Dadan Zhizhi — Attributed to Qiu Chuji (Changchun), Third Patriarch of Quanzhen

This is a technical treatise of Daoist inner alchemy (neidan), preserved in the Daoist Canon printed in 1445 (the Zhengtong Daozang, where it is catalogued as DZ 244). It is traditionally attributed to Qiu Chuji (丘處機, style-name Changchun, "Perpetual Spring," 1148–1227), a direct disciple of Wang Chongyang and the third patriarch of the Quanzhen ("Complete Reality") school, founder of the Dragon Gate (Longmen) lineage that became China's largest Daoist monastic order. Modern scholarship doubts that Qiu himself wrote it down — the text identifies him by an honorary title first bestowed in 1269, after his death — and it was probably compiled by disciples in the late thirteenth century. Even so, it may well preserve teaching that traces back to Qiu, and stands as one of the earliest and most detailed surviving accounts of early Quanzhen inner-alchemical practice.

The text is prose, not verse: fifteen short discourses, each headed "On..." (論), that move through the vocabulary and body-map of neidan in order — the Three Treasures of essence, qi, and spirit; the Passes and Elixir Fields along the body's two governing channels; the breath and its return to the fetal state; the gathering, circulation, and union of the "medicine"; and the stillness in which the elixir is finally formed. It reads less as scripture than as a working manual, dense with the technical terms — lead and mercury, Dragon and Tiger, the River Chariot, the Yellow Court — that this school of practice built up over centuries. One term is worth flagging: 丹田 (dāntián), literally "cinnabar field," is rendered here as "Elixir Field," following the choice already established on this library's Daoist shelf; the three fields (upper, middle, lower) are the body's principal energetic centers, at the brow, the chest, and below the navel.

Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon, which is printed in full below the translation. A dissertation translation of this same text by Paulino T. Belamide exists (see the colophon below); to our knowledge no complete published English translation of the Dadan zhizhi is otherwise in general circulation, and this Good Works Translation was made independently from the Chinese without consulting Belamide's work.

Translation

On the Three Treasures and the Three Essentials

Cultivation and refinement have Three Treasures and Three Essentials.

The Three Treasures are essence (jing), qi, and spirit (shen). Essence is the single point of primordial yang from before birth; qi is the ancestral qi of the body before it was born; spirit is nature itself, bestowed by Heaven. These are the three grades of superior medicine: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into the Way — this is the meaning of the Three Treasures.

The Three Essentials: the first is called the Tripod and Furnace. Though it goes by many names, it is in truth the single aperture of the Mysterious Pass. The second is called the Medicine. Though it too goes by many names, it is in truth the single primordial qi from before birth. The third is called the Fire Phases. Its names are numerous, but it is in truth the wondrous function of the primordial spirit.

On the Three Passes and the Three Fields

At the back of the body, the Tailbone Gate, the Spine Pass, and the Jade Pillow are called the Three Passes; they belong to the Governing Vessel and are yang. In front, the Upper, Middle, and Lower Elixir Fields are called the Three Fields; they belong to the Conception Vessel and are yin. This is the road by which yin and yang rise and fall: rising up the back along the Governing Vessel belongs to the hour of Zi, midnight; descending down the front along the Conception Vessel belongs to the hour of Wu, noon. Withdrawing and adding at Zi and Wu — this is what is called the fire phases of the heavenly circuit.

First, the Three Passes. The Tailbone Gate lies at the back beneath the Spine Pass, at the end of the spinal column; this gate connects to the aperture of the inner kidneys. Straight up from there, at the back opposite the inner kidneys, is what is called the Double Spine Pass. Further up, behind the head, is what is called the Jade Pillow Pass. The Three Passes together open a single channel of marrow, called the Cao Creek, also called the Yellow River — the road by which yang qi ascends.

Next, the Three Fields. The Muddy Pellet is called the Upper Elixir Field; its point lies three inches inward from the center point between the two eyebrows, a hollow point one inch two fen square, the place where spirit is stored. Three inches six fen below the heart is called the Earthen Cauldron, the Palace of the Yellow Court — the Middle Elixir Field, likewise one inch two fen square, likewise a hollow point, the place where qi is stored, the tripod for refining the elixir. Directly below it, opposite the navel gate, some three inches six fen further down — hence the saying, "above Heaven, thirty-six; below Earth, thirty-six." From Heaven to Earth is eighty-four thousand li; from the heart to the kidneys is eight inches four fen. Heaven's heart is three inches six fen, Earth's kidneys three inches six fen, and the Middle Elixir Field one inch two fen — is that not eight inches four fen? Behind the navel and in front of the kidneys is what is called the Crescent-Moon Furnace, also called the Sea of Qi. A further inch three fen down is called the Splendid Pool, also called the Lower Elixir Field, likewise one inch two fen square, likewise a hollow point — the place where essence is stored, the place where the medicine is gathered. This place has two apertures: the upper one connects to the inner kidneys, the one straight below connects to the Tailbone Gate, and between them is the aperture that produces being out of non-being, forced into the name Mysterious Pass. At the moment the single straight qi is produced, the Mysterious Pass opens of itself.

