Direct Path to the Golden Elixir 金丹直指

Composed by Zhou Wusu, a Taoist priest of the Song Dynasty.

Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Tai Xuan Section within the Taoist Canon (The Daozang).

A preface by the author, dated the Gengxu year of the Chunyou reign (1250 CE), is included at the beginning. He states that he obtained the Dao of the Golden Elixir from Fang Bixu and Lin Ziran—disciples of Zhang Boduan’s lineage—and verified its effectiveness through practice, thus compiling this work.

Direct Path to the Golden Elixir

The first half of the original book contains sixteen eulogistic poems, respectively praising key elements of Internal Alchemy (Neidan): the Mysterious Gateway Orifice, True Earth, Yang Crystal, Xuan Pin (Profound Vulva), Dragon and Tiger, Lead and Mercury, True Cauldron and Tripod, True Medicinal Substances, Measurement (Jin and Liang), Regulation of Refinement Intensity, Fire Timing, Principles, Meditation Retreats, Cultivation Effort, and Gentle Nurturing.

The second half, titled Or Questions, consists of self-posed questions and answers explaining the sixteen preceding poems. Though Zhou’s theory of Internal Alchemy originated from Zhang Boduan’s school, it takes cultivating nature and nurturing spirit as the foundation, and non-action and purity as the essence. It argues that nature (xing) is life (ming) and life is nature—they share the same origin but different names; fulfilling nature leads to realizing life. By maintaining purity and non-action, remaining serene and ever-present, both body and spirit will attain subtlety, uniting with the Dao in truth.

It further states that the Mysterious Gateway Orifice refers to the place where thoughts arise and cease—one cannot seek it with intent, nor obtain it through non-intent; one must transcend both existence and non-existence: "Not moving even a thread, revealing the true emptiness—this is the ancestor of the true school." "True Earth" is another name for the Middle Way; those who attain the middle path unite nature and life, becoming serene, bright, and pure—this is called the Yang Crystal. Having no thoughts within thoughts is taming the dragon and subduing the tiger, capturing mercury and controlling lead. The state before a single thought arises is the true cauldron and tripod. Responding to external circumstances without inner attachment is the true medicinal substance. Forgetting both movement and stillness, being still amid unrest, and moving amid stillness—this is the true fire timing. Even the cultivation mnemonics, meditation retreats, and gentle nurturing all boil down to maintaining purity and abiding in the middle.

The author also vigorously advocates the unity of the three teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism). He holds that the nameless Dao in Taoism is equivalent to the true emptiness in Buddhism, and refining the elixir to cultivate nature in Taoism is identical to Chan meditation and sudden enlightenment in Buddhism. Both Taoist and Buddhist cultivation involve awakening the mind and nurturing the spirit—they are essentially the same: "Spirit is mind, mind is Dao, Dao is Chan." There is only one Dao under heaven, and sages share one mind; the three teachings all embody the Dao of non-action, differing only in form but not in essence. This view is almost identical to that of the Northern Quanzhen School.