Tongguan Wen — by Liu Yiming, the Idle Man of Plain Simplicity (1812)

This is the Tongguan wen — "Getting Through the Barriers" — a work of the Longmen Daoist master Liu Yiming (1734–1821), who signs its preface with his sobriquet Supu sanren, "the Idle Man of Plain Simplicity," and dates it to the seventeenth year of Jiaqing (1812). It is not a scripture but a book of counsel: a preface and fifty short essays, each named for one "barrier" (guan 關) that stands between the person who wishes to cultivate the Way and the Way itself — lust, love, rank, wealth, poverty, the body, pride, jealousy, temper, laziness, cleverness, willfulness, deceit, guesswork, fear of difficulty, cowardice, debt, adornment, false knowledge, wine, unbelief, haste, carelessness, boasting, illusory visions, humiliation, the book-demon, clinging to emptiness, clinging to form, the "boudoir elixir" of sexual alchemy, and the furnace and fire of laboratory alchemy — closing with a Song of Ceasing Words.

Liu Yiming writes as the great late systematizer of inner alchemy, quoting the Daodejing, the Analects, Mencius, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Book of Changes, Zhuangzi, the Diamond Sutra, and Zhang Boduan's Awakening to Reality with equal ease, and treating the moral and psychological "barriers" as the real preliminaries to any alchemical work: nature and life-destiny cannot be cultivated by a person still governed by temper, vanity, or self-deception. Each essay ends with the same refrain — that whoever has not passed this barrier and imagines he can complete the Way "will find it hard."

Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese of the Daoist Canon supplement (the Daozang jiyao and later collections, in the Chinese Wikisource transcription), printed in full below the translation. The work was translated in six consecutive parts by different hands and then joined; a few technical terms therefore vary slightly between parts (for example "nature and life-destiny" beside "nature and life," "the Prenatal" beside "Prior Heaven" for xiantian). To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Tongguan wen.*

Contents

• Preface (通關文序)
• The Barrier of Lust (色欲關)
• The Barrier of Love and Attachment (恩愛關)
• The Barrier of Honor and Rank (榮貴關)
• The Barrier of Wealth and Profit (財利關)
• The Barrier of Poverty and Hardship (窮困關)
• The Barrier of the Physical Body (色身關)
• The Barrier of Pride (傲氣關)
• The Barrier of Jealousy (嫉妒關)
• The Barrier of Hot Temper (暴燥關)
• The Barrier of the Mouth and Tongue (口舌關)
• The Barrier of Anger and Hatred (嗔恨關)
• The Barrier of Self and Other (人我關)
• The Barrier of Cold and Heat (冷熱關)
• The Barrier of Laziness (懶惰關)
• The Barrier of Talent and Cleverness (才智關)
• The Barrier of Willfulness (任性關)
• The Barrier of Adversity (患難關)
• The Barrier of Deceit (詭詐關)
• The Barrier of Guesswork (猜議關)
• The Barrier of Unreality (懸虛關)
• The Barrier of Vain Imagining (妄想關)
• The Barrier of Life and Death (生死關)
• The Barrier of Self-Satisfaction (自滿關)
• The Barrier of Fearing Difficulty (畏難關)
• The Barrier of Contempt and Neglect (輕慢關)
• The Barrier of Cowardice (懦弱關)
• The Barrier of Inconstancy (不久關)
• The Barrier of Self-Abandonment (暴棄關)
• The Barrier of Debt (累債關)
• The Barrier of Pride (高大關)
• The Barrier of Adornment (妝飾關)
• The Barrier of False Knowledge (假知關)
• The Barrier of Hidden Malice (陰惡關)
• The Barrier of Craving Wine (貪酒關)
• The Barrier of Fearing Hardship (怕苦關)
• The Barrier of Unbelief (不信關)
• The Barrier of No Ruling Resolve (無主關)
• The Barrier of Quick Results (速效關)
• The Barrier of Carelessness (粗心關)
• The Barrier of Wasted Years (虛度關)
• The Barrier of Losing Resolve (退志關)
• The Barrier of Boasting (誇揚關)
• The Barrier of Illusory Visions (幻景關)
• The Barrier of Humiliation (恥辱關)
• The Barrier of Cause and Effect (因果關)
• The Barrier of the Book-Demon (書魔關)
• The Barrier of Clinging to Emptiness (著空關)
• The Barrier of Clinging to Form (執相關)
• The Boudoir Elixir Barrier (閨丹關)
• The Furnace-and-Fire Barrier (爐火關)
• Song of Ceasing Words (絕言歌)

Translation

Preface (通關文序)

The great Way of cultivating reality — stealing the secret of yin and yang, seizing the power of creation and transformation, realizing one's inner nature and life-destiny (xìngmìng 性命), escaping birth and death — is the great work of transcending the ordinary to enter sagehood, of becoming an immortal and a patriarch. It cannot be compared to the small affairs of this dusty world, which are like grass and frost, like bubbles on water: now here, now gone, empty and unreal.

And yet the Daoists of this world peer through a tube and measure the sea with a gourd-ladle. They take the great matter for a small one, and the small matter for a great one, prizing the false and slighting the true. The Way is not far from man; it is man, in practicing the Way, who holds himself far from it. This is why the ancients said: those who study the Way are as common as the hairs of an ox, but those who complete the Way are as rare as the horn of a qilin.

I say: today those who study the Way are as common as the hairs of an ox, but those who hear the Way are as rare as the horn of a qilin. Why do I say this? Among the ancients, many heard the Way, but few completed it. Among people today, many study the Way, but few hear it. The number of people today who study the Way is many times the number who studied it among the ancients; yet the number of people today who hear the Way is fewer than the number of the ancients who completed it. And so today those who study the Way are as common as the hairs of an ox, while those who hear it are as rare as the horn of a qilin.

The reason for this is that students of the Way are, in their very persons, riddled with one-sided faults, their breasts full of deviant energy — and so they cannot move a teacher or a friend to respond to them. And so they pass their years in emptiness, and wear themselves out on journeys that come to nothing.

For this reason I have set down everything I received from my teacher in my books — Elucidating the Real (闡真), Gathering the Essentials (會要), Direct Pointers (直指), Meeting of the Mind (會心), The Original Intent (原旨), The Compass (指南), Awakening to the Way (悟道), and Breaking Doubts (破疑) — so as to bind kindred spirits to myself. In this my wish is already fulfilled.

Yet I still feared that students would abandon the near to seek the far, not knowing to first exhaust the work that is their own before vainly imagining the work of others. For this reason I have written this single book, Getting Through the Barriers, to lend the student the light of one more torch. First learn to be a good man free of sickness; from lowliness climb to the heights, and from what is near arrive at what is far — so that, in time, a wise teacher may be met, a good friend encountered, and the great Way may be heard.

Though the items within this book are small matters, what they bear upon is very great; though the words are plain and lowly, the benefit to the reader is very great. Though this book is called Getting Through the Barriers, the work of cultivating and upholding one's nature and life-destiny has no other first step than this one. Let the reader by no means cast the book aside for its small matters and plain words. As for a man of the highest wisdom and brightest understanding, the great road already lies open before him; the moment he meets a wise teacher, the real is not hard for him to attain, and the work of getting through the barriers has no use for him.

Written on the day of the winter solstice, in the year renshen, the seventeenth year of the Jiaqing reign [1812].

Self-preface by the Wanderer of Plain Simplicity (Supu Sanren).

The Barrier of Lust (色欲關)

Patriarch Lü said:

A girl of sixteen years, her body soft as cream,
carries at her waist a sword that fells the fool.
Though no one sees a severed head go down,
in secret she teaches you: your marrow withers dry.

Patriarch Qiu said: "In upright cultivation you must be watchful and careful; sweep away lust and desire, and of yourself you return to the real." And again: "Cut through the creeping vine, and the sea of gold runs dry; unlock the jade lock, and break free of the cage." All these are the great compassion of the patriarchs, teaching people to cast off lust and desire and hasten toward the road of life.

Now the matter of lust and desire is the first and greatest barrier standing across a person's very life — the most vicious, the most poisonous of all. How do we know it is a barrier that holds life itself hostage? The moment an ordinary person sees a beautiful form, the hun-soul takes flight and the po-soul scatters, and a lustful heart is at once stirred. Once a lustful heart is stirred, the fire of desire flares up at once; the qi disperses and the spirit is set adrift. Though the bodies have not yet joined, the primal essence (yuánjīng 元精) has already leaked away in secret; the inner nature is already clouded, the life-destiny already shaken. How much more so, then, for one who dwells within the very field of lust, craving pleasure day and night, taking suffering for joy and harm for delight. The day will come when the oil runs dry and the lamp goes out, when the marrow is exhausted and the person dies — and though he wishes not to die, how could it be otherwise?

Therefore, for one who cultivates the Way, guarding against lust and desire is the very first move. But lust and desire are the hardest of all things to root out, and the hardest to guard against. Ever since the beginningless kalpa, human beings have been born out of the path of desire and have died into the path of desire; through birth after birth and death after death, it is for the most part the demon of lust that works the calamity. Now the demon of lust is stirred in one way from Heaven, and arises in another way from man. What is stirred from Heaven is the accumulated root and dust of many kalpas passed, breaking out where there is no awareness, arising where there is no thought and no deliberation. What arises from man is this: seeing a beautiful form, feeling is born; meeting with such a scene, the spirit races after it.

How many heroes and great men, past and present, have been able to pass through every manner of great danger and great difficulty — and yet at this one barrier alone, the demon of lust, every one of them has been stopped. The four elements lose their strength; none can struggle free and leap clear. Unless one is a man of adamantine will, an iron-hard fellow, a stalwart hero of fierce resolve, he cannot shake it off, cannot let it go. One who cultivates the Way must know that the demon of lust is Yama, King of the Dead, come to collect a life, and must root it out and destroy it with all his strength.

Even one as beautiful as Xishi, as lovely as Consort Yang, is no more than a stinking bag of skin. Look upon her unmoved and unshaken, neither confused nor deluded; meet her as though you had not met her, see her as though you had not seen her. Guard against it at every moment, turn the light inward at every instant, and do not let a single hair's breadth of desire secretly take root within the inch-square (fāngcùn 方寸) of the heart. It is like the farmer tending his field and pulling weeds: as they sprout, so he clears them. Once the old root is pulled out entirely, it is not allowed to sprout again another day. If indeed the root of lust is entirely removed, then of itself the numinous sprout will grow.

How does one know it is entirely removed? If the root of lust is truly and entirely removed, then even meeting a beautiful form, one will not register it as beautiful; even seeing a woman, one will not register her as a woman. But if, on seeing a beautiful woman, one still recognizes her as a beautiful woman — even if, in that moment, one can forcibly restrain oneself and not let desire stir — the old root has still not been pulled out clean, and given time it can hardly avoid sprouting again in secret. There are those in this world who cling to a stubborn emptiness and guard a false stillness, boasting before others that they have already cut off all desire — yet again and again they emit their essence in dreams, and have no way to control it. They themselves eat the food that clouds the heart, deceiving themselves and deceiving others. Little do they know: though they themselves do not raise up desire, there is still something within that gives rise to desire, harboring the thought of desire in hiding — how could this be easily cut off? It is precisely because the root and dust of it are not yet exhausted.

And yet, though it is not easily exhausted, one must apply fierce strength and courage, and put in a stretch of work fit to kill or be killed. Where it cannot be removed, force its removal; where it cannot be driven out, force it out — and with deep effort sustained over long days, there will come, in the end, a time when it is removed. If the root of lust is pulled out entirely, then the body of form becomes firm and solid, and the Dharma-body is easy to cultivate. All the other barriers then become easy to master. But if the root in the body cannot be pulled out entirely, and this one barrier cannot be passed, then not one of the other barriers can be passed either.

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of lust and desire. Fear lust as you would fear a tiger; guard against desire as you would guard against a scorpion. Outwardly, meeting such a scene, forget your feelings for it; inwardly, let no thought of desire arise at all. Guard against danger, take thought for peril, and preserve and nourish your essence and spirit — then there is hope of learning the Way.

This holds not only for those who have left the household life; even the householder, though he carries on the human relations and continues the family line, should likewise keep his desires and his lust few. If he can keep lust and desire few, his essence grows strong and his qi grows full, his acquired constitution becomes ample, sufficient to drive off illness and lengthen his years — and he will be well able to raise up many descendants besides. Formerly the Yellow Emperor and King Wen had many sons — this was entirely the effect of having few desires. Whether one has left the household or remains within it, guarding against lust and desire should in every case be the very first move. Otherwise, while the heart of lust and desire has not yet been entirely put away, it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Love and Attachment (恩愛關)

The Wuzhen pian ("Awakening to Reality") says:

Though a human life may span a hundred years,
early death or long life, want or plenty, none can foreknow.
Yesterday on the street corner he was still riding his horse;
this morning within the coffin he already lies a corpse.
Wife and wealth, once cast aside, are no longer yours;
the sins you carry forward, you cannot deceive yourself of.
If you do not seek the Great Medicine, how will you ever meet it?
And meeting it, not refining it — this is folly indeed.

And again: "To practice the Way you must be fierce and unrelenting, unfeeling, your heart hard as iron. Even your own sons and daughters, wife and concubines — in the end how do they differ from any other person?" All this teaches people to see through the love and attachment of worldly affairs, and to make urgent haste in cultivating their nature and life-destiny.

In this life a person lives in the world where the ten thousand things are all false, and only nature and life-destiny are real. Yet the whole world mistakes the false for the real, setting the two words "nature and life" entirely outside their concern, entangled instead by love and attachment, laboring for clothing and for food. A hundred anxieties stir their hearts; ten thousand affairs wear out their bodies. Day and night they rush about, scheming a thousand schemes and a hundred plans, harming others to profit themselves, grasping and never satisfied. Into places of flood and fire and warfare they go; into places infested with tigers and wolves, miasma and plague, they go as well — heedless of life and death, unconcerned for survival or ruin, toiling through their whole lives without a moment's rest, laying up long-term plans for their sons and daughters, until at last their essence and spirit are worn away, their qi and blood decline, a great sickness inevitably comes upon them, and they lie in bed unable to rise.

Though they have filial sons and worthy grandsons, none can take their place in this affliction; though they have a beautiful wife and beloved concubines, none can bear this suffering in their stead. The love and attachment of a whole lifetime — when it comes to this, there is nothing left to rely on. The moment the last three inches of breath is cut off, the single numinous spirit does not return. Who, then, is he, and who am I? When one's thought reaches this point — the love and attachment of a lifetime, what real benefit was in it? Since there was no real benefit in it, one knows that love and attachment are life's very great suffering, and one must see through them early, and early.

To see through them, one must first, in secret, taste and probe this matter of love and attachment — its benefit and its harm — through and through. Taste it this way, probe it that way, and one tastes out that within the sweetness there is bitterness, within the kindness there is harm. One comes to know in truth and in fact that love and attachment are a false affair, an affair of needless trouble, and then of oneself one no longer sets foot on the muddy flats or makes a home within the pit of fire. One holds, instead, one's own settled judgment within, and is no longer dragged about by love and attachment.

If one can truly taste out the bitterness within love and attachment, then, wishing to leave the world, one attains great release and great liberation, and is able to cultivate and uphold one's nature and life-destiny without hindrance or bond. And even remaining within the world, one is bright and clear, responding to things as they come, and can remain without harm and without loss. For once one has realized that love and attachment are suffering, one is able to play one's part as the occasion presents it, free and self-governing, and no longer suffers the harm of love and attachment.

And yet, since father and son, elder and younger brother, husband and wife have all gathered together within a single play, the one who is father must still act out the principle of a father; the one who is son must still act out the principle of a son; the elder brother must still act out the principle of an elder brother; the younger brother, of a younger brother; the husband, of a husband; the wife, of a wife. One should know that each fulfilling this principle is simply what one's own proper place requires — only, within one's own heart, one understands clearly that it is a part played as the occasion presents it, that all are partners together, bringing this one play to its proper and orderly conclusion, and thereby settling the matter for one another. Responding in this way, one neither injures the bonds of Heaven-given kinship nor clouds one's fundamental nature — this is to leave the household while remaining within it, to leave the dust while remaining within the dust, and how much ease and joy there is in it.

Formerly, Layman Pang, the Great Adept Fu, the Immortal Elder Ge, the Perfected Xu, Celestial Master Zhang, and the Three Perfected Lords of Mao — all of these left the household while remaining within it, and were able to bring their Way to great completion. This is how the householder should be.

But if one has left the household, then apart from serving one's parents, caring for them in life and seeing them off in death, all other love and attachment must be cut through in a single stroke, the binding rope thrown off entirely — one must on no account have so much as a hair's breadth of stain or entanglement left. The slightest hair's breadth of stain or entanglement left will spoil the great work. Not only will one then be unable to cultivate the Way — one will be unable even to understand it. This is precisely because the two words "love and attachment" remain within the heart to trouble it. And once love and attachment are there to trouble the heart, this is nothing other than failing to see through love and attachment. And failing to see through love and attachment, one is stopped by the barrier of love and attachment — how, then, can one press on toward the road ahead?

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of love and attachment. Free of every tie, free of every entanglement, unburdened and at ease, give your whole heart to studying the Way, and progress will follow of itself. Otherwise, if love and attachment cannot be put down, and remain forever hanging upon the heart, it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Honor and Rank (榮貴關)

The Daodejing says: "Though one has a great round jade disc to present, borne before a team of four horses, it does not compare to sitting still and offering this Way instead." The Supreme Sage [Confucius] said: "Wealth and rank are what people desire; but if they cannot be attained by their proper way, one does not abide in them." The Wuzhen pian says:

If you do not seek the great Way to leave behind the path of delusion,
though you carry worthy talent, how are you truly a man?
A hundred years of light and shadow flash like a spark struck from flint;
a whole lifetime's person and estate float like bubbles on water.
Craving only profit and stipend, seeking glory and eminence,
you pay no heed as your very form wastes away unseen.
I ask you: though you heap up gold as high as Mount Tai,
can it buy off Impermanence from ever coming for you?

Patriarch Qiu said: "A heart at peace need not speak of the rank of the Three Dukes; a nature made settled is worth more than a walled city ten li around." All this teaches people to hold the Way and its righteousness as what matters most, and not to covet and cling to honor and rank.

Now as for honor and rank: there is the honor and rank of Heaven's own nobility, and there is the honor and rank of man's nobility. Heaven's nobility (天爵) is the Way and its power, benevolence and righteousness; man's nobility (人爵) is merit and fame, stipend and office. One who seeks man's nobility studies books and labors hard at them — ten years before a cold window, working day and night, forgetting sleep and food — and no one knows how much thought is spent, how much essence and spirit worn away, before merit and fame at last come into hand. And even once merit and fame are attained, whether great or small cannot be counted on in advance. There are those who pass the licentiate examination but cannot pass the provincial one; those who pass the provincial examination but cannot pass the metropolitan one; those who pass the metropolitan examination but cannot rise to office; and those who rise to office but cannot be sure whether they will keep it or lose it, survive or fall. Through such hardship, wearing away one's essence and spirit, consuming one's very qi and blood, one trades the real for the false, scheming after this empty name — but where, in the end, is the glory, and where the rank? There are, further, those whose merit and fame are not yet attained when consumption breaks out early upon them — phlegm, wheezing, breath cut short, movement grown difficult, life itself no longer assured. Is this not truly grievous, truly lamentable!

As for what is called honor and rank — it amounts to no more than this: what one rides in is a palanquin, what one rides upon is a horse, what one wears is gauze and silk and satin, what one eats is lamb and delicacies of the sea. All this merely dresses the body, fills the belly, and dazzles the eyes and ears of others. When one examines it closely, body and heart are greatly harmed, the blessing received is next to nothing, and when the great limit of one's years arrives, honor and rank cannot be held onto at that final moment — one vanishes into the same nothing as one who never had honor or rank at all. What, then, is honorable about honor and rank?

One who cultivates Heaven's nobility feasts on benevolence and righteousness and savors the Way and its power; he gathers in what is showy and false and turns instead to plainness and substance; he stores up his essence and spirit and nourishes his upright qi; he honors his moral nature and follows the path of learning and inquiry. He will not trade the real for the false, will not take suffering for joy; he honors himself and holds himself worthy of himself, is self-sufficient and self-content. Favor and disgrace cannot touch him; blame and praise cannot be laid upon him. Creation and transformation cannot confine him; yin and yang cannot move him; fortune and misfortune cannot draw near him. He brings to completion the original countenance of his own heaven-born nature (qián yuán 乾元), so that Heaven and Earth rejoice in him and the spirits and ghosts honor and submit to him. Only then does he don Heaven's own robe, eat Heaven's own stipend, and enjoy Heaven's own long life — and this honor and rank of his endures forever, lasting long without end. Compared to the honor and rank of this dusty world, which is like frost and dew, how is it not as different as the clouds from the mud?

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of this dusty world's false and empty honor and rank, so as to take up instead the true and real work of honor and rank that transcends the world. To open a way through the barrier of this world's honor and rank does not mean teaching one to avoid honor and rank — it means, precisely within the very circumstance of honor and rank, doing the solid, down-to-earth work of not craving honor and rank. To dwell in honor and rank and rely upon it; to occupy honor and rank and covet it; to emerge from honor and rank and still not forget it; to see honor and rank and know it as honor and rank; to encounter honor and rank and flatter and fawn upon it — all these show that the barrier has not yet been opened through.

Only if one truly and fully realizes that honor and rank can throw a person's nature into disorder, that honor and rank can delude a person's heart, that honor and rank can make a person's qi arrogant, that honor and rank can ruin a person's virtue, that honor and rank can indulge a person's evil, that honor and rank can injure a person's body, that honor and rank can deliver up a person's very life — that honor and rank is great suffering, that honor and rank is a pit of fire, that honor and rank is a mire of mud — only then has the barrier truly been opened through. Then one can enter into the very midst of honor and rank and not be harmed by honor and rank.

There have also been those of former times who completed the Way in the very midst of honor and rank — such as Bao Qian, the Prince of Huainan, Dongfang Shuo, Xu Jingyang, the Perfected Mei, the Immortal Elder Ge, Baopuzi, and Top Graduate Luo — every one of them a great recluse dwelling at court, who yet accomplished the great work. This was because they had already seen through it and understood it completely, and so could plant a lotus within the great fire, and launch a boat within mud and water, borrowing the ways of the world to cultivate the way of the Dao. Whether manifest or hidden, following or resisting circumstance, no one could fathom them — they were not coveting honor and rank at all.

It is not only the one who leaves the world who must see through honor and rank — even one who remains within the world, if he can see through honor and rank, will naturally hold, instead, his own settled judgment. If his ambitions are fulfilled, he is loyal to his sovereign and cares for the people, giving his whole heart and all his strength to accomplish some great work of ordering the realm. He is nothing at all like one who merely occupies an empty post and eats without contributing. If his ambitions are not fulfilled, he holds fast to goodness in himself alone, cultivates the Way and establishes virtue, his conduct and character lofty and out of the ordinary. Nor is he in any way equal to the mediocre and foolish who merely drift along with the world.

Formerly, when Yi Yin served as chancellor to Tang, it was not that he schemed after honor and rank — it was that he wished, by means of this Way, to awaken this people. When Confucius traveled among the various states, when Mencius traveled and took his meals among the feudal lords, how could this have been seeking honor and rank? It was that they wished to put their Way into practice, and so sought to save the age. As for Zhou, the Chengs, Zhang, and Zhu — the great Song Neo-Confucians — all of them did not covet honor and rank: where it was fitting to take office, they took office; where it was fitting to stop, they stopped. From ancient times, the great sages and the great worthies have all held the Way as what matters most, and have not fixed their intent upon honor and rank.

The muddled students of this world cannot see through honor and rank. Some occupy honor and rank and yet cannot bear to give it up; some, themselves without honor or rank, envy and long for it; some form connections with powerful and influential families in order to scheme for profit; some go back and forth through the gates of dukes and marquises and count it a glory. Craving honor and rank, and yet at the same time wishing to cultivate the Way — confused and befuddled, thinking crooked thoughts and wild fancies, grasping at this and fishing after that — no wonder they toil through a whole lifetime and, growing old, accomplish nothing.

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of this world's honor and rank. Let the one who holds honor and rank forget his honor and rank; let the one without honor and rank not envy it. Take understanding the Way as what is precious; take completing the Way as true honor and rank — then, in time, one's intent and thought will return to the real, and there will be hope for the road ahead. Otherwise, mistaking false honor and rank for true honor and rank, letting a single thought of honor and rank knot itself within the breast, choking the numinous aperture with weeds, it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Wealth and Profit (財利關)

The Supreme Sage said: "The gentleman is versed in righteousness; the petty man is versed in profit." Laozi said: "Do not prize goods that are hard to obtain." And again: "Do not display what may be desired, so that the heart is not thrown into disorder." Patriarch Lü said: "Though gold be heaped and jade piled up to fill the hills and streams, the immortal only laughs coldly and pays it no heed at all." All this teaches people that they must not covet wealth and profit, for it will ruin the great work.

But wealth is of two kinds: worldly wealth and Dharma wealth. Worldly wealth is gold and silver, pearls and jade; Dharma wealth is merit and virtue, sincerity and devotion. One who schemes after worldly wealth values gold and silver and slights merit and virtue; he plots a thousand schemes and a hundred plans, taking openly or stealing in secret, harming others to profit himself, letting little out while taking much in. He resents that all the wealth under Heaven is not his alone to possess, that all the profit in the world is not his alone to gain. There is no wealth he does not seek out, no profit he does not hunt down; he throws away his very body and stakes his life without a second thought, and deceives his own heart and conscience without a care. Having ten strings of cash, he longs for a hundred; having a hundred, he longs for a thousand; having a thousand, he longs for ten thousand. His greedy heart is never satisfied, and even at the point of death he will not turn back.

