Song of the Cauldron, the Vessel's Wonders, Supplement, and the Author's Afterword (chapters 32-35)

32 No images and models are greater than heaven and earth; the dark channel stretches tens of thousands of miles. When Hegu faces the lodge Xingji, all the people are struck with fear. The gnomon's shadow advances and retreats out of order, and for nine years disaster reigns. The exalted ruler observes it and withdraws to correct his ways. The pivots rise and fall, and harmful breath flees. The Yangtze and Huai rivers dry up, their waters flowing into the sea. Heaven and earth's female and male move back and forth between zi and wu. Yin and shen are ancestors of yin and yang; they come and go, ending and beginning again. Following the Dipper and its swinging handle, they grasp the balance and fix the primal order. The substance rises and heats on the steaming mountain, with a blazing fire set below. The White Tiger leads the song before; the azure liquid responds behind. The Vermilion Bird soars at play, its flying colors fivefold bright; caught in a spreading net, it is pressed down and cannot rise. Its wails are grievous, like an infant longing for its mother. Upside down it goes to the boiling cauldron, its feathers battered and broken. Before half a water-clock period has passed, fish scales and bristling fins arise. The five-colored images blaze, transforming without fixed master. Seething, the cauldron boils and races, surging violently without rest. Layer upon layer they gather, interlocking like dogs' teeth. Their shapes resemble midwinter ice, while shining stone puts forth stalactites. Towering, mingled, and crowded, they heap against and prop each other up. Yin and yang find their match and abide together in quiet simplicity. The Green Dragon occupies the sixth lodge of Fang; spring flowers shake the east at mao. The White Tiger is in the seventh lodge of Mao; autumn ears of grain answer Dui in the west at you. The Vermilion Bird dwells in the second lodge of Zhang, mixed with full yang in the south at wu. All three come to court, their families joining as kin and companions. At the root there are only two substances; in the end they become three and five. Three and five together with one gather back in the two places. Treat them by the rules above, and take the full count of days. First white, then yellow, red and black reach inside and out. This is named the First Cauldron; eat an amount the size of a large millet grain. Nature itself works this, not a false or crooked way. Breath from mountain and marsh steams together, raising clouds that become rain; dried mud turns to dust, and extinguished fire becomes earth. Like cork-tree bark dyeing things yellow or indigo making green thread, hides boiled into glue or ferment turning into wine: kindred things are easily made to work, while alien kinds resist even skill. Consider this marvelous art closely: these are no deceptive words. Passed down a hundred million generations, it can still be clearly tested. It shines like stars across the River of Heaven and gathers as waters return to the sea. Ponder until you know it well; turn again and again to what lies above and below. After a thousand readings its brilliance will gleam; after ten thousand you may see it. Perhaps divine powers will tell you, or insight will suddenly arise in your own heart. Probe its beginnings and seek its threads, and you will surely find its gateway. There are no fixed favorites or foes in entering the Way: it is always passed to the worthy.

33 Round: three and five; in an inch, one tenth; the mouth: four and eight; the lip: two inches; its length is a foot and two inches, its thickness uniform. The belly is level with three, and beneath it rests the warmth. Yin is above; yang races below. Fierce fire at beginning and end, gentle fire between. Begin with seventy and end with thirty; three hundred and six, properly regulated and balanced. Yin fire and white, yellow sprout and lead. Two sevens gather to aid and support the person. They nourish and order the brain, steadying the ascent of the mysterious. The child dwells within: can it remain secure? It wanders back and forth but does not leave the gate. Gradually it grows great, its nature and feeling pure. It returns to the One, going back to its first source. Love and respect well, as ruler and minister do. Reaching one complete circuit demands great labor. Guard it closely; do not lose your way in darkness. The road is long, deep, and mysterious. If you attain this, you will unite Qian and Kun. With a knife-measure moistened, cleanse sun-soul and moon-soul. You will gain long life and dwell among immortals. Lovers of the Way, seek its root. Examine the five phases, establish the weights down to the grain. Think it through truly; there is no need to debate. Keep it deep within and guard it; do not pass it on in writing. Ride a white crane, drive a scaled dragon, roam the great void and visit the lords of immortals. Entered on heaven's chart, you are called a perfected person.