On the Eight Extraordinary Vessels

The Eight Vessels: the Penetrating Vessel lies below the Wind Mansion point; the Governing Vessel lies behind the navel; the Conception Vessel lies in front of the navel; the Girdle Vessel lies at the waist; the Yin Heel Vessel lies below the scrotum, in front of the Tailbone; the Yang Heel Vessel lies two segments behind the Tailbone; the Yin Linking Vessel lies one inch three fen in front of the crown; the Yang Linking Vessel lies one inch three fen behind the crown. In ordinary people all Eight Vessels belong to yin spirit, closed and not open; only the immortals, by means of yang qi, break them open, and thereby attain the Way. The Eight Vessels are the root of the great Way from before Heaven, the ancestor of the single qi.

In gathering, the Yin Heel Vessel comes first; the instant this vessel moves, all the vessels open. Next come the Governing, Conception, and Penetrating Vessels, together the source of the transformations of the meridians. And the single Yin Heel Vessel connects upward to the Muddy Pellet and downward to the Bubbling Spring. If one can understand this, and make the true qi gather and disperse entirely through this pass and aperture, then the Gate of Heaven stays always open and the Door of Earth stays always shut; the tailbone vessel circulates through the whole body, threading through above and below, and the harmonious qi naturally rises to pay court above, yang growing and yin waning — what is called "idly coming and going between Heaven's Root and the Moon's Cave, all thirty-six palaces turned to spring." One who attains this finds the body light and vigorous, the aging face returned to youth, dim and silent, as though drunk, as though simple — this is the proof of it.

On Kan and Li, Water and Fire

Before a person is born, a single point first congeals — wholly the undifferentiated nature and life-destiny. At three months the Mysterious Female is established; the navel is like the stalk of a melon; the child, in the womb, breathes along with its mother. Once born, the umbilical cord is cut — heaven overturns and earth flips — and a single point of true yang congeals in the navel. Qian changes into Li, Kun changes into Kan; thus spirit issues out and qi shifts, and one no longer keeps the breath of the womb. When the breath is not kept, the heart-fire belongs to Li, and like mercury it wants to fly off; add to this idle thought and vain imagining, and it fails all the more to join with the kidney-water. The kidney-water belongs to Kan, and like lead it wants to sink; add to this the stirring of desire and the loss of firmness, and it fails all the more to join with the heart-fire. Kidneys stay kidneys, heart stays heart; water and fire each dwell apart, left to rise and sink as they will, and Kan and Li cannot overturn each other. Not only can the elixir not be born from this, but sickness is born instead — how could there be life in it?

On fetal breathing again: if the out-breath is not governed by spirit, that breath is not whole; if the in-breath is not governed by spirit, that breath too is not whole. Make each breath return to the root, so as to join with the primordial qi from before Heaven, spirit entering into qi and qi enveloping spirit outside it, just as the infant in its mother's womb breathes — this is fetal breathing. For breathing is qi, and spirit is the heart-mind; governing qi by spirit, and keeping the body by qi — governing qi by spirit to complete the Way is exactly refining the medicine by fire to complete the elixir.

On Breathing

The verse says: "Qi is the medicine that adds to one's years; the heart-mind is the spirit that directs the qi. One who can know the ancestor of spirit and qi has already become an immortal."

For this is where breathing arises: the out-breath is the primordial qi of one's father and mother; the in-breath is the correct qi of Heaven and Earth. Make the qi join with the body and the spirit join with the qi, and one's life-destiny lies in oneself. Ordinary people do not know the place to gather and store the breath; they forcibly shut its coming and going, no different from a dead stillness. Or else they let it come and go unchecked, so that the primordial qi escapes along with the out-breath and is instead seized back by Heaven and Earth.

Hence the teaching of withdrawing and adding, which brings the breathing of qi to its root and stem. The in-breath goes from outside to inside; the out-breath, too, is made to enter within. Breathing in, it comes from the Child's Palace, the Jade Cavern; breathing out, it rises straight to the summit of Mount Kunlun. In-breath and out-breath turn into a single qi, and this becomes fetal breathing. And yet, how does a single qi arrive at this? Because after long practice of breathing, one feels only an in-breath reaching within, and in time one no longer feels any urgency of breath — just as when the child was in its mother's womb. This is fetal breathing. But ordinary people know only that the in-breath is within, and do not know that the out-breath, too, is within; once one knows this, one can seize the correct qi of Heaven and Earth, and only then can it truly be called "the medicine that adds to one's years."

On the Mysterious Aperture

It is also said: "If you wish to breathe within, you must obtain the One, and the ten thousand affairs are finished." As a thing, the One has two apertures, and the two apertures are again only one aperture. This one aperture has no inside or outside, no boundary or edge; within it, Qian and Kun order the Five Qi and unite the Hundred Spirits. This is the place of root and stem, the place where the embryo is knotted; nature and life-destiny begin here, and essence, qi, and spirit are all born here.