Little does he know that when the great limit arrives, though he be as rich as Shi Chong, his wealth piled up like ten thousand mountains, he cannot buy off Old Yama, King of the Dead, and cannot escape the wheel of birth, death, and rebirth. All that is left him is the sin and guilt that follow his person; he returns with a full cargo of it, and not a single coin can he carry away. When it comes to this, what use is regret?

There is, further, a certain kind of befuddled fellow who knows only to hoard up wealth — he cannot bear to spend it even on food, cannot bear to spend it even on clothing; he is unwilling to show pity to orphans and widows, and does not think to aid the endangered or rescue the destitute. He is a slave to watching over his wealth alone, a demon of stinginess and greed. Death is right before his eyes, and still he is instructing his sons and grandsons how to generate wealth, how to accumulate wealth — which person still owes him a debt, where his money may yet be found. Alas! Once the last three inches of breath are cut off, the ten thousand possessions are all empty — even this body no longer belongs to him — how much less his wealth! Is this not folly indeed?

One who accumulates Dharma wealth values merit and virtue and slights gold and silver; he looks down upon all things, and not a single condition of worldly attachment arises in him. He accumulates merit and piles up good conduct, taking hardship upon himself for the benefit of others, and widely practices expedient means. He takes his own nature and life-destiny as his pearls and treasures, benevolence and righteousness as his gold and jade, the sparing of his qi and the nourishing of his spirit as his goods and profit, the preservation of sincerity and the guarding of the real as his riches, and clarity, stillness, and non-action as his household estate. As for the gold, silver, and treasure of this dusty world, he looks upon it as no more than stone and earth. For what he seeks is the true treasure of the primordial (xiāntiān 先天), prior to Heaven itself, and how could every false treasure of this dusty world be worth clinging to?

If a student of the Way harbors even the slightest heart of coveting wealth and scheming for profit, it will obstruct the great Way. Even for one who practices cultivation, so long as this body has not yet left the dusty world, he cannot entirely dispense with worldly wealth — but he should, on seeing profit, think of righteousness, following what comes naturally, and must not covet or seek beyond what is due him. Even when wealth comes to him naturally, he should still examine its source and history — take it only where it may rightly be taken, and set it aside where it should be set aside. This is what is meant by taking righteousness as one's profit: though outwardly he takes it, in his heart he has never truly taken it at all — so what obstruction is there in the taking?

Formerly, when Confucius traveled among the various states, when Mencius traveled and took his meals among the feudal lords, they were never once unwilling to accept the parting gifts of the feudal lords — but all of this came about naturally, and was never forced or sought after. Even our own Patriarch Changchun [Qiu Chuji], at the beginning, dared not covet so much as a single grain of rice or a single coin without cause; he labored his sinews and bones, starved his very flesh, endured what others could not endure, bore what others could not bear. And when at last bitterness gave way to sweetness, and the depths of adversity turned to fortune, he received the lofty favor of the emperors of the Song, the Jin, and the Yuan, and whatever was granted him, he was never once unwilling to accept. Yet, having received it, he prayed for rain to relieve drought, warded off calamity to support the state, and built and restored temples and monasteries, greatly extending his teaching's gate. In every case he used this wealth rightly — and yet even this was only because he had first accumulated Dharma wealth, and only afterward borrowed worldly wealth to establish his merit.

The muddled students of this world do not know to urgently seek Dharma wealth, and value only worldly wealth instead. They deceive and swindle the faithful of the ten directions, laboring for clothing and for food, shifting debts and piling up obligations — and yet not a single act of merit do they perform, not a single virtue do they accumulate — so that in their next life they must repay it all to others. Even to be reborn as a human being again cannot be counted on for them — how dare they hope to become immortals?

There is, further, a certain kind of arch-sinner who points east while begging alms toward the west, swindling the faithful believers, and doing not a single good deed. Gambling and carousing in drink, over a mere few coins, at the least they fall into quarrels and wrangling, and at the worst into brawling and violence. There is, further still, a certain kind of false moralist, whose mouth speaks of the Way and its power while his heart is that of the bandit Zhi; he puts on airs and strikes a pose, every bit the immortal in appearance. But the moment money is at stake, he shows his true colors, wrangling over how much and how little, with no regard at all for shame. I have often said: to such men, nature and life-destiny are not worth even two hundred coins — and this is entirely true.

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of wealth and profit. You must not see profit and forget righteousness, letting a covetous heart arise. You must know that heaped gold and piled jade cannot buy off life and death; the more wealth, the more burdens; the more profit, the more harm. Better to die guarding the Way than to perish having turned your back on it — in that there is still some good to be had. Otherwise, if the heart bent on profit grows heavy while the heart bent on the Way grows light, the upright cannot overcome the deviant, and it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Poverty and Hardship (窮困關)

The Supreme Sage said: "The gentleman, in poverty, holds firm; the petty man, in poverty, runs to excess." The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) says: "In a position of poverty and low station, he acts as befits a position of poverty and low station." Mencius said: "Poverty and low station cannot move him." The Venerable Ziyang [Zhang Boduan] said: "The pearl within the poor man's robe was, from the very first, perfect and bright and good. Not knowing to seek it out within himself, he counts instead the treasures of other men." All this teaches people to hold fast to the good Way even unto death, dwelling in poverty and hardship without being moved by poverty and hardship.

Now the Way of cultivating reality runs contrary to the ways of the world: it means, from the outset, to cast off wealth and rank and turn instead to poverty and low station, to leave behind extravagance and hold fast to plainness and quietude. One must first afflict one's resolve, labor one's sinews and bones, starve one's very flesh, and empty and impoverish one's body, grinding and polishing oneself through hardship, so as to cast off the false and seek the real. Even warfare and flood and fire, sickness and calamity — none of these are to be reckoned with at all. How much less, then, poverty and hardship?

If one cannot bear poverty and hardship — if, meeting with hunger and cold, vexation arises in him, and, encountering difficulty, ignorance (wúmíng 無明) flares up in him — then this is nothing other than the harm of hunger and thirst becoming a harm to the heart itself. One who nourishes the lesser part of himself becomes a lesser man — mistaking the false and casting away the real, cut off from the Way — and when will he ever be able to reach the far shore of the Way? Little do such people know that the matter of nature and life-destiny is great, while the matter of clothing and food is small. If one values clothing and food while slighting nature and life-destiny, how can one ever cultivate one's nature and life-destiny? Now one who schemes only after clothing and food can, at most, nourish his skin and flesh; but one who cultivates his nature and life-destiny is able to preserve his Heaven-given true nature. If this Heaven-given true nature is once lost, then though the body grow fat and the frame grow strong, like a pig or an ox, one is human in outward form only, while within the heart is that of a beast — such a life is no different from death. How could this be a person devoted to the Way?

Formerly the Perfected Changchun [Qiu Chuji] spent seven years at Longmen and six years at Panxi, constantly enduring hunger, unchanging even unto death. The Perfected Taigu [Hao Datong] sat fixed in meditation upon the Zhaozhou Bridge, neither avoiding hunger and cold nor giving thought to life and death. The Perfected Danyang [Ma Yu] cast off great wealth to take up the iron staff, leaving behind warmth and fullness for poverty and plainness, roofing himself with rough thatch and dwelling within cliffs and caves. All these venerable masters endured what others could not endure, suffered what others could not suffer — every one of them completing the great Way out of poverty and hardship.

The muddled students of this world cannot endure hardship and cannot bear hunger and cold; the moment they meet with the slightest difficulty, the moment they must accept some measure of plainness, vexation at once arises in them of itself — they resent Heaven and blame Earth, think crooked thoughts and wild fancies, fail to hold to their proper place, and scheme after ways to twist free of it. Behaving in this way, if they cannot even bear poverty and hardship, how could they ever pass through great danger and great peril? Therefore the student must take the bearing of poverty and hardship as an essential move. If even a slight heart of fear and aversion remains, then this one thing alone becomes a mountain blocking the road, a great demon that harms the Way, and one cannot advance so much as a single inch.

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of poverty and hardship. Let the heart be like iron and stone, the intent like cold ashes; pass your days following whatever conditions come. If it is hunger, let it be so; if it is cold, let it be so; and even if you should freeze or starve to death, let it be so as well. Never, for the small matter of poverty and hardship, forget the great matter of nature and life-destiny. Proceeding in this way, with a single heart and a single intent, truly walking and truly practicing, taking the Way as one's own charge — one who has not yet heard the Way will surely, in the end, hear it; one who has already heard the Way will surely, in the end, complete it. The patriarchs have, in secret, made their arrangements — they will never let a true and genuine student of the Way be ruined by cold and hunger.

Otherwise, if one keeps to ample clothing and sufficient food, at ease and comfortable in every way, unable to bear even the slightest hardship in one's undertakings, unable to withstand even the slightest poverty and plainness, it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of the Physical Body (色身關)

Laozi said: "The reason I have great trouble is that I have a body. If I had no body, what trouble could I have?" And again: "Putting his own person last, he finds it first; treating his own person as outside himself, he finds it preserved." The Diamond Sutra says: "One cannot see the Tathagata by means of bodily form." The Venerable Xiaoyao said: "One must know that the Dharma-body of all the Buddhas is, in its fundamental nature, without body at all — and it is only through their auspicious marks and their solemn adornment that they take on the appearance of a body." Chan Master Linji said: "The true Buddha has no form; the true nature has no substance; the true Dharma has no mark." Zhuangzi said: "How sad! The people of this world believe that nourishing the bodily form is enough to preserve life. But if nourishing the bodily form is truly not enough to preserve life, then what in this world is worth doing at all?" An old immortal said: "Do not cling to this body and say it is the Way — beyond this body there is a true body." From ancient times, the immortals and buddhas who have completed the Way have none of them placed weight on the body of form — they have cultivated the Dharma-body instead.

Yet the whole world takes this body of form to be a true treasure, and so loves it and cherishes it, wishing to enrich its life, clinging to it and unable to let it go. They scheme after rank and eminence to bring glory to this body; they accumulate wealth and goods to nourish this body; they eat meat and drink wine to fatten this body; they wear splendid clothes and eat fine food to adorn this body. Day and night they scheme and deliberate; at every moment they calculate and plan; they exhaust their very heart's blood, wear away their essence and spirit, and draw ever nearer to keeping company with the ghosts. Though this is called enriching life, it is in truth harming life.

Little do they know that this body of form is a shape entrusted by Heaven and Earth, a temporary joining of the four elements. The moment its yang qi is entirely spent and its yin qi alone grows dominant, the hun-soul takes flight and the po-soul scatters, and it comes to rest as nothing more than a mass of thick, festering, foul flesh — good for nothing but to fatten the earth. Where, then, is the real in it? Where is the true? Since it is not truly real, then it must be false. Does not the one who loves and cherishes this body of form only add falseness upon falseness?

The muddled students of this world vainly wish to cultivate the real, and yet do not know how to search the real to its depths; vainly wish to complete the Way, and yet do not know how to distinguish the Way. Not searching the real to its depths, not distinguishing the Way, not understanding what the true Way even is — confused and befuddled, they take this body of form to be the real, fearing to let this body suffer, fearing to let this body labor, fearing to let this body hunger, fearing to let this body grow cold. Warm clothes and fine food — they protect and cherish this body; comfort and ease — they nurture and tend this body. Every good deed that costs effort, they will not do; but precisely the deeds along the road that cost life itself, that bring no benefit and only harm, these they do not spare their essence and spirit for, do not spare their strength for — these, instead, they are well able to do.

Mistaking the false for the real, taking the empty for the substantial — little do they know that within and without, this body is entirely made up of things that harm life, and not a single thing within it benefits life. When the eye sees a fair form, joy arises; when the ear hears a harsh sound, anger arises; when the nose smells a fragrant scent, love arises; when the tongue tastes a fine flavor, craving arises; when the mind has some object before it, desire arises; when the body is touched by something, fear arises. Outwardly, the six gates of the senses; inwardly, the six consciousnesses — outer and inner attack one another together, hacking away at and destroying the true and primal (zhēnyuán 真元). Tracing this to its cause, it is entirely brought about by the body of form. If there were no body of form, from where would the harm of the six gates and six consciousnesses ever arise?

Moreover, among the ten thousand things between Heaven and Earth, whatever has form must also have decay. If one loves the falseness of this body of form and does not search out the reality of one's nature and life-destiny, then when the great limit arrives, who is the "I," and who is the "body"? The body and the "I" will have nothing at all to do with one another.

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of the physical body — do not let yourself be deceived by it. Look upon the seven apertures as mere holes; look upon the four limbs as knots of wood; look upon the skin and flesh as pockets of pus; look upon the five organs as lumps of morbid flesh. Set this body of form entirely outside your concern, and go seek out instead that true body which is a form without form, an image without image — only then can you extend your true nature and bring it to light. For only by giving up the false can one seek the real; only by recognizing the false can one begin to see the real. The deviant and the upright cannot stand together; good and evil do not travel the same road.

Otherwise, if you recognize its falseness and yet still cannot break free of that falseness — and if you cannot break free of that falseness, how will you ever seek out and find the real? And if you cannot seek out and find the real, how will you ever be able to cultivate the real? If you love the body of form and do not awaken to this, it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Pride (傲氣關)

The Yijing says: "The gentleman, by emptiness, receives others." And again: "Humility, in the honored, shines forth; in the lowly, it cannot be overstepped." The Daodejing says: "He does not display himself, and so he is seen clearly; he does not justify himself, and so he shines forth; he does not boast of himself, and so he has merit; he does not exalt himself, and so he endures." All this teaches people to bend themselves and honor others, and never to harbor a heart of arrogance and self-righteousness.

For one who studies the Way must first make his heart empty and lower his own airs, holding himself humble and small, never full, never overflowing. He sees only his own shortcomings, never his own strengths; he is quick and eager to learn, and is not ashamed to ask questions of those beneath him. He honors his teachers and respects his friends, without the slightest trace of arrogance or restless impatience about him — only then can he move a true teacher to point the way for him, and a good friend to urge him on.

Now in general, a true teacher and a good friend rarely display their sharp edges openly. If one is truly and genuinely a man of resolve, he does not rely on his own talent, does not proclaim his own ability — he appears as foolish, as inarticulate. The clear-eyed teacher, seeing this at a glance, takes secret note of him and is unwilling to cast him aside; and once time has tested and confirmed him, the teacher will at once take him by the hand and raise him up. But as for the sort who exalt themselves and consider themselves always right, even if their intelligence surpasses other men's and their learning stands out above the crowd, the teacher simply sets them aside and asks nothing further of them.

The muddled students of this world, the moment they enter the gate, at once wish to become immortals; the moment they meet a man of high attainment, at once demand the oral formula. They give no thought to what the great Way even is, what cultivation and practice even mean; they treat it with contempt and disdain, vainly imagining they can pick up treasure while merely walking along the road. Some study a smattering of side-gate techniques and consider themselves already possessed of the Way; their hearts grow lofty and their airs grow proud, they set themselves up as sages, as heroes, and show off before others. Even meeting an enlightened person, they are unwilling to bow their heads, and let the encounter slip by right in front of them.

Some have read a few volumes of Confucian books and grasped the meaning of a few phrases, and have besides memorized some passages from the alchemical scriptures and masters' books; clinging to images and mired in the letter of the text, they consider themselves thoroughly awakened and enlightened, talk grandly and expansively, look down upon everyone within the four seas, and will no longer listen to instruction from anyone of higher attainment. Rashly they set to work, doing everything in confusion and disorder — not only without benefit, but bringing harm upon themselves instead. Only when a great sickness has come upon them from it do they realize their own error, and by then there is no cure to be had, and regret comes too late.

There is, further, a certain kind of ignorant literary man who, relying on his own talent and learning, guesses wildly and gossips in private, speaking what seems right but is not. Chancing upon a monk or a Daoist priest, he at once tests and quizzes them on the alchemical scriptures, and if they do not oblige him with an answer, he declares at once that they have no attainment of the Way. Even meeting a true teacher, he shows no sincerity and no respect — putting on great airs, sitting up high and talking wildly, with scarcely any restraint at all. Men of this sort, slack and negligent, deceiving their own hearts — how could they ever catch the fragrant wind, or draw near the shore of the Way?

Now the Way steals the secret of yin and yang, seizes the power of creation and transformation, transcends life and death, and escapes the wheel of rebirth — it is treasured by Heaven and Earth, and kept secret by the ghosts and spirits. Unless one is a man of great worth and great virtue, of a truly sincere and genuine heart, how would the Way ever be lightly revealed to him, and how would he ever be permitted to hear it lightly? Moreover, the secret purport of the great Way does not lie in the written word. The alchemical scriptures and masters' books are only where the patriarchs of successive generations opened up and clarified the principle of the Way, to guide those who came after, so that they might broaden their understanding and go on to seek confirmation from a teacher. They were never meant to teach people to cling to books and take them for the Way itself.

Among those without learning, they very often only hear the sound of the watchman's clapper and cannot tell right from wrong, leading the blind with the blind. Among those with some slight knowledge of the text's meaning, they very often stick rigidly to their own opinions, unwilling to bow their heads, compounding one error with another. In every one of these cases, the sickness lies in a proud spirit and a self-satisfied air. A proud spirit and a self-satisfied air are nothing other than the absence of a true heart — and if one has no true heart to study the Way, who would be willing to point out the Way with a true heart in return? Would this not be to waste one's essence and spirit for nothing, ruining the great work by one's own hand?

I urge the true-hearted student of the Way: quickly open a way through the barrier of pride. Seek out a wise teacher and a good friend, and ask for instruction with sincerity and respect. Sweep away every fault of self-display, self-righteousness, self-boasting, and self-exaltation — do not let even a trace of it remain buried within — and become instead a humble, yielding, and lowly little man. One who has not yet heard the Way will thereby be able to hear it; one who has already heard the Way will thereby be able to complete it. For it is only by being small that one can become great; only by being lowly that one can become high; only by bending that one can become straight; only by being empty that one can become full.

Otherwise, if pride fills the breast, and one looks upon others as nothing at all, it is vain to hope to understand the Way; that will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Jealousy (嫉妒關)

The Yijing says: "The noble one, together with friends, discusses and practices [what he has learned]." The Great Nirvana Sutra says: "Before you have yourself attained deliverance, deliver others first." The Diamond Sutra says: "If a good man or good woman receives and upholds even so much as a four-line verse from this sutra and expounds it to others, the merit of this surpasses that other merit." Mencius said: "To be good in common with others, to set aside self and follow others, delighting to take from others what is good, and so to do good." All of this speaks of doing good together with others, and of how one must not harbor jealousy and a private-minded heart.

Now, to cultivate the real is to cultivate one's Nature and Life-Destiny. These two words, Nature and Life-Destiny, are fully possessed by every single person, perfectly complete in each and every one; in the sage they are not increased, in the ordinary person they are not diminished. Whether rich or poor, noble or lowly, wise or foolish, high or low — who does not have a Nature and a Life-Destiny of his own? And since every person has a Nature and Life-Destiny, one may know that the great Way is a thing held in common by all, that every person can understand the great Way, and every person can become an immortal or a buddha. It rests only with the resolute, faithful-hearted aspirant to cultivate it and confirm it in himself.

Yet the method of cultivating and confirming this requires seeking a wise teacher's guidance, and borrowing the benefit of good friends. A wise teacher is why one lays hold of the guiding thread; good friends are why one enlarges one's understanding. A wise teacher must be sought with sincerity; good friends, too, must be honored with respect. For the benefit of a good friend carries half the merit of a teacher. One borrows another's knowledge to remedy one's own ignorance; one borrows another's ability to aid one's own inability. The benefit is very great — how could one treat it lightly? This is why the patriarchs taught people to seek out teachers and visit friends.

Consider those who study the Way under the same teacher: all are of one heart and one task, gathered together morning and night, and so must honor and love one another. When there is good, they urge each other on; when there is fault, they correct each other; in hardship they support one another; in sickness they look after one another — like partners seeking a fortune together, hauling the boat and calling the stroke as one. What another does not know, I explain to him; what I do not know, I ask him to make clear to me. Each aiding the other, the merit is doubled. Moreover, those who study the Way together in the same hall are friends in Nature and Life-Destiny, companions bound by the Way and by righteousness; by right they should be close and loving, gentle and harmonious with one another. What another attains, let it be as though I myself had attained it; what another loses, let it be as though I myself had lost it. Only this is what it means to be a fellow student of the Way. The Odes say: "When another has some skill, it is as though I myself possessed it; when another is worthy and wise, my heart delights in it — not merely as if it came out of my own mouth, but as if it were truly my own."

Muddled students of the world, themselves lacking resolve and spirit, when friends urge and encourage them, instead grow resentful. When they themselves have some fault or transgression, and friends correct and warn them of it, they at once become inflamed with ignorance (wúmíng). Not only do they refuse to listen, they even harbor anger and hatred toward them. Being unwilling themselves to bore into the principles of the Way, in time they come to know nothing at all; and seeing others apply themselves diligently, able to understand and able to awaken, so that the honored teacher looks on them with delight, they secretly grow jealous. They deliberately stir up gossip and discord, spoiling the good affairs of others. They feel no regret over their own incapacity, but instead resent the capacity of others. They never once stop to consider what it is they are even studying the Way for.

Now, one who studies the Way does so in order to move toward good and to correct one's faults: being not yet good, one studies it, wishing to move toward good; having some fault, one studies it, wishing to correct it into faultlessness. Yet now, seeing another's goodness, they do not know to move toward that goodness themselves; having originally no fault of their own, they grow jealous of another, and thereby bring a fault upon themselves. Propping the heart up on this crutch, they study day by day and sink day by day, studying their way down into the fixed and unmovable ground of the lowest folly.

There is yet another sort — scoundrels who know neither high nor low — who, seeing another speak of the Way, laugh in his very face; who, seeing another cultivate practice, slander him in secret. If they have no understanding of the Way at all, why enter the Way in the first place? And having entered the gate of the Way, they still take no joy in it. They wear the cap of the patriarchs upon their heads and the robes of the patriarchs upon their bodies, yet they violate the patriarchs' words and turn their backs on the patriarchs' conduct. Ignorant of their own sins and transgressions, giving no thought to cause and effect — how can such men be called men of the Way?

Long ago, the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha vowed that every single being would become a buddha before he himself would become a buddha. Patriarch Lü vowed to deliver every person in the world before he himself ascended to immortality. The Seven Perfected together took Chongyang the Thearch-Lord [Wang Chongyang] as their teacher; and after the Thearch-Lord ascended to Perfection, the six — Qiu, Liu, Tan, Wang, Hao, and Sun — all took Patriarch Ma [Ma Danyang] as their teacher, and all received Patriarch Ma's guiding hand, and so brought the great work to completion. In general, the student must first hold in his heart a great, impartial, and selfless compassion that does good together with others, benefiting others and benefiting himself — only then can there be progress and gain.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Jealousy — to embrace the great sameness of all things and have no self, applying yourself only to your own hard discipline and grinding refinement, honoring the strengths of others while showing your own shortcomings, bowing your head to the work at hand, advancing with a sincere heart. Whatever step you walk is a step gained; whatever merit you carry out is a merit earned. Hold the heart of the sages and worthies, carry out the conduct of the sages and worthies, and in the end you will complete the great work of the sages and worthies. Otherwise — the breast filled with jealousy, the more one studies the worse one becomes, unable even to be a good person, how would one dare hope to become a sage or worthy? To hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Hot Temper (暴燥關)

The Yijing says: "The noble one thereby checks his anger and blocks his desire." The Yinfu Jing (Classic of the Hidden Accordance) says: "Fire is born from wood; when calamity breaks out, it is sure to overcome its source." Zengzi said: "When the heart harbors some wrath, it cannot attain its proper correctness." Mencius said: "Hold fast to your resolve, and do not let violence disturb your qi." The Song of Realizing the Way (Liaodao Ge) says: "Before refining the returned elixir, first refine your Nature." All of this speaks of how a violent temper and an irritable disposition are harmful to the Way, and must without fail be swept away with diligent effort of the heart.

Now the true and genuine student of the Way moves and acts like a virgin maiden, and nurtures his qi like an infant. He takes softness and weakness as what comes first, peace and harmony as the root; he takes according with each thing as it comes as his way of meeting the world, and takes forgiving others and yielding to others as the essential move. Long ago, Shakyamuni Buddha, through five hundred kalpas, was the Immortal of Patient Endurance, and in the end attained buddhahood. The Most High Lord Lao said: "Call me an ox, and I answer to ox; call me a horse, and I answer to horse" — and in the end he became the founding patriarch of the Way. The Perfected Lord Changchun [Qiu Chuji] once tasted another man's excrement, and so was able to achieve great attainment. The Perfected Sanfeng [Zhang Sanfeng] endured every kind of abuse and cursing from others, and so completed the great work. At all times set the heart's longing upon the Way — the matter of Nature and Life-Destiny is great — and put every unfavorable circumstance that comes from without, every evil word and evil deed, entirely outside one's concern, meeting it with no awareness and no consciousness of it at all.