34 The Kinship of the Three sets forth the broad outlines, but cannot be perfectly complete: it ranges widely in its account, leaving subtle details unfinished, omissions and hazy passages. Now I compile it again to fill what was left out, polish the deep and hidden, and draw related matters together. The meanings agree and their aims do not conflict. Thus I make this further work and name it Three Kinds Alike: with it the nature and feeling of the Great Changes are fully revealed.The nature and feeling of the Great Changes each keep their measure. Apply the teachings of Huang and Lao thoroughly, and through comparison they can be mastered. The furnace-fire practice truly has its foundation. The three Ways arise from one and issue along a common path. Branches, stems, flowers, and leaves spread forth with their fruit, but all lie in the root and do not lose their original substance. I speak in sincerity: examine this and you will not go astray. Consider the midwinter season, when bamboo and trees alike are wounded. Assist yang and call merchants to account; the ruler hides deep within. Model yourself on the time and follow its ordinances: close your mouth and do not speak. Heaven's Way is boundlessly vast; the Great Mystery has no form. Empty and silent, it cannot be seen; even its outline vanishes. Mistakes lose the thread of the work; words of return bring harm upon the speaker. I set out these four images separately, to enlighten the blind among later generations.

35 I am a humble man of Kuaiji, a decaying life in a secluded valley. I keep simplicity in my breast, caring nothing for power and glory. I linger in remote and humble places, disregarding profit and fame, holding fast to quiet ease and hoping for times of peace. Living in tranquil leisure, I composed this work. It sings of the Great Changes and relates the words left by the three sages; I examined their aims and brought them together in one account. In following their principle, let your spirit shine forth. Divine transformation flows freely, bringing peace to the four seas. Set out as a calendar, it can guide ten thousand generations; arranged for government, it is not difficult to practice. Turn it inward to nourish your nature, according to the natural Way of Huang and Lao. Hold virtue deep and return to the root, to the primal source. It lies close by, within my heart, never separate from my own body. Embrace the One and do not let go, and you may endure. Join this with ingesting the subdued substance, setting male and female in place. Cast out Wudu; discard the eight stones. Examine and use the perfected substance, prized by the world. I have arranged three strands, their branches and stems entwined. They come from the same source though they bear different names, all proceeding through one gate. These are not merely piled-up phrases or cleverly paired lines; they surely hold truth, visible even among the rough stones. If I were spreading falsehood, I would be guilty of needless error. I named this the Kinship of the Three; glimpse its subtle beginning. Its words are few, its meaning vast: may those who come after honor it. Leave behind the harm of your time and take refuge in hills and mountains. Wander through the immense emptiness, dwelling beside the spirits. Transform your form and become immortal, sinking silently from sight. A hundred generations later, wander again among humankind. Spread your wings and tilt east, west, and south. Tang met with a time of hardship, when flood and drought came together. Branches and leaves yellowed and withered, losing their flowering glory. When good people bear one another up, they may live long in peace.

32 No model is greater than heaven and earth; the dark channel runs for tens of thousands of miles. When the River Drum star comes near the Star Marker, everyone is alarmed. The sundial's shadow moves wrongly forward and back, and nine years suffer disaster. The emperor sees it and changes his ways. The pivot rises and falls, and harmful energy runs off. The Yangtze and Huai rivers dry up, while their waters flow into the sea. Heaven and earth's female and male move back and forth between zi and wu. Yin and shen are the ancestors of yin and yang: they enter and leave and begin again. Following the Dipper, the turning handle holds the balance and sets the first calendar. The substance rises and cooks in the mountain-shaped steamer, with a fierce fire lit below. White Tiger leads and calls from the front; blue-green liquid joins from behind. Red Bird flies about at play, showing five colors. Caught in a net, it is pressed down and cannot rise. It cries pitifully like a baby longing for its mother. Turned upside down into the boiling pot, its feathers are broken and torn. Before half a water-clock measure passes, fishlike scales and bristling fins appear. Five brilliant colors dazzle the eye and keep changing. The liquid boils and bubbles in the cauldron, surging without rest. Layers heap on layers, interlocking like a dog's teeth. They look like midwinter ice, with clusters of crystalline stone sending out stalactites. They stand high in a tangled heap, propped up against each other. Yin and yang find their partners and hold together gently. Blue-green Dragon occupies the sixth station of the Chamber, like spring flowers in Zhen's eastern mao. White Tiger occupies the seventh station of Mao, like autumn awns in Dui's western you. Red Bird occupies the second station of Zhang, the full yang mingled with southern wu. The three come to court together, close as members of a family. At the root there are only two things; at the end there are three and five. Three and five combine with one and all gather in two places. Treat them according to the rules above, taking the number of days from the beginning too. White comes first, then yellow, while red and black reach inside and outside. This is called the first cauldron; take a portion the size of a large millet grain. It is nature's own work, not a false or crooked method. Energy rises between mountain and marsh, making clouds and rain. Mud dries and becomes dust; fire dies and turns to earth. Amur cork tree dyes yellow, and indigo makes a green cord. Boiled hide becomes glue; fermented grain and starter turn to wine. Working with things of the same kind is easy; no skill can force different kinds. This marvelous technique is true when examined closely; its words are no lie. Passed down for hundreds of millions of generations, it will remain clear enough to test. It shines like stars across the Milky Way and gathers like rivers in the sea. Study it until you know it well, looking over it from beginning to end again and again. After a thousand readings it will shine clearly; after ten thousand, you may see it. Perhaps a spirit will tell you, or understanding will suddenly come from your own mind. Search out its beginning and trace its threads, and you will find the entrance. There is no favoritism on the path into the Way; it is always passed to worthy people.