When my body first received qi, at the moment my father's and mother's essence-qi joined, it flowed into a single thread of a road; within it there seemed to be a single tube connecting through — hence it is called the holeless flute, blown by a mouthless man. It is because of this tube that the kidneys are then born, and all the viscera and bowels, and every meridian of the body — all born from this. It is also called the Gate That Holds All Together, and the Essential Road of the Three Passes. While in the mother's womb, breathing in reaches this aperture and joins Heaven's descent; breathing out issues from this aperture and joins Earth's ascent. It is also named the Turtle's Snout. This single aperture alone is the root and stem of the breathing within; the primordial qi from before Heaven truly wanders here, and the correct qi of Heaven and Earth truly enters through here.

People take the Gate of Life to be the Mysterious and the Kidney Hall to be the Female, and build their foundation there — a mistake of a thousand li. They do not know that the Mysterious Female is the root of Heaven and Earth, lying in the southwest, the direction of Kun, behind the navel and in front of the kidneys — and yet it is neither one inch three fen below the navel, nor the empty aperture between the two kidneys. This is the true aperture, to be attained only by understanding. Above it connects to the Muddy Pellet, below it passes through the Bubbling Spring, and in the middle it joins the heart and kidneys — empty within and straight, not to be sought by form, not to be grasped by intention. The true seed from before Heaven is truly stored here; it connects to Heaven and Earth, connects to the spirits and sages. Attain it and one lives; lose it and one dies — this is what is meant by "the true person breathes from the heels." This is where the celestial immortals put their hand to work; abandon this and go below it, and one is bound for the Nine Darknesses of Fengdu.

On Stopping the Mouth and Lowering the Eyelids

"Stopping the Mouth": when the mouth is open, spirit and qi disperse — hence one stops it. "Lowering the Eyelids": when the eyes are fully open, spirit leaks out; when fully closed, spirit grows dim — only lowered, slightly open, will do. Between the two eyes is exactly Heaven's Root, what is called the Pass of Nature and Life-Destiny. Its root is born in the eyes; the eyes belong to the heart-mind, and the heart-mind engenders transformation, itself belonging to what is mysterious upon mysterious — what the masters of the immortals call the Gate of the Mysterious Female. The heart and kidneys are sun and moon within, joining within; the two eyes are sun and moon without, joining without. Gather water and fire together so they do not scatter, and the qi regulates itself.

On Turning the Light Inward and Regulating the Breath

To understand turning the light inward and regulating the breath, one must know the constant wondrous function of "Observing Sound." What is the Hall of Observing Sound? Observing belongs to the eyes, sound belongs to the ears; the eyes belong to the heart-mind, the ears belong to the kidneys. The place where heart and kidneys join is the Hall of Observing Sound, which governs the spirit and qi of the whole body.

The method: from the corners of both eyes, gather the mind to a single place, gathering it to the point between the two eyes, so that the mind and spirit of the whole body are entirely gathered here — this is what is called "gathering in Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, all at once." Once the mind is settled, from here use the eyes to look down at the tip of the nose, and look straight down to below the navel. Keep the eyes there always, still and unmoving, letting the nose breathe as it will, regulating the breath continuously, as though present, as though gone. Without forcing effort, the true breath regulates itself: "the breath does not go out beyond the nose; thought comes to rest within the body" — this is exactly what is meant. It is also said: "The toad's light shines all day on the western river — this exactly is the root of the medicine." The toad's light is the light of the eyes; the western river is the earth of Kun below the navel. Turning the light thus to below the navel, to regulate the true breath, is spirit entering the qi cavity. When the light has been turned inward for a long time, the single point of true yang in the kidneys rises and joins with the heart's spirit, and heart and breath depend on each other (the inner breath is qi); when heart and breath depend on each other, water and fire are already joined.

The work of turning the light inward and regulating the breath — practice it whenever there is stillness, not confined to the hours of Zi and Wu; any of the twelve double-hours will do. As soon as, while practicing, the intention is lost, gather it back again — what is called "letting go and gathering back, it is always the same one."

Practice this work long enough, and the heart-mind awakens of itself, and the Five Thieves are first put away. The Five Thieves are the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and intention. When the eyes do not look outward but illuminate within, the hun-soul stays in the liver and does not leak out through the eyes; when the ears do not listen to sound but hear inward, the essence stays in the kidneys and does not leak out through the ears; when the nose does not smell odors but regulates the breath, the po-soul stays in the lungs and does not leak out through the nose; when the mouth does not open in speech but stops itself, thought stays in the spleen and does not leak out through the mouth; when intention does not run wild in imagining but silently holds itself, spirit stays in the heart and does not leak out through intention. When essence, spirit, hun, po, and intention are thus gathered together in the position of Kun, one cultivates alone and without leakage.