Muddled students of the world do not stop to consider for themselves what leaving the household life is really for, or what sort of person wears the Daoist headscarf and robe; they pass their days in a fog, muddled and confused. They delight in others' flattery, and love to be praised and exalted. They only love it when others defer to them, but will not themselves defer to others. At the slightest bump or friction, their irritable temper flares up. Rage arises from this, and resentment is born from this. They give no thought to fire and water, to blade and weapon; they have no fear of pit or well, cliff or river; some even go so far as to contend by force for victory, so that both sides are wounded, and they fall into mortal danger and destroy their own Nature and Life-Destiny. Nor is this all. The moment a violent temper and irritable nature erupt, the original spirit (yuánshén) departs its chamber, a great fire burns the body, the bodily fluids run dry, and the correct qi disperses. The Three Treasures are wounded, the Five Virtues are emptied away; within, the true is lost; without, virtue is ruined. One's Nature is thrown into disorder and one's Life-Destiny shaken — before any harm has reached another person, one has already harmed oneself. How could the harm done by a violent temper be a small thing?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Hot Temper. Become a man who, though he has breath, is as good as dead; play the part of a witless fool without a mind of his own. Be as though foolish, as though inarticulate; as though deaf, as though mute. If people curse you, be so; if people strike you, be so; if people despise and detest you, be so; if people slander you, be so. Let the heart be like cold ashes, the disposition like frozen ice. Only when there is not the slightest trace of hot breath stored within can one truly leap clear of the Barrier of Hot Temper. If there remains even a trace of hot breath within, then even though outwardly it shows no form, inwardly its root is truly planted there. Should one then meet with an unfavorable circumstance or an unjust matter, there is no case in which it does not erupt violently.

The Daodejing says: "The highest good is like water. Water benefits the ten thousand things well, and does not contend; it dwells in the places that the multitude disdain — and so it comes close to the Way." For only one who can place himself below others can then rise above others; only one who can be weak before others can then become strong before others. Otherwise, if the violent temper is not removed, one knows only that the self exists and not that others exist; one knows only how to use strength, and not how to use weakness. Acting on impulse, doing as the heart moves — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of the Mouth and Tongue (口舌關)

The Yijing says: "Keeping stillness in the jaws — speech has its proper order." And again: "Cultivating one's words and establishing one's sincerity in them is the means of abiding in one's work." The Utmost Sage [Confucius] said: "The noble one desires to be slow in speech but quick in action." Laozi said: "Close the mouth, shut the gates, and to the end of life you will not toil." All of this teaches people to be cautious in speech, and that one must not speak recklessly.

For the mouth and tongue are the gateway through which words go out and come in, the root and sprout of right and wrong. They bear upon a person's integrity, and are bound up with a person's virtue and conduct. The noble man and the petty man are distinguished here; the upright man and the deviant man are told apart here. Whether calamity is invited or fortune brought about, whether an affair is accomplished or ruined — none of it is settled anywhere but here. Therefore the noble man deliberates before he speaks. What may be said, he then says; what may not be said, he does not say. He speaks only when speech benefits the way of the world and the hearts of men, or when speech leads another to move toward good and correct his faults, or when speech urges another to leave what is deviant and return to what is upright, or when speech offers another convenience and unravels his difficulty, or when speech conceals another's evil and makes known his good — never does he speak recklessly, lightly, or emptily. This does not mean shutting the mouth and saying nothing at all — it is simply that once a word has left the mouth, a team of four horses cannot overtake it; calamity or fortune shows itself at once, and so speech cannot but be approached with caution. Should one's speech be careless, if it does not injure another, it will bring blame upon oneself. The harm done by the mouth and tongue — its edge is like a blade, its poison like the venom of the zhèn-bird. How could this be a small matter?

Muddled students of the world do not know the gains and harms involved. They take the movement of the mouth and tongue as a small matter, take glibness for talent, and take skillful argument for a mark of pride. Some expose others' shortcomings; some boast of their own strengths; some tell lies and speak in deceit; some gossip about right and wrong; some give their word and afterward break faith; some speak empty words and are slow to act on them; some speak wildly and bring on the beginnings of calamity; some talk loftily with nothing real behind it; some curse and swear even in broad daylight; some flatter with clever words and slander with a fawning tongue; some ruin affairs through speech; some injure others through speech. All such speech does harm and brings no benefit. What is there to prize in speaking? Better by far not to speak at all.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of the Mouth and Tongue. Let the mouth not open recklessly, let the tongue not move recklessly; what is not fitting, do not say, and what is said, let it always be fitting. Cultivate your words and establish your sincerity in them; be cautious in speech and careful in conduct. Never speak lightly — let speech always hit its mark. Moreover, speech is the voice of the heart, and the tongue is the sprout of the heart. If the movement of the mouth and tongue is not correct, then one may know that the field of the heart is not correct. If the field of the heart is not correct, the very root is already ruined; the Nature is already clouded, the Life-Destiny already shaken, and the spirit secretly injured. To hope to understand and cultivate the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Anger and Hatred (嗔恨關)

The Heart Sutra says: "There is no ignorance, and no ending of ignorance either." The Great Adept Fu said: "Sweep clean the ground of heart and mind — this is called the cause of the Pure Land. Whether it be blessedness or wisdom you seek, first drive out greed and anger." Chan Master Baizhang said: "If, within one's very organs, there is nothing attained and nothing sought, then this person gives rise to no dust of the senses, and no self-and-other arises in him — this is to gather Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed. Giving rise to no greed or anger at all — this is to be able to swallow the waters of the four great oceans. Admitting no joy, no anger, no word into the ear at all; remaining unconfused and undisturbed in every circumstance, neither angry nor delighted; scraping and paring everything utterly clean — this is the man with nothing to do, surpassing every ascetic monk of learning, understanding, and diligence." The Song of Knocking on the Yao-Lines (Qiaoyao Ge) says: "If anger is not removed, and one's manner is not changed, one falls into the sea of birth-and-death and the turning wheel of rebirth." All of this speaks of how anger and hatred are things that obstruct the Way, and must be driven out with the utmost fierce effort.

Now the two words "anger" and "hatred" — they are like a snake, like a scorpion, the most vicious, the most poisonous of things. Should they knot themselves into one's very breast, in time they accumulate and become a venomous canker. They wound one's life and injure one's destiny, and the calamity they bring is severe indeed. Outwardly they harm others; inwardly they ruin oneself — and yet there is no physician who can cure them.

The student's capacity for measure must be as vast and boundless as Heaven's own expanse; his richness and depth must be as the Earth's, which bears up all things without exception; his power to receive and contain must be as the sea's, to which the many waters all flow home. Only then may one go on to observe: Heaven's vast expanse covers over nothing that it does not cover, gives birth to nothing that it does not give birth to. Let the sun and moon go their courses as they will; let the stars and constellations turn as they will; let clouds and mist obscure it as they will; let men deceive it, and it lets them; let men honor it, and it lets them; let men feel gratitude toward it, and it lets them; let men revile and hate it, and it lets them — of all the good and evil, the upright and the deviant, the fierce, the stubborn, the foolish, and the base, Heaven knows none of it at all. Taishan, Songshan, and Huashan, however heavy, the Earth can bear up; the rivers and streams, however they surge and cut into it, it can endure; trees and grasses and stones, however they pierce and press upon it, it can bear with patience; the flying birds and running beasts, however they peck and trample it, it lets them have their way; the plowing and hoeing and digging, it accepts and follows — every insult and every ruinous injury, the Earth meets with no mind at all. The sea's power to receive and contain — the many waters gather and flow into it, day and night without cease; through a thousand years and ten thousand ages, it is never seen to overflow. Clear water flows in, and its clarity is not distinguished; muddied water flows in, and its muddiness is not distinguished. Sweet water flows in, and its sweetness is not distinguished; bitter water flows in, and its bitterness is not distinguished. Fish and turtles and shrimp and crabs swim sideways through it as they please; river-turtles, alligators, and flood-dragons race and leap through it as they please. All manner of filth and stench and grime, everything unclean and impure — there is nothing the sea does not receive.

If the student of the Way can be like Heaven in capacity, like the Earth in depth, like the sea in breadth, then he is an immortal with nothing left to do, holding the wondrous secret of preserving life, standing close neighbor to the Way — and gaining great advantage indeed.

Muddled students of the world do not know that the harm done by anger and hatred is the very greatest. Some grow angry when circumstances go against them; some grow angry when their schemes fail to succeed; some grow angry over the loss of some possession; some grow angry out of envy at another's ability; some grow angry when temperaments do not match; some grow angry over insufficient food and clothing; some grow hateful when they are given offense; some nurse hatred by remembering another's small fault; some harbor hatred when a request of another goes unanswered; some accumulate hatred when others will not defer to them. All these sicknesses of anger and hatred come, in every case, from one's own confusion and folly, from having no true heart set on studying the Way. One who is truly a sincere-hearted student of the Way would certainly never be like this. Thus the Utmost Sage held himself to a strict standard and was lenient in holding others to account. Yan Hui, when wronged, did not retaliate — because he was without anger and without hatred, and so he was a sage and a worthy. The people of the whole world have anger, have hatred — and so they are ordinary men. The distinction between sage and ordinary man lies simply in this presence or absence.

But anger and hatred can do harm not only when they take visible form outwardly — even within the most hidden and subtle recesses, if the slightest trace of smoke and dust is not entirely swept away, it can still injure the true. One must strive to be utterly clean, within and without, as white as snow, as bright as a mirror. In meeting affairs and dealing with things, meet them all with a mind that holds to nothing. Only when spirit and qi go unharmed, and the temperament remains calm and at peace, can the great Way be hoped for.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Anger and Hatred. Learn to be a man of the Way with no mind of his own: let the light pass by, let the heavy pass by; let the low pass by, let the high pass by. Meet each thing according to itself, and respond to each affair as it comes. Respond, but do not take it in; let it pass, and do not hold onto it — how then could anger and hatred do any harm? Otherwise, giving rise to anger and hatred, letting hidden poison and secret malice congeal and settle in the inch-square of the heart, one's true Nature grows clouded before its time. To hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Self and Other (人我關)

The Yijing says: "Keeping still in his back, he does not have consciousness of his body; walking in his courtyard, he does not see the people in it. No blame." And again: "Fellowship with men in the open country — success." The Diamond Sutra says: "No mark of self, no mark of other, no mark of sentient being, no mark of a life-span." The Sage [Confucius] said: "Being true to oneself and reaching out to others is not far from the Way; what you would not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Shangyangzi said: "Quickly overturn the mountain of self and other; swiftly break through the emptiness of dragon and tiger." All of this speaks of how cultivating the Way requires being without the view of self and other.

Yet to be without other, one must first be without self. For the moment there is a self, then a private-minded heart arises. Once the private-minded heart arises, every word and every deed, every movement and every stillness, all comes to be done for the sake of the self. And once it is done for the sake of the self, one is bound to give no thought to others; and once one gives no thought to others, one is bound to harm others to benefit oneself, injuring Heaven and violating reason, stopping at nothing at all.

Now consider: at the very origin of life, whether worthy or foolish, noble or lowly, all share the same Nature and Life-Destiny, the same bodily form — how could there be any division between this one and that one? And since there is no division between this one and that one, then I am as another, and another is as myself; self and other are one and the same. This is precisely the great, impartial, selfless heart of Heaven and Earth; precisely the Way of the sages and worthies who take all people as their siblings and all things as their companions; precisely the method by which the cultivator of the real forgets both self and other. If the student can hold fast to this heart, this Way, this method, and carry it out in practice, then he already carries the embryo of a sage or worthy, the seed of an immortal or buddha, and the great Way may be hoped for.

Muddled students of the world do not know the principle of great impartiality and selflessness, of regarding things and self as one. They cling fast to this body and take it to be the self. Once it is taken to be the self, there is at once an other. With self and other established, this one and that one are at once divided. Once this one and that one are divided, one makes light of others and makes much of the self; one takes the self as the inner and others as the outer. Day and night they scheme and calculate to enrich themselves, and by a thousand plans and a hundred schemes they take from others. In every act and every affair, they will not yield to others; over every item of goods and every profit, they seek to gain the advantage. Not only in meeting affairs and dealing with things do they strive everywhere to win, contending for the upper hand in every matter — even with their closest kin, their dearest friends, their fellow workers and colleagues, they still insist on drawing the line between you and me. They resent that they cannot have every precious thing belonging to another entirely for themselves; that they cannot bring about every good thing in the world entirely by themselves alone. Wherever there is profit, they bore in with head and hand outstretched; wherever there is no profit, they hunch their shoulders and hide themselves away.

Yet little do they know that once the three inches of breath are cut off, the ten thousand things all turn to emptiness, and even this very body no longer belongs to oneself. When that time comes, where is the self, and where is the other? Both self and other are utterly gone. Why, then, must one waste one's scheming mind while in the world, forcibly dividing self from other, binding up nothing but enmity and hatred for oneself alone? How foolish this is!

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Self and Other. Return to the face one had at the very origin of life, with no other and no self; take on the likeness one will have after death, with no other and no self. Regard the ten thousand things as a single body; regard all under Heaven as a single family. Seeing another's joy, let it be as my own joy; seeing another's sorrow, let it be as my own sorrow; seeing another's gain, let it be as my own gain; seeing another's loss, let it be as my own loss. If you have wealth, use it to relieve another's hardship; if you have no wealth, there is no harm in offering some convenience all the same. Benefit others in every place, accumulate virtue in every matter. When adversity and injustice come, meet them as though you knew nothing of them; when insult and humiliation are added upon you, set them aside as though you had not noticed. When there is occasion to spare another, then spare him; where it is fitting to yield ground, then yield it. Only this is the true bearing of the student, the sincere heart that longs for the Way. Otherwise, holding to the view of self and other, the division of this one and that one, private desire piling up until it chokes and blocks the apertures of the heart — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Cold and Heat (冷熱關)

Laozi said: "By putting his own body outside himself, his body is thereby preserved." Master Wenshi [Yin Xi] said: "In winter he withstands the wind and is not cold; in summer he withstands the fire and is not hot." Patriarch Lü said: "Seek life, yet do not cling to life; before death comes, learn to die first." All of this speaks of how, for the sake of the Way, one forgets the body, and does not shrink from cold or heat.

Now the one who cultivates the Way must first see through this illusory, transforming body, and set the body of form outside his concern. If he does not even fear death, how much less cold and heat? Thus Shenguang, seeking the Dharma at Shaolin Temple, did not notice when the snow piled up past his knees. Taigu, sitting in the cold at Zhaozhou Bridge, did not notice when the floodwaters rose to nearly submerge him. Shakyamuni, transforming himself upon the Snowy Mountains to cultivate the Way, endured suffering beyond measure. Patriarch Changchun, grinding away at his Nature at Panxi, endured hunger and cold beyond measure. Even in recent times, the Perfected Liang of Baishi Town wore ragged clothes and a grime-covered face, and for years on end never once lay down his body to rest, never once taking his ease. The Sleeping Immortal Zhang of Xining Prefecture lay for years beside a mountain spring, his body bare and exposed, and for more than forty years it was as though it were but a single day. The Immortal Suoluo tempered himself on the river shoals; the Dog-Hide Immortal slept upon the ice-bound shoals; Master Xianliu bore hardship beneath the yellow sands — all of these did not shrink from cold or heat, and by giving up the body of form, they completed the Dharma-body.

Muddled students of the world do not know that fragrance comes out of foulness, and sweetness comes from bitterness. They mistake the body of form for the real, and so cherish and prize it, seeking only their own comfort and nourishment. Meeting cold, they think at once of a warm place; meeting heat, they think at once of a cool place. Fearing cold and fearing heat, they cut themselves off from all thought of the Way. Yet they do not stop to consider that Nature and Life-Destiny are the very first great matter of a human life — how could one let the small matter of cold and heat ruin the great matter of Nature and Life-Destiny? If one is truly working for the sake of Nature and Life-Destiny, then even the very barrier of life and death, even the realm of the greatest difficulty, must be passed through freely and without entanglement. As for cold and heat, what are they worth troubling over?

Though before the Way is completed, the body of form must not be ruined either. Simply let coarse clothing protect the body, making do and getting by, and let that be enough. There is no need to keep cold and heat constantly weighing on the heart. When cold comes, one must simply bear the cold; when heat comes, one must simply bear the heat. Heat it, cool it — simply move along together with the season, that is all. To move along together with the season does not mean that where one ought not to suffer cold, one is nonetheless forced to suffer cold, or that where one ought not to suffer heat, one is nonetheless forced to suffer heat. If, where one ought not to suffer cold, one nevertheless insists on suffering cold, or where one ought not to suffer heat, one nevertheless insists on suffering heat — this becomes deliberate contrivance, and is likewise stubborn obstinacy that will not bend, suffering in vain for no reason. What benefit is there in this?

In general, though the fear of cold and the fear of heat may seem a small matter of conduct, it obstructs the Way a great deal. Should there remain even the slightest concern over cold and heat, then boundless deviant thoughts and vain imaginings will arise from it. Meeting cold, one is bound to scheme for a way to escape the cold; meeting heat, one is bound to scheme for a way to escape the heat. Mistaking the false for the true — is this not a very great error indeed?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Cold and Heat. Adapt to the season and make do wherever you are; settle your body wherever you find yourself. Cold will do, heat will do — so long as it does not freeze you to death or scorch you to death, let that be enough. On no account let cold or heat stir up ignorance within you. Otherwise, with cold and heat lodged in the heart — where the heart harbors fear, it cannot attain its correctness; where it harbors care and anxiety, it cannot attain its correctness. If the heart itself cannot attain its correctness, to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Laziness (懶惰關)

The Yijing says: "One who does not hold constant to his character will meet with disgrace." And again: "The Way of Heaven and Earth is constant and enduring, and does not cease." The Utmost Sage said: "The noble one follows the Way in his conduct; to give it up midway — this I could not bring myself to do." Chongyang the Thearch-Lord [Wang Chongyang] said: "Fragrance comes out of foulness; sweetness comes from within bitterness." All of this speaks of how the student must be fierce, valiant, and vigorous in advancing, and must not be lazy or seek idle ease.

Now the study of Nature and Life-Destiny is the very greatest matter of human life, and also the very hardest matter under Heaven. It depends upon diligent, painstaking effort and a firm and unshakeable resolve, growing ever more vigorous the longer it continues, having a beginning and a true end — only then can there be progress and gain. For a great and unchanging matter that endures forever must depend upon a great and unceasing work that likewise endures, before it can be completed.

Some repair bridges and mend roads to benefit others; some give out medicine and offer tea to relieve urgent need; some restore temples and build monasteries to encourage goodness; some show compassion to the aged and pity to the poor, thereby accumulating virtue; some support the endangered and rescue those in difficulty, thereby resolving their distress; some exert themselves for the sake of the teaching, stirring up great worldly toil on its behalf; some apply their effort to the ground of the heart, casting aside worldly affairs entirely; some, because the correct principle is not yet clear to them, search it out by day and investigate it by night; some, because they have not yet met an enlightened teacher, seek him out east and search for him west; some, meeting with calamity, hardship, and difficulty, redouble their resolve all the more. Seeing one good act, they perform it at once; seeing one evil, they cast it off at once. Every hour they exert themselves; every moment they apply their effort. They cherish even an inch's shadow of time, and let no moment pass by empty. Naturally, from lowliness they climb to the heights; from the shallow they enter the deep; standing out like a crane among chickens, they win in the end the notice and regard of the truly eminent.

Muddled students of the world establish not a single merit, cultivate not a single virtue; they seek only ease and comfort, and fear to undergo hardship and toil. Seeing a matter that calls for effort, they flee far from it; meeting a place that calls for carrying out merit-work, they draw back. They eat their fill all day long, applying their minds to nothing at all. They wander idly about in dissipation, empty and without substance. Having met an enlightened teacher, they vainly imagine that a single word or half a phrase will bring them to great and thorough awakening. Outwardly they put on an appearance of honesty, while inwardly harboring the heart of a thief. Moreover, they will not apply careful attention to boring into principle, nor can they endure being tempered and ground down. After two or three days, if they have not obtained the oral instructions they sought, they conclude that they lack the karmic affinity for it, and go far away at once. There is yet another sort — sinful wretches heaping up transgressions — who, rather than blame themselves for lacking resolve, instead slander their honored teacher as stingy and grudging, binding up enmity in their hearts that is never released for the rest of their lives. Conduct of this kind shows neither a lasting resolve and spirit, nor a true heart set on studying the Way. Not only will such a person find it hard to ascend to Heaven's hall — he will instead fall into hell.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Laziness. Broadly accumulate hidden virtue, and carry out merit-work according to your strength. Outwardly, benefit other beings; inwardly, refine yourself. Morning and evening alike, hold Nature and Life-Destiny as what matters most; thought after thought, keep body and heart-mind as your true business. Exert your strength at every step, press forward in every place, and do not change even unto death. In the end there will surely come a day when you emerge into the light, a time when you attain your heart's desire. Otherwise, hesitating and fearful, never resolute, lazy and muddling through, squandering the years in emptiness — if one cannot even carry through a small hardship or a great merit-work, then as for becoming an immortal or a buddha, that rarest and greatest of matters, how could one ever carry it through? To hope to understand the Way, to transcend the realms of men and gods, and to escape the sea of suffering like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Talent and Cleverness (才智關)

The Yijing says: "Toiling in humility — the noble one has a good end; auspicious." The Utmost Sage said: "Though a man have talents as admirable as those of the Duke of Zhou, if he is arrogant and stingy, the rest is not worth even looking at." Laozi said: "Great completion seems to lack something, yet its use is never worn out; great fullness seems empty, yet its use is never exhausted; great straightness seems bent; great skill seems clumsy; great eloquence seems halting." All of this speaks of how, having talent, one does not use it, and having cleverness, one does not employ it — only so can one's talent be brought to completion, and one's cleverness be made whole.

What is called talent? Intelligence and skill are what it means. What is called cleverness? Scheming and resourceful adaptability are what it means. Talent is a thing the people of the world treasure and prize — precisely because rank and fame cannot be achieved without talent and cleverness, wealth and goods cannot be obtained without talent and cleverness, and in meeting the world and dealing with things, talent and cleverness are always put first. Yet if one examines the matter to its root, every single person is destroyed in his very life by talent and cleverness — it is only that people have never thought this through deeply. For when talent and cleverness are used to seek fame and profit, one labors one's heart day and night, and is bewildered by fame and profit. One knows only to advance, and not to retreat; one knows only fortune, and not calamity. Spending one's essence, wasting one's spirit, contending for supremacy and loving to win, brooding and scheming to excess — one's essential fluids run dry, and the very body declines and fails. It may even come to this: fame and profit are not yet attained, and already Nature and Life-Destiny are lost — is this not a case of using talent and using cleverness, and being harmed by that very talent and cleverness instead?

Muddled students of the world do not know that talent and cleverness do the very greatest harm to their affairs. In their every act and movement, relying on their own petty cleverness and false quickness of wit, they boast of their own ability before others, telling themselves that no one else compares to them. Some rely on their talent and look upon no one else as worth noticing; some employ their cleverness merely to scheme after food and clothing; some argue forcefully over right and wrong, using it to bully and oppress their elders and superiors; some speak deviant and heterodox words, using them to sow transgression and delude the multitude; some memorize a few classic public cases and use them to snare and confuse others; some compose a few lines of verse and thereby take pride in possessing the Way; some learn a few contorted exercises and thereby lead the blind with the blind. They may even go so far as to cling rigidly to their own opinions, taking man and woman for yin and yang, drawing others into transgression and into the practice of "gathering and taking" (căiqŭ); or taking the golden elixir to be a thing with physical form, wasting others' money and wealth by drawing them into external smelting and refining. All of this comes from relying on one's own talent and cleverness, misusing one's own intelligence — peering through a tube, measuring with a gourd-ladle — every bit of it like walking a path in the black of night, or trying to make a living at the bottom of a dry well.

Yet little do they know that the one who truly longs for the Way casts aside cleverness and abandons intelligence, hides his brightness and nurtures obscurity. He does not seek to stand out amid the entanglements of the dusty world, nor to contend for victory in worldly affairs. With a single thought pure and true, he knows nothing of the ten thousand things. He seeks out an enlightened teacher, visits good friends, and takes Nature and Life-Destiny as the one great matter. Honest and plain, simple and sincere, he makes no use at all — not the slightest bit — of any false talent or false cleverness.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Talent and Cleverness. Sweep away the false talent and cleverness used outwardly, and turn instead to the true talent and cleverness used inwardly. Take every kind of one-sided sickness — contending for supremacy and loving to win, following one's own judgment alone, guessing privately and gossiping in secret, taking what does not exist for what exists, taking the empty for the full — and strike it all out with a single stroke of the pen. Change your face and turn over a new leaf; enter through sincerity, and act through gentleness — only then may there be hope in studying the Way. Otherwise, setting yourself up as a sage, exalting yourself alone, knowing only that the self exists and not that others exist, relying on talent and using cleverness, scheming and contriving deceit — you mean to advance forward, but instead fall behind. To hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Willfulness (任性關)

The Daodejing says: "One who displays himself is not clearly seen; one who justifies himself is not illustrious." An ancient scripture says: "One who clings and holds fast does not understand the Way and its Virtue." Mencius said: "Turning back upon oneself and finding oneself sincere — there is no joy greater than this; forcing oneself to practice mutual consideration — there is no path closer to benevolence than this." The Odes say: "Fine virtue and a fine countenance, careful and cautious in every particular." All of this teaches people to act in accordance with feeling and with reason, and that one must not be willful and obstinate.

