Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Meditation and Inner Alchemy
Daoist meditation, fetal breathing, inner alchemy, sitting in oblivion, and Golden Flower cultivation texts.
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Texts
Fetal Breathing SongTwenty songs on fetal breathing (胎息) and embracing the primal one (抱一), with prose preface. Attributed to the Young-Truth Master (㓜真先生). A core neidan instructional text from the Daoist Canon (DZ 0827), teaching cultivation of the spirit embryo through internalized breath.Song of Attaining the WayFifteen heptasyllabic quatrains testifying to stages of inner alchemical practice, with prose preface; attributed to Master Left Palm (左掌子), from the Zhengtong Daozang.Song of Breaking DelusionFirst English translation of the Song of Breaking Delusion and the True Way — a Classical Chinese neidan verse-poem attributed to Zhongli Quan, Perfected One of Radiant Yang, patriarch of inner alchemy. DZ 0270.Song of the Clear SkyA Quanzhen meditation poem by Qiu Chuji on the clear sky of original mind — the master who walked ten thousand li to counsel Genghis Khan. Good Works Translation.Song of the Mysterious PearlSong of the Mysterious Pearl — thirty stanzas of seven-character verse on the inner pearl of original spirit, the great medicine of neidan internal alchemy. The poem alternates warning (lose the pearl and wander through rebirth) with aspiration (attain it and ascend as a perfected one). Attributed to the Master Who Penetrates Mystery. First English translation from Classical Chinese.The Fetal Breathing ScriptureThe foundational Daoist scripture on fetal breathing — returning to the primordial breath of the womb. Companion to the Heart Seal Classic. First English translation. Good Works Translation.The Jade Emperor's Heart Seal ScriptureA Daoist inner alchemy scripture on the cultivation of the Three Treasures — spirit, qi, and essence — recited daily by Dragon Gate Daoists for centuries. First English translation. Good Works Translation.The Master of Heavenly SeclusionThe Daoist guide to divine transcendence in eight stages — from fasting and peaceful dwelling to sitting in oblivion and spirit liberation. Attributed to an anonymous Tang dynasty master, with a preface by Sima Chengzhen. First freely available English translation from Classical Chinese. Good Works Translation.The Secret of the Golden FlowerThe foundational Daoist neidan meditation manual attributed to Lü Dongbin, teaching the method of turning the light back to crystallize the golden elixir. Thirteen chapters on the Heavenly Heart, original spirit, breath regulation, and the celestial cycle.Treatise on Sitting in OblivionThe foundational Daoist meditation manual — seven stages of inner cultivation from worldly attachment to union with the Way. By Sima Chengzhen, 12th patriarch of Shangqing Daoism (Tang dynasty). First freely available English translation from Classical Chinese. Good Works Translation.