Pentasyllabic Poem, Twelve Xijiangyue Songs, Five Coda Quatrains, and Reading the Cantongqi

82 The woman wears blue robes; the young man is dressed in white silk. When seen, it cannot be used; when used, it cannot be seen.They meet in the shimmering haze; in the utter dark a change takes place. Flames fly up in an instant; a True Person appears of himself.

83 The inner medicine is like the outer medicine; master the inner, but master the outer too. The elixir seed joins with others of its kind; each kind requires its own gentle nurture.Within is the natural, true fire, blazing red forever in the furnace. Work diligently to increase and lessen the outer furnace; no marvel surpasses the true seed.

84 This medicine is most divine, most sacred; I fear your share of fortune is too slight to receive it. Blend lead and mercury in less than a morning, and soon behold the dark pearl's first sign.If people of resolve can practice and refine it, why should they not dwell in the market or at court? The work is easy, the medicine not distant; when told outright, people cannot help laughing.

85 The white tiger's first flow is the supreme treasure; the divine water of the Flowery Pool is true gold. Thus know how deep the source of the highest good's benefits runs; this is no ordinary medicine.If you would achieve the ninefold turning, first refine yourself and keep watch over your heart. Gather it at the right time, determine what floats and sinks; feed the fire but beware of grave danger.

86 If you wish true lead to hold mercury fast, the household servant must not leave its kin. Wood and metal, kept apart, have no cause to meet; a matchmaker must draw them together.Wood by nature loves metal and follows righteousness; metal's feeling loves wood in merciful kindness. They swallow and devour one another, yet become intimate; now one sees a man conceive.

87 From whose house comes the maiden of two eights? Where is the young man of nine and three? They call themselves wood's liquor and metal's essence; only when they meet seven can the three natures form.Borrow Master Ding to forge and refine them; only then do husband and wife unite in joy. The river cart dares not pause for a moment, but carries them to the summit of Kunlun.

88 Seven reversions restore cinnabar to its root; nine returns bring golden liquor back to truth. Do not count yin and zi or kun and shen; simply take the five phases as your measure.Originally there is just one substance, quicksilver, circulating through all the celestial stations. When the numbers of yin and yang are complete it communes with spirits; its coming and going never leaves the mysterious female.

89 The male contains a female substance within; true yin, in turn, embraces yang essence. When both are joined, the medicine forms, transmuting soul to numinousness and spirit to holiness.Trust that a single grain of golden elixir, swallowed by a snake, at once transforms it into a dragon. A chicken fed it turns into phoenix or roc and flies into the sacred realm of true yang.

90 When heaven and earth pass through Obstruction and Peace, learn to know Difficulty and Youthful Folly at dawn and dusk. Spokes converge upon the hub; waters flow toward their source. The wonder lies in the use of drawing off and adding in.Attain the One and ten thousand tasks are done; make no distinctions of north and south, west and east. Diminish and diminish again; guard the work already done. Do not treat the treasure of life lightly.

91 At winter solstice one yang comes back in Return; every thirty days a yang line is added. In the month's cycle the Return hexagram rises at the new moon's dawn; after the full moon Qian ends and Gou appears.The day likewise divides into cold and heat; yang rises anew at midnight. At noon Gou's image ushers in one yin; to refine the medicine, know dusk from dawn.

92 You cannot distinguish five phases and four images; how then can you tell cinnabar from mercury or lead from silver? You have never heard of the fire's timing for refining the elixir, yet hasten to call yourself a great recluse.You refuse to reflect on your own error and even teach others the errant road, condemning them to lose their way for endless eons. How can your heart bear such deceit?

93 Cultivate virtue beyond eight hundred deeds; accumulate three thousand works of hidden merit. Hold things and self, kin and enemies, in equal balance; only then do you fulfill an immortal's original vow.Tigers, wild beasts, blades, and weapons will not harm you; impermanence and the burning house cannot ensnare you. When the precious talisman descends, go to court in heaven, riding safely in a jade carriage and phoenix chariot.

94 The love of Cowherd and Weaver Girl takes the Way as its root; tortoise and snake take their natures from heaven. Toad and crow meet at the new moon and unite in beauty; the two breaths sustain and turn each other.All is the wondrous working of Qian and Kun; who understands this true teaching? When yin and yang are severed by obstruction, fault follows: how could they endure as long as heaven and earth?

95 The elixir is the body's supreme treasure; refined, it brings transformations without end. Search further into nature for the true teaching, and resolve the mystery of death and life.Without awaiting a later body or a future age, obtain the Buddha's divine powers here and now. Since the Dragon Girl undertook this work, who has been able to follow in her footsteps?