Now, once a person is born, he takes on the acquired, temperament-bound nature of his postnatal condition, and in wisdom and folly, good and evil, clarity and turbidity, strength and weakness, people differ from one another. Only the sage born of Heaven's own bestowal has an original Nature perfectly bright and complete, pure white without blemish. Below him, the people of middling and lesser capacity each carry some one-sided sickness in their persons — which is truly a great harm to their Nature and Life-Destiny. Yet though it is a great harm, if one can truly know oneself, one can also transform this temperament — turning folly into wisdom, evil into good, turbidity into clarity, weakness into strength. This lies in not following one's own nature willfully, but drawing near to those who possess the Way, and seeking their instruction with an empty and open heart. Borrow another's brightness and clarity to break through the net of one's own confusion; borrow another's grinding and polishing to remove one's own flaws and blemishes. For stones from another mountain can be used to work one's own jade. Practicing little by little, one rises higher; studying little by little, one grows better. Though foolish, one will surely come to clarity; though soft, one will surely become strong. What need is there to fear that the Way will not become clear, or that its cultivation will not be completed?

Muddled students of the world do not know the harm of willfulness. Though they wish to study the Way, they indulge their nature and are unwilling to learn what is good; though they think of studying the Way, they act willfully and give no weight to the Way itself. Some, when their honored teacher instructs them, outwardly comply while inwardly resisting; some, when a friend corrects their fault, agree to their face while their heart says otherwise; some, working together with others, set themselves up as sages and exalt themselves alone; some, dwelling together with others, contend for supremacy and love to win; some, relying on their own learning, expose the shortcomings of others; some, relying on their own intelligence, laugh at the folly of others; some, in speaking their words, will not yield to others; some, at the slightest bump or friction, at once grow vexed and troubled; some bully the great and oppress the small, unable to live in harmony with the multitude; some have so narrow and twisted a capacity for measure that they cannot tolerate anything at all. All of this is the harm of willfulness. Not only does it draw hatred and disdain from others outwardly — it also plants hidden poison within, inwardly. Not a single one of their lifelong one-sided sicknesses is removed; not the slightest bit of their inborn foolish disposition is diminished. Taking themselves to be right, they are unwilling to admit their errors. Studying the Way in this way — even were Laozi himself standing face to face with them, even were Shakyamuni dwelling in the same room — what benefit could there be in it?

If one is truly a man of resolve, with his whole heart set upon the Way, then in quiet sitting he constantly reflects upon his own faults, and in idle conversation he does not speak of the faults of others. He is cautious and careful in every matter, checking himself at every step; he accords with people and accords with reason, adapting himself to the round or the square as circumstance requires, holding to no obstinacy, holding to no self. He takes retreat as advance, and takes non-contention as the greatest strength. How could such a one fail to press deeply forward and attain the Way of himself?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Willfulness. Bow your head to your work, and settle your body in softness and weakness. Gradually strip away every stubborn one-sided fault of the past, every trace of self-display and self-righteousness. Learn to be a man of the Way without a willful nature of his own; play the part of a foolish, deaf, and mute simpleton; keep your attention always fixed on the one great matter that bears upon yourself. In time you will surely gain something from it. Otherwise, indulging willfulness without restraint, hard but never soft, erring again and again without change — though you spend a whole lifetime within the gate of the Way, to hope to hear the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Adversity (患難關)

The Yijing says: "In distress, yet not losing his proper place — this brings success. Is this not the mark of the noble one alone?" The Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean) says: "In a position of hardship and danger, he acts as befits a position of hardship and danger." The Perfected Changchun said: "If sickness comes, then let it come; if death comes, then let it come. At the very move of death itself, embrace the Way and die." All of this speaks of how one must not change one's original resolve on account of hardship and danger.

Now the Way encompasses Heaven and Earth, steals and seizes the workings of Creation, passes out of death and into life, transcends the ordinary and enters sagehood, makes one a buddha, makes one an immortal. Without great courage and great strength — without being an iron-hard fellow who props up Heaven and stands firm upon the Earth, a vajra warrior who has cast off the dust and transcended the vulgar world — one cannot know it, cannot bear its weight, cannot lay hold of it. What is meant by great courage and great strength? To be uncorrupted by wealth and rank, unmoved by poverty and low station, unbending before force and might — this is great strength. To be untugged by love and affection, untempted by fame and profit — this is great strength. To let no anxiety or fear arise at all — this is great strength. To let go of joy, anger, sorrow, and delight entirely and at once — this is great strength. To remain unmoved and unshaken amid hardship, suffering, danger, and difficulty — this is great courage. To follow what comes naturally amid sickness, disease, calamity, and misfortune — this is great courage. To remain unchanged unto death amid hunger, cold, freezing, and starvation — this is great courage. To take no notice at all of shame and disgrace, insult and humiliation — this is great courage.

Thus when the Buddha Shakyamuni met King Kalinga, his body was cut to pieces and he took no notice; when the Old Man of Pure Yang [Lü Dongbin] met Patriarch Zhengyang [Zhongli Quan], he was tested ten times and showed no flaw; Purple Clarity [Bai Yuchan] was cursed and reviled and driven away, yet felt no anger; Sanfeng wore torn clothes and worn-through shoes without regret; Changzhen [Tan Chuduan] endured being struck with another's fists without contending; Changchun had his ribs broken three times and gave it no thought. All the sages and worthies named above met with the tempering of hardship and danger, and endured suffering beyond all measure — and so, in the end, they were able to hear the great Dharma, to understand the great Way, to transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood, and to complete that rarest and greatest of all works.

Muddled students of the world do not know that hardship and danger are the great medicine of cultivating the real, the furnace and hammer of completing the Way. Instead they fear hardship and danger, and flee from hardship and danger. Some, suffering a little hunger and cold, at once devise some other scheme; some, meeting a little sickness, at once give rise to false and vain thoughts; some, encountering a little danger, at once think of retreating; some, meeting with another's insult and humiliation, at once fall into argument and contention. Yet little do they know that true gold must be smelted out within the great fire, and the lotus flower must grow up out of the muddy filth. Without fire, gold's brightness could not be seen; without mud, the lotus's purity could not be seen. What sickness is there in hardship and danger? It is only through hardship and danger that a person's true standing, high or low, is revealed; it is only through hardship and danger that a person's resolve and spirit, true or false, is put to the test.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Adversity. Fix your recognition firmly upon the two words Nature and Life-Destiny: in life, it is this; in death, it is this alone. Every great calamity and great catastrophe, every great hardship and great affliction, every great danger and great peril — entrust it all to Heaven, and meet every one of them with a mind that holds to nothing. In time, misfortune will naturally transform into fortune, and calamity will change into blessing. Otherwise, meeting hardship and danger and fearing hardship and danger, the heart and spirit unsettled, the resolve and intent shifting and wavering — bringing hardship and danger upon oneself where there was none, turning a small hardship into a great one — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Deceit (詭詐關)

The Yijing says: "The washing of hands, before the offering is presented." The Odes say: "The coming of the spirits cannot be fathomed — how much less, then, can they be treated with irreverence!" The Yushu Jing (Scripture of the Jade Pivot) says: "Enter by means of sincerity." The Cantong Qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three) says: "When a filial son applies his heart, he moves even the August Ultimate." Shangyangzi said: "Even when Heaven seems to turn against you, you must seek it with treasure and with utmost sincerity." All of this speaks of how one must act with a sincere heart, and must not harbor the slightest trace of cunning, deception, or falsehood.

Now, in a student's study of the Way, what matters most is a true heart and real intent, humbling oneself and placing oneself below others — only then can one move a true teacher, win the trust of good friends, and receive their benefit and kindness. For if I have a true heart, then teacher and friend will treat me with a true heart in return; if I have real intent, then teacher and friend will treat me with real intent in return. This stirring here and that response there is a fixed and unchanging principle. Should one be unable to have a true heart and real intent, and instead make cunning, deception, and falsehood one's business — agreeing to another's face while one's heart says otherwise — telling oneself that one can thereby deceive the truly enlightened, little does one know that a true teacher's clear mirror sees far, and at a single glance discerns the true from the false. To deceive another is truly to deceive oneself; to hoodwink another is truly to hoodwink oneself. Not only is there no benefit in it — it does actual harm to one's affairs instead. What use, then, is cunning and deceit?

Muddled students of the world leave the household life in a fog and study the Way in a fog. They regard Nature and Life-Destiny as an ordinary thing, and regard the study of the Way as an ordinary affair. Meeting a true teacher, they demand at once to be told the Mysterious Pass; seeing a fellow student of the Way, they boast at once of their own profound understanding. They know nothing at all of the principle of honoring a teacher, or the way of respecting a friend. Some tell lies and speak in deceit, treating others with insolence and contempt; some feign feeling and hollow sentiment, dressing themselves up for show; some speak with clever words and an ingratiating face, seeking only to please others; some point east while gesturing west, trying to trick others into letting slip their words; some lie sprawled at their ease and lean idly against something while raising difficult questions; some, over a single meal or a single night's lodging, demand the oral instructions; some sit facing a teacher and talk loftily, arguing every point; some, at the slightest tempering or trial, nurse a grudge over it; some, meeting by chance with some hardship, slip away and avoid it; some read the scriptures only skimming their general meaning, and let it go the moment they have passed their eyes over it; some listen to a teacher's words without ever tasting their true flavor, merely memorizing the words by rote; some, though outwardly studying the Way, are inwardly scheming after other affairs entirely; some, though thinking of taking up cultivation, turn around and entangle themselves once more in worldly feeling. Faults and failings of this kind are too numerous to list one by one. How could such people ever move a true teacher to point the way, or a good friend to give support?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Deceit, and put on in its place a heart of utmost sincerity. Advance from solid, substantial ground, and on no account harbor even the slightest trace of a cunning and deceptive heart — deceiving others, deceiving yourself, and ruining your own future path. For the single word "sincerity" can move Heaven and Earth, communicate with ghosts and spirits, and stir every person and thing. How could there be a teacher or a friend it could not move? And if one can indeed move teacher and friend, then the great Way may be hoped for. Otherwise, harboring even the slightest thought of falsehood and deceit, the heart is not sincere; and if the heart is not sincere, then a great sickness grows even within the inch-square of the heart — not only will one then be unable to seek out the true, one will instead grow ever more clouded to it. To hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Guesswork (猜議關)

An ancient scripture says: without a teacher's guidance to bring a person to real knowledge, there would be no place for anyone among the heavenly immortals. The Wuzhen pian says: "However clever you may be, surpassing even Yan Hui and Min Ziqian — without meeting a true teacher, do not force your guesses." It also says: "To know where the oral instructions (kǒujué) open onto the Mystery, you must discuss it in detail with a true immortal." The Perfected Sanfeng said: "The moon's roundness rests in the oral instructions; the coming of the hour of zi — its wonder lies in mind-to-mind transmission." It also says: "Bow to a bright-eyed teacher, ask for his method — even setting to work at once and cultivating swiftly is already too slow." All of this speaks of how the Way must be transmitted by a teacher, and cannot be known through wild guessing and private deliberation.

For the great Way is profound and deep: in its greatness it fills the universe; in its smallness it penetrates into the tip of a hair. Its greatness has nothing outside it; its smallness has nothing within it. If a person can cultivate it, they can seize the workings of Creation (zàohuà), step beyond yin and yang, realize their Nature and Life-Destiny, and become an immortal or a buddha — enduring as long as heaven and earth, shining as bright as sun and moon; acting before Heaven, and Heaven does not oppose them; acting after Heaven, and they follow Heaven's own seasons. This is beyond anything the side-gates and outer paths can compare to.

But as for this Way — there is an inner yin and yang, and an outer yin and yang; there is an inner Five Phases, and an outer Five Phases. There is the true and the false; there is the false within the true, and the true within the false; there is the true within the true, and the false within the false. In practice there is fire-phasing (huǒhòu), there is sequence, there is deliberate effort and there is non-action, there is the ordering of the beginning and the ordering of the end, there is gathering the medicine, compounding the medicine, forming the elixir, ingesting the elixir, forming the embryo, and shedding the embryo. The undertakings are manifold, and the methods of practice are not uniform. Without an enlightened teacher to distinguish each one from beginning to end and point them out in fine detail, it is hard to know them by oneself.

Although the assembled Perfected of the past, in their elixir scriptures and treatises, gave a thousand comparisons and ten thousand descriptions, so that the medicine and the fire-phasing are all fully provided for — yet the mystery of the Way and the subtlety of its practice include things that, though spoken of, cannot be fully put into words, and though discussed, cannot be fully reached by discussion. How much more so when using the formed to illustrate the formless, using the imaged to point at the imageless. In addition, blind men of later ages have borrowed the names of the patriarchs, recklessly composing and writing, slandering the sacred Way, throwing the immortal scriptures into disorder, so that the true and the false are mixed together. If one relies on one's own understanding and supposes one has attained something, and does not go on to verify it with someone of true illumination, then once caught in the net, one can hardly get out for a lifetime. Even one of intelligent and excellent talent, who can distinguish right from wrong and the correct from the deviant, and who has some partial understanding, will still have a head but no tail — seeming right, yet actually wrong. How then could one arrive at real knowledge and sure vision, so that, one thing realized, a hundred things are put right?

Muddled students of the world do not know the depth of the Way, do not understand the weight of their own life-destiny; with the light of a firefly, they wish to break through a net that blinds the very heavens. They do not seek a true teacher, but seek only within themselves. Some read the false books of side-gates, memorize a few sleight-of-hand techniques, and hold to them their whole lives, fixed and unbreakable, wasting an entire lifetime. There are also those who, seeing the patriarchs' authentic scriptures, recite them day and night without investigating their meaning, recognizing only their outward images. Seeing talk of the medicine and the furnace-and-cauldron, they suspect it means literal smelting and firing; seeing talk of male and female, yin and yang, they guess it means bedroom elixir practice; seeing talk of dragon and tiger, tortoise and snake, they suspect it means the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs; seeing talk of inversion and reverse circulation, they guess it means rising at the back and descending at the front; seeing talk of the precious pearl, they suspect it is a thing with physical form; seeing talk of the sacred embryo, they guess it means a coagulation of blood and breath; seeing talk of clarity and stillness, they suspect it means merely preserving the spirit and steadying the breath; seeing talk of deliberate effort, they guess it means artificial contrivance; seeing talk of non-action, they guess it means blank emptiness. Cases like these cannot all be listed. All of them strike out in confused guesswork, and in the end amount to nothing but empty delusion.

I urge those who sincerely study the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Guesswork. Cast away the skills and talents you have prided yourself on all your life; seek out a true teacher, and open up the profound meaning of the teaching. On no account rely on your own false cleverness, recklessly debating and guessing, deceiving only yourself. Otherwise — not verifying with another, seeking only within yourself, either searching outside for it or forcing something inside your own body — to hope for cultivation of the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Unreality (懸虛關)

Confucianism says: "true treading, real practice." Buddhism says: "when practicing the profound perfection of wisdom (prajñā-pāramitā)." Daoism says: "advance with fierce courage and vigor." The sages of all Three Teachings alike prize a true heart and real application, and do not let their work hang suspended in unreality. Now the Way of cultivating the Real is the study of fully fathoming principle, fully realizing Nature, and arriving at Life-Destiny. To fathom principle is to fully investigate this Real; to realize Nature is to fully realize this Real; to arrive at Life-Destiny is to fully arrive at this Real. Since the fathoming, the realizing, and the arriving are all of them the Real, it is plain that not the least falsehood may be mixed into them. If the least falsehood is mixed in, then the heart-mind will not be single-pointed, and one's conduct will lack force. How then could one bore into the very den of principle and see the true treasure? How could one move a true teacher to joy, so that he points out the path of principle? Therefore, when the sages of old heard one good word or saw one good deed, they were like a river breaking its banks — flowing so abundantly that nothing could hold them back.

The gate of the Way has the teaching of Three Vehicles. Those who pursue the Upper Vehicle are people of upper wisdom: they awaken easily, and with one thing realized, a hundred things fall into place — they know by birth, and practice at ease. Those who pursue the Middle Vehicle are people of middling wisdom: through the image they grasp the meaning, hearing one thing they know two — they know through learning, and practice for its benefit. Those who pursue the Lower Vehicle are people of lower wisdom: they must research with all their strength, and only after deep effort do they attain — they know through hardship, and practice by forcing themselves. As for the teaching of the Three Vehicles, each person practices according to their own capacity. Yet although they are divided into three grades, all alike must apply their effort on real, solid ground. If one hangs in unreality, ungrounded, and cares not the least — then not only will the middling and lower fail ever to progress, but even the person of upper wisdom will fall into empty nothingness.

Long ago, Bodhidharma toiled long in his hut and sat in silent cold at Shaolin; Huineng served as a menial at Huangmei and endured his trials at Sihui; Patriarch Qiu spent seven years at Longmen and six years at Panxi, purifying his body and breaking his own ribs, his will and spirit redoubling all the while. Such were all the sages and worthies — all of them acted with a true heart and real intention, and so were able to transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood, and bring the great matter to completion.

Muddled students of the world, once they have entered the gate of the Way, do not know what their task even is, and pass their days in confusion. They are forever scheming about food, daily caught up in disputes over right and wrong, running with a pack of low companions, their mouths full of idle talk, their minds full of trivial concerns. Their eyes do not read the patriarchs' words of the Law; their ears do not listen to the good words of the enlightened. Even when they do recite the scriptures, it is like viewing flowers from a galloping horse — they never apply their minds to search out the deep meaning. Even when they meet an enlightened teacher and receive instruction, it passes like an autumn wind through their ears, and they never make the effort to taste its true flavor. There is yet another kind of foolish man, guilty of sins of the mouth, who supposes that the elixir scriptures withhold the oral instructions, and so disdains even to read them. If by chance they meet an enlightened person, they want to snatch the Way on the spot; failing to seize it, they at once retreat. Today they seek out a Master Wang, tomorrow they bow to a Master Li; suddenly they study this, suddenly they study that — their resolve unsettled, their intent never lasting. How could such people ever treat their own Nature and Life-Destiny as the great matter? Often they spend an entire lifetime within the gate of the Way, and in the end master nothing — is this not truly sad, truly lamentable?

I urge those who sincerely study the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Unreality. Set your heart firmly on solid ground; day by day give your attention to Nature and Life-Destiny; moment by moment fix your mind on principle and meaning; correct, one by one, every hollow and unreal action. First fathom the principle, then seek out a teacher. Learn broadly, inquire carefully, reflect prudently, discern clearly, and practice earnestly. Then why should one worry that the great Way will not become clear, or that Nature and Life-Destiny will not be realized? Otherwise — hollow and unreal, acting recklessly, squandering the years in vain, the heart-mind not single-pointed, the will not fully committed — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Vain Imagining (妄想關)

The Wuzhen pian says: "Amid the vague and indistinct, seek the image held within; within the dark and hidden, search for the true essence. From this, being and non-being enter into each other — not yet having seen it, how could you imagine your way to it?" It also says: "Treatises and scriptures, songs and discourses, all speak of the utmost Real, yet none commit the fire-phasing to writing. To know the place where the oral instructions open through, you must discuss it in detail with an immortal spirit." The Perfected Taixu said: "What others can say, they cannot do; and yet what I can do, I cannot say." All of this speaks of how the Way must be truly known and really practiced, and cannot be attained through empty, vain imagining.

For the Way is utmost honored, utmost precious, utmost high, utmost great, utmost deep, utmost hidden. One must apply careful effort to discern it, proceeding from the shallow to the deep, from the near to the far, advancing profoundly until it is grasped for oneself. How could one vainly imagine that a single phrase or a few words could make it clear, or that one or two steps could bring it to completion? Precisely because this is a task of the utmost height and greatness, it requires a person of the utmost height and greatness of spirit before it can be accomplished.

The Way exists between heaven and earth: every single person has a share in it, and every single person is also unable to attain it. That every person has a share in it means this: every person is born of a body compounded from the breath of yin and yang and the Five Phases; within the body there is already the principle of yin and yang and the Five Phases. Being the foremost of the ten thousand things, with principle and breath both complete in them — who is without the Way? Who is without their own Nature and Life-Destiny? Having this Way, having this Nature and Life-Destiny, one can indeed realize this Way and make whole this Nature and Life-Destiny — becoming a sage, becoming a worthy, becoming an immortal, becoming a buddha. This is why it is said that every person has a share in it.

That every person is unable means this: people are confused by worldly feeling, deluded by fame and gain, dragged along by love and affection; they take the false for real and abandon the real, unable to raise up their resolve, unable to rouse their spirit, unable to apply real effort. They follow after their own desires, giving themselves over entirely to the discriminating consciousness (識神) to work its harm. Just as they mean to step forward, they at once retreat; just as they intend to do good, they instead think of doing evil. This is why it is said that every person is unable.

But if one is truly a resolute man, one takes Nature and Life-Destiny as the weighty matter, discerns affairs in earnest, advances with fierce courage, remains the same from beginning to end, holds resolve and intent firm, thoroughly investigates the principles of the Way, seeks out teachers and visits friends, truly treads the path and really practices — each step taken is a step gained, each matter carried through is a matter completed; day and night without slackening, every moment applying the mind; attending only to one's own task, not presuming upon the affairs of others; accumulating merit and piling up good conduct; humbling oneself and honoring others. As for making the Way clear and completing the Way — let this follow its own course, let it follow one's heaven-given karmic bond, and never indulge in vain fantasy about it. Even if in this present life one has no achievement in practice, no portion of good fortune, and the great Way remains hard to know — still one does not resent Heaven or blame others, but continues until death and only then stops. Holding such a heart and setting such resolve, the patriarchs will, unseen, have their own arrangement for such a person.

Muddled students of the world, who have not even settled the matters right at hand, pass their days in confusion, seeking only to eat well and dress well. By day they wander idly about; by night they sleep soundly and long. They perform no acts of convenience for others, do no deeds of merit, and are unwilling either to discern the principles of the Way or to seek out an enlightened teacher. They learn a few superficial catchphrases and affected postures, putting on a performance with their whole body from head to foot — falsely posing as cultivators, vainly imagining they will become immortals. Little do they know that the study of Nature and Life-Destiny holds the power to seize the workings of Creation and the method to turn heaven and earth around — it must be transmitted mind to mind, and cannot be privately guessed at, nor recklessly practiced. One who obtains the true transmission of it, holding to it and cultivating it, can become a companion to Heaven and a match for Earth — how could this be known casually, or understood easily? Since antiquity, the patriarchs who realized the Real — who knows how much suffering they endured before they met a true teacher; who knows how much trial and tempering they underwent before they could hear the Way; who knows how much hardship and danger they passed through before they could complete the Way. How could one who does no real work, and only vainly imagines in emptiness, ever come to know it or complete it? Empty, vain imagining — this single thought alone is the very root of the sin that keeps one from understanding the Way. If the Way cannot even be made clear, how much less can one hope to complete it?

I urge sincere seekers of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Vain Imagining. Plant your feet firmly; whether studying the Way or practicing the Way, exert your strength with every step, apply your effort at every moment — and naturally, when bitterness is spent, sweetness will come. One who has not yet heard the Way will thereby come to hear it; one who has already heard the Way will thereby come to complete it. Otherwise — doing no real work, words not answering to deeds and deeds not answering to words — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Life and Death (生死關)

Zhuangzi says: "The True Man of old did not know to delight in life, did not know to hate death. His going forth was no cause for joy; his going back was no cause for resistance. Free and unattached, he simply came — that was all." The Utmost Sage (Confucius) said: "Hear the Way in the morning, and you may die content in the evening." The afterword to the Wuzhen pian says: "This Way is utmost subtle, utmost fine; the root-nature of worldly people is confused and dull — clinging to the fact of having a body, they hate death and delight in life, and in the end find it hard to realize." All of this speaks of how, whether studying the Way or cultivating the Way, one must not harbor a heart that covets life and fears death.

Now, a person is born possessing a body, which is originally only a temporary union of the Four Great Elements — being born out of non-being, knotting together into this illusory form. It is a thing entrusted by heaven and earth: what has life must have death, what is formed must one day fail — how could it truly be an indestructible thing? Since it can indeed fail, then life and death themselves belong to the realm of the illusory. When the patriarchs taught people to realize life and death, they meant for them to make life and death one and the same, arriving at a state of no-life and no-death, and only then stopping. This is what Zhuangzi meant by: gathering in one's essence and spirit, one achieves long life; forgetting one's essence and spirit, one achieves no-life. Yet the Way of long life is still not the utmost achievement of realizing Nature and realizing Life-Destiny; one must arrive at forgetting life, at no-life, at neither arising nor perishing — only then has one truly realized life and death, and stepped beyond the workings of life, death, and Creation altogether. For heaven and earth can command what has form, but cannot command what is formless; can command what has breath, but cannot command what is breathless; can command what has a heart-mind, but cannot command what is without a heart-mind. Without a heart-mind there is no breath; without that breath there is no form. Having no heart-mind toward life and death, life and death cannot burden one — and this comes close to the Way.

