Primordial Alchemy - An Illustrated Atlas 修真太极混元图

Composed by Xiao Daocun, a Taoist priest of the Southern Song Dynasty.

It consists of one scroll and is included in the Spirit Diagram Category of The Daozang within The Dongzhen Section.

Primordial Alchemy - An Illustrated Atlas

This work is purportedly transmitted by the patriarch Shi Jianwu, containing sixteen diagrams in total. These include the Diagram of the Three Manifestations, the Diagram of the Three Realms in Fixed Position, the Diagram of the Ascent and Descent of Yin and Yang Between Heaven and Earth, the Diagram of the Waxing and Waning Phases of the Sun and Moon, the Diagram of the Correct Path of the Five Elements in the Three Dantians, the Diagram of the Corresponding Manifestations of the Five Elements, the Diagram of the Reversal of the True Five Elements, the Diagram of the Union and Transmission of the True Five Elements, and the Diagram of the Mnemonic for Matching Yin and Yang in Embryonic Breathing, among others.

Each diagram is followed by a "Discussion and Explanation", which interprets the image and expounds on the cultivation methods in accordance with the steps of Internal Alchemy cultivation. For instance, the discussion on the Diagram of the Three Manifestations states: "Refine the subtle energy of the five elements to form the internal elixir; unite the true qi of the three dantians to manifest the yang spirit. Once the internal elixir is completed, one will achieve eternal life; when the yang spirit appears, one shall ascend to immortality."