The Two Apertures, Dragon and Tiger, and Like Joining Like (chapters 7-12)

7 The highest virtue acts without contrivance; it does not seek by scrutiny. Lesser virtue acts, and its activity never ends. When the upper opening closes, it is called being; when the lower closes, it is called nonbeing. Nonbeing ministers to what is above, where divine virtue dwells in being. Such is the method of the two apertures; the breath of metal also awaits its partner. Know the white and guard the black, and divine illumination comes of itself: white is the essence of metal, black the foundation of water. Water is the pivot of the Way; stripped of number, it is called One. At the beginning of yin and yang, darkness holds the yellow sprout. Master of the five metals is the northern River Chariot. Thus lead is black without but holds metal's radiance within: clothed in coarse cloth with jade in its breast, outwardly it seems a madman. Metal is the mother of water, and the mother hides in her child's womb.Water is the child of metal, and the child hides in the mother's womb. The perfected person is most wondrous, seeming at once to be and not to be, like a vast abyss, now sinking, now floating. When they withdraw and separate, each keeps to its own bounds. Gathered, it resembles white; fashioned, it becomes vermilion. Refined, the outer guard is formed, while the true dwells inside the white. Square and round, an inch across, they mingle and bind each other. Born before heaven and earth, august and exalted, it has walls and gate-towers beside it, shaped like the Isles of Peng. Closed all around, it has passages in four directions where movement pauses. Guard it tightly and firmly, barring treacherous intrusion; its winding doors communicate, ready against the unexpected. It can be attained without thought, but not through anxious labor. When spirit and breath fill the chamber, none can keep them there. Whoever guards it prospers; whoever loses it dies. In movement, stillness, and repose, it is always with us.

8 This is not the method of traversing the organs and thinking of visions within, pacing the lodges of the Dipper and marking days and hours by the Six Jia. The yin practice suppresses the nine and the one, muddying and troubling the primal womb. Swallowing breath sets the guts rumbling; exhaling the true draws in evil from without. By day and night they never sleep, nor pause at dark or new moon. Their bodies grow weary daily; they wander as if senseless. The hundred channels boil and race, unable to settle clear and calm. They mound earth to raise altars and worship reverently morning and evening. Spirits and ghosts appear in form, moving them in dreams; hearts joyful and minds delighted, they believe their years will surely be prolonged, only to die suddenly before their time, their corpses left to rot in the open. Every action strays, perversely losing the vital pivot. Their techniques are exceedingly many, more than ten thousand among their thousand rules: ahead or behind, they violate the Yellow Emperor and Laozi; their crooked turnings defy the nine capitals. Those who see clearly examine the meaning and freely discern the cause. Practice diligently, never ceasing by night or day. After ingesting the subdued substance for three years, you rise lightly and travel afar; cross fire without burning, enter water without becoming wet; appear or disappear at will, rejoicing always without care. When the Way is accomplished and virtue complete, lie hidden and await your time. Then Taiyi summons you to dwell in the Central Isle; your work fulfilled, you ascend and receive the chart.

9 The reckoning of the fire is not devised in vain; unfold the Changes to make it clear. Shape the furnace and cauldron like the crescent moon; the White Tiger serves as the pivot of heating. Mercury is the sun's flowing pearl, and the Green Dragon accompanies it. Bring east to meet west, and soul and moon-soul bind themselves together. The upper quarter, Dui, counts eight; the lower quarter, Gen, also eight. The two quarters join their essences, and the body of Qian and Kun is complete. Twice eight makes a pound; the Way of the Changes holds true and does not tilt.

10 When metal enters a raging fire, it does not lose its color or its brilliance. Since the opening of heaven and earth, sun and moon have never lost their light. Metal has not lost its weight; sun and moon keep their accustomed forms. Metal was originally born from the moon; at new-moon dawn it receives the sun's tally. Metal returns to its mother; at the dark moon, moon and sun enfold each other. Their outlines disappear, sinking and rising in the hollow void. Metal recovers its original nature, and the cauldron blazes with majestic light.