Muddled students of the world who vainly imagine they will complete the Way — this all comes from their fear of death. To fear death is already to harbor a heart that seeks after life. Once one harbors a heart that seeks life, one fears dying of hunger, fears dying of cold, fears dying of sickness, fears dying an early death. Climbing a great mountain, one fears wolves and tigers will come and harm him; entering a dense forest, one fears pythons and boas will come and bite him; lodging at an ancient altar, one fears ghosts and spirits will come and invade. This heart that covets life and fears death dwells deep within, in the innermost secret places, startled and uneasy. Though the body still exists, the heart-mind has already perished; the sprout of living breath has already withered, and the root of deadly breath has already been planted. Stone-hard, it will not transform; brushwood piles up in the breast; scheming plots pour out in confusion; a thousand deviant, monstrous shapes — ghost-faced and spirit-headed — swarm in disorder, grinding away the spirit. The real is entirely lost, the false all breaks out; harmed by day and injured by night — even without dying, how could one endure this?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Life and Death, and put the two words "life and death" entirely outside their concern. Before you die, first learn to die; though you live, know nothing of clinging to life. Let life be as it will, let death be as it will; let dying of hunger be as it will, let dying of cold be as it will; let wolves and tigers come and harm you, be as it will; let pythons and snakes come and bite you, be as it will; let ghosts and spirits come and invade, be as it will; even meeting with the calamity of flood or fire, let it be as it will; even suffering the harm of blade and war, let it be as it will; even falling sick and dying, let it be as it will. Be like a dead man — knowing nothing, understanding nothing, leaving everything to Heaven's own judgment. Let only the single word "Way" hang always upon your breast — from beginning to end, never forgotten, however long the time. The patriarchs will protect and shelter you unseen, and will never let a truly sincere student come to ruin through suffering. Otherwise — coveting life and fearing death, pushed forward yet shrinking back — this one barrier alone, locked tight and firmly sealed, will not let you move an inch; to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Self-Satisfaction (自滿關)

The Yijing says: "Submission beneath the bed; through many priests and shamans — good fortune." The Daodejing says: "Empty the heart-mind, fill the belly." Shangyangzi said: "The Way has three prohibitions. When an ordinary student of the Way, though his heart inclines toward it, is nonetheless proud of his wealth and rank, unwilling to ask questions of those below him, and appears indifferent to it — this is called cunning deceit, and such a one is warned against and not given the teaching. The next kind of student of the Way, having heard a little of the minor methods of side-gates, does nothing but argue forcefully to display his private cleverness — this is called boastful ostentation, and such a one is warned against and not given the teaching. The third kind of student of the Way, half in doubt and half in faith, does not take life and death as a matter of concern, values wealth over his own person — this is not knowing his own Life-Destiny, and such a one is warned against and not given the teaching." All of this speaks of how only by not being full, not being self-satisfied, can one receive benefit.

Now the great Way of the sages and worthies is inexhaustible, without limit, without shore; it has substance and function, root and branch; its levels are fine and subtle, and the labor of it stretches far into the distance. Looking up at it, it grows ever higher; boring into it, it proves ever harder to penetrate. One person's knowledge is limited; the views of the many are inexhaustible. Only one who can place himself below others can learn; only one who can bend himself before others can know; only one who can show his own lack can advance; only one who can honor what others possess can attain. For only one who can place himself below others can in the end rise above others; only one who can bend before others can in the end stand higher than others; only one who can show his own lack can in the end receive what others possess; only one who can honor what others possess can in the end supply what he himself lacks. Hence it is said: what is full overflows, what is hollow fills up — fullness is not so precious as emptiness.

Long ago, the Duke of Zhou, during a single washing of his hair, three times grasped his wet locks to break off and receive a visitor, so as to show due courtesy to the worthy. The Lord of Huainan, upon meeting the Eight Elders, let down his hair and went barefoot to bow and receive them. Shi Xinglin, upon meeting Ziyang, loosed the reins and struck off the chains that bound him to office in order to wait upon and serve him. Patriarch Changchun first studied the Way under Patriarch Wang, and afterward followed Patriarch Ma to receive instruction, and so completed his task. Shangyangzi first met Yuandu and gained something from him, and afterward sought guidance from Qingcheng and completed his achievement. All the sages and worthies named above accomplished the great Way through an empty, humble heart. Suppose the Duke of Zhou had relied on his rank and not honored the worthy — how could he have become a sage? Suppose the Lord of Huainan had held himself in high esteem and not shown courtesy to the Eight Elders — how could he have become an immortal? Suppose Patriarch Qiu had been self-satisfied and not followed Patriarch Ma — how could he have completed his task? Suppose Shangyangzi had been self-sufficient and not sought out Qingcheng — how could he have achieved greatness?

It is precisely because, in the study of Nature and Life-Destiny, not knowing one point means being lost at that very point — an error of a hair's breadth becomes a deviation of a thousand miles. What is understood in one matter is what can be practiced in that matter; what is understood of one method is what can be carried out of that method. If one knows the substance but not the function, knows the false but not the true, knows Nature but not Life-Destiny, knows the beginning but not the end, knows how to gather in but not how to release, knows how to advance but not how to withdraw, knows urgency but not patience, knows good fortune but not misfortune, knows the great but not the small, knows the root but not the branch, knows deliberate effort but not non-action, knows how to set one's hand to the work but not its outcome — none of this may be called understanding the Way. If, having learned only a little of the gate and doorway, one at once becomes self-satisfied and self-sufficient, supposing the Way is entirely contained in this much, looking down on all within the four seas and no longer seeking guidance from others — how could such a person ever see the matter through from beginning to end, move freely through every direction and every reversal, act with self-mastery and self-command, unobstructed and unhindered, and arrive directly at the domain of the sages?

Muddled students of the world, relying on their own cleverness, argue and guess at random, considering themselves right and seeking guidance from no one. Some, boasting of their own broad learning, talk loudly and grandly, self-satisfied and seeking guidance from no one; some, having picked up some minor matters from the side-gates, without distinguishing right from wrong, are self-important and never seek verification; some, having chanced upon a lofty person's guidance and learned merely how to enter the gate, are self-sufficient and press no further. There is yet another kind — the worldly, status-seeking sort, book-satchel vulgar scholars of the common run — who put on their airs of standing, puff out their chests, fear being laughed at, and will not bend themselves low. All such people are harmed by their own fullness — how could they ever hear a true teacher's profound words, enter upon the great thoroughfare of the Way, or advance into the halls of the sages and worthies?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Self-Satisfaction. Lower your heart and humble your spirit; take on the bearing of one who considers himself inferior to everyone else. Regardless of old or young, worthy or foolish, noble or lowly, high or low — show respect to all, without distinction. If you see even the smallest excellence in another, seek instruction from them with a sincere heart at once, and do not let the chance pass by. Learn broadly and inquire carefully — everyone is my teacher, and everywhere is a place I can learn. Then why should one worry that principle cannot be made clear, or that the Way cannot be completed? Otherwise — self-satisfied and self-filled, treating what one lacks as if one already possessed it — even if a true teacher wished to guide such a person, there would be no opening through which to enter; to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Fearing Difficulty (畏難關)

The Yijing says: "The noble one accords with virtue thereby, building the great by accumulating the small." The Utmost Sage said: "The noble one follows the Way in his conduct; to give it up midway — this I could not bring myself to do." Patriarch Qiu said: "Under heaven there is no task too difficult; one need only fear the lack of a person with set resolve." All of this speaks of how, in cultivating the Way, one's resolve and spirit must be firm, and one must not harbor a heart that dreads difficulty.

Now, the most difficult undertaking under heaven must be the greatest undertaking; and the greatest undertaking must have the greatest effort applied to it before it can be completed. If a thing were utterly easy and simple, accomplished the moment it is begun, then it would necessarily be a small matter, not a great one. The study of Nature and Life-Destiny is a great undertaking. It encompasses the ten thousand things, transcends both human and heavenly realms, breaks free of the Five Phases, and steps beyond the Three Realms. It establishes its own substance before heaven and earth exist, and manifests its function after heaven and earth have come to be. To become a sage, an immortal, a buddha — is this undertaking not truly great? The matter is great, and to seek to cultivate this great matter, to make it an everlasting and imperishable achievement — is this not indeed difficult?

Yet if one knows its difficulty and still does not dread that difficulty, taking life and death as the one great matter, setting one's resolve firm, never turning back in a single thought, continuing until death and only then stopping — then one can make the Way clear, one can practice the Way, and what was difficult will no longer be difficult. But if one knows its difficulty and dreads that difficulty, not taking Nature and Life-Destiny as the great matter — diligent at the start but slack at the end, resolve unfocused, half in doubt and half in faith, hesitating and not advancing — then not only will one be unable to practice the Way, but unable even to make it clear; and what was difficult will remain difficult to the end. Long ago, Shenguang cut off his own arm to seek the Dharma, and thereby received Bodhidharma's mind-to-mind transmission. Wang Zhongli stood in snow three feet deep, and at last received guidance from Yichuan. Patriarch Qiu purified his body and broke his own ribs, and thereby moved the spirits to send him word. For when one studies the Way with a single-pointed heart, sincere and undivided, one can move heaven and earth and communicate with ghosts and spirits — how much more, then, with other people?

Muddled students of the world do not know that Nature and Life-Destiny is the first great matter of human life; they hope to gain a little skill and at once want to become immortals; they vainly wish to learn some small, lesser technique and at once want to escape death; hearing that the sagely Way is subtle and profound, requiring deep study, they at once complain of the difficulty; hearing that the road of cultivation is long, that one must give up the body and risk life itself, enduring hunger and cold without avoidance, they at once retreat; hearing that the Way has a beginning and an end, that its work has its stages, that its fire has its precise hours — utmost fine and utmost subtle — they at once let their resolve collapse. Studying the Way in this manner, neither advancing nor retreating with resolve, the Four Great Elements without strength, the will and spirit unable to rouse themselves — how could such people ever taste the true flavor within the Way? Is this not to ruin the great matter?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Fearing Difficulty. Exchange your heart for one of iron and stone. Do not avoid hardship and danger; press forward with fierce strength; forget sleep and forget food. Never mind whether it seems to help or not, whether it shows results or not — the longer it takes, the more strength you bring; the farther the road, the more diligent you become; press forward with a single heart, and in the end you will surely gain something — what was difficult will no longer be difficult. Otherwise — dreading difficulty and lacking resolve, half-committed and half-abandoning, speaking with the mouth while the body does not act, wishing to advance yet at once retreating — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Contempt and Neglect (輕慢關)

The Zhongyong says: "Great indeed is the Way of the sage! Overflowing, it nurtures and brings forth the ten thousand things, rising to the very height of heaven — abundant indeed, its greatness! Three hundred rules of ceremony, three thousand rules of conduct — it awaits the right person, and only then is it walked." The Old Patriarch (Lord Lao) said: "Above heaven, below earth, the Way alone is honored." The Fuming pian (Chapter on Returning to the Mandate) says: "There is a thing that precedes heaven and earth; nameless, it is silent and still at its root. It can be lord over the ten thousand forms, and does not wither with the turning of the four seasons." All of this speaks of how the Way is utmost great, utmost honored — and will not be walked by the wrong person.

Now the Way, as the Way, is vast and boundless, its height and depth beyond measure; utmost non-being, yet containing utmost being; utmost emptiness, yet containing utmost substance. Formless, it can give birth to what has form; imageless, it can give birth to the ten thousand images. It encompasses heaven and earth, moves sun and moon onward, turns the four seasons, and nurtures the ten thousand things. There is no place where it is not present; there is no thing in which it does not dwell. Long ago, Confucius obtained it, and became the sage of the Confucian teaching; Shakyamuni obtained it, and became the ancestor of all the buddhas; Lord Lao obtained it, and became the founding patriarch of the multitude of immortals; the Yellow Emperor obtained it, and rode a dragon up into heaven; Nüwa obtained it, and smelted stones to mend the sky; Jingyang obtained it, and his whole household rose up and ascended; the Celestial Master obtained it, and could set the living apart from ghosts and judge between them; the Five Patriarchs obtained it, and were confirmed in the rank of celestial immortals; the Seven Perfected obtained it, and knew neither birth nor death. The sages and worthies of past and present who completed the Way can be examined one by one in the records, too many to be counted. The Way is honored and precious to this degree — how could it be treated lightly or viewed with disdain? If one regards it as an ordinary, trivial matter, and treats it lightly and with disdain, then one is not material fit to carry the Way, but rather one who turns his back upon it — how could such a person even be spoken to about the Way? For to regard the Way lightly is necessarily to treat studying the Way as something easily known, and so be unable to bore deeply into it; to view the Way with disdain is necessarily to treat practicing the Way as not worth doing, and so be unable to press forward with strenuous effort. Unable to enter, unable to advance — by what means could one cultivate and practice so as to accomplish a thing rare under all heaven? Therefore, one who studies the Way must first know that the Way is a thing utmost honored, utmost precious — not something to be known easily or gained casually. Only then can one raise a fierce resolve, apply strenuous effort, and persevere without slackening for as long as it takes, until the Way is completed and only then stop.

Muddled students of the world do not know that the Way is kept secret by heaven and earth and treasured by ghosts and spirits; they treat it with contempt and look down on it, entirely without sincerity of heart. Some, relying on their own petty cleverness, suppose they can grasp it through insight alone; some, having memorized a few phrases of "wild-fox Chan," suppose the Way is entirely contained in that; some grasp at wind and clutch at shadows, supposing they truly know something; some call a deer a horse, supposing they truly see something; some, when questioned by an enlightened person, boast shamelessly and are entirely without sincerity; some, when examined by a fellow student of the Way, argue stubbornly for their own rightness without the least restraint. There is yet another kind — demonic figures guilty of sins of the mouth — who, hearing others speak of the Way, at once slander it; seeing others reading its books, at once feel resentment and disdain. They take the classics and treatises of the sages and worthies to be mere surface show, and take the resolute practitioner's accumulation of merit and good conduct to be a trifling matter of the lesser vehicle. By chance meeting a person of high attainment, they will not bow their heads, but instead set themselves up as the person of high attainment. Even if they can bow their heads for a moment, they cannot endure the passing months and years, cannot bear the grinding and polishing of real practice. Little do they know that in studying the Way and seeking out another person, the whole point of seeking that person is so that they might save one's own Nature and Life-Destiny. To seek another to save one's Nature and Life-Destiny, one must resemble a person who truly cherishes his own Nature and Life-Destiny — only then, in the visible world, will one move a true teacher to guide him, and in the hidden world, move ghosts and spirits to support him. If one does not resemble a person who cherishes his Nature and Life-Destiny, this is simply not honoring the great Way as precious. And if one does not honor the great Way as precious, how could one ever come to hear the great Way? Is this not the very height of folly?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Contempt and Neglect. Approach the Way with sincerity and solidity; treat your own Nature and Life-Destiny with due gravity. Serve your teacher with sincerity and reverence; be careful and cautious, diligent and conscientious, your feet planted firmly on the ground, not daring to harbor even the slightest thought of contempt or disdain. Like climbing a high mountain, exert your strength with every step; like crossing a great river, guard against danger at every moment — then why should one worry about being unable to reach the far shore of the Way? Otherwise — not knowing the height and depth, the preciousness and worth of the Way, treating what one has as if one had nothing, doing one's work with slack idleness, as carelessly as herding sheep or gathering firewood — to hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Cowardice (懦弱關)

The Zhongyong says: "The Way is not far from people; if a person, in practicing the Way, holds himself far from other people, this cannot be considered the Way." The Utmost Sage said: "Is there anyone who, for a single day, could apply his full strength to benevolence? I have never seen one whose strength was insufficient for it." The Wuzhen pian says: "If you do not seek the Great Medicine, how could you ever come to encounter it? And having encountered it, not to refine it — that is sheer folly." An ancient scripture says: "The Way does not proceed in vain; it waits for the right person, and then it proceeds." All of this speaks of how, in cultivating the Way, one must advance with fierce courage and vigor, and must not be cowardly or slack.

Now, a person is born endowed with the correct breath of heaven and earth, of yin and yang, and of the Five Phases, and stands as the foremost of the ten thousand things. Regardless of noble or lowly, worthy or foolish, hard or soft, strong or weak — every person is fully endowed with the complete work of heaven and earth, and so can carry the great Way of heaven and earth. Therefore even the foolishness of a simple man or woman can share in knowing it; even the unworthiness of a simple man or woman can carry it into practice. It all lies simply in whether one has resolve or not. With resolve, even the soft and weak can transform into the hard and strong, and the hard and strong can then gradually climb onto the shore of the Way. Without resolve, even the hard and strong become soft and weak, and the soft and weak then cannot rise above the sea of suffering. What is called resolve is hardness of decision, and firmness of judgment. Having this hard, decisive, resolute will, worldly affairs cannot stain one, love and affection cannot drag one along, private desire cannot arise, fame and gain cannot tempt one, wealth and rank cannot corrupt one, poverty and low station cannot shift one, hardship and calamity cannot move one. Knowing only that the Way exists, and knowing nothing else; attending only to Nature and Life-Destiny, and attending to nothing else — nothing external to the self can hinder such a person. He can hear the Way; he can cultivate the Way.

Without this hard, decisive, resolute will, one cannot see through worldly affairs, cannot shake off love and affection, cannot sweep away private desire. Seeing wealth and rank, the heart is stirred; dwelling in poverty and low station, the resolve shifts; meeting hardship, one cannot bear it. Day after day within the illusory realm, one does not recognize its illusion; the body within the sea of suffering, one does not know its suffering. Even if, for a moment, the heart set on the Way appears, the hard, unyielding energy fails to rouse itself, and it no sooner arises than it vanishes again. Fearing the wolf ahead, fearing the tiger behind; fearing hunger, fearing cold; dreading the body's toil and labor, dreading that the study of the Way will come to nothing. Wasting the present moment, making excuses and not advancing, resolve unsettled, cowardly and shrinking back. By what means, then, could such a person study the Way? By what means hear the Way? By what means practice the Way?

Muddled students of the world, though called students of the Way, do not resemble people who study the Way at all; they vainly wish to hear the Way, yet do nothing that pertains to seeking the Way. Within the twelve double-hours of a single day, when have they ever once fixed their attention on body, heart-mind, Nature, and Life-Destiny? They speak only of food and clothing, gossip about right and wrong, chase after excitement, and contend over victory and defeat. In every move and gesture they are no different from worldly people; in whatever they do or undertake, they are indistinguishable from the vulgar crowd. Wherever there is profit to be had, they bore in and search out every crack and gap; wherever real effort is called for, they hide themselves away and retreat. They make merriment in the midst of bitterness, and go about their affairs as if in a dream. In putting on a false show, their whole body is full of vigor; in doing real work, the Four Great Elements have no strength at all. They never once consider: wearing Daoist robes on the body, a Daoist cap upon the head, eating the very fat and marrow offered from every direction — to spend all this on their own true business would be the greatest bargain imaginable! Yet instead they grow slack and exert no effort, squandering the years in vain, borrowing and piling up debt, receiving pay for no merit earned — how will such a debt ever be settled? Moreover, this work of cultivating the Real does not even require your body to exert any great physical strength, or to do any rough, laborious task. It requires nothing more than a single lasting thought held in the heart, a hard and decisive resolve — and that alone is enough to bring about attainment.

The Buddha Shakyamuni did not descend from the sky; Lord Lao did not grow up out of the earth; Confucius was not conjured out of thin air. They had the same ears and eyes as other people, the same skin and flesh as other people — every one of them first exhausted the effort proper to a human being, and only afterward attained confirmation in the rank of sage. Hence Mencius said: "Yao and Shun were no different from other people." For sages, worthies, immortals, and buddhas are all, without exception, made through human cultivation. Every single person can become a sage or worthy; every single person can become an immortal or a buddha. The only real danger is cowardice and incapacity — being unwilling to establish for oneself a hard and resolute will.

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Cowardice. Plant your staff firmly; raise up a fierce and valiant will; make firm a resolve that will endure long; step forward and go straight in, as with a single blade. At every moment give your attention to Nature and Life-Destiny; at every step, thoroughly investigate the principle of the Way. Where you do not know, you must force yourself to seek knowledge; where you do not understand, you must labor with all your strength to understand. If you meet an enlightened teacher, simply go and study with unmixed sincerity of heart. Do not vainly hope for the oral instructions; do not urgently press to be given the mind-to-mind transmission. If told to suffer, then go and suffer; if told even to die, then be willing to die; if told to go hungry, then be willing to go hungry. As for being struck, scolded, ground down, and tested — accept all of it gladly, with not the slightest trace of resentment or anger — only then can the matter succeed. It is precisely by enduring what others cannot endure that one can at last attain what others cannot attain; it is precisely by suffering what others cannot bear to suffer that one can at last know what others cannot come to know. Otherwise — utterly cowardly, the hard and unyielding energy never roused — this is to be entirely without strength. How could such a person ever carry the great Way? To hope to understand the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Inconstancy (不久關)

The Yijing says: "One who does not hold constant to his character will meet with disgrace." The Utmost Sage said: "A person without constancy cannot even serve as a shaman or healer." Zisi said: "Without the utmost virtue, the utmost Way cannot take form." Mencius said: "The noble one advances deeply into it by the Way, seeking to grasp it for himself." Master Yuandu said: "Those who study Complete Perfection, having received from a teacher only a rough pointing-out of the gateway and path, do not know the particular steps and articles one by one; they know that spirit and breath depend upon each other, but do not know the coupling of Lead and Mercury; they know the coupling of Lead and Mercury, but do not know the merging of Nature and Life-Destiny. Guessing blindly at the fire-phasing, not knowing when to advance and when to withdraw — all such people achieve nothing." An ancient scripture says: "Where speech does not meet, there is no true kinship; where effort has not yet arrived, nothing is either round or square." All of this speaks of how, in cultivating the Way and establishing character, one must have a resolve that lasts long.

Now the Way of cultivating the Real is the study of fully fathoming principle, fully realizing Nature, and arriving at Life-Destiny. Fathoming principle must be fathomed until there is not one hair's breadth of doubt remaining, not one hair's breadth left unknown — only then is it great and thorough awakening. Knowing it truly, seeing it clearly — only then does principle begin to become clear. Realizing Nature must be realized until there is not the slightest trace of impure temperament, not the slightest trace of private desire remaining — only then can one become utterly empty and hollow of self, clear in the light without confusion, undisturbed in the dark without delusion — only then does Nature begin to be fully realized. Arriving at Life-Destiny must arrive at breaking free of yin and yang, leaping clear of the Five Phases — only then may one's effort and strength be said to be wholly transformed, unmoved and unshaken, free and self-governing — only then does Life-Destiny begin to be established. Yet the work of fathoming principle, realizing Nature, and arriving at Life-Destiny is not the achievement of a single morning or evening. One must set a resolve that lasts long, and carry out effort that lasts long — only then can principle be made clear, Nature be fully realized, and Life-Destiny be arrived at, dwelling within the workings of Creation itself, yet not confined by Creation. It is precisely because this is a great matter that endures long without change that it requires a great effort that endures long without ceasing before it can be completed. Among all the assembled Perfected of times past, which one did not succeed precisely by setting a lasting resolve and applying lasting effort? Consider even the small, clever crafts of the ordinary world — even these require single-minded devotion, attentiveness to a teacher's instruction, and years of practice, before the hand can answer the heart and the material can be shaped according to its nature. How much more, then, this great matter of Nature and Life-Destiny — how could it ever be known by one without constancy of heart?

Muddled students of the world do not know what principle truly is; having studied a few matters that cling to emptiness or grasp at outward form, they at once claim to have understood principle; not knowing what Nature truly is, some suspect that Nature resides in the Celestial Valley or the fontanelle, with the spirit dwelling atop the head, and call this cultivating Nature; not knowing what Life-Destiny truly is, some suspect that Life-Destiny resides in the Elixir Field or the Sea of Breath, with the intent fixed on the lower origin, and call this cultivating Life-Destiny. Ah! To call this principle, to call this Nature, to call this Life-Destiny, and vainly hope thereby to transcend and escape, hoping for freedom from death — this is like climbing a tree to seek fish, or pressing the eye to conjure phantom flowers: of what real use could it be? If one cannot even know principle and Nature and Life-Destiny, how could one hope to become an immortal? Even if there are one or two students who can distinguish the deviant from the correct, discern right from wrong, they still vainly hope for quick attainment, anxious to see results at once. As the days lengthen they grow slack, lacking a heart that endures, short on firm and settled intent — suddenly advancing, suddenly retreating; suddenly acting, suddenly stopping. Just as they mean to step forward, they shrink back again — hollow and unreal, vague and unsettled. People of this kind — how could they ever behold the true substance within the inner chamber of the Way?

I urge sincere students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Inconstancy. Set a resolve that lasts long, apply an effort that endures forever; do not be of two minds and three hearts, and do not abandon the task midway. The longer it takes, the more strength you bring; the harder it becomes, the more bitterly you persevere — and in the end, there will surely come a moment of true attainment. Otherwise — diligent at the start but slack at the end, words and deeds paying no heed to each other — to hope to hear the Way like this will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Self-Abandonment (暴棄關)

The Supreme Sage said: "If in the morning I hear the Way, I may die that evening content." Yan Hui said: "What sort of man was Shun? What sort of man am I? Whoever exerts himself may become the same." Mencius said: "With one who does violence to himself, there is no speaking; with one who throws himself away, there is no accomplishing anything." The Old Patriarch (Laozi) said: "I am not a sage; I attained it through study." Master Shangyang said: "Śākyamuni heard half a verse from the Buddha and was willing to give up his own body for it; the Yellow Emperor went down on his knees and crawled forward downwind to ask Guangchengzi how to govern the body so as to attain long life." All of this is to prize and honor oneself — one must never do violence to oneself or throw oneself away.

A person is born of the qi of Heaven, Earth, and the Five Phases; where there is qi there is at once an inner nature, and where there is an inner nature there is at once a life. Thus principle, qi, nature, and life (xìngmìng) all lodge within this one body, and whether one is worthy or foolish, high or low, all share this same principle and qi, this same nature and life. Between the common person and the sage there is originally no difference: whoever can realize nature and life is a sage; whoever cannot realize nature and life is a common person. This is what Mencius meant by "that whereby man differs from the birds and beasts is very slight; the common people cast it away, while the noble person preserves it."