On Gathering the Medicine

What thing is the medicine? It is exactly the primordial qi of my own body. Primordial qi moves within the qi and blood, and so the ears can hear, the eyes can see, the hands can hold, the feet can walk. And yet a person's life is given life by primordial qi — hence this qi is forced into the name "life-destiny"; and the heart-mind has spirit, forced into the name "nature." When spirit and qi join, nature and life-destiny unite — hence it is called "dual cultivation." The whole work lies in this single word "dual." When heart-fire blazes upward and kidney-water leaks downward, they are simply not paired — hence one cultivates nature and cultivates life-destiny together. The way of dual cultivation is nothing other than taking the qi within the kidneys to join it with the spirit within the heart.

The verse for gathering qi: the spinal bones number twenty-one segments; counting from the bottom up, at the side of the seventh segment the two kidneys dwell. Heaven's One generates water; after the hour of Zi at night, the single yang first arises, and the primordial qi within the body, from the Tailbone point, travels from below upward, back around to the kidneys. Between the two kidneys is a single aperture, exactly at the seventh segment; primordial qi issues out from here and strikes the Yang Gate into motion. This is why, when a person sleeps past midnight into the hour of Zi, the outer kidney rises in yang arousal. Yang does not raise itself — it is the qi issuing from the aperture in the inner kidneys that makes the outer kidney rise. At the moment the yang qi of the inner kidneys is about to reach the outer kidney, one may well throw on a robe, sit up, lower the eyes, close the mouth, and regulate the breath continuously, visualizing that between the two kidneys there is qi issuing from this place. This qi is called lead — the gold within water, also named the White Tiger. Practice this work night after night, sitting through the watch before sleeping. The kidney network connects to the heart; motion below answers above. Within a month, one feels the qi between the two kidneys stir and issue forth — simply because of the sitting up. But within that still, unmoving state, if one gathers it again with lustful thought, one wishes to stop and cannot, wishes to let go and cannot release, and this qi, unable to flow smoothly downward, instead flows backward and upward. The way of the elixir lies in this single word "reverse": following the ordinary mother produces an embryo; reversing to receive the numinous mother produces the elixir. That the outer kidney does not rise is exactly the proof that the yang qi is not moving. Gathering without gathering — this is what is called gathering, and this is what is meant by "refining essence into qi."

Also, when a person eats the five grains and various flavors, the turbid part turns to dregs and the clear part turns to fluid; the fluid then turns into yin essence. If the yin essence is not refined, it gives rise to strange fancies and lustful desire. One need only use the natural wind of the Elixir Field to fan the true fire within it; fire below and water above, the water steamed by the fire, naturally turns to qi and rises, steaming through every pass and aperture of the whole body — this is refining yin essence and transforming it into true qi.

On Union

Once one feels the kidney-water rising, then let the heart-qi descend. Heart-qi is called mercury, because wood generates fire; it is also named the Green Dragon. When heart-qi descends, water and fire meet each other, and the two qi of heart and kidneys naturally join in intercourse — this is the husband and wife within the body. Intention serves as the matchmaker, using intention to draw them together; intention is exactly the earth of the center, also called the earth of Wu and Ji.

What is called intercourse is simply the two qi of heart and kidneys circulating between below the heart and above the kidneys — what the Daoist gate calls the Bridal Chamber. Circulate a hundred times, and when the number of unions is complete, they naturally descend and meet in the Yellow Court (the Lower Elixir Field). Not a night passes without this intercourse; every night it descends to the Yellow Court, and every night the primordial qi congeals there. Ordinary people use it to extend their years; the Daoist gate uses it for cultivation and refinement — both borrow this qi as the head of the elixir.

On the River Chariot

Primordial qi accumulates and gathers in the Elixir Field; with no road open above, it can only bore downward through the Tailbone Gate, and from the Tailbone Gate through the Spine Pass, the Jade Pillow, and the Muddy Pellet — and then the qi of the back is open. The qi descending in front increasingly draws the qi ascending behind; up and then down again, down and then up again — what the Daoist gate calls "turning the River Chariot," and "the Double Spine Pass pierces through to the crown gate; this is the noblest of the paths of practice." In sum, this is the opening of the two vessels, Conception and Governing. The Conception Vessel rises from below the Central Pole up to the throat, and belongs to the Sea of the Yin Vessels; the Governing Vessel rises from below the lower abdomen up to the Upper Magpie Bridge, and belongs to the Sea of the Yang Vessels. When the two vessels are open, all the hundred vessels are open. It is also said, "All of it turns the Heavenly Warp within the heart" — the "Heavenly Warp" is exactly these two vessels — "hold it day and night, and one may attain long life."

After this circulation, the qi again descends to the Yellow Court, and one feels of oneself that there is qi dwelling within the Yellow Court; watch over it constantly with the heart-mind — this is what is called heart and breath depending on each other, and also what is called concentrating spirit and entering the qi cavity. Walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, watch over it without shifting away, and spirit and qi congeal of themselves; once the single qi has returned to the center, the breath in the nose grows faint of itself — this is what is meant by "regulating the breath means regulating the breath of the true breath."

