In my earlier years of seeking the Tao, I held one firm principle: to maintain a mind as open as a valley. Regardless of whether the people I encountered practiced the orthodox path, heterodox methods, aberrant arts, the Great Vehicle, or the Lesser Vehicle, my ultimate goal was always to obtain their oral formulas (mantras). Consequently, the number of oral formulas I heard of was truly immense. While I cannot say that this time was entirely wasted or my efforts completely fruitless, out of all the formulas I obtained, roughly fifty percent were bizarre, vulgar, and ineffective. Another twenty percent, although usable, yielded no significant results. Only about thirty percent could be considered genuine oral formulas.
Even within this thirty percent, there are differences of superior, middling, and inferior grades, making it difficult to generalize. Today, I have grown somewhat weary of even hearing the term "oral formula." Based on years of experience and diligent study, I have deduced the following reasons why these formulas are not transmitted lightly:
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The Trial of Nature and the Need for Exceptional Qualities: The workings of nature (Zao Hua) involve life and death, a cycle of renewal. Yet, those who cultivate the Tao seek precisely to escape this – to achieve immortality or eternal cessation of rebirth, thus opposing nature's course. If one lacks extraordinary perseverance, supreme intelligence, and profound virtue, failure is inevitable. Upon failing, instead of blaming their own inadequacies, they blame the master for deceit and the formulas for being ineffective. Thus, for the master, each additional disciple often means another layer of trouble. Therefore, unless one encounters a vessel truly capable of bearing the Tao, transmission is not given lightly.
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The Danger of Taking Things for Granted: Anything obtained too easily is seldom valued highly. When put into practice, it's often treated with a casual, almost playful attitude – a common human tendency. Cultivating the Tao is the most sublime undertaking; if approached like a game, can a good result be expected? Therefore, transmitters often intentionally allow seekers to face considerable difficulties to observe whether they possess sincere and determined resolve. This is another reason for not transmitting lightly.
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The Hierarchical Nature of Methods and Arts: The Tao is universal, common to all things in the cosmos. Methods (Fa) are devised through human wisdom. Arts (Shu) are the various means of realizing the Tao through these methods or of protecting and practicing the Dharma. The Tao is singular, but methods can be superior, middling, or inferior. Arts, furthermore, vary in their ancient/modern, orthodox/heterodox, skillful/clumsy, and beneficial/harmful nature. The Tao can be explained openly to thousands; books can be written for the whole world. Methods should be taught according to the three grades, selecting recipients based on their superior, middling, or inferior capacity. One method should not be taught to many, lest it becomes incompatible. Arts must be even more carefully considered – timing, location, person, and social environment all determine whether transmission is appropriate. Some secret arts, though capable of producing rapid, miraculous effects, inevitably startle the conventional and easily attract slander. Publicizing them would cause backlash and great obstacles to practice. It is better to keep them secret, avoiding misguided criticism from outsiders.
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The Qualifications of the Master and Recipient: Masters who transmit the Tao also fall into three categories. The first consists of those who have fully accomplished their cultivation or are emanations of ancient sages and realized beings. The second are those halfway to accomplishment, whose physical physiology is entirely different from ordinary people's. These two types transmit the Tao purely, without conditions or need for help from ordinary people. The third category consists of those who, through immense hardship, have obtained the formulas but, due to poor circumstances or economic difficulty, cannot fully practice. Based on the principle of mutual aid, they seek someone with sufficient resources to aid their cultivation before transmitting. However, even if someone has the means to help, if their character is deficient and they are not a fitting vessel for the Tao, transmission is still forbidden. This is the fourth reason.
Note to Readers: Do not misunderstand here, thinking the author is devising rumors because he desires assistance. Frankly, my current level, while not daring to rank alongside the second category, allows me to press forward relying solely on my own power without great difficulty; I require no one's help. My current work is entirely for others, not for myself. If I sought only self-improvement, I naturally have my own duties to attend to; why would I wield pen and ink here, inviting such trouble? Readers must shed mercantile habits before reading my books, lest they create obstacles.
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The Weight of Oaths: When a master originally received the formulas, they certainly had to swear solemn oaths. Phrases like "Shall not recklessly transmit to unworthy persons; if recklessly transmitted, disaster shall surely befall," are among the mildest. There are even more severe ones. Having sworn such oaths, one cannot help but feel apprehensive. Thus, when transmitting later, masters are tremulously careful, fearing they might inadvertently violate their oath. Hence, they will not transmit lightly.