The Biographies of the Immortals say: "Since antiquity three thousand have ascended in flight, eight hundred have had their whole households lifted up to Heaven, and those who died sitting or standing in trance cannot be counted." All of this came through study to knowledge, through hardship to completion; none has ever known or accomplished this without study and without hardship. In this world those who know by birth are few; those who come to know through study are the majority. And even one said to know by birth stumbles into confusion at a single misstep. Without study nothing is accomplished; only through study is anything accomplished. Therefore even Śākyamuni had to take Dīpaṃkara Buddha as his teacher; even Confucius had to take Xiang Tuo as his teacher; even Laozi had to take the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning as his teacher. As for the patriarchs surnamed Yu, Zhong, Lü, Liu, Wang, Zhang, Shi, Xue, Chen, and Bai, each received the transmission vein by vein, mouth to mouth — from which one can see that study brings completion, and without study nothing is completed. How could the effort of study count for little?

The muddled students of this world do not take their own nature and life seriously, and do not cultivate their own body and mind. Though within the Way, they do not know they possess the Way; though dwelling within a forest of treasure, they do not know that treasure is there now — mistaking the false for the true, taking emptiness for substance. Some say that the length of one's nature and life is fixed by destiny, beyond any human power to overcome; some say that immortals and sages are born so by Heaven, beyond what ordinary people can ever learn; some say that the great Way is so deep and so profound that it lies beyond the reach of the idle and casual — and so they do violence to themselves and abandon themselves, draw their own limits, willingly dwell in the sea of suffering and sink into it, wasting their birth as human beings.

Little do they know that, having been born human, carrying yin on the back and embracing yang, one already holds the creative transformation of Heaven and Earth — everyone can become a sage or worthy, everyone can become an immortal or a buddha; it only requires the utmost sincerity in advancing, humbling oneself to seek instruction from others, proceeding from what is near to what is far, and persevering long without slackening. Consider the foxes, apes, and deer of the mountains — mere beasts — who by preserving spirit and nourishing qi, dwelling quietly in their dens, and applying themselves for years until their skill runs deep, are able even to hide their forms and transform, prolonging their years and adding to their lives. How much more, then, should man, the most spiritually gifted of the ten thousand creatures — how could he cultivate the Way and not succeed? To say that a person cannot complete the Way — would that not make him inferior even to a beast?

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through this barrier. Establish a resolve that will not change, and sweep away entirely the warped tendencies of temperament acquired since birth, along with every entangling habit and stain. Set your whole mind on longing for the Way, and temper yourself through hardship and difficulty until you emerge from it. What you do not know, resolve to learn until you know it; what you cannot do, resolve to learn until you can. Move toward goodness and correct your faults; preserve sincerity and cast off falsehood; remain the same from beginning to end, never changing — and the great Way may be hoped for. Otherwise, doing violence to yourself and throwing yourself away, not taking nature and life as weighty, not prizing the Way and its righteousness, muddling through your days, living and dying as though drunk and dreaming, you pass through an empty lifetime — and once the human body is lost, ten thousand kalpas will hardly bring it back.

The Barrier of Debt (累債關)

The Supreme Sage said: "A scholar whose heart is set on the Way, yet who is ashamed of coarse clothes and plain food, is not yet worth talking with." Patriarch Qiu (Qiu Chuji) said: "Every grain of rice, every copper coin, is the farmer's blood and sweat — how can one receive it without having earned it?" All this says that the student must take the Way as what matters most, and must not carelessly scheme after food and clothing.

Now, the reason one cultivates the Way is for the sake of nature and life. So long as this body has not left the dusty world, food and clothing cannot be dispensed with — but one must not let food and clothing derail the great matter of nature and life. Since ancient times the patriarchs have taught people to act according to the station they occupy: in wealth and honor, act as wealth and honor require; in poverty and low station, act as poverty and low station require. There is no fixed necessity to go begging for food and clothing from the ten directions. Because those of the highest wisdom are few and those of the middling and lower sort are many, practice divides into what comes at ease and what takes effort, into the easy and the hard — and people are taught to act according to their own capacity.

For the one of highest wisdom has great standing and great strength: he may dwell in the marketplace or at court, remain in the very midst of wealth and honor, and still accomplish deeds untainted by wealth and honor. He need not borrow the strength of others, but climbs directly to the shore of the Way. But one of middling or lower capacity has low standing and little strength; he cannot settle everything at a single stroke, and if he dwells amid wealth and honor he will be burdened by wealth and honor, to the detriment of the great matter. Therefore he is taught to leave wealth and honor behind, to endure humiliation and beg for alms, to pass his days according to circumstance, to trouble his mind and weigh his thoughts, to temper his nature and disposition, to carry on his work on solid ground, and to apply his effort in hardship. There are also those of highest wisdom who have no love for wealth and honor, who cast off ties of affection, and willingly accept poverty and plainness. With a single robe and a single gourd, they wander about, eating enough to keep the mouth alive, cultivating in secret and refining in concealment, so that others do not recognize them — and this makes their effort easier to accomplish. In every one of these cases, the mind is not set on food and clothing; one merely borrows the strength of the ten directions to sustain, for a time, this bag of skin.

The muddled students of this world do not know that the blood and sweat of the ten directions cannot be lightly and idly received; they set aside the great matter of nature and life, and instead treat food and clothing as what matters most. They solicit here and beg there, eat their fill and dress warmly, do not attend to their true task, and wander about idly and dissolutely — never once considering what it was they left their households for. Unable to repay their parents' kindness in raising them, unable to repay the sovereign's kindness in the land and water that sustain them, they pile up debts to the ten directions — how are these ever to be paid off? Worse still are those wretches who work outright wickedness: on their heads they wear the Daoist cap, but in their hearts they harbor the likes of the robber Zhi; they scheme after food and clothing, and devise ways to cheat and deceive. Some borrow, then steal others' money and goods; some pose as men of high understanding, in order to receive others' offerings; some use temple repairs as a pretext to profit from charitable giving; today they enter a good man's home to solicit money, tomorrow they seek out a devout believer to beg for rice — swindling here and cheating there, gambling at cards and dice, drinking wine and gulping down meat, running up debts of food owed to the ten directions on every side. What will they have to answer with? This is what Patriarch Qiu meant: "The pair of horns may or may not be there, but the one tail is certain — a thousand times over, ten thousand times over."

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of debt. Sustain the mouth as circumstance allows, and nourish the body in plainness and simplicity. For every thread and every strand, consider how hard it was to come by; for every drink and every meal, know how much toil it took to produce. Make effort at every moment, add to your practice with every step, resolved to stop only when the Way is accomplished and virtue complete. If you truly reach the time when the Way is accomplished and virtue complete, not only will the debts owed to the ten directions be paid off, but even the karmic offenses accumulated since kalpas without beginning will be wiped clean at a single stroke — and then you will wear the robes of Heaven and eat the emoluments of Heaven. How much more, then, the mere things of this dusty world? Otherwise, you will know only how to pile up debt and not how to clear it, know only how to borrow against your account and not how to repay it — with no merit and no true practice, your offenses will pile up like a mountain, and to imagine that you might come to know the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Pride (高大關)

The Daodejing says: "The hard and unyielding are companions of death; the soft and yielding are companions of life." Mencius said: "He who respects others is always respected by them; he who loves others is always loved by them." The proverb says: "One who makes himself small can go anywhere under Heaven; the hard and unyielding cannot move an inch." All of this says that a person should humble himself and place himself low, and must not harbor a mind that exalts and enlarges itself.

Now, what is called pride is this: declaring oneself a sage, styling oneself a hero, hard and unyielding, fond of competing and prevailing, having regard for oneself and none for others. Only one who does not exalt himself will in the end surely arrive at true height; only one who does not enlarge himself will in the end surely arrive at true greatness. Why is this so? One who does not exalt himself can place himself lower than others; one who does not enlarge himself can make himself smaller than others. Able to be lowly, able to be small, having yet as though he had not, full yet as though empty, possessed of talent yet not employing it, possessed of wisdom yet not using it, concealing what he is capable of and showing himself incapable; in truth knowing, yet showing himself as not knowing — meeting the world this way, all the world delights in him; studying the Way this way, teachers and friends alike are pleased with him. Long ago, Yu bowed whenever he heard good words spoken; Zilu was glad whenever others told him of his faults. Both humbled themselves and placed themselves low, and did not exalt or enlarge themselves — and this is why they became great sages and great worthies, never to be forgotten through ten thousand ages.

But this matter of not exalting or enlarging oneself must be carried out with a true heart and genuine intent before it can accomplish anything. If outwardly one forces himself to appear lowly and small while inwardly harboring a hidden arrogance, this is like hiding soldiers in the underbrush — the inner and outer do not match, the heart is not true, and such conduct will not go far. Outwardly reverent but inwardly without respect — this is what is meant by "artful words and a flattering face are seldom found together with humaneness." Not only will this fail to remove the sickness of pride, it will only add to it the further sickness of harboring hidden calamity. Therefore, not exalting oneself must reach the point of no longer even knowing there is such a thing as height; not enlarging oneself must reach the point of no longer even knowing there is such a thing as greatness — only then is the sickness of pride entirely dissolved. The patriarchs of every generation, all the Perfected who have gone before, cultivated the Way and established virtue on the road of humbling and lessening themselves, persevering long without slackening — and this is why they achieved their great work so completely, in the end reaching what no one else has been able to match.

The muddled students of this world — among laypeople, some, having wealth, honor, and worldly power, will not consent to make themselves lowly and small before others; some, relying on their talent and learning, will not consent to make themselves lowly and small before others; some, presuming on their age and seniority, will not consent to make themselves lowly and small before others. Among those in religious life, some, having memorized a few volumes of alchemical scripture, consider themselves accomplished and will not consent to make themselves lowly and small before others; some, having learned a few fragments of practice, hold themselves proudly as bearers of the Way and will not consent to make themselves lowly and small before others; some, following their own whims and giving free rein to their nature, are haughty and unrestrained and will not consent to make themselves lowly and small before others; some, eager for quick results and unable to endure the long term, will not consent to place themselves low before others. Worse still are those cunning and deceitful sorts, who have no idea of receiving instruction with a sincere heart, but instead steal the patriarchs' own sayings, twisting them this way and dragging them that way, speaking confusedly and at random, luring others in with loose talk. Some rely on their own private notions and act on their own authority, chasing after wind and grasping at shadows, showing off their axe-work before the master carpenter's own door, boasting of their skill and claiming superiority. All such types exalt and enlarge themselves, unable to humble and lessen themselves, treating nature and life as though it were merely a name for a great matter.

Little do they know that the great Way of nature and life is a rare thing in this world — how could it ever be reached by empty fantasies born of pride, and how could it ever be lightly obtained through pride? I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of pride. Wipe away at a single stroke all self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency, all arrogant airs and overweening ambition. Set your feet down in the most humble, the smallest of places, and study with plain, solid sincerity. Not only will you meet the world without disaster or calamity, but in studying the Way you will surely gain much benefit. Otherwise, exalting and enlarging yourself, unable to make yourself lowly and small before others — who would be willing to speak to you of great things? To imagine that you might understand the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Adornment (妝飾關)

The Daodejing says: "The fields lie utterly wild, the granaries stand utterly empty, yet they wear elegant brocade, gird themselves with sharp swords, glut themselves with food and drink, and pile up wealth and goods without end — this is a boast that calls itself the Way, and it is not the Way at all!" The Nanhua Classic (the Zhuangzi) says: "Whoever sets weight on the outward will be clumsy within." Mencius said: "When a good name and far-reaching praise attend one's own person, one no longer cares for others' embroidered silks." All of this says that one who cultivates the Way must on no account pursue the outward and lose the inward, casting aside the true in order to follow the false.

For the learning of nature and life is a matter of solid, true, practical application, into which not the slightest falsehood may enter, and in which not the smallest artifice has any use. The moment falsehood or artifice creeps in, not only will one fail to cultivate nature and life, one will instead ruin the very ground of the heart. Thus the highest adepts of true cultivation, since ancient times, have taken nature and life as what matters most: a single robe, a single gourd, disheveled hair, bare feet, passing their days as circumstance allows, having no love of finery, and wearing not the slightest adornment. Great wisdom appears foolish; great skill appears clumsy. Blending their light and mingling with the dust, they keep company with the common and vulgar, so that worldly eyes cannot recognize them.

Long ago the great teacher Huineng hid himself among the hunters of Sihui; Chan Master Daoguang gave up his monkhood and returned to lay life in order to accomplish the great matter; the Divine Lord Chongyang took his rest in the Tomb of the Living Dead; Changchun undertook the greatest of worldly labors; Ziqing roofed himself with nothing but thatch; Sanfeng wore ragged clothes and worn-through shoes — all of this was for the sake of the great matter of nature and life, setting the physical body outside their concern, never troubling to adorn or ornament it. So too, Zhang the Mad Immortal of Xianyang concealed his traces among farmers; Zhang the Sleeping Immortal of Niezhong lay his body down beside the icy shoals; the Immortal Elder Bai of Shiliang hauled water and carried slop to blend in with the common crowd; our own immortal, Elder Liu, gathered firewood by the riverside to temper himself. All the Perfected named above did nothing but labor in hardship openly and apply their effort in secret — when did they ever glorify their bodies or ornament their outward appearance? It was simply that what they valued lay within, and what they made light of lay without; they attended to what was true in themselves and cast away what was false.

The muddled students of this world value what is outward and make light of what is inward. They mistake the false for real and cast away the true, in every matter running contrary to the ancients. Some, afraid of being laughed at, insist on fine robes and headscarves; some, afraid of catching cold, insist on layer upon layer of clothing; some put on studied poses, binding their topknots with hoops of bronze; some wear their sashes in strange fashions, swaggering about with great airs; some wash the eyes and ears of onlookers, tricking others into supporting them; some sit sealed in retreat within a circle, fishing for fame and reputation. Conduct of this kind applies its effort only to false and superficial matters — when has it ever put the mind to work on nature and life? Mistaking the false for real and laboring at the false, they vainly hope to attain the true. It is like fishing for the moon at the bottom of the sea, or plucking a flower from a mirror — in the end it all comes to nothing.

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of adornment. Draw in your outward show and turn toward substance; wear coarse cloth and worn garments; be plain and dutiful in every part, quiet and unadorned in every way; take nature and life as what matters most, prize the Way and its virtue, turn from the deviant back to the true, and make every matter solid and real — only then will there be progress. Otherwise, taking what is not there as though it were, taking emptiness for substance, pursuing the outward and losing the inward, casting aside the true to follow the false — to imagine that you might understand the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of False Knowledge (假知關)

The Supreme Sage said: "To know it when you know it, and to know that you do not know it when you do not — this is knowledge." The Old Patriarch said: "To know, yet think that you do not know, is best; to not know, yet think that you know, is a sickness." The Perfected Ziyang said:

Though you know cinnabar and know black lead,
without the firing times, it comes to nothing.
All depends, in the end, on the strength of practice —
the breadth of a hair astray, and no elixir forms.

Master Yuandu said: "The student of the Way, having obtained the truth of the inner and outer medicines and the completeness of their two stages of function, unites with the great transformation of creation, and only then attains what has been transmitted. But if there is the breadth of a hair astray, Heaven and Earth themselves will lie between." All of this says that studying the Way absolutely requires true knowledge and sure insight, and that one must not mistake not-knowing for knowing, to the ruin of the great matter.

Now, the reason a student seeks out teachers and calls on friends is that, not knowing, he wishes to come to know. Seeking knowledge, one must know which is nature and which is life, which is yin and which is yang, which is the Five Phases, which is the Prior Heaven and which is the Posterior Heaven, which is the point where one sets one's hand to work and which is the point of rest, which is active working and which is non-active working, which is tempering and which is warming and nourishing, which is sustaining life and which is realizing nature. From beginning to end, thoroughly penetrating and thoroughly awakened, with not one point of doubt remaining — only this is knowledge that reaches every direction, true knowledge and sure insight, and only then will one's practice be without error. But if one knows nature without knowing life, or knows life without knowing nature; knows yin and yang without knowing the Five Phases; knows the Posterior Heaven without knowing the Prior Heaven; knows where to set one's hand without knowing where to rest; knows active working without knowing non-active working; knows tempering without knowing warming and nourishing; knows sustaining life without knowing realizing nature — none of this can be called knowing the Way. And if one does not know the Way, how can one walk it?

For in the learning of nature and life, one part known is one part practiced, ten parts known is ten parts practiced. No one has ever been able to practice what he does not know. This is why one who cultivates the Way must prize, above all, first seeking to know. But in seeking knowledge, one must first know, of oneself, what one knows and what one does not know; only when one has truly and genuinely come to know a given matter can one say that one already knows it. If there remains the least bit of doubt, if a thing merely seems right but is not, this cannot be called knowing. One must seek further instruction from others to open and clarify the matter, until the ground of the heart is bright and clear and every doubt is dissolved — only then can it be called knowing. On no account mistake not-knowing for knowing, and so delay yourself.

The muddled students of this world do not know what nature and life even are, or what cultivation and practice really mean. They learn some artifice from a side gate, some trick along a crooked path, and in their confusion consider themselves to know the Way, rushing recklessly to set their hand to work — not only without benefit, but to their own harm. Worse still are those wretches who work outright wickedness, taking what is not there as though it were, taking emptiness for fullness, unable to distinguish right from wrong, never inquiring into the deviant and the true, and passing off the false as the real. Having harmed themselves, and knowing clearly that they are in error, they still put on the air of an enlightened master, and go on to teach the same wrong path to others, leading others into the same error — a hidden malice all the worse for that. There are also those who draw near to an enlightened teacher, hear a few words of instruction with their ears, but never learn to savor their meaning in detail; taking mere memorization of the words as knowledge, they go about showing off before others. Some have read through a few volumes of alchemical scripture, tracing the lines and counting the ink-strokes, guessing at the meaning as their fancy takes them, with neither head nor tail to their understanding — and yet they too claim to have knowledge. Even with an enlightened teacher right before them, they do not seek confirmation. All such types mistake not-knowing for knowing — this is what is called false knowledge, and not true knowledge. Students both ancient and modern who have fallen into this same rut cannot be counted. Alas! What sort of matter is the matter of nature and life, that it should be treated with such absurdity, deceiving both oneself and others?

Little do they know that only knowledge carried through to the bottom can produce practice carried through to the bottom. Even one who examines and discriminates with all his strength, who pursues the matter with a careful mind, still fears that his knowledge falls short and his practice will not go through, and so must seek out a teacher. How much more, then, one who does not know, yet dresses himself up in the appearance of knowing? I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of false knowledge, and sweep away the mind and heart that plays clever with itself. What you do not yet know, seek urgently to know; what you already know, seek to know still more deeply. The matter of nature and life is great; the utmost Way is subtle and hidden. One must study it to its utmost depth and probe its finest workings, going ever deeper the more one comes to know — pressing on until the water runs out and the mountain ends, until the very bottom is seen, and only then stopping. But if you merely put on the appearance of understanding and treat nature and life as a children's game, then what you do not know you will never come to know, and what you know only slightly you will find hard to know deeply — to imagine that you might understand the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Hidden Malice (陰惡關)

The Yijing says: "Fellowship with others in the open field: success." The Supreme Sage said: "He who requires much from himself and little from others will keep himself far from resentment." The Old Patriarch said: "The Way is empty, yet in use it is never exhausted." All of this says that in conducting oneself and meeting the world, one's temperament must be calm and even, and one must not secretly harbor hidden malice, to the detriment of the Way.

Now, a person studies the Way in the first place because, not being good, he wishes to become good, and having evil in him, he wishes to remove it. But in learning goodness and removing evil, what matters most is to be without intention, and what must be most avoided is to act with intention. Without intention there is no self; without self there is no other. Without other and without self, the other is the self and the self is the other — self and other are both forgotten. Even should another humiliate you, you do not notice it; should another deceive you, you do not notice it; should another mock you, you do not notice it; should another do you harm on purpose, you do not notice it; should your ears hear slander, you do not notice it; should your body meet with great disaster, you do not notice it. In every outward encounter, in every circumstance whether adverse or favorable, meet it all without intention, forming no enmity and no grudge, and simply abide as though nothing had happened.

Consider, for instance, fellow students in the same hall, studying together: good and evil, worthy and foolish, all differ; one person, one nature; a hundred people, a hundred natures — how could they all suit my own wishes? Some may wound with their words, some may act falsely; hear it as though you had not heard, see it as though you had not seen — in every case simply respond to the person, let it pass, and do not keep count. So too, when a revered teacher instructs, criticizes, points out faults, or rebukes sharply, there must indeed be some transgression on your part — all the more reason to correct it at once and pay redoubled attention. Moreover, when a true teacher instructs people, he selects the good timber: if a student truly has the will, the teacher will temper him all the more, to add to his resolve; if the student is unfit material, the teacher lets him go his own way, and simply pays him no further attention. Therefore, whether one who studies the Way is meeting the world or attending upon instruction, one must never raise a selfish heart, but must always preserve an impartial one — only then will there be progress.

The muddled students of this world want only for others to comply with them, and will not themselves comply with others; want only for others to flatter them, and take no pleasure in plain speech. At the slightest offense, they are at once displeased. They forget others' great kindnesses and remember others' small grievances. Hidden poison lodges in their breast, and year upon year, month upon month, they cannot let it go. Though outwardly they speak with artful words and a flattering face, inwardly they conceal a hidden edge, and will not rest until they have taken their revenge. Even when they themselves are at fault and their teachers and friends point it out and admonish them, they do not know how to repent; openly they argue and dispute right and wrong, and in secret they slander and store up grudges — their hidden venom without equal, they are truly no fit person. They never once consider: how could the great Way of nature and life ever be permitted to the knowledge of such unfit persons, or attained by such hidden venom? This is what is meant by: if anger is not removed and one's manner is not changed, one falls into the sea of birth-and-death and its turning wheel — is this not sad indeed?

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of hidden malice, and remove entirely the anger and poisonous temper, the benighted folly and evil thoughts, of your whole life. Meet all things with calm evenness, yield to others in every matter, bear the heavy load, endure the humiliation, temper yourself in the great pit of fire, and struggle free from the arena of contention and rivalry. Let the ten thousand things all be empty, and admit not the least bit of them — and in the end you will surely meet a true teacher, and be lifted out of the sea of suffering. Otherwise, unable to bear even a single word, taking offense at the slightest bump or brush, vexation arises at once; with snakes and scorpions massed in your breast and bees and gadflies filling your belly, to imagine that you might hear the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Craving Wine (貪酒關)

Mencius said: "Yu hated fine wine and loved good words." Patriarch Lü (Lü Dongbin) said:

Wine, sex, wealth, and anger — four walls all around;
every person hides behind them, each within his own.
Whoever leaps clear and springs beyond the wall
holds the very recipe for long life, never growing old.

All of this teaches that one must not let a craving for wine ruin one's true task.

For wine is the foremost of the four harms: once one craves wine, wine intoxicates and confuses the nature, and from this desire for sex arises, from this the thought of wealth is born, and from this the temper of anger breaks out. Wealth, sex, and anger all arise from wine; the loss of virtue and the ruin of conduct likewise come from wine. It may even go so far that one acts recklessly on impulse, treading into water and fire without knowing it, falling into blade and battle without realizing it. Since ancient times, how many clever and talented men, how many heroes and men of valor, have again and again met with this calamity and destroyed their own nature and life. There are also those of a good and upright disposition, who keep themselves in hand, whose craving for wine does not go so far as disorder, and whom sex, wealth, and anger cannot taint. Yet even without disorder and without being tainted, still the spirit grows dull and the breath grows short, damp heat steams and smokes within, the bodily fluids dry up and the blood and qi are harmed — with no benefit, only harm. This is why the Buddhists make wine the very first precept — precisely because its harm is the greatest.

The muddled students of this world seize on the patriarchs' saying that "wine and meat pass through the gut, while the Way remains in the heart," and on the words that one need not shun strong drink nor cut off wine — and so they crave wine without limit, living day after day in a drunken haze, dull and sunken, turned upside down, giving free rein to their impulses. Some, drunk on wine, speak carelessly and wound others; some, drunk on wine, brood on old grudges and stir up trouble; some, drunk on wine, brandish knives and cudgels; some, drunk on wine, strip themselves bare and babble whatever comes to mind; some, drunk on wine, collapse in the streets and lanes, heedless of shame; some, drunk on wine, vomit and injure their qi, their spirit and soul left uneasy. It may even happen that, over long years, this becomes a settled sickness, so that food and drink can no longer be taken in, and yet even at the point of death they will not give it up. There are even those wholeheartedly devoted to the Way, who are able to remove every other warped affliction, and yet, when it comes to this mere flavor of dregs, cannot bring themselves to give it up.

Alas! The adept of true cultivation must uproot the deep karmic roots and defilements accumulated through kalpa upon kalpa, the very seeds of transmigration. Wine is nothing more than a taste on the tongue, a thing that comes from outside — it is not a root carried through kalpas of past lives. If one cannot rid oneself, in an entire lifetime, even of this small affliction, how could one ever uproot the seeds of transmigration accumulated through kalpa upon kalpa? Are people of this sort not harming the great for the sake of the small, seeking out their own path to death? Moreover, wine is not like food, drink, or plain water: go without food or drink for a few days, and one will starve; but go one's whole life without wine, and what harm is there in that? If it is claimed that wine quenches thirst, plain water and broth serve perfectly well — why must one use wine at all? In the end this is simply the disease of wine-craving running deep, with no willingness to cure it.