11 The numbers of zi and wu together are three; wu and ji are called five. Once three and five are joined in harmony, the eight stones fall into right order. Breathing together, they nurture one another and wait in contemplation as husband and wife. Yellow earth is metal's father; the flowing pearl is water's child. Water takes earth for its adversary; earth subdues water so it cannot rise. The Vermilion Bird is the essence of fire, holding the balance and adjusting victory and defeat. When water prevails, fire is extinguished; both die and return to the deep earth. The three natures then come together, sharing their original nature and common ancestry. Sesame can prolong life; the reverted elixir can be taken by mouth. Metal's nature does not decay, so it is the treasure of all things. Adepts ingest it after subduing it, and their lives are prolonged. Earth moves through the four seasons, guarding the boundaries and setting the rules. Gold sand enters the five inner organs, scattering like mist in wind and rain. Its vapor reaches all four limbs; the face becomes fresh and luminous. White hair turns black; fallen teeth grow again in their places. An old man regains youthful vigor; an old woman becomes a young girl. Their forms transformed, they escape the world's calamities and are called perfected persons.

12 When white lead is cast into fire, its color is destroyed and it becomes lead again. Ice and snow, meeting warm water, dissolve into profound darkness. Metal takes cinnabar as its master, finding harmony with mercury. Transformation springs from their true nature; end and beginning depend upon each other. Whoever would become an immortal by ingesting the subdued substance should use things of the same kind: to plant grain, use its seed; to hatch a hen, use her egg. Like restores what is natural; then the substance is readily formed and tempered. Can a fish's eye be a pearl? Can mugwort grow into a catalpa tree? Things of like kind follow one another; where kinds clash, no treasure is made. Sparrows do not beget phoenixes; foxes and rabbits do not suckle horses. Flowing water cannot blaze upward; moving fire cannot moisten downward. In our age many learned men possess lofty gifts and fine talents, but, never meeting the right opportunity, waste fire and lose their wealth. They follow written prescriptions and recklessly put their words into practice; without a trace of a proper beginning, they lose hold of weights and measures. They pound and treat stone gall from Qiang, mica, alum, and magnetite; burn sulfur with camphorwood; plaster mercury and refine it together; blow the bellows beneath five-stone copper, using it as a supporting pivot. Substances of different natures and kinds will not dwell together in one body. For a thousand attempts there will surely be ten thousand failures; aspiring to cleverness, they become fools. From childhood to white hair they grow doubtful halfway through. Turning their backs on the Way, they keep to the path of confusion; leaving the straight path, they take a crooked track. Looking through a tube gives no broad vision; it is hard for them to judge what lies ahead.

7 The highest virtue does nothing; it does not seek by investigation. Lesser virtue acts, and never stops applying itself. When the upper opening closes, it is called presence; when the lower closes, it is called absence. Absence serves what is above, where presence holds the spirit's power. This is the method of the two openings; the energy of metal also waits for its counterpart. Know white but keep to black, and the spirit's light will come by itself. White is metal's essence, black is water's foundation. Water is the pivot of the Way: remove the numbers and call it One. At the beginning of yin and yang, the dark contains the yellow sprout. The chief of the five metals is the northern river cart. Thus lead is black outside but holds golden brilliance within. It wears coarse clothes but carries jade inside; outwardly it looks like a madman. Metal is water's mother, and the mother hides in her child's womb. Water is metal's child, and the child hides in its mother's belly. The realized person is wonderfully subtle, as if present and absent at once, like a great deep, now sinking, now floating. When they withdraw and spread apart, each stays in its own region. Gather it and it looks white; prepare it and it turns red. Refined, it becomes a protective outer layer, with the real white inside. It is square and round, an inch across, mixed and held together. Born before heaven and earth, it stands high and honored. Beside it are walls and gates, shaped like the isle of Penghu. Closed all around, it nevertheless has passages in four directions. Guard it closely and securely; bar anything harmful. Its winding doors connect, ready for the unexpected. You may approach it without thought, but not through anxiety or toil. Spirit and energy fill the room; no one can hold them there. Keep it and you thrive; lose it and you die. In movement, stillness, and rest it is always with a person.

