Internal Text of Alchemical Secrets 玉清内书
Paul PengInternal Text of Alchemical Secrets
The author of this text is unknown. It mentions "now within the territory of the Great Tang," indicating it was composed during the Tang Dynasty. Both the General Catalog of Chongwen Library (Song Dynasty) and the Comprehensive Records of Literature·Bibliographic Survey catalog it as a two-scroll work. The surviving version, consisting of one scroll with incomplete text, is included in the Zhongshu (Various Arts) category of The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.
Internal Text of Alchemical Secrets
This text can be divided into three parts:
Part One
Content overlapping with Secrets of Penetrating the Mysterious (Tongyou Jue), though with incomplete passages. It mainly discusses the distinction between "true lead" and mercury. It argues that Yang mercury—naturally generated from cinnabar—is lead, while Yin mercury—extracted and refined from cinnabar—is mercury, also named "chariot" (che). Both lead and mercury originate from cinnabar: "They are inherently one substance, not two."
Part Two
Content overlapping with Secrets of Incorporating Red Lead into Black Lead (Hongqian Ru Heiqian Jue). It focuses on refining lead and mercury into elixirs, methods for attaining longevity through ingesting the Golden Elixir, and transmuting mercury into gold and silver. It includes formulas such as "Ingesting the Golden Elixir to Transform Five Metals and Subdue Mercury" and "Method of Subduing Mercury with an External Cauldron."
Part Three
Content mostly found in Secret Formulas for the Reverted Elixir at Hand (Huandan Zhouhou Jue), primarily detailing techniques for mastering alchemical fire control. It features formulas including "Secret of Advancing and Retreating Through the Six Stages of the Fire Symbol," "Diagram of Advancing and Retreating with the Symbolic Water Clock," "Correct Calendar of Fire Records for Advancing and Retreating with the Fire Symbol," and "Secret Mirror of the Primordial Lord’s Hidden Cultivation."