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of craving wine, and take that same fondness for wine and turn it wholly toward the effort of exhausting your mind and probing the principle of things. Do not let the demon of fermented grain trouble and disturb you. Though wine may seem a small matter, it can ruin the great work — root it out with all your strength, and the benefit will be very great. Otherwise, craving wine without limit, living and dying as though drunk and dreaming, dwelling day after day in a land of confusion, forever caught in a net of bewilderment — to imagine that you might understand the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Fearing Hardship (怕苦關)

The Doctrine of the Mean says: "If another succeeds by one effort, I will use a hundred; if another succeeds by ten efforts, I will use a thousand. Let a man truly follow this way, and though he be dull, he will surely grow bright; though he be weak, he will surely grow strong." Taigu said: "Sleep away an hour, and you have died an hour; sleep away a day, and you have died a day. Apply yourself every single day without sleep, and in a thousand days the great matter is finished." The proverb says: "Without enduring the hardship within hardship, it is hard to become a person above other persons." All of this says that any great and good undertaking must be accomplished through diligence and hardship.

Now, the greatest matter under Heaven requires the greatest labor, accomplished only after long days — precisely because the hardship is great, the accomplishment is great. How much more, then, the great matter of nature and life — how could it ever be accomplished without hardship? The single word "hardship" is the fine medicine that cures the sickness of one who cultivates the Way. Only one who can endure hardship can temper body and mind, and only then can the great sickness be treated and cured. Therefore one must, outwardly, accumulate merit and good conduct, and inwardly, refine one's intent; one must labor one's sinews and bones, starve one's flesh and skin, and impoverish one's own body — applying effort in every place, exerting oneself in every matter. Repair bridges and mend roads; take loss upon yourself for the benefit of others; endure humiliation and bear disgrace; do what is convenient and helpful wherever you find yourself. What others favor, let me not favor; what others love, let me not love; what others find hard to endure, let me be able to endure; what others find hard to get through, let me be able to get through. Everything you have picked up as habit and stain since your birth, cut it all away entirely — this is the outward hardship. Inwardly, put your spirit and vitality in order, make firm your resolve and purpose, remove emotional desire, sweep away deluded thoughts, and cut down with all your strength every kind of vexation and every trace of ignorance. What cannot be removed, resolve nonetheless to remove; what cannot be eliminated, resolve nonetheless to eliminate — let there be only the one true heart that seeks the Way within, never departing from it for a single moment, admitting nothing else at all. This is the inward hardship. Only when hardship is applied in this way, inward and outward as one, is it true hardship, and only then can the great sickness be cured.

Long ago Śākyamuni cultivated himself among the Snow Mountains; the Sixth Patriarch applied his effort at Sihui; Patriarch Qiu tempered his nature at Panxi. Even sages and worthies such as these, endowed by Heaven itself with their gifts, still had to pass through and emerge from great hardship — how much more, then, should students of later ages, who are all of the middling and lower sort, expect to accomplish anything without hardship?

The muddled students of this world do not know the joy of sweetness born from bitterness; they want to obtain the treasure at their ease, and complete the Way in comfort and idleness. Hearing of enduring hardship, they at once grow anxious; hearing of exerting effort, they at once find it difficult. By day they spare their strength and fatten themselves, eating their fill and idling about; by night they wrap themselves in quilts and thick bedding, sleeping long and deep. Not a single thing of benefit to others do they do, not the slightest exertion of effort do they make; countless flaws they never correct. Some read a few alchemical texts, or recite a few volumes of scripture, and put on the false show of having the Way; some wander about begging for alms, eating their fill and dressing warmly, and take this to be their whole accomplishment; some sit in a temple or dwell in a monastery, presiding as abbot and tending the incense, never suffering hunger or cold, and consider this enough to settle their account. People of this sort never once consider what it was for that they left their parents and abandoned their wife and children. If one leaves the household life only for food and clothing, how does one differ from a layman? Why pile up debts to the ten directions at all — is this not simply taking on an unnecessary burden?

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of fearing hardship. Set your mind on enduring even to a bitter death without turning back; plant your feet on solid ground and press forward with courage. Paste the two words "nature and life" upon your very forehead, and keep them in mind at every single moment. Whatever is of benefit, do with all your strength; whatever is without benefit, abandon with all your strength. Beyond your own austerities, heed your teacher's instruction, following each point exactly as commanded; let no thought of laziness arise; labor diligently day and night, and persevere long without giving up — and in the end you will surely gain real benefit. Otherwise, dreading hardship, hesitant and fearful, never following through, merely dragging out your years — to imagine that you might hear the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Unbelief (不信關)

The Daodejing says: "When the highest sort of person hears the Way, he practices it diligently. When the average sort of person hears the Way, he half believes, half doubts it. When the lowest sort of person hears the Way, he bursts out laughing at it." The Diamond Sutra says: "Good sons and good daughters, having given rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, should abide thus, should subdue their minds thus." The mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, rendered in Chinese, is "the mind of unsurpassed, correct, and universal enlightenment" — and this is the mind of faith. The Yijing says: "Inner Sincerity: it reaches even pigs and fish. Auspicious." The Doctrine of the Mean says: "Sincerity is the end and the beginning of all things; without sincerity there is nothing at all. For this reason the noble person prizes sincerity above all." The sages of the Three Teachings, in handing down their instruction, all take sincerity and faith as the very root of cultivating the Way.

Now, faith is not the faith of mere words, nor the faith of mere information — it is the faith of a true heart and genuine intent. The single word "faith" — its principle is the truest of all, its power the greatest of all. It can move Heaven and Earth, communicate with the spirits and the divine, turn life and death on their own axis, twist round birth and death themselves — it makes sages, makes worthies, makes buddhas, makes immortals; it is the very first and highest treasure of one who cultivates the Way. Let the student fix upon this single word, hold it tightly to his heart, and never depart from it for a moment — then the great root will already be established, unmoving, unshaking, unchanging, unaltered. Advancing from this point, one can hear the Way and one can walk the Way; one can realize one's nature and one can realize one's life. Since ancient times, which of the immortals and Perfected has not set his foot down on faith, which of them has not accomplished the Way through faith?

But faith is not empty fantasy suspended in air, nor is it idle talk shared in company — it means the single-minded fixing of the heart on the Way, with no second intention, thinking of it here and now, morning and evening the same, never forgotten for even a moment. Only one who regards nature and life as the one great matter can have this faith; only one who regards all under Heaven as a worn-out sandal can have this faith; only one whom wealth and honor cannot corrupt, whom poverty and lowliness cannot shake, whom force and power cannot bend, can have this faith; only one who looks down upon all things and sees the ten thousand things as all empty can have this faith; only one who does not change even at the point of death, who sets good fortune and ill, calamity and hardship, entirely outside his concern, can have this faith. If within the space of an inch of the heart there remains the least bit of doubt or hesitation, the least bit of slackness, none of this can be called faith. From this one may know that true faith is the effort of sincerity that is single and undivided, that advances with each passing day, and proceeds together with time itself. Whoever can be like this makes progress with every day; whoever goes against this merely wastes his years.

But faith, too, must be discerned as right or wrong, distinguished as deviant or true. There are those in this world who have strayed by mistake into side gates and outer paths, who hold to them their whole lives, stubborn and unyielding, unchanging even to death — how is this not also a kind of faith? But when faith is misplaced, it becomes instead an injury caused by faith itself. Therefore one who studies the Way must prize faith, and prize still more having faith in what is truly correct — only then is it true faith in the Way.

The muddled students of this world are not steadfast in penetrating the Way. Through the twelve double-hours of a single day, ten thousand thoughts rise and ten thousand fall, and they let the host of demons run riot within, never once for a single moment holding the Way in their heart. Perhaps when they are free of other affairs, they suddenly think to turn over their scriptures, but before they have savored a word, their mind is off to something else again, dragged away as though by ghosts and demons. There are also students who, for a time, gather their firm resolve, advance with courage and vigor, discern principle and meaning, and seek out teachers and call on friends — but if they go long without meeting one, a slackness soon arises in them. Some, having caught the faintest breath of fragrance, see no quick result and at once grow doubtful, hanging back and going no further; some stray onto branching paths, and once this becomes a settled affliction, do not repent their own error but instead call the alchemical scriptures themselves empty and false. Types of this kind cannot all be listed. Unable to penetrate the Way, how could they ever come to know it?

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of unbelief. Fix your resolve on nature and life, sweep away every deviant thought and deviant deed entirely, and set up in their place a resolve as hard as vajra — advance plainly and solidly, without regard to whether it comes easily or hard, whether you succeed in your study or not, stopping only at death. In secret, the ghosts and spirits themselves will lend their support, and in the end good will surely come of it. Otherwise, doing this today and that tomorrow, suddenly pressing forward and suddenly falling back, now believing and now doubting, with no settled ruling resolve — to imagine that you might understand the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of No Ruling Resolve (無主關)

The Yijing says: "Consider it well, then speak; deliberate on it, then act. It is by considering and deliberating that one brings its transformations to completion." The Doctrine of the Mean says: "When words are settled beforehand, they do not falter; when affairs are settled beforehand, they do not founder; when conduct is settled beforehand, it does not lead to shame; when the Way is settled beforehand, it does not run out." All of this says that in whatever one undertakes, it is precious first to have a ruling resolve and a settled view.

Now, one who studies the Way must first have a ruling resolve of his own; having a ruling resolve, and fixing it upon nature and life, the true heart then reveals itself. Once the true heart is revealed, worldly affairs naturally cannot stain it; one no longer clings to ties of affection, no longer covets fame and gain; every matter outside the self no longer hangs upon the heart, and the mind is set wholly and singly on its purpose. Hardship, too, can be borne; difficulty and suffering go unnoticed. Applying this to the exhaustive study of principle, principle can be exhausted; applying this to listening for instruction, instruction can be truly heard. For when the ruling resolve is fixed within, external things cannot lead one astray.

But in establishing a ruling resolve, one must discern between the two paths of the true and the false: a true ruling resolve benefits nature and life, while a false ruling resolve harms nature and life. If one fails to distinguish the true from the false, and by mistake treads a side gate, entering upon a false path, searching after the arcane and practicing the bizarre, contriving all manner of artifice — this brings no benefit, only harm. In the end this is to have no ruling resolve at all, and cannot be called having a ruling resolve. Therefore one must first discern with a careful mind, and truly and genuinely recognize the correct path; only then, standing firmly on the correct path, establish one's ruling resolve, and proceed with a single mind and undivided intent — every step bringing benefit, every day showing results. This is what is meant by: being careful at the beginning naturally brings completeness at the end. The Yijing says: "Not going out from one's own courtyard gate — no blame." This simply means having a settled view prepared beforehand.

The muddled students of this world, though they claim to act for the sake of nature and life, in truth do not know to value nature and life, nor do they know what sort of matter the matter of nature and life even is. They regard it lightly, view it as easy, and in a haze of confusion set out, just like that, to realize nature and life. With no settled ruling resolve at all, they simply follow whatever clapper sounds nearest: today they study this, tomorrow they study that; in the morning they go to bow before a Master Li, in the evening they go to bow before a Master Wang, packing their belly full of curios and odds and ends. Acting on whim and impulse, by the time they come to harm there is no way left to cure it, and regret comes too late. Some, seeing some illusory scene or false apparition, take it for a sign of true attainment, unable to discern right from wrong, and so ruin their own future course; some, even upon meeting a true teacher, have no thought of lasting long, coming suddenly and leaving just as suddenly. Tracing the cause of this, it is entirely because they have no true and genuine ruling resolve, and so remain suspended in emptiness and unreality, wasting their years for nothing, passing an entirely empty lifetime.

I urge those who study the Way with a true heart: make haste to break through the barrier of no ruling resolve, and take firm hold of your ruling resolve. First exhaust its principle; apply your mind day and night; bore into its real meaning, and taste and explore its true flavor. Without regard to months or years, the longer you continue the more strength you should apply. Bore in this direction, bore in that direction, until you have bored out some clear feature of it; once you truly have something you know, your ruling resolve will naturally grow ever firmer, and your wisdom ever more open. From this point, seize firmly upon this ruling resolve and never let it go for a moment; seek further confirmation from a teacher, have him adjust the firing times in detail and point out how to apply them — only then can you attain the true and genuine. And even should you stray by mistake onto a branching path, doing something amiss, and doubt arises in your heart, there is no harm in seeking instruction from one of higher understanding, telling him everything without concealment, and questioning closely until the doubt is resolved — even if you do not thereby attain the true, you may at least avoid disaster. Otherwise, having no true and genuine ruling resolve, acting in confusion and haste, unable to recognize the deviant from the true, unable to distinguish the false from the real, having no settled ruling resolve at all — originally seeking life, you instead hasten your own death; to imagine that you might understand the Way will be difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Quick Results (速效關)

The Sage's Classic says: "Things are investigated, and only then is knowledge complete; knowledge is complete, and only then are the thoughts sincere; the thoughts are sincere, and only then is the mind rectified; the mind is rectified, and only then is the person cultivated." The Daodejing says: "A great vessel comes to completion late." Shangyangzi said: "One who greatly cultivates practice must cast off, at ease and without strain, the ordinary mind of worry, brooding, and hardship, and every clinging thought of greed and attachment, until not a hair's breadth of entangling thought remains. One must truly become like a withered tree in form, like dead ashes in mind." An ancient immortal said: "Where speech does not meet, there is no kinship; where the work has not arrived, nothing is round or square." And again: "The Reverted Elixir is accomplished in a single moment, but refining the self takes ten months." All of this speaks of how cultivating the Way must proceed by its proper sequence, applying effort by degrees, until in the fullness of time it is attained — one must not leap over the proper order in seeking it, or crave to see results too quickly.

Now the study of Nature and Life-Destiny (xìngmìng 性命) is the Way of long life and lasting sight. Long life and lasting sight require a resolve sustained over the long term and practice sustained over the long term; only when the years have grown deep and the days far, and effort has never once been set aside, can the matter be accomplished. It cannot be completed in a single morning or evening. For since the beginningless kalpa, a person's offenses have piled up like mountains, and their transgressions have grown as deep as the sea. Into this present life they carry the root and dust (gēnchén 根塵) and the seeds of transmigration accumulated through kalpa after kalpa, together with the lopsided qi of the Postnatal (hòutiān 後天) Five Phases received at birth, and the defiling habituation of worldly dust — a thousand demons and a hundred monsters, thrown into wild confusion. They confound my primal spirit (yuánshén 元神), waste my primal qi (yuánqì 元氣), and steal my primal essence (yuánjīng 元精). The true substance of the Prenatal (xiāntiān 先天) is thereby dissolved and exhausted entirely, until the whole body is pure yin, and what remains is but a trace of faint yang, itself hidden and unmanifest.

If one wishes to root out entirely the seeds of root and dust and transmigration accumulated through the passing kalpas, and transform away the lopsided qi of the Postnatal Five Phases and the old habituations of accumulated stain, then without enduring the passage of years and applying bitter effort, no result can be seen. For while a single hair's breadth of yang qi remains unexhausted, one does not die; and while a single hair's breadth of yin qi remains unexhausted, one does not become immortal. This is why the Patriarchs established the Way of return and reversion, teaching students to do their work on solid ground — exerting effort step by step, practicing diligently at every moment, applying effort by degrees — expecting to reach the point where the yin qi is entirely transformed away and the yang qi is wholly pure, and only then to stop. What is called yin qi is precisely the yin of root and dust, of lopsided qi and defiling habituation; what is called yang qi is precisely the yang of primal spirit, primal qi, and primal essence. Consider, then: to remove this yin and restore this yang — is this something easily removed, something restored with idle ease? As for this Way, not only is its practice difficult to sustain, but even to understand yin and yang clearly is no easy matter.

Muddled students of the world, the moment they enter the gate, at once think of the oral instructions (kǒujué 口訣); before they have even begun to study, they at once think of completing the Way. They do not investigate the scriptures, they do not carry out meritorious deeds, and yet the moment they meet an enlightened teacher, they vainly imagine they can simply reach out and take the treasure. Little do they know that the jade worth fifteen cities is not easily obtained, and the pearl of mother and child is hardest of all to seek out. The wondrous Way of cultivating the real is like this jade, like this pearl: one must apply real effort and endure the passage of years before any result can be seen. How could it possibly be obtained by mere chance? There are indeed some who obtain it by mere chance — but if so, if it is not a heterodox school (pángmén 旁門), then it is certainly a crooked path (qūjìng 曲徑). Heterodox schools and crooked paths show quick results but are hard to bring to completion; practiced for long, one is certain to suffer their harm. But the true and correct great Way cultivates the formless qi of the Prenatal: it is difficult to see quick results, but easy to bring to completion; practiced for long, one is certain to receive its benefit.

Moreover, one who hears the Way is a lesser sage; one who completes the Way is a great sage. To become a sage, one's ancestors must have accumulated great virtue, one must carry merit and practice from a former kalpa, and in this present life one must early encounter an enlightened teacher and come to hear the great Way. If one's ancestors lacked virtue, and one has done little in the way of practice oneself, how could one come to hear the sages' Way, how could one attain the sages' station? And yet, once one has become a student, one must first exhaust what lies within human effort — sincere in resolve, willing to bear hardship, listening to instruction with a true heart. Walk one step, and there is the benefit of one step; walk ten steps, and there is the benefit of ten steps. Even if, in this present life, the great matter remains unclear, the root already planted may still be hoped for in the life to come.

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Quick Results. Set up a resolve that endures without ceasing; the moment you hear one good word or see one good deed, take care at once to gather and hold it. Study and savor the elixir scriptures, draw near to enlightened teachers, and apply your effort in learning to the very ground beneath your own feet, in the present moment. Even if you cannot complete the great Way, you will already stand apart from ordinary people, and will no longer make your living in the sea of suffering. Otherwise, if you set up no long-lasting resolve and hold to no enduring intention, craving to see quick results, treating the work lightly and slackening in it — hoping to ascend to heaven, you will instead fall into a pit. To imagine that the Way can be understood this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Carelessness (粗心關)

The Utmost Sage said: "To learn without thinking is labor lost; to think without learning is perilous." And again: "Cherish the old, and so know the new." Mencius said: "The office of the heart-mind is to think; thinking, one attains it; not thinking, one does not." The Wuzhen pian says:

Common speech and everyday sayings accord with the sagely Way;
one should search and seek finely within them.
If you turn daily life upside down and seek from there,
the dust of the whole earth becomes treasure entire.

An ancient scripture says: "Know the One, and the ten thousand affairs are finished; employ the Two, and you are already on the road; recognize the Three, and there is no need to inquire further." All of this teaches students to investigate principle with a careful mind — one must attain true knowledge and clear insight, and must not deal with the matter carelessly.

The study of Nature and Life-Destiny is of the utmost weight and the utmost magnitude; it cannot be compared to the ordinary small affairs of the world, which may be handled carelessly. The slightest error here, and in seeking long life, one instead hastens death — how could this be treated lightly? Therefore, if one wishes to realize Nature and Life-Destiny, one must first thoroughly understand its principle, and only then can one properly undertake its work. The principle of Nature and Life-Destiny is neither a thing with form and substance within the body, nor a thing of utmost weight and utmost turbidity outside the body. Spoken to this point, all the heavens and all people alike must be startled into doubt. What is it that startles them so? If it is neither within the body nor outside the body, then where could it possibly be grasped?

Since ancient times there have been three thousand six hundred heterodox schools and three hundred sixty crooked paths, each branching into its own leaves and twigs, each setting up its own gate and house. Error transmits error; the blind lead the blind. Branches and twigs, leaves and stubs multiply — the longer this goes on, the more of them there are. Strange upon strange, bizarre upon bizarre — the ears are filled with clappers and bells, the eyes are veiled by bees and gnats. There are things utterly never seen before, utterly unimaginable, that come and go beyond all expectation; there are things utterly unlike the Way at all, which can only deceive the foolish and deluded, and cannot deceive the clear-sighted and wise. But as for what merely seems right yet is wrong — what resembles the Way yet is not the Way, what is not the Way yet resembles the Way — not only do the foolish and deluded believe in it, but even the clear-sighted and wise are taken in by it. Once caught in this net, it is hard to escape for the rest of one's life.

Consider, for instance, the terms yin and yang, the Five Phases, primal essence, and primal qi, spoken of in the elixir texts. Practitioners of "seizing in battle" (cǎizhàn 采戰) take yin and yang to mean man and woman — the foolish and deluded believe this, but the clear-sighted and wise certainly do not. Practitioners of breathing exercises take the exhaled breath as yang and the inhaled breath as yin — both the foolish and the wise alike believe this. Some say the Five Phases are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys — the foolish and deluded believe this, but the clear-sighted and wise certainly do not. Some say the Five Phases are essence, spirit, the hun-soul, the po-soul, and intent — both the foolish and the wise alike believe this. Some say the primal spirit is the spirit of thought and deliberation, the primal qi is the qi of the breath, and the primal essence is the essence of sexual union — the foolish and deluded believe this, but the clear-sighted and wise certainly do not. Some say the primal spirit dwells in the Celestial Valley, the primal qi is in the Sea of Qi, and the primal essence is in the Elixir Field (dāntián 丹田) — both the foolish and the wise alike believe this.

Or again, consider the images spoken of in the elixir texts — Nature and Life-Destiny, the Mysterious Female (yuánpìn 元牝), the Yellow Court. Some say kidney qi is Life-Destiny and the heart-spirit is Nature — the foolish and deluded believe this, but the clear-sighted and wise certainly do not. Some say one's lot of fortune and adversity, long life and early death, is Life-Destiny, and one's measure of wisdom and folly, good and evil, is Nature — both the foolish and the wise alike believe this. Some say the Mysterious Female is at the Gate of Birth and the Yellow Court is in the brain — the foolish and deluded believe this, but the clear-sighted and wise certainly do not. Some say the Mysterious Female is the throat and the Yellow Court is at the navel wheel — both the foolish and the wise alike believe this.

Or again, consider what the elixir texts say of clarity and stillness, of emptiness and non-being, of smelting and refining the Golden Elixir. Some say that cultivating the Inner Elixir requires utter clarity and stillness, utter emptiness with nothing at all; that the Outer Elixir requires gathering and smelting medicinal substances to completion; that the Inner Elixir is cultivated to realize Nature, and the Outer Elixir is ingested to sustain Life-Destiny — the foolish and the wise alike believe this, without exception. All of these heterodox schools that seem right yet are wrong are the easiest of all to delude people. How many clever and talented men, heroes and men of high purpose, past and present, have been taken in by them! They toil through an entire life to no purpose, and in the end come to no conclusion.

Little do they know that the great Way of cultivating the real cultivates the ancestral qi of the Prenatal True One. This qi is vague and indistinct, dim and obscure — called faint, called even, called subtle. Looked at, it is not seen; listened for, it is not heard; grasped at, it is not caught. And yet, though it is not seen, not heard, not caught, it is in truth utter non-being that contains utter being, utter emptiness that contains utter substance — it gives birth to Heaven and Earth, contains yin and yang, encompasses the Five Phases; the ten thousand principles are all complete within it, the ten thousand images are all comprehended within it. It cannot be sought within the body, nor searched for outside the body — it comes, rather, from within the realm of empty non-being. Nature and Life-Destiny lodge here; birth and death are entrusted here; immortals and buddhas are accomplished here; the furnace and crucible are set here; the medicine is gathered here; the fire's timing (huǒhòu 火候) is worked here; the Four Images are harmonized here; the Five Phases are assembled here; the Golden Elixir is formed here; the Sacred Embryo is conceived here. To reverse the course of yin and yang lies here; to seize and steal the workings of creation lies here; to transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood lies here. As for the gate of the Mysterious Female, the aperture of the Mysterious Pass, the Yellow Court, and the earthen crucible — there is none of these that is not here. What is called "attaining the One, whereby the ten thousand affairs are finished" is precisely this.

This secret of Heaven's workings cannot be fathomed even by Heaven and Earth, ghosts and spirits — how could it be known with idle ease, or understood without effort? Only one of great wisdom and great understanding can know it; only one of great merit and great virtue can understand it; only one of great strength and great endurance of hardship can study it; only one of great resolve and great capacity can advance in it. Only by searching with a careful mind, enduring long years, and applying real effort can it be attained. Moreover, cultivation has its rules, its application has its fire's timing, and the work has its proper sequence, each stage differing from the last, to be adapted as circumstances require. Although one must do one's own research and study, one must still seek the guidance of an enlightened teacher. As for the ten thousand scrolls of the elixir scriptures, they mostly use what has image to compare to what has no image, and what has form to illustrate what has no form — how could this possibly be grasped by a careless mind, or the real be perceived through mere carelessness?

Muddled students of the world cannot apply their minds, cannot bear bitter effort, cannot endure the passing years. At a single word or half a phrase, they at once want to be thoroughly enlightened; at something that merely seems right, they at once want to complete the Way. They take the comparison-image for the thing itself, and do not investigate its real meaning; they memorize the catchphrase, and do not savor its flavor in detail. Small wonder, then, that on seeing a false book they undertake a false practice, and on meeting a heterodox school they set off down a side path. Unable to distinguish true from false, unconcerned with right and wrong, they simply declare that every gate holds the Way and every book expounds the real. Acting recklessly and in disorder, they bring calamity upon themselves. All of this comes from carelessness rather than careful attention.

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Carelessness. Study with a careful mind, peeling away principle layer by layer and entering ever deeper, awakening to one thread and advancing along it. You must separate the deviant from the correct, distinguish right from wrong, perceive the very marrow of principle, and know the very joints and sinews of the Way. Only when it is entirely clear within your own mind, and you genuinely trust and rely upon it; only when one single principle runs through everything, and you see that all things above heaven and below earth are all just so, to the left and to the right, before and behind, filled full with the qi of the Way — only then is this true knowledge and true insight, great awakening and great understanding, no longer confused by the matters of clinging to image or clinging to emptiness. Otherwise, if one cannot study with a careful mind, and deals with things carelessly, then what one knows to be so is not truly what one has seen to be so — one remains caught between vagueness and doubt, and to imagine that one could climb straight up onto the shore of the Way this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Wasted Years (虛度關)

The Utmost Sage said: "The young are to be held in awe — how do we know that those who come after will not equal those of today? But if a man reaches forty or fifty and has still done nothing worth notice, then he too is not worth holding in awe." Perfected Ziyang said: "Alas! The human body is hard to obtain, and time passes swiftly away; none can foresee whether their span be long or short — how can one escape the requital of past transgressions? If one does not awaken early of one's own accord, but is content merely to wait resigned for the end, then should a single wrong thought arise at the parting of the ways, one falls into the evil destinies of the Three Paths, and is thereupon caught up for kalpas upon kalpas of dust, with no time of release." Perfected Sanfeng said: "Bow to an enlightened teacher, ask for his method — even setting to work at once and cultivating with all speed is already too late." All of this speaks of how the student must diligently study while still young, and must not idly squander the years.