96 Though you understand the nature of true suchness, You must still shed one body and enter another.But if you can also refine the great medicine, You leap at once beyond all defilements and become a True Person.

97 Entering a womb, seizing a body, moving house, Or staying in the old abode marks the disciple of four fruits.If you know how to subdue dragon and tiger, When could a house built of true gold ever decay?

98 Mirror-gazing, holding breath, and contemplating the spirits: Hard for the beginner, afterward a level path.Though in a flash you can travel ten thousand miles, When your house falls apart, you must move elsewhere.

99 The Buddha teaches people to cultivate the Pure Land Because the Pure Land is the realm of gold.Among all forms and appearances, this alone is real; The other two are not true, whatever your idle speculation.

100 Common sayings often agree with the highest Way; Look within them carefully and seek it out.If you can seek reversal in daily life, All the earth's dust and sand will turn to treasure.

101 The Great Elixir's wondrous workings follow Qian and Kun. Qian and Kun revolve, and the five phases divide. With the five phases moving in their natural order, the ordinary way knows birth and death; with the five phases reversed, the elixir body stays forever numinous and enduring. From the One, emerging out of empty nothingness, the two principles first take form; when the One first opens its root, the four images remain joined to it. The two bodies and eight trigrams become one another's ancestors and descendants. The ten thousand forms arise from change and motion; fortune, misfortune, regret, and shame divide from here. Ordinary people use it every day without knowing; the sage can probe its original source. Looking upon the marvels of the Way of the Changes, which comprehends all the principles of Qian and Kun, the sage entrusted its images to this text. When Obstruction and Peace alternate, yin and yang now rise, now fall; when Difficulty and Youthful Folly arise, motion and stillness belong to dawn and dusk. Kan and Li are man and woman, water and fire; Zhen and Dui are dragon and tiger, spirit and soul. Holding to the center brings the yellow robe and primal good fortune; passing beyond the limit brings eminence with no proper place. Already and Not Yet Completed mark the beginning and ending of all things; Return and Encounter reveal the running together of the two breaths. The moon's waning and waxing answer the decline and flourishing of spirit and essence; the sun's rising and setting govern the cold and warmth of nourishment and protection. Words were first established to clarify images; once you grasp the images, forget the words. Images, too, are set up to point to meaning; when you understand that meaning, put the images aside. For the adept, all is simple and easy; for the lost, ever more bewildering and intricate. Thus one knows that the highest students who cultivate truth read the Cantongqi without clinging to images or fastening upon its words.

82 The woman wears blue clothes; the young man wears plain white silk. When you see it, you cannot use it; when you use it, you cannot see it.They meet in a vague state, and change takes place in deep darkness. In an instant flames shoot up, and a true person appears.

83 The inner medicine is the same as the outer medicine; if you understand the inner, you must understand the outer too. The basis of the elixir joins with its own kind; warming and nurturing work in two ways.Inside there is natural true fire, burning bright red in the furnace. Work diligently to increase and decrease the outer furnace; nothing surpasses the true seed.

84 This medicine is supremely powerful and sacred; I worry that your small share of good fortune cannot bear it. Join lead and mercury in less than a morning, and soon you will see the dark pearl taking shape.If a determined person can refine it, why not live in the market or at court? The work is easy and the medicine is close at hand; people would laugh if you told them outright.

85 The white tiger's first flow is the greatest treasure; the spiritual water of the splendid pool is true gold. So we know the source that benefits all is deep; this is no ordinary medicine.To complete the nine returns, first refine yourself and control your mind. Gather it at the right time and settle what floats and sinks; be very careful when increasing the fire.

86 If you want true lead to hold mercury, the close relative must not leave the household servant. Wood and metal are separated and cannot meet by themselves; a matchmaker must draw them together.Wood naturally loves metal and obeys what is right; metal's feelings love wood and are kind. They swallow and eat each other, yet become close; then you find that a man is pregnant.

87 Whose young woman is the two eights, and where is the nine-three young man? They call themselves wood liquid and metal essence; only when they meet seven can the three natures form.Then use Master Ding to refine them, and husband and wife join in joy. The river cart must not stop for a moment: send it up to Kunlun's summit.

88 With seven returns, cinnabar goes back to its source; with nine returns, liquid gold returns to truth. Do not calculate yin and zi against kun and shen; just take the five phases as the standard.Originally it is one substance, mercury, passing through all the times. When the numbers of yin and yang are complete, it becomes spiritually effective; entering and leaving, it never departs from the dark female principle.