On Gathering the Qi of True Yang

In the way of the elixir, while the night qi has not yet been lost, simply concentrate the spirit and gather the qi, sitting upright for a short while; before long spirit and qi return to the root, and being is naturally born out of non-being, gradually congealing, gradually gathering, giving birth to a single mass of yang qi. I have heard that the secret teaching of the Utmost Persons for regulating the breath and nourishing the nature is nothing other than circulating essence and qi through the whole body, refining the yin qi of the whole body — that is all.

If, within that still, unmoving state, a stirring impulse arises again, gather it at once according to the method, and at this time add still more contemplation and spirit-concentration, to aid the fire-work. This need not wait for a full three months; whether sitting in stillness or just waking from sleep, if one feels within the belly a harmonious surging qi, rising and striking about unsteadily, this is the stirring of the qi of true yang. Then use a slight intention to gather this qi of true yang, leading it up to the crown along the correct road — what is called "going in reverse, acting against the current, and thereby able to rise to the crown." Then lead it again from the crown down into the belly, and from the belly lead it into the Tailbone Gate. After several such rounds, in the space of a short while, one attainment is an attainment forever, and thereafter the qi circulates of itself continually.

On Uniting with the True Qi of Sun and Moon

It is also said: one who can seize the true qi of Heaven and Earth may attain long life. The method: in the early morning, sit in a high place, facing the sun in stillness, visualizing the sun enveloping one's own body, until the body itself is transformed into the sun. Without thought, without desire, wholly undifferentiated, the qi of Heaven and Earth gradually returns into one's own body.

One may also, through all twelve double-hours of the day, simply face the sun — if the sun is in the east, turn the eyes east; if the sun is in the west, turn the eyes west. In every case, one's own body and the sun embrace each other, turning without cease — only thus can it be attained.

Joining with the qi of the moon is the same.

On Receiving the Qi of Heaven and Earth

But after concentrating on the One for a long while, once more it circulates round without cease. The breath-qi of the nose connects with the qi of Heaven and Earth: the qi of Heaven and Earth enters through the nose, joins with the ancestral qi in the kidneys, and mingles with it into a single turning. Thus the qi of the person gradually joins with Heaven and Earth, serving as the foundation for the later refining of qi into spirit, replenishing the true qi that one has drilled and lost — what is called "mending bamboo with bamboo." By this, too, the ordinary essence is melted and dissolved, and true qi is born; once true qi is sufficient, it naturally transforms into spirit, filling the whole body, within and without.

On Attaining the Elixir

If one wishes to attain the elixir, one must renounce the world for great stillness: a small stillness of three days, a middle stillness of five days, a great stillness of seven days. Within stillness, motion is naturally born — what is called "the person dies and comes alive again." At this time one relies entirely on the protecting strength of one's companions in the Way. "Undifferentiated and vast, male and female follow each other" — the vast undifferentiated is the time before the single qi has divided; following each other means yin and yang are mingled within and do not separate from each other. At the moment they have not yet separated, spirit congeals and qi gathers, blending and fusing into one; within, one does not feel one's own body; without, one does not feel the universe; one is one with the Way, and all cares are dismissed. Dim, obscure, and dregs-like, it cannot be named — forced into a name, it is called "the true qi held by the Supreme Unity," also named "the single qi from before Heaven," the mother of the golden elixir.

People today do not know the ancestor of the great Way. Some point to true lead as the Before-Heaven; some point to "Heaven's One generates water" as the Before-Heaven; some point to the numinous, luminous place between the two kidneys as the Before-Heaven — none of these is the true Before-Heaven of the great Way.

It is also said: "Gather the qi of the vast undifferentiated before it has divided; seize the essence of Dragon and Tiger at the moment their intercourse begins." Seal it within the Yellow Chamber, and refine it into the utmost treasure; in still, unmoving stillness, the heart-mind communicates with Heaven, and the transformations of creation may be seized. It is also said: "Do not seek transformation within the kidneys; instead, seek the work within the heart."

Practice this diligently, and one may stand abreast with Zhong and Lü.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Meditation and Inner Alchemy shelf of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The text is prose throughout, organized as fifteen short discourses each headed 論 ("On..."); those headings are kept as the translation's own section headings, and the terse quoted tags within the prose (所謂..., 又曰...) are rendered as quotations rather than expanded, to preserve the treatise's habit of citing verse formulas without naming their source.

Before the claims below were written, a genuine translation-status check was performed. Komjathy's standard bibliography, Daoist Texts in Translation, was grepped and located this text as DZ 244, attributed to Qiu Chuji, with a translation by Paulino T. Belamide in his 2002 University of Toronto doctoral dissertation, "Self-Cultivation and Quanzhen Daoism, with Special Reference to the Legacy of Qiu Chuji" (pp. 185–219); this is a named prior translation, so no claim of firstness is made for this text. A single bounded web search located a second, differently titled work that is sometimes confused with this one: "Direct Pointers to the Great Elixir," a published translation by Jonathan Elmer of the Michuan Dadan Zhizhi (秘傳大丹直指, attributed to Xiao Tingzhi) in the Journal of Daoist Studies, vol. 6 (2013) — a related but textually distinct, longer work, not the DZ 244 Dadan zhizhi translated here. This Good Works Translation was made independently from the Chinese and did not consult either the Belamide dissertation or the Elmer translation.