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The Master's Own Hard-Won Experience: The master's own acquisition of the formulas was likely very difficult – involving many years, hardships, and trials before finally succeeding. They thus come to view their own arduous process as the standard model for all beginners. If your experience does not match their own difficult path, they consider it too easy for you, not fitting for an ordinary seeker's lot. Therefore, they refuse to transmit lightly.
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Secrecy of Earthly Alchemy and Its Potential Misuse: The Earthly Elixir formulas (Di Yuan Dan Jue) and the arts of yellow and white alchemy (transmutation) have been kept secret since ancient times, never publicly disclosed, though each dynasty has had a few inheritors. In the past, the cost of living was much lower. These cultivators did not seek great wealth; producing a few ounces of silver per month sufficed for their needs. They lived hidden in mountains and forests or blended into cities. Since they sought nothing from others, others could not recognize them. Such formulas are hard to come by. If publicly announced, should everyone learn to practice them, an overproduction of silver would disrupt the national economy. Furthermore, there is fear that unscrupulous people might obtain them and use them for oppression. Thus, they are not transmitted lightly.
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The Secrecy and Purpose of Sword Arts: Sword arts (Jian Shu) are also among the most secretive. The highest level is called "Sword Immortal" (Jian Xian), the next "Sword Adept" (Jian Ke). Their precepts forbid involvement in state affairs. When people ask why they don't serve the country, this is an outsider's view – one must not guess based on novels. What, then, is the purpose of sacrificing twenty years to master this art? This school represents a branch within the Earth Immortal (Di Xian) tradition. Their practice involves journeying to perilous peaks and ravines to gather rare herbs, practicing grain avoidance (Bigu), breath absorption and expulsion, and drawing essence from the sun and moon. Their methods differ from the Golden Elixir (Jin Dan) path practiced in cities. If confronted by deadly beasts in the wilderness where physical strength fails, they use sword energy (Jian Qi) to subdue them. After two or three centuries, upon achieving the Tao and undergoing liberation from the corpse (Shi Jie), the physical body is no longer preserved, and the sword art becomes useless. Those not content with minor attainments can seek further progress, comprehending the workings of Yin and Yang, mastering the power to reverse heaven and earth, transforming postnatal metallic energy into prenatal metallic energy, thus returning to the main path of the Golden Elixir. These individuals are often stubborn and aloof. Unless your qualifications meet their criteria, they will never transmit. This is the eighth reason.
The gentleman teaching sword arts in Chongqing, Sichuan, a few years ago likely had some charlatan tendencies. He took many disciples and acquired considerable money, which probably suited him well, but he thoroughly tarnished the reputation of Sword Immortals. In northwestern provinces, others are also fabricating myths about Sword Immortals, completely unlike the genuine tradition. I fear this is another fraudulent scheme. Seekers of the Tao must be careful not to fall into their traps.
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The Dangers of Misusing True Esoteric Arts: Talismans, incantations, spirit summoning, ghost commanding, demon subjugation, monster capture, teleportation, transformation, the three lightnesses and five permeations (San Qiao Wu Dun), immobilization, snake charming, fox catching – among these various strange arts, ninety percent are false. However, true and false are relative; where false exists, true must also exist. If the true arts are mistakenly transmitted to unworthy individuals, both state and society suffer. Both transmitter and receiver face calamity, as seen in historical examples like the White Lotus Sect. Therefore, they are not transmitted lightly.
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Livelihood and Vows in Healing Arts: Zhuyou healing, talismanic water for emergencies, Qi emission massage, acupuncture, and point pressing – these often constitute the practitioner's livelihood. Without appropriate compensation, you will not obtain their formulas. Some are dedicated solely to relief and do not rely on this for income; they might not be stingy in transmission, but the learner is also forbidden from practicing for profit. If one secretly accepts payment, it violates their precepts and implicates the master. Hence, transmission is not given lightly.
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Secrecy in Martial Arts: The basic stances of internal and external martial arts schools, along with common techniques, can be taught publicly. But anything slightly deeper requires formal discipleship before the master will reveal the intricacies; they cannot be discussed casually. Furthermore, family traditions often pass supreme skills only to sons, not disciples, fearing either that the disciple might turn against the master, or that the disciple cannot bear the heavy responsibility of supporting the master's entire family. If one takes a monastic as a master, the second problem vanishes. With good fortune, not only will the master not require support, but he might even provide for you. However, the first problem remains; masters always retain some secret skills to guard against betrayal. Consequently, Chinese martial arts have declined, each generation inferior to the last.