89 The male contains female substance; true yin embraces yang essence. Only when these two combine does the medicine form, changing the soul and making the spirit sacred.Believe that one grain of golden elixir, swallowed by a snake, immediately turns it into a dragon. A chicken that eats it becomes a phoenix or great bird, flying into the sacred realm of true yang.

90 As soon as heaven and earth pass through Pi and Tai, learn to recognize Zhun and Meng at morning and evening. Spokes gather at a hub, and waters run to their source; the secret lies in how you remove and add.When you get the one, all tasks are done; stop dividing south from north or west from east. Reduce and reduce again, guarding your earlier work; do not handle the treasure of life lightly.

91 At the winter solstice, the first yang returns; over thirty days another yang line is added. Within the month, the returning hexagram moves past the dawn of the new moon; after the full moon Qian ends and Gou begins.The day has its own cold and heat; yang is born again at midnight. At noon the Gou image begins with a first yin line; when refining medicine you must know morning and evening.

92 If you cannot distinguish the five phases and four forms, how can you tell cinnabar and mercury from lead and silver? You have never heard the rules for timing the elixir's fire, yet you already call yourself a great recluse.You refuse to consider your own errors, and even teach your wrong path to others. You lead them astray for endless ages; how can you bear such dishonesty?

93 Cultivate more than eight hundred good actions and accumulate three thousand unseen good deeds. Treat others and yourself, loved ones and enemies, equally; only then do you fulfill the original wish of the immortals.Tigers, rhinoceroses, swords, and armies cannot hurt you; death and the burning house cannot hold you. When the precious warrant comes down, ascend to heaven, riding securely in a jeweled carriage drawn by phoenixes.

94 The bond of Oxherd and Weaver Girl follows the way at its source; turtle and snake take after their natural kinds. Moon-toad and sun-crow meet at the new moon in beauty; the two energies support each other and turn together.All this is the wonderful working of Qian and Kun; who understands its true teaching? If yin and yang are separated, things go wrong; how can they last as long as heaven and earth?

95 The elixir is the body's greatest treasure; when refined, it brings endless changes. Investigate the true teaching of your nature as well, and settle the mystery of life and death.You need not wait for another body or future life; you gain the Buddha's supernatural powers now. Since the Dragon Girl practiced this work, who has been able to follow her?

96 Even if you fully understand the nature of things as they really are,You still leave one body and enter another.If you can also refine the great medicine,You immediately pass beyond all faults and become a true person.

97 Entering a womb, taking over a body, or moving house:Those who live in the old dwelling are called followers of the four fruits.If you can subdue dragon and tiger together,When will a house built of true gold ever decay?

98 Gazing at your form, holding the breath, and visualizing spiritsAre hard at first, but become easier later.Though you can suddenly travel ten thousand miles,When the house breaks, you must move elsewhere.

99 The Buddha teaches people to cultivate the realm of highest joy,Because highest joy lies in the region of gold.Of the forms of the body, only this one is real;The other two are not real, however you assess them.

100 Common sayings often agree with the highest way;You should look closely into them.If you can seek reversal in everyday activities,All the dust and sand of the earth become treasures.

101 The great elixir's wonderful work follows Qian and Kun; as Qian and Kun move, the five phases separate. When the five phases run in their usual order, there is birth and death; when they run in reverse, the elixir's body remains spiritual and lives on. The one first takes form from emptiness as the two principles; from the one, four forms take root without leaving it. The two bodies and eight trigrams become ancestors and descendants to each other. All things arise from change and movement; from this come good and bad fortune, regret and trouble. Ordinary people use this every day without knowing it; sages can investigate its source. Because the way of the Changes is subtle and covers the principles of Qian and Kun, its author placed images in the text. When Pi and Tai interact, yin and yang sometimes rise and sometimes fall; when Zhun and Meng arise, movement and stillness occur at morning and evening. Kan and Li are man and woman, water and fire; Zhen and Dui are dragon and tiger, moon-soul and sun-soul. Hold to the center and the yellow robe brings great good fortune; push too far and you claim a high place without a proper position. Ji and Wei Ji concern the end and beginning of all things; Fu and Gou show the two energies returning and rushing back. The waning and waxing moon matches the weakening and strengthening of essence and spirit; the rising and setting sun makes the body's nourishing energies cold or warm. Words were first set down to make the images clear; once you grasp the images, forget the words. Likewise the images were set up to point to meaning; once you understand the meaning, set the images aside. For those who understand, it is simple and easy; the confused make it more and more complicated. So we know that the best students of the true way read the Cantongqi without clinging to its images or its words.