Origins of Alchemical Formulas 太清修丹秘诀

The author of this text is unknown. Judging from its content, it was likely composed during the Tang Dynasty. Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Zhongshu (Various Arts) category of The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.

Origins of Alchemical Formulas

Divided into three sections, the text elaborates on Internal Alchemy methods:

The method begins with consuming nourishing foods and medicines to replenish Qi, practicing daoyin (guided breathwork), and rinsing and swallowing saliva to "plant cinnabar." Next, sift and purify golden cinnabar using a fine white porcelain basin, then store it in an airtight container. Finally, ingest the cinnabar according to the prescribed method and guide it to the Dantian (elixir field) for refinement into an elixir. Once the elixir is formed, one can abstain from eating without hunger and "forever become an earthly immortal."

It states that cinnabar is formed by the condensed essence of the sun and moon, from which lead and mercury can be extracted and combined to cultivate the supreme medicine. The key secret lies in gathering the elixir’s primal essence and the true Qi of the five zang-organs: "Through the operation of Yin and Yang, Qi transforms into essence, essence into cinnabar (vermilion), cinnabar into mercury, mercury into gold, and gold into medicine—named golden cinnabar, which is refined into the Reverted Elixir." The described method appears to be the Yin-Yang elixir technique.

It first quotes Treatise on the Subtleties of Embryonic Breathing, asserting that essence and Qi are the foundation of life: essence and Qi converge to form the body, and once the body and Qi are established, spirit emerges. Thus, Qi is the mother and spirit is the child. If a Taoist practitioner can unite mother and child (Qi and spirit) and maintain their harmony, over time the spirit will naturally illuminate and Qi will naturally balance, leading to the prospect of longevity.

It further discusses the dual applications of the trigrams Kan (☵, representing water) and Li (☲, representing fire): when Li is above and Kan is below, water and fire do not interact—a state called "Wei Ji" (Unfinished). When Kan is above and Li is below, water and fire interact harmoniously—a state called "Ji Ji" (Finished). If those cultivating Qi can alternate between these two trigrams in a cycle, "transforming the images of water and fire in Ji Ji and Wei Ji to make all six lines of the trigram Yang, forming the Qian trigram (☰), then [the cultivation] will be pure and unadulterated."