A note on terms. Following the choice already established on this library's Daoist shelf, 丹田 (dāntián) is rendered "Elixir Field" rather than the more literal "cinnabar field." Anatomical and cosmological terms specific to this text — the Muddy Pellet (泥丸), the Mysterious Female (玄牝), the River Chariot (河車), Kan and Li (坎離), lead and mercury, Dragon and Tiger — are kept close to their Chinese sense rather than smoothed into modern physiology, since the text's own logic depends on holding these figures together. No unencodable characters (▢) occurred in this source.

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.

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Source Text: 大丹直指

Classical Chinese text of the Daoist Canon, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

論三寶三要

修煉有三寶三要。

三寶者，精、氣、神也。精，先天一點元陽也；氣，人身未生之初祖氣也；神即性，天所賦也。此三品上藥，煉精化氣，煉氣化神，煉神化道，三寶之旨也。

三要者，一曰鼎爐，異名雖多，而玄關一竅，實鼎爐也；二曰藥物，異名亦多，而先天一氣，實藥物也；三曰火候，名亦甚多，而元神妙用，實火候也。

論三關三田

夫背後尾閭、夾脊、玉枕，謂之三關，屬督脈，為陽；前面上丹田、中丹田、下丹田，謂之三田，屬任脈，為陰。此陰陽升降之路，自背後督脈上來，即屬子，自前面任脈下去，即屬午，子午抽添，所謂周天火候是也。

先說三關：尾閭關在背後夾脊下，脊骨盡頭處，其關通內腎之竅。直上至背後對內腎處，謂之夾脊雙關。又上至腦後，謂之玉枕關。三關通起一條髓路，號曰漕溪，又曰黃河，乃陽氣上升之路。

再論三田：泥丸謂之上丹田，其穴在兩眉正中入內三寸之地，方圓一寸二分，虛間一穴，乃藏神之所。心下三寸六分，名曰土釜，黃庭宮也，乃中丹田，方圓一寸二分，亦虛間一穴，乃藏氣之所，煉丹之鼎。直下與臍門相對過處，約有三寸六分，故曰“天上三十六，地下三十六。”自天至地八萬四千里，自心至腎八寸四分，天心三寸六分，地腎三寸六分，中丹田一寸二分，非八寸四分而何。臍之後，腎之前，名曰偃月爐，又曰氣海。稍下一寸三分，名曰華池，又曰下丹田，方圓一寸二分，亦是虛間之穴，乃藏精之所、采藥之處。此處有兩竅，向上一竅通內腎，直下一竅通尾閭，中間乃無中生有之竅，強名曰玄關，直一之氣產生之時，玄關自開。

論奇經八脈

八脈者，沖脈在風府穴下，督脈在臍後，任脈在臍前，帶脈在腰間，陰蹺脈在尾閭前陰囊下，陽蹺脈在尾閭後二節，陰維脈在頂前一寸三分，陽維脈在頂後一寸三分。凡人有此八脈，俱屬陰神，閉而不開，惟神仙以陽氣衝開，故能得道。八脈者，先天大道之根，一氣之祖。

采之惟在陰蹺為先，此脈才動，諸脈皆通。次督、任、沖三脈，總為經脈造化之源。而陰蹺一脈，上通泥丸，下通湧泉。倘能知此，使真氣聚散，皆從此關竅，則天門常開，地戶永閉，尻脈周流於一身，貫通上下，和氣自然上朝，陽長陰消，所謂“天根月窟閑來往，三十六宮都是春”。得之者身體輕健，容衰返壯，昏昏默默，如醉如癡，此其驗也。

論坎離水火

當人未生之時，一點初凝，總是混沌性命。三月而玄牝立，臍如瓜蒂，兒在胎中，隨母呼吸。既生而剪去臍帶，天翻地覆，則一點真陽，凝聚於臍中。乾變為離，坤變為坎，故神出氣移，遂不復守胎中息。息不守則心火屬離，如汞欲飛，又加以思虛念想，益不與腎水相接。腎水屬坎，如鉛欲沉，又加情動失固，益不與心火相接。腎自腎，心自心，水火各居，是任其升沉，坎離不得顛倒矣。不但不能生丹，而且生疾病耳，焉有生理。

又論胎息，呼不得神宰，一息不全，吸不得神宰，亦一息不全。使息息歸根，以接先天元氣，神入氣中，氣包神外，如胎兒在母腹中呼吸一般，即為胎息。蓋呼吸者氣也，神者心也，以神馭氣，以氣留形，以神馭氣而成道，即以火煉藥而成丹也。