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Racial Nature of Taoist Arts vs. Worldly Religions: Buddhism and Christianity are universal. Taoist learning and the arts of immortality are racial. Religions with a universal nature welcome all races, persuading unbelievers and drawing in believers. Taoist learning and immortal arts stand in opposition. If you are not of the Chinese nation, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, do not hope to obtain even a shred of genuine instruction. When I first learned the Tao, I too swore oaths never to disclose openly, fearing foreigners might acquire them and practice desperately. Should they succeed, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Our Chinese nation would be left even further behind. It is better to preserve this ancestral heritage, retaining some hope that someday, spiritual powers attained through physical cultivation might overcome the weapons of scientific warfare and subdue warmongers. Therefore, transmission is not given lightly.
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Objection: Buddhism emphasizes compassion, Christianity preaches universal love. Even if Laozi's teaching differs, the Daodejing speaks of clarity, tranquility, non-action, yielding, non-contention, and that the soft and weak are companions of life, while the strong and violent meet no good end. These are Laozi's core tenets. If foreigners truly believed in Taoism, would they not refrain from bullying the weak and viewing aggression as a virtue? This reason for non-disclosure seems overly cautious.
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Reply: Observe the Buddhist nations of the East – where is the compassion? Most European nations believe in Jesus – where is the universal love? These are empty words; their actual conduct is often the extreme opposite. Furthermore, our study concerns the arts of immortality passed down within the Chinese nation since antiquity – it is not a religion, not mere morality, nor simply a discipline of mind and nature. Sages and gentlemen learning these arts remain sages and gentlemen. Robbers and villains learning them remain villains, perhaps even gaining greater capacity for evil. The strict secrecy maintained by immortals and masters throughout history is indeed well-reasoned, not excessive caution.
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Protecting the Core Teachings from Religious Appropriation: The thought, theory, and practices of the Immortalists (Xian Jia), viewed comprehensively, can be called a philosophy of superhumanity. While the methods vary, their depths differ, and success comes slower or faster, their fundamental aim is always to transform actual human life, not to establish superstitious religions. Later religious figures, often feeling their own doctrines empty and inadequate for attracting followers, frequently appropriated Immortalist theories, blending them into their teachings to embellish their own schools. Observe the various secret sects, societies, altars, and institutes all over the country. Joining them might reveal glimpses, hints suggesting immortals truly descend, secretly guiding. Yet examining their overall theories reveals mostly a disjointed understanding of ancient Immortalist doctrine, often jumbling sages, immortals, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and spirits together chaotically, obscuring the true face of the Immortal. Fortunately, they have not penetrated the inner sanctum, merely touching the surface, so the fundamental doctrines remain unshaken. Imagine if we had no reservations and fully disclosed the secrets of the Celestial Elixir (Tian Yuan Shen Dan), Earthly Yellow-White alchemy, and the Cantongqi and Wuzhen pian texts, allowing them access. What suits them becomes material for their recruitment; what doesn't, they criticize wildly under the names of immortals and Buddhas, misleading later learners. We would suffer the harms of disclosure before seeing its benefits. Therefore, transmission is not given lightly.
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Guarding Against Future Co-option by New Religions: The previous point concerns past and present ills; future hidden dangers must also be guarded against. Old-style religious adherents aim to conserve; thus, they label anything outside their creed as "heterodox," including Immortals. While their narrow-mindedness is regrettable, their clear boundaries help preserve distinct identities. The greater worry is new-style religious adherents, whose aim is appropriation. They seek to absorb the strengths of other teachings and the secret arts of the Immortalists into their own sphere, creating a new syncretic doctrine. What fits their exoteric teachings is incorporated exoterically; what doesn't is relegated to their esoteric teachings. Their method is like a business takeover: removing our shop sign, moving our inventory into their store, replacing it with their brand, advertising it as their own manufacture. Should this scheme ever be realized, the Taoist arts passed down since antiquity in China would be obliterated. We, as descendants of the Yellow Emperor, must strive to preserve our ancestral legacy. Therefore, transmission is not given lightly.
