Hymn of the Orthodox Path 破迷正道歌

Originally attributed to "Zhong Liquan, the True Person of Correct Yang", it was presumably compiled between the Tang and Song dynasties. Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Alchemical Arts Category of the Dongzhen Section within the Daoist Canon (The Daozang).

Hymn of the Orthodox Path

This work is a poetic ode of over 1,700 characters, expounding the principles of Internal Alchemy. It denounces various practices as heterodox paths, including ingesting elixirs, embryonic breathing, daoyin exercises, sexual cultivation and replenishment, abstaining from grain, visualization and concentration, Taoist talismans and spells, ritual ceremonies, shrinking the turtle and refining milk (specialized cultivation techniques), recognizing the mind and perceiving nature, and worshipping stars and constellations. It asserts that only the cultivation of the Golden Fluid Returning Elixir (Internal Alchemy) constitutes the true Dao.

Its Dao takes the innate primordial Qi (Vital Energy) as the foundation, enabling the merging of metal and wood, the union of lead and mercury, the communion of dragon and tiger, the meeting of mother and son (metaphors for complementary energies), and the return of spirit and Qi to their origin. By aligning with the primal truth of chaos before separation, one attains the Golden Elixir. The ode describes in detail the essential ingredients of Internal Alchemy, their collection, smelting, the timing of the alchemical fire, as well as the associated phenomena and effects. Internal Alchemists of the Song and Yuan dynasties were profoundly influenced by this text.