論呼吸

訣曰：氣是添年藥，心為使氣神；能知神氣祖，便是得仙人。

蓋呼吸所從起者也，呼為父母元氣，吸為天地正氣。令氣合形，神合氣，則命在我矣。凡人不知收藏呼吸之地，強閉出入，與死靜者無異。又或任其出入，則元氣隨呼氣而出，反為天地所奪。

是以有抽添之說，使氣之呼吸至於根蒂。吸自外而內，呼之亦入內，吸則來於子宮玉洞，呼則直上昆侖巔頂，呼吸旋為一氣，成為胎息。雖然，一氣如何至此？蓋呼吸久，但覺有一吸至於內，久之而並不覺氣急，猶子在母腹時，即為胎息也。但凡人只知吸之在內 , 不知呼之亦在內，知之則可奪天地之正氣矣 , 而後方謂之“添年藥”。

論玄竅

又曰：汝欲內呼吸 , 汝當得其一 , 則萬事畢。一之為物 , 有兩竅 , 兩竅又止一竅。此一竅也，無內外，無邊際，中有乾坤理五氣、合百神，此根蒂之處、結胎之所，性命始於此，精氣神俱生於此。

及吾生身受氣之初，父母精氣相交之頃，流注一線之路，其中似有一管相通，故曰無孔笛，沒口人吹也。有此管，然後生腎，生諸臟腑，一身經脈，皆從此生，又曰總持門，曰三關要路。在母腹時，吸至此竅，合天降，呼從此竅，合地升，又名為龜鼻頭，惟此一竅，乃內呼吸之根蒂，先天元氣實游於此，天地正氣實從此入。

人以命門為玄，腎堂為牝，此處立基，謬之千里矣。不知玄牝乃天地之根，在西南坤地，臍後腎前，而又非臍下一寸三分，亦非兩腎間之空竅。此乃真竅，能得而知。上通泥丸，下透湧泉，中接心腎，內虛而直，不可形求，不可意取。先天真種實藏于此，通天地，通神聖，得則生矣，失則死矣，“真人之息以踵”者此也。此天仙下手處，舍此而下，酆都九幽者也。

論塞兌垂簾

塞兌者，口開神氣散，故塞之也。垂簾者，眼全開神漏，全閉神昏，惟垂簾微啟耳。兩眼之中即天根，即所謂性命關也。其根生於眼，眼屬心，心生造化，自屬玄之又玄者，仙家謂之玄牝之門。心腎內日月，交接於內，兩眼外日月，交接於外，攢簇水火而不散，氣自調矣。

論回光調息

欲明回光調息，須知觀音常之妙用。觀音堂者何？觀屬眼，音屬耳，眼屬心，耳屬腎，心腎相接處，為觀音堂，主持一身神氣者也。

其法自兩眼角收心一處，收到兩眼中間，以一身心神，盡收此處，所謂“乾坤大地一起收來”是也。心定之後，自此用眼下看鼻尖，直下看到臍下。眼常在此處，寂然不動，任鼻呼吸，調息綿綿，若存若亡。不假工夫，則真息自調，“息不由於鼻外，思維止於身中”。正謂此耳。又曰“蟾光終日照西川，即此便是藥之根。”蟾光即眼光也，西川即臍下坤地也。如此回光於臍下，以調真息，是神入氣穴。回光日久，腎中一點真陽，上與心神相合，則心息相依 ( 內息者氣也 ) ，心息相依則水火既濟。

回光調息工夫，遇靜即行，不拘子午，十二時中皆可為。即行功時，意失便收來，所謂“放去收來總是伊”。

是工用久，心內自悟，五賊先去，五賊乃眼耳鼻口意。眼不外視而內照，則魂在肝而不從眼漏；耳不聞聲而返聽，則精在腎而不從耳漏；鼻不嗅味而調息，則魄在肺而不從鼻漏；口不開言而塞兌，則念在脾而不從口漏；意不妄想而默守，則神在心而不從意漏。如此精神魂魄意，攢簇在坤位，則獨修無漏矣。

論采藥

藥者何物，吾身元氣是也。元氣行乎氣血之中，而耳能聽，目能視，手能持，足能行。然而人之生，元氣生之也，所以強名其氣曰“命”，而心有神，強名曰“性”，神氣交，性命合，故曰“雙修”，工夫只在一“雙”字，心火上炎，腎水下漏，便不雙也，故修性兼修命也。雙修之道無他，不過取腎中之氣，以合心中之神耳。

采氣之訣：脊骨二十一節，自下而上，七節之旁，兩腎居之。天一生水，夜子時後，一陽初生，身中元氣，從尾閭穴，自下而上，卻行到腎。兩腎中間有一竅，正七節之中，元氣從此而出，衝動陽關。所以人睡到半夜子時之後，外腎陽舉。陽不自舉，內腎竅中之氣發出而外腎舉也。當其內腎陽氣將到外腎之時，不妨披衣起坐，垂目閉口，調息綿綿，存想兩腎中間，若有氣從此出，此氣即謂之鉛，為水中金也，又名白虎。夜夜行工，坐更余方睡。腎絡連心，下動上應，一月之間，覺兩腎中間氣動而出，只因起坐，寂然不動之中，複以色情采之，欲罷不能，欲解不釋，此氣不得順而下行，乃逆而上行。丹道只在一“逆”字，順於凡母則成胎，逆受靈母則成丹。外腎不舉，便是陽氣不行之驗。不采之采，是名為采，而所謂煉精化氣者也。

