yang spirit will appear. When the yang spirit emanates beyond your bodily shell, you ... will attain immortality.

The final stage of cultivation is called "facing the wall for nine years." ... When you are ready to liberate your spirit, you should sit in stillness and face an empty wall. ... Facing the

p. 84

wall ... means abiding in absolute stillness for nine years and allowing the internal pill to make nine circulations."

p.

__ Medicine

Internal

External

85

is used to recover __

original nature

original life energy

is 1/ lb. of __

mercury

lead

is __

generative energy from the heart

vapor from in kidneys

must be __

fertilized

planted

in context, is __

mercury within the cinnabar

lead within the water

in cultivating is __

sacred foetus

vapor of the mother of the pill

86

one must use __

mercury to welcome the lead

lead to control the mercury

is the __ pill

yin

yan

requiring emergence of __

mercury as yin within yan

lead as yan within yin

creation of golden __

elixir (liquid)

pill

87

__ state

just before the Great Pill materializeth

transitional, when Great Pill is not realized

p. 88

__-caelestial lead & mercury

prae-

post-

are used in creating the __ pill

great

lesser

p. 89

"When the lesser pill is heated and refined, the belly will be fully and you will feel as if intoxicated. ... After the great pill has coagulated and the fire in the furnace has become red-hot, add the fire of the external furnace, increasing and decreasing the heat when necessary. ... In refining the self and recovering original nature, you need to use the yin cinnabar grains to produce the yang cinnabar grains. ... The three years of incubation is involved with the production of the yang cinnabar grains. The nine years of facing the wall is concerned with recovering life, nourishing the yang cinnabar grains, circulating the pill nine times, and returning it to the dantian."

p. 90

"When you cannot gather the energies in their primordial state, you need to get them from a partner. When you absorb energy from a partner, the method of reverse is used. To transmute generative energy into vital energy, we take the generative energy from the yin bridge, reverse its flow, direct it into the Yellow Pavilion, and refine it. ... The method of reversal starts with gathering

p. 91

generative energy, while the method of forward movement starts with focusing the spirit. ... When spirit and vapor copulate, the pre-celestial generative energy will emerge. This generative energy is water of the celestial numeric one. ... Just as the mother vapor is used to conceive the child vapor, the external generative energy is used to replenish the internal generative energy. The child vapor is the vapor of the heart, while the internal generative energy is the generative essence of the heart. ...

It is also possible for spirit energy to be transmuted into generative energy and generative energy to be transmuted into vapor. These processes involve transmuting the vapor into fluid in the Crimson Palace cavity and activating the waterwheel."

p. 92

1^st stage : "refining the generative energy. Here, we take the cauldron and join it with the primordial yellow. After these two have interacted with each other, the golden raven will emerge and fly upward. This is the process of transmuting generative energy into vital energy."

2^nd stage : "knowing how to extract the yang ... to replenish the yin ... . This is the process of transmuting vital energy into spirit energy."

finally, we refine the spirit to return to the void.

The process of refining the spirit to recover original nature concerns using the jade elixir to refine the self. ... Internally, the true fire must

p. 93

burn constantly. Externally, extracting and replenishing must occur in the hours of zi and wu. ...

The process of refining the spirit to recover original life concerns the golden elixir to refine the bodily form. ... Internally, the fire must be heated until it becomes red-hot. ... The amount of fire and heat must be increased and decreased according to a daily schedule. ...

The process of refining the spirit to return to the void to merge with the Tao concern moving the spirit to the Upper Court ... . When the light within emanates and shines on thousands of myriad worlds, the Diamond Body will be realized. As rays of light ... spread in all directions, multiple bodily forms will appear and ... these emanations of the spirit will help you complete the final alchemical transformation."

p. 94

3^rd : "substances are created again, this time from nothingness."

"When we talk about substantive entities returning to a nonsubstantive state, we are referring to the process of escorting the substances to their western homeland. ...

When we talk about creating substance from nothingness, we are talking about the emergence of ... the one pre-celestial vapor born from the void. ... "Out of the formless arises the subtle form, and out of nonsubstance arises the numinous substance." ... When the compounding is complete, the golden pill will materialize and the fetus will be conceived.

p. 95

After the fetus has been incubated and nourished for the required period of time, the yang spirit will appear."

3^rd : "the external medicine is ingested and merged with the internal medicine."

stage

1^st

2^nd

3^rd

is part of __

"building the foundation to refine the self."

"joining the sky and earth in the cauldron."

"forging the relationship between the mother and the child."

during __

"transmutation of generative into vital energy."

"to sow the seed of the generative essence."

"you will feel intoxicated."

"When the processes of nourishing and streaming are complete, you will become immortal."