33 Round, three and five; an inch and one part. Its mouth, four and eight; its lip, two inches. Its length is one foot and two inches, its thickness even. Its belly matches three, and it sits hanging over warmth. Yin is above, while yang rushes below. Use strong fire at beginning and end, gentle fire in the middle. Begin with seventy, finish with thirty; make three hundred and six, adjusting them evenly. Yin's fire is white, and the yellow sprout is lead. Two sevens gather and give support. Nourish and tend the brain, settling the rise of the dark principle. The child remains in the center and rests safely. It moves back and forth without leaving the gate. Slowly it grows large, its nature and feelings pure. It returns to the One, to its original source. Treat it with loving respect, like ruler and minister. A full cycle takes great care. Protect it closely; do not become confused or careless. The road is long and hidden deep. If you get through it, Qian and Kun will meet. Then a small dose touches you and cleanses the bodily spirit and soul. You gain long life and dwell among immortals. Whoever loves the Way should seek its root. Study the five phases and fix the weights in zhu. Think it through carefully; there is no need to argue. Hide it well and guard it; do not pass it on in writing. Ride a white crane, drive a scaled dragon, roam the vast emptiness, visit the lord of immortals, be entered on the heavenly chart, and be called a realized person.

34 The Cantong qi sets out a general account. It cannot be entirely consistent, and speaks broadly; the finest details are not complete, and some parts are left vague. Now I have written more, filling in omissions, clarifying what was obscure, and linking the parts. The meanings are consistent and directed to the same end. So I have written this supplement, called Three Things of the Same Kind. Then the nature of the great Changes is fully explained.The great Changes have their own nature and proper measures. The teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi can be studied, compared, and applied. The work of furnace and fire has a real basis. The three paths follow one principle and emerge from a single road. Branches, stems, flowers, leaves, and hanging fruit all come from the root and do not depart from their original nature. I speak sincerely; examine this and you will find no error. Think of midwinter, when bamboo and trees are damaged. Support yang, question the traveling merchants, and let the ruler hide deep within. Follow the season and keep your mouth closed rather than talking. Heaven's Way is vast, and the deepest mystery has no visible form. Empty and still, it cannot be seen; its outlines disappear. Mistakes lose the thread of the work, and one's own words then bring harm. I have set these four images out separately to bring light to blind students of the future.

35 I am a humble man from Kuaiji, an old and worn-out man in a secluded valley. I keep a simple heart and do not love power or fame. Living quietly in an out-of-the-way place, I ignore profit and reputation. I hold to a peaceful, modest life and hope for calm times. At ease in my free time, I wrote this work. It tells of the great Changes and the words left by three sages. I study their meaning and explain them together as one. Do not depart from the proper principle; let the spirit shine. Divine change moves freely, and peace spreads across the four seas. Set it out as a calendar for people to follow for all time. Arrange it for governing: it is not hard to put into practice. Draw on it inwardly to nourish your nature, following the natural Way of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. Keep virtue in full measure and return to your root and origin. It is close, in my own heart, never apart from my body. Hold fast to the One and do not let go, and you may live long. Combine this with the medicine to be prepared and eaten, setting out male and female. Remove Wudu and throw out the eight stones. Use the things that really work, which the world values. I have set out three strands with branches and stems joined. They have different names but come from the same source and one gate. I have not simply piled up lines or made rhyming pairs: the truth in them is substantial and plain to see. If I spread falsehoods, I would instead incur blame. I call it the Cantong qi: look briefly at its beginning. Its words are few but its meaning large; later generations should respect it. Leave the harmful times behind and find refuge in the hills. Travel through the vast emptiness, dwelling near spirits. Change your form and become immortal, silent and unseen. After a hundred generations, wander among people again, spread your wings and lean to east and west and south. Tang met with disaster: flood and drought struck together. Branches and leaves turned yellow, losing their blossoms and beauty. Good people support one another, and in safety may live long.