又人吃五穀諸味，濁化為渣，清化為津，津又化為陰精，陰精不煉，便作怪想淫欲。只用丹田自然之風，吹動其中真火，火在下而水在上，水得火蒸，自然化氣而上騰，蒸透一身關竅，是為煉陰精而化真氣也。

論交媾

既覺腎水上升，便以心氣下降。心氣謂之汞，以其木生火也，又名青龍。心氣下降，則水火迎合，心腎二氣，自然交媾，即身中夫婦也。以意為媒，用意勾引，意即中央土也，又曰戊己土。

所謂交媾，只心腎二氣，迴圈於心下腎上之間，玄門指為洞房。迴圈百遍，交媾數足，自然落于黃庭 ( 下丹田 ) 相迎。無夜不交媾，夜夜落黃庭，則夜夜元氣凝聚。常人以之延壽，玄門以之修煉，皆借此氣為丹頭也。

論河車

元氣積聚丹田，上無路可通，只得下穿尾閭，由尾閭而夾脊、而玉枕、而泥丸，則背後氣通也。前降之氣，愈引後升之氣，上而複下，下而複上，玄門所謂“河車運轉”、“夾脊雙關透頂門，修行徑路此為尊”者也，總之是任督二脈通。任起中極之下，上至咽喉，屬陰脈之海，督起少腹以下，至上鵲橋，屬陽脈之海，二脈通，則百脈皆通。又曰“皆在心內運天經”，“天經”即二脈也，“晝夜存之可長生”也。

運轉之後，複落黃庭，自覺黃庭內有氣存焉，以心常常照顧，所謂心息相依，又謂凝神入氣穴者此也。行住坐臥，照顧不移，神氣自凝，一氣既歸中，鼻中氣自微，所謂“調息要調真息息”者此也。

論采真陽之氣

丹道當夜氣之未失，但凝神聚氣，端坐片時，少焉神氣歸根，自然無中生有，漸凝漸聚，生出一團陽氣。聞至人調息養性之訣，無非精氣通身，煉一身之陰氣而已。

若於寂然不動之中，複有動機，即如法采之，此時更加觀照而凝神，以助火工。即不必三個月時候，或靜坐時，或睡醒時，覺腹中有沖和之氣，升撞不定，此真陽之氣動也。即用微意，采此真陽之氣，引到頂上正路中，所謂“倒行逆施，以能升頂”者此也。複自頂上引至腹中，又自腹中引入尾閭關。前後數回，片晌工夫，一得永得，其氣常自周流矣。

論合日月真氣

又曰：能奪天地之真氣，可以長生。法可早晨于高處，向日靜坐，存想太陽包羅吾身，連身化為太陽。無思無欲，混混沌沌，天地之氣漸漸歸於吾身。

亦可二六時中只向日，如日在東，眼則向東，日在西，眼則向西。總是吾身與太陽相抱，輪轉不息，方能得之。

合月之氣亦然。

論接天地之氣

然凝一之久，又複周流迴圈不已。鼻息之氣接天地之氣，天地之氣從鼻入，接著腎中之祖氣，與之混合一運。此人之氣而漸與天地合，以為後來煉氣化神張本，補益吾鑿喪之真氣，所謂“竹破以竹補”也。又以此融化凡精，而生真氣，真氣已足，自然化神，充滿一身內外。

論得丹

如欲得丹，必須棄世大靜，小靜三日，中靜五日，大靜七日。靜中自然生動，所謂“人死自活”，此時全仗道友護持之力。“混沌鴻蒙，牝牡相從”，鴻蒙者一氣未分時也，相從者陰陽混於中而不相離也。當其未離也，神凝氣聚，混融為一，內不覺一身，外不覺宇宙，與道為一，萬慮俱遣，溟溟滓滓，不可得而名，強名曰“太乙含真氣”，又名曰“先天一氣”，為金丹之母。

今人不知大道之祖，或指真鉛為先天，或指天一生水為先天，或指兩腎中間靈明處為先天，皆非大道之先天也。

又曰“采鴻蒙未判之氣，奪龍虎始媾之精。”閉入黃房，煉成至寶，寂然不動，則心與天通而造化可奪。又曰“不向腎中求造化，卻於心裏覓工夫。”

勤而行之，可與鐘呂並駕矣。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Daoist Canon edition of this text (article 大丹直指, revision of 21 April 2024), inspected from a witness copy captured on 8 August 2026. Chinese Wikisource transcriptions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL; the text itself is ancient and in the public domain. The wiki header and license templates have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.

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