The secret of cultivating Taoism passed down within a cultivating Taoism family

The heart being empty leads to the stillness of nature. When nature is still, the apertures open. A nature that is empty and spiritual opens the apertures and becomes receptive, thus being able to respond to all things, with an internal and external correspondence.

The nature of ordinary people is originally empty and void. Once entering the acquired stage, it becomes substantial. When substantial, the apertures are blocked and cease to exist, making it difficult to pass through. Therefore, there is a separation between humans and heaven, with birth and death, and it is difficult to transcend. Practitioners need to cultivate their nature to make it empty, so that the apertures reopen and return to the congenital state.

The congenital apertures value flexibility rather than rigidity. If they are rigid, it is difficult to form all the acquired manifestations. The apertures are formed beneath the acupoints. When the congenital essence is full, the apertures move. When the congenital qi is abundant, the apertures open. When the congenital spiritual powers are manifested, the apertures expand.

When the three flowers are fulfilled, the spiritual apertures become complete. When one aperture opens, all apertures become bright. A heart with a touch of inspiration understands immediately; a stubborn mind fails to understand at all. Being completely muddled and having no understanding is the unity of heaven and man; being intelligent and having all seven apertures connected is the separation of heaven and man.

The water of the Kan trigram is full and substantial, while the fire of the Li trigram is hollow and void. Being void opens the aperture and reveals the mysterious pass. The aperture formed by void is not an ordinary aperture; it is opened by the true fire of the congenital true nature.

It is neither the mind nor the intention, so one should not use thoughts randomly. There is ingenuity hidden within clumsiness, which can be perceived by the congenital illuminating mind but is hard to obtain with the acquired deluded mind.
The mysterious pass and the single aperture is an aperture of emptiness and utmost clarity, formed by the nature's light, a congenital aperture. It is not acquired, so it does not fall on the physical form, and its trace is difficult to find on the human body.

However, this aperture is not far from the human body; it is just the separation between the congenital and the acquired. For example, looking for leaves on a seed is impossible. The seed must first germinate, and then there will be leaves.
But if one looks for leaves far from the seed, it is also biased. At this time, the seed has no leaves, but the tree formed by that seed at that time will have leaves. This is the natural principle, and the principle of the Dan Tao is the same.

This principle is very clear. How can practitioners not understand it! Therefore, "Understanding the Truth" says: "This aperture is not an ordinary aperture; it is formed by the combination of heaven and earth. It is called the acupoint of spirit and qi, and within it are the essence of Kan and Li."

The mysterious pass and the single aperture is not an ordinary aperture; it is a congenital aperture that is utmost clear and void. The empty apertures in the human body communicate with the empty apertures of heaven and earth, which is the foundation of the unity of heaven and man. When the apertures open and are revealed, one can access the wonderful and formless of the congenital state.
Among the eight gates, the Gate of Rest is where the mysterious pass and the single aperture is located. Without obtaining this aperture, it is ultimately difficult to enter the gate of the immortal way.

Opening the mysterious aperture without thoughts or actions, in silence and with sensation, one can connect to heaven. Understanding once leads to understanding all; the mystery of heaven is within. The initial movement of one yang is the mysterious pass; when the mysterious pass has manifestations, it is extraordinary.

The true opportunity of the latent dragon not being used is present; the taste of the mysterious wine is faint in the middle of the night. Underground, there is thunder and the root of heaven; in the sky, there is the moon and the cave of wind. When one aperture opens, one gains heaven and earth; when all apertures reflect, the sun and moon are complete.

The mysterious pass and the single aperture can lead to transcendence. Attachment to forms is all illusion. Heaven and earth have apertures to be alive; when an ordinary person's apertures open, they can connect to heaven. The mysterious pass and the single aperture is a congenital aperture and cannot be sought in the acquired state.

The congenital is utmost clear, while the acquired flows towards turbidity. The congenital is void while the acquired is substantial. When substantial, it needs to be opened in a substantial way; when void, it needs to be opened in a void way. The ways of opening the apertures are different.

In the practice of dual cultivation of life and nature in the Dan Tao, for the male path, the primary task is to guard the ancestral aperture, also using emptiness but not falling into emptiness. Guarding emptiness does not mean responding to emptiness; having emptiness enables receptivity. Do not cling to the substantial but use emptiness; knowing but not guarding is the orthodox way. Seemingly guarding but not really guarding is attaining the truth; in the state of profound and indistinct, one can naturally connect.

Responding to the substantial within the void, seeing the large within the small, the gates and apertures communicating, being empty yet not empty - the application of this aperture is not great! Scholars can only understand the true mechanism within it, and then the mystery of the apertures can be explored.

道家家传修炼秘诀(中文原文)

心空则性静，性静则窍开，一性空灵乃窍开有容，故能应于万物，内外相应也。

凡人之性本虚本空，一入后天则化为实，实则窍塞而无，难以通也，故人天相隔，出生入死，难以超脱也。修行者，即须修性使之成空，窍复通而返先天也。

先天之窍贵活而不贵死，死则难成后天万有也，窍者，穴下有敫也，先天精满而窍动，先天炁足而窍开，先天神通而窍展也。

三花满足，灵通窍成，一窍开通，窍窍光明。心有灵犀，一点即通；榆木脑袋，一窍不通。混沌一窍不通，天人合一也；聪明七窍贯通，天人各别也。

坎水盈满而实，离火中空而虚，虚则开窍而现玄关也，虚成窍者，此窍非凡窍，先天真性真火使之开也。

非心非意，故不可妄用心思也，拙中藏巧，以先天照心可察，后天妄心则难得也。

玄关一窍者，虚空之窍，至清之窍也，性光所成，先天之窍也。非后天，故不落形体之上，在人身上则难寻其踪迹也。

然此窍亦不远人身，只是先后天之相隔耳。譬如在一粒种子上寻树叶，必不可得。须先使种子发芽，而后乃有树叶也。

然若远种子而寻叶，又致偏也，此时之种子无叶，而彼时种子所成之树则有叶也。自然之理如此，而丹道之理亦如此。

此理甚明矣，修行者岂可不悟乎！故《悟真》曰：“此窍非凡窍，乾坤共合成。名为神气穴，内有坎离精。”


玄关一窍非凡窍，乃先天至清至虚之窍也，人体之虚窍，与天地之虚窍相通，此则天人合一之基也，窍开门显，可通先天妙无也。

八门之中，休门乃玄关一窍之所在也，不得此窍，则终难入于仙道之门也。

无思无为开玄窍，寂然有感自通天，一明百了天机在，妙通万有玄中玄，一阳初动即玄关，玄关有象自非凡。

潜龙勿用真机在，玄酒味淡夜半间。地下有雷天根在，天上有风月窟观。一窍开启天地得，窍窍随映日月圆。

玄关一窍可超凡，执著有相皆为幻，天地有窍乃可生，凡人窍开自通天。玄关一窍，为先天之窍，非在后天可求也。

先天至清，后天则流浊也。先天虚而后天则实，实要实开，虚要虚开，开窍之不同也。

丹道性命双修之功，乾道首要守祖窍，亦用空而不落空也。守空莫应空，有空乃可容。切莫执实须用空，知而不守是正宗。似守非守乃得真，杳杳冥冥自可通。

虚中应实，小中见大，门窍相通，空而不空，此窍之运用不亦大乎！学者但能悟得其中真机，则窍门可窥矣。