8 This is not the method of touring the inner organs and thinking about what you see within, walking in the steps of the Dipper's stars, or tracking the six jia by days and hours. Secret yin practices that suppress nine and one only stir up disorder and cloud the original womb. Eating breath makes the bowels rumble; breathing out the right energy draws in harmful energy from outside. You stay awake day and night and never rest, even on the last and first days of the month. Each day the body grows tired, dazed and seemingly foolish. All the blood vessels surge, with no chance to settle and clear. You pile up earth to make an altar and perform reverent rites morning and evening. Ghosts and spirits show their forms and trouble your dreams. Delighted, you think your life will surely be prolonged, but suddenly you die before your time, your body exposed to rot. Everything you do goes wrong; you go against the essential principle. There are very many such techniques, thousands upon thousands. They depart from the teaching of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi and twist away from the nine regions. A clear-minded person considers their meaning and plainly sees why. Practice the right way diligently, day and night without stopping. After three years of taking the prepared medicine, you rise lightly and travel far: fire does not burn you, water does not wet you; you can appear and disappear and live happily without worry. Once the Way is achieved and virtue complete, you stay hidden and wait for the time. The Great One summons you to live in the central land. With your work complete you rise above, receive the imperial command and the heavenly chart.

9 The schedule for fire is not made up: it is explained through the Changes. The crescent moon gives the model for furnace and cauldron; the white tiger is the pivot of heating. Mercury, the sun, is the flowing pearl, accompanied by the blue-green dragon. Bring east together with west, and the soul and bodily spirit hold each other. At the first quarter Dui's number is eight; at the last quarter Gen's is also eight. Join the essences of the two quarters and the body of Qian and Kun is formed. Twice eight corresponds to one jin in weight; the Way of the Changes then stands straight and does not tip.

10 When gold enters fierce fire, its color does not lose its brightness. Since the first opening of the world, sun and moon have not lost their light. Gold does not lose its weight, and sun and moon retain their forms. Gold originally grows from the moon; at the new moon's dawn it receives the tally from the sun. Gold returns to its mother; at the dark of the moon, sun and moon enclose each other. It hides its outlines and sinks and floats in deep emptiness. Gold recovers its former nature, and the cauldron glows with brilliant light.

11 The numbers of zi and wu add up to three; wu and ji are called five. When three and five are in harmony, the eight stones are properly ordered. Breathing in and out nurture one another; settled thought makes them husband and wife. Yellow earth is the father of metal; the flowing pearl is the child of water. Earth is water's enemy; earth holds water down so it cannot rise. The red bird is the essence of fire, keeping the balance between what wins and what loses. When water grows strong, fire goes out; both die and return to thick earth. The three natures then come together and share the same original ancestry. Sesame seed can prolong life, but the returned elixir can be taken by mouth. Metal does not decay, so it is valued among all things. An adept prepares and eats it, and gains a long life. Earth travels through the four seasons, keeps the boundaries, and sets the rules. When the golden cinnabar enters the five inner organs, mist spreads like wind and rain. Its warmth and vapor reach the limbs, and the complexion becomes fresh and healthy. White hair turns black, and teeth grow again where they fell out. An old man grows strong and young again; an elderly woman becomes a young girl. Their forms change and they escape the hardships of the world: they are called realized people.

12 Put white lead powder into fire, and its color is ruined as it turns back to lead. Bring snow and ice to warm water and they melt into dark water. Metal takes cinnabar as its master and comes into balance with mercury. The change follows their true nature; end and beginning depend on each other. If you want to become an immortal by taking a prepared medicine, use things of the same kind. Plant grain to grow grain, and set a hen on her own eggs. Things of a kind make up what is natural, and can readily be transformed. Can a fish's eye be a pearl? Mugwort cannot become a catalpa tree. Like things go together; things at odds cannot make a treasure. Swallows and sparrows do not give birth to phoenixes, and foxes and rabbits do not nurse horses. Flowing water does not blaze upward, and moving fire does not moisten what is below. Many scholars today have talent and fine abilities. But when they do not find the right encounter, they waste fuel and lose their money. They follow written instructions and recklessly act on words. They have no grasp of the starting principles and lose control of their measurements. They pound and prepare mineral gall, mica, alum, and magnetic stone; burn sulfur with camphor wood; and refine mercury sealed in clay. They blow the bellows beneath the five-stone bronze, treating it as an aid and pivot. These mixed natures belong to different kinds: how could they live in one body? Try a thousand times and fail ten thousand; trying to be clever, you become foolish. From youth to white-haired age, you begin to doubt halfway through. Turning your back on the Way, you remain on the wrong road, leaving the right path for a crooked one. Looking through a tube, your view is too narrow to judge what is coming.