Now sun and moon pass swiftly away, time flies like an arrow, and a hundred years is over in the blink of an eye. Of all the ten thousand things in the world, all are false — only Nature and Life-Destiny are real. One who values Nature and Life-Destiny must, while young and strong, fix his resolve firmly and press forward with courage, single-minded and pure in intent, seeking out teachers and visiting friends. Study with sincere devotion, and seek out the true remedy that saves one's life, so as to fulfill the causal bond of transcending the world. Do not wait until the qi has failed and the spirit is clouded, the sinews and bones worn out and weary, unable to return to the primal, unable to restore the root — and then, when the great transformation comes in its time, will you not have made this one journey through the world entirely in vain? For while one is young and strong, one can endure running east and west, hunger and cold, hardship and difficulty; the spirit is full and the qi is vigorous, so it is easy to exert one's strength, and the road ahead stretches far, so there is room to accomplish something. On no account should one idly squander the years, muddling through one's days, and so err against Nature and Life-Destiny. This is why the ancients cherished even an inch of shadow, vigilant from morning to evening, never letting a single moment pass by in emptiness.

Muddled students of the world do not know to fix their resolve on cultivation and practice; they covet and cling to worldly affairs, cannot see through fame and profit, cannot let go of clothing and salary. Taking the false for real and abandoning the real, they scheme by day and calculate by night, living as though drunk and dying as though in a dream, bringing vexation upon themselves and generating their own suffering. Joy, anger, grief, and delight, they have them all; greed, hatred, folly, and craving, they possess every one. Where there is no benefit, they insist on applying their minds; where there is benefit, they pay it no attention at all. They neither discern principle in the classics of the sages and worthies, nor listen to instruction from enlightened teachers and good friends — they seek only ample clothing and full meals. Gathering into cliques and crowds, their mouths speak idle chatter, their minds give rise to idle thoughts, their bodies engage in idle affairs, and they let the time slip vainly by. On some future day, when old King Yama comes to collect the price of the rice they have eaten, what will they have to offer in payment? They never once consider that the years will not wait for them, and once passed, do not return. Instead of holding the great matter of Nature and Life-Destiny as most important, they turn instead to matters outside the self that harm the body and injure life — thus placing years that could have been put to use into a place of no use at all. Is this not lamentable indeed!

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Wasted Years. Hold Nature and Life-Destiny in mind at every single moment. In every movement and every stillness, in every word you speak, do not forget it. When you meet a teacher, receive instruction; when you meet a friend, pursue learning together. Even if the great Way remains unclear to you, still do not let the years slip idly away — in the end you will become a good person, and be spared from committing further offenses. And if you can truly apply yourself single-mindedly, able to bear great hardship and establish great merit, then the spirits and gods will silently protect you, a true teacher will look upon you with favor, and the great Way may be hoped for. Otherwise, if you do not value Nature and Life-Destiny, and your resolve remains unsteady, letting your best years pass in emptiness, then to imagine you can attain the way of the immortals this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Losing Resolve (退志關)

The Yijing says: "The large fruit is not eaten; the noble man obtains a carriage; the small man's hut is stripped away." An ancient immortal said: "At seventy, at eighty, so long as a single breath still remains, one can still accomplish the Reverted Elixir." Perfected Sanfeng said:

Plum grafted onto willow, mulberry grafted onto pear —
handed down to those who cultivate the real, as a pattern to follow.
Since ancient days the immortals have had their arts of grafting;
though a person grows old, there is indeed a medicine to cure it.

All of this speaks of how the aged must not lose heart and retreat in resolve, abandoning the work halfway — one must love learning even in extreme old age, growing ever more diligent the older one becomes, and not stop until death.

Now the Way of the Golden Elixir is the way of returning to the root and restoring the mandate, of turning old age back into youth, of renewing one's life. "Turning old age back into youth" does not mean changing one's outward form so that one's face becomes like a child's — it means returning to the root and restoring the mandate, returning to a state where the spirit is whole and the qi is full, without deficiency and without lack: the original face one had at birth from one's mother. This original face is not hard to restore — the only trouble is that people lack resolve and constancy of heart. Although one may be old in years and weak in strength, the numinous root of the Prenatal has never been entirely extinguished; it has only been worn down and injured by the guest-qi of the Postnatal.

If one meets an enlightened teacher, and sincerely seeks the method of grafting, applying effort in cultivation and practice — increasing the yang qi, diminishing the yin qi; increasing it again and again, diminishing it again and again, until one reaches the point where nothing more can be increased or diminished — then what was deficient becomes whole again, what was absent is present once more, and one is restored, whole and complete, entire and undivided, just as in the years of one's youth, to that original foundation. This, precisely, is returning to the root and restoring the mandate; this, precisely, is turning old age back into youth; this, precisely, is the method for renewing one's life. Once one's life is renewed and made to hold fast, then "my fate is mastered by me, and not by Heaven." Pressing on further with the work of ascent, one arrives directly at the realm of the sages — what illness, then, is old age?

In ancient times, the Transcendent Elder Ge heard the Way at sixty years of age, and dwelt to attain the office of a minister in the Numinous Heavens. Patriarch Lü heard the Way at fifty-four, and cultivated himself into a Heavenly Immortal of the Great Canopy. Ziqing heard the Way at sixty-four, and cultivated an indestructible true body. Sanfeng heard the Way past seventy years of age, and cultivated himself into a Perfected One of the Ten Ultimates and Great Canopy. All the Patriarchs named above completed the Way in old age — how, then, can cultivating the Way be constrained by young age or old? So then: one with resolve, though old, can still complete the Way; one without resolve, though young, cannot complete the Way. How great a work resolve accomplishes indeed!

Muddled students of the world, while still young, are unwilling to apply a resolute mind, and squander the years idly. By the time they grow old, their hearts have turned to ash and their spirits cold, and they at once think of retreating, turning their efforts elsewhere. There are also those who meet an enlightened teacher early and catch a fragrant breath of the Way, but cannot themselves bear down and work at it, so that it is as if the resolve exists and yet does not. Delaying on until old age, they resign themselves as having no strength left to strive, and simply rest their feet and go no further. All of this is being diligent at the start and slack at the end, ruining one's own future prospects — whom, then, is one to blame? Little do they know that one must first exhaust human effort, and only afterward await the mandate of Heaven. Walk one step, and one step less remains; complete one task, and one task is finished. Fix firmly the resolve to continue until death and only then stop — and even if in this life one cannot climb directly to the summit of the thousand peaks, if one can climb halfway up the mountain, then compared to those still at the foot of the mountain, the difference is nothing less than that between cloud and mud. If, because of old age, one loses resolve, lays down all four limbs at rest, and refuses to press on, drawing one's own limit around oneself — this is, as the saying goes, sending oneself to death when King Yama has not even summoned you.

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Losing Resolve. Even in old age, one's resolve must remain strong, and one must attend to the work with a sincere heart. Even if, now and then, the great matter is not accomplished, the root has already been planted, and in a future life, the moment one appears in the world again, one will already stand apart from ordinary people, and will surely be able to complete the Way. And if one possesses great virtue and great strength, unafraid of life and death, one may finish the matter in this very life. Otherwise, resigning oneself to old age, unwilling to make the effort, retreating of one's own accord in resolve — when the moment of looking back finally arrives, one's hands and feet will fly in panic, with nowhere to turn for refuge — difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Boasting (誇揚關)

The Old Patriarch said: "Much speech is soon exhausted; better to hold to the center." The Utmost Sage said: "The noble man desires to be slow in speech but quick in action." The Yushu jing (Scripture of the Jade Pivot) says: "Enter through sincerity." An ancient immortal said: "One who knows does not speak; one who speaks does not know." All of this teaches people to apply their effort with sincerity and honesty, and not to bluster and make a false show of strength.

Now the Way of cultivating the real is of the utmost refinement and the utmost subtlety, the most thorough and the most profound. One must examine it closely and reflect upon it with care, probing to its very depths and subtlest workings; only after long years of effort does the real come into view. One's resolve must be firm, one's feet planted on solid ground, growing ever more diligent the longer one continues — only then does one attain the real. It cannot be handled carelessly, with what merely seems right, like scratching an itch through one's boot; it cannot be a matter of frivolous self-satisfaction, of building an empty bridge over nothing. If one's understanding of the Way is even slightly vague, if one's practice of the Way is even slightly unmoored and unreal, then not only can one not practice it, one cannot even know it. This is why the student of the Way must value nothing more than arriving at true knowledge and certain insight, at real treading and substantial practice.

Muddled students of the world, having learned a few techniques, consider themselves already possessed of the Way, and prattle on before others in confused and disorderly talk. Having practiced a few manipulations for a few days and seeing some slight effect, they call themselves enlightened, put on airs and postures, and look down on everyone around them. All of this is nothing but showing off one's spirit — taking not-knowing for knowing, taking what is not so for what is so, boasting of one's own abilities, and peddling a false reputation. Little do they know that the study of Nature and Life-Destiny is, from the outset, undertaken for oneself, not for others; it is, from the outset, a matter of attending to what is within, not what is without. Before one has heard the Way, one should be eager to seek understanding, carefully discerning and investigating principle. After one has heard the Way, one should be eager to seek practice, cultivating in secret and refining in stillness, applying real effort — single-minded from beginning to end, attending to the work with a sincere heart, with no thought of anything else. As the saying goes, "when the will is not divided, it is thereby concentrated in spirit" — how, then, could there be any leisure to spare, before others, for boasting of one's abilities, making a great noise about oneself, and angling for fame and praise?

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Boasting. Be as though foolish, as though slow of speech; be careful in word and cautious in deed. Do not flaunt your own strengths, do not seek an empty reputation. Hold Nature and Life-Destiny as what matters most, and press forward with a true and sincere heart. Those who have not yet heard the Way should bow their heads and study the Way; those who have already heard the Way should bow their heads and cultivate the Way. When the day comes that your work and its fruit are perfected, when your utmost sincerity foreknows what is to come and your spiritual powers reach far and wide, then, though you yourself do not boast, others will boast of you; though you yourself do not proclaim it, others will proclaim it for you. Even a hundred generations hence, those who speak of you will praise you, and those who hear of you will look up to you with admiration, and your name will be handed down forever without decay — what need, then, is there to boast and proclaim yourself, seeking after an empty reputation? Otherwise, taking what is not there for what is there, taking what is empty for what is full, satisfied with yourself and pleased with yourself, deceiving both yourself and others — to imagine you could complete the Way this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Illusory Visions (幻景關)

The Wuzhen pian says:

Without moving a single step, arrive at the Western Paradise;
sit upright, and every quarter stands before your eyes.
A halo behind the neck is still only illusion;
clouds rising beneath the feet do not yet make an immortal.

And again:

The maiden wears a robe of blue;
the young man is cloaked in plain white silk.
Seen, it cannot be put to use;
put to use, it cannot be seen.

Zhang Sanfeng said:

Emptiness is form, form is emptiness —
know that true emptiness lies within form.
Fully realized, true emptiness has no mark of form;
the dharma-marks endure forever, never falling into emptiness.

All of this speaks of how the great Way is without form and without image, and does not cling to illusory visions.

Now the Way of Nature and Life-Destiny is the Way of the True and Constant. The Way of the True and Constant is not strange or fantastical, not bizarre or extraordinary; it has no form, no color, no contrivance, no forcing — it is simply, naturally so, plain and ordinary. This is why Lord Lao called it "the natural," Confucius the Sage called it "the mean," and Śākyamuni called it "non-abiding." It is only that people dwell within the Way without knowing the Way. It is only because, once one is born, one's temperament and disposition fall into the workings of Postnatal creation, following and being molded by its yin and yang; within, disordered thoughts arise in confusion, and without, the six gates of the senses lure one on; inner and outer assail one together, until what was originally natural becomes unnatural, what was the mean becomes not the mean, what was non-abiding becomes something abided in — the real recedes and the false comes forth, and one loses one's original face.

This is why the Patriarchs established a method that, through technique, extends life — proceeding from action into non-action, from gradual cultivation to sudden awakening — so as to return once more to the natural, the mean, and non-abiding, to the True and Constant, enduring forever and never decaying. It is not that anything is ever added to or subtracted from the natural, the mean, non-abiding, and the True and Constant. Although one speaks of seizing creation, turning around life and death, reversing yin and yang, twisting the mechanism of qi, forming the Golden Elixir, congealing the Sacred Embryo, having a body beyond the body, and so on — this is only the completion of one single thing, the True and Constant; how could it possibly rely upon borrowing all manner of mismatched things possessing form and substance? Since it is called the True and Constant, what visions could there be? If there were visions, then it would not be the True and Constant — it would not be natural, not the mean, not non-abiding.

Muddled students of the world, hearing talk of the Golden Elixir, suspect there must be some vision of an elixir; hearing talk of moonlight on the toad, suspect there must be some vision of light; hearing talk of the crescent moon reclining, suspect there must be some vision of a moon; hearing talk of rosy clouds, suspect there must be some vision of a rosy glow; hearing talk of a red glow, suspect there must be some vision of redness; hearing talk of conceiving the embryo, suspect there must be some vision of an embryo; hearing talk of the Mysterious Pass's one aperture, suspect there must be some vision of a pass; hearing talk of the gate of the Mysterious Female, suspect there must be some vision of a gate. There are, further, adherents of heterodox schools and outside paths who practice the technique of inward contemplation, and behold the five viscera, and declare that they have seen a vision. Some, through the technique of sitting and stilling the mind, hear the music of the immortals in their ears and see radiant light with their eyes, and declare that sitting has produced a vision for them. Some, through the technique of visualization while walking or standing, send their spirit wandering through immortal realms and grotto-heavens, beholding towers and terraces of dragons and phoenixes, and declare that they have had a true vision. Some fix their gaze upon a single point until, after a long while, a numinous light scatters outward, now bright, now dim, and declare that they have thereby had a vision. Some silently face the Supreme Emperor in meditation until, after a long while, the spirit no longer keeps to its chamber, and clouds and mist come and go, and they feel themselves to be floating in empty space, and declare this a vision of the Way's completion. Some circulate their qi in reverse ascent and feel it turning and wheeling from below to above, piercing through the joints of their bones, and declare this a vision of the barriers opening. Some ingest qi and feed upon rosy mist and feel a stirring sound within the belly, as though something were present in the Elixir Field, and declare this a vision of the elixir's formation. All such things as these mistake illusory visions for reality, taking the false to be true. In the mild case, one suffers illness and affliction from it; in the severe case, one injures one's very Nature and Life-Destiny.

Little do they know that the Way of the True and Constant is neither form nor emptiness, without form and without image — how could it possibly hold strange and bizarre illusory visions? As for the completion of the great Way, when there is a body beyond the body, when form and spirit are both made wondrous, and one merges with the Way in the real — then the formless gives birth to a true form, the imageless gives birth to a substantial image. Gathered, it forms a shape; dispersed, it transforms into qi. Being is still non-being; non-being is in truth being; being and non-being are not fixed and established, and it shares one substance with empty space itself — what visions could there be in this? It is not only that in heterodox schools and outside paths, illusory visions are not the Way — even in cultivating and upholding the correct Way, when one's practice has grown deep and the days long, the discriminating consciousness (shí shén 識神) may work its calamity, and strange illusory visions may likewise appear, coming to ruin one's Way. They may announce fortune or misfortune; they may transform into ghosts and demons; they may transform into beautiful women or immortal youths; they may transform into tigers, leopards, wolves, and snakes, and every manner of strange form. If one pays them the slightest attention, the Lead flies off and the Mercury runs away, and the great matter is ruined.

In sum: the correct Way has no illusory visions, and illusory visions are not the correct Way. In short, do not take illusory visions to be a marvel. I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Illusory Visions, sweeping away every matter of clinging to image or clinging to empty stillness. Search and investigate carefully from the place of the natural and the True and Constant, and there will naturally be an image without image, a substantial principle that is empty and yet not empty, by which one may realize Nature and may realize Life-Destiny. Otherwise, taking illusory visions for reality — not only will heterodox schools certainly ruin the great matter this way, but even the correct Way will ruin the great matter this way too — and to wish to complete the Way this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Humiliation (恥辱關)

The Daodejing says: "The reason the rivers and the sea are able to be king over the hundred valleys is that they are good at lying below them." The Diamond Sutra speaks of "the perfection of patient endurance." Master Fu said:

Through five hundred kalpas, again and again,
from first to last, an age immense in length —
upheld by the power of enduring shame,
only now do I bear witness to the True and Constant.

All of this speaks of how, for one who cultivates the Way, nothing is more valuable than the ability to endure humiliation.

Now the one who bears the Way within has a mind like a mountain and a capacity like the sea. As for the mountain: clouds come and mists go across it as they please; forests cover it and snow blankets it as they please; wind blows and fire burns around it as they please — yet the mountain's own substance neither moves nor shakes, and is thus for ten thousand ages. The student of the Way, resolute and firm in intent, meets poverty and takes no notice of it, meets calamity and misfortune and pays it no mind — his heart, too, is just like this. As for the sea: turbid water and sweet water and bitter water all come to it, and it receives them; the waters of the nine great rivers and the eight lesser ones all flow into it, and it receives them; giant turtles, crocodiles, sea-dragons, and clams all hide themselves within it, and it receives them — yet the sea's own capacity neither increases nor decreases, and is thus forever. The student of the Way, able to endure humiliation and bear disgrace, meets adverse affairs without contending, and dwells in lowliness without shame — his capacity, too, is just like this. It is only because one who holds fast to Nature and Life-Destiny can endure what other people cannot endure, that he can bear what other people cannot bear.

This is why Master Zhong, clad in a tattered robe of hemp, could stand beside those clothed in fox and badger fur, and felt no shame. And Yanzi, with a single basket of rice and a single ladle of water to drink, living in a mean and narrow lane — others could not have borne such distress, yet Yanzi did not let it disturb his joy. Zengzi wore a hempen robe with no outer lining, his face swollen and gaunt; for three days he lit no cooking fire, for ten years he made himself no new clothes. When he straightened his cap, the ribbon would snap; when he pulled his lapel closed, his elbow showed through; when he put on his sandals, the heels split open — yet dragging his worn-out slippers along, he sang the hymns of the Shang, his voice ringing out like bronze and stone. Changchun, struck by the fists of an evil man, received the blows in submission and did not contend; Ziqing, cursed and reviled by perverse and violent men, received it gladly and did not dispute it. All the sages and worthies named above were those whose inward pursuits were of the greatest matters, so that every adverse circumstance outside the self, every discourtesy visited upon them, they simply did not concern themselves with.

Muddled students of the world act on unchecked impulse, doing whatever their hearts desire. Living in poverty and hardship, they see those of wealth and rank and feel ashamed; though nothing serious has happened to them, the moment they meet with perverse and violent treatment, their temper flares. At the slightest bump or jolt, ignorance (wúmíng 無明) rises up in them; at the slightest offense in another's words, they must at once dispute and argue. There is, further, a class of foolish people who vainly imagine they can study the Way, and yet do not honor the Way. Some ask their questions relying on their own rank; some rely on their own worthiness; some rely on their own seniority; some rely on their own past achievements and merit; some rely on old acquaintance — unwilling to seek with an empty and sincere heart. Some, in places where the eyes of the crowd are upon them, puff themselves up with self-importance, putting on grand airs, unable to bow their heads, afraid of being laughed at by others. Little do they know that one who exalts himself is never truly great, and one who honors himself is never truly honored. With conduct such as this, even if the Patriarchs themselves stood face to face with them, even if immortals shared the very same room with them, what benefit could come of it?

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Humiliation. Set aside, beyond all concern, every false shame and false disgrace that belongs to worldly affairs, and take up instead the true shame and true disgrace of being unable to understand the Way, unable to complete the Way. Fix your resolve firmly, press forward with all your effort, and boundless good things will naturally come to you. Otherwise, taking what is no shame to be a shame, and what is no disgrace to be a disgrace; loving to contend and to win, wanting only that others submit to you while you will not submit to others; knowing only how to stand above others and not how to place yourself below them — to imagine that you could hear the Way this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Cause and Effect (因果關)

The Yijing says: "The family that accumulates good deeds is certain to have abundant blessing left over; the family that accumulates ill deeds is certain to have abundant misfortune left over." The Book of Documents says: "Do good, and a hundred good fortunes descend upon you; do ill, and a hundred misfortunes descend upon you." And again: "Calamities sent by Heaven may still be escaped; calamities brought on by oneself cannot be survived." The Cantong qi says: "If the beginning is correct, the end will follow it in cultivation; if the trunk is not yet established, it cannot yet be relied upon." The Old Man of Zhengyang said: "Sow hemp, and you reap hemp; sow millet, and you reap millet." All of this speaks of how, wherever there is a cause, there is certainly an effect — and if one is careful in all things from the very beginning, one will naturally bring them to completion in the end.

For all things in Heaven and Earth, great and small, have their cause and effect. Good has its cause and effect; evil has its cause and effect. One who does good will certainly receive a good recompense; one who does evil will certainly receive an evil recompense. Doing good is the cause of good; a good recompense is its effect. Doing evil is the cause of evil; an evil recompense is its effect. The recompense of good and evil follows as a shadow follows a form — not the breadth of a single hair is ever amiss. This is why the noble man is watchful and cautious over what he does not see, and fearful and apprehensive over what he does not hear. Thought after thought turns toward good, allowing not the slightest evil intent to arise within the inch-square (fāngcùn 方寸) of the heart. He treads no step that is not proper, does nothing that is not right, so that every act is good, allowing not a single evil deed to appear in his daily conduct. Thought after thought good, act after act good — where the cause is good, the effect has never yet failed to be good as well.

Consider the world: one who kills another pays with his own life; one who saves another receives gratitude in return. Move others with good, and good responds; move others with evil, and evil responds. This stirring here and that response there — there is cause and there is effect, entirely of themselves, naturally so. As the saying goes, a single thought of good is itself heaven; a single thought of evil is itself hell — heaven and hell are made by no one but oneself. Mencius said: "There is no misfortune or blessing that is not sought by oneself." Laozi said: "Misfortune and blessing have no gate of their own; it is man alone who summons them." Looking at this, is the principle of cause and effect not plain and easy to see?

Muddled students of the world, not believing in cause and effect, harm others to benefit themselves, offend Heaven and violate reason, and do whatever they please. Some deceive donors on every side into giving alms, considering this a clever scheme; some pretend to possess the Way, so as to deceive the foolish and deluded; some rely on false arts of alchemical gold and silver (huángbái 黄白) to ruin other people's family fortunes; some use the deviant practices of the boudoir elixir (guīdān 閨丹) to lead others into wrongdoing; some twist their mouths and chew their tongues to slander the wise and eminent; some plot in secret and shoot hidden arrows to spoil the good affairs of others. All such things as these come from not believing in cause and effect. Little do they know that doing good or doing evil is cultivating the road that bears its fruit. Cultivate the road of good to completion, and on some future day, the Creator of Things will send you along the road of good to enjoy blessing; cultivate the road of evil to completion, and on some future day, the Creator of Things will send you along the road of evil to suffer punishment.

As the proverb says: "If you wish to know the affairs of your past life, look at what you receive in this life; if you wish to know the affairs of your future life, look at what you do in this life." These words are true and not empty. If you do not believe in the life to come, then consider the present life: in this present life, one who does good in youth receives blessing in old age, and one who does evil in youth receives punishment in old age — this is something known and seen in common by everyone.

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of Cause and Effect. Every single thought and every single act must be handled with care; every movement and every stillness must not be treated carelessly. First learn to be a good person who commits no transgression and creates no offense, and only afterward attend to the great matter, striving to advance — only then may there be some accomplishment. But if one pays no heed to cause and effect, wishing at once to study the Way and yet also to commit transgressions, knowingly courting darkness while claiming knowledge of light, piling offense upon offense — to imagine that one could hear the Way this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of the Book-Demon (書魔關)

The Wuzhen pian says:

Treatises and scriptures, songs and discourses, all speak of the utmost real,
yet none set down the fire's timing in writing.
If you would know where the oral instructions open onto the Mystery,
you must discuss it in detail together with a true immortal.

And again:

The images set within the hexagrams are rooted in the forms of the two modes;
once the image is grasped, forget the words, and the meaning is of itself made clear.
The deluded followers of this whole age cling only to the images,
and practice the hexagram-qi, hoping thereby to ascend to the heavens.

Shangyangzi said:

The great Way has, from the very first, only ever been given a name by force;
only with the Yinfu jing and the Daodejing did scriptures begin to be kept.
Immortal after immortal, in due succession, continued the elixir scriptures,
yet how could the oral instructions ever be made plain upon the page?

All of this speaks of how one must read the scriptures, and yet must not become one-sidedly attached to them.

Now the scriptures and classic treatises, with their thousand comparisons and ten thousand metaphors, exist so as to open a bright road for later students, to point the way to the great Way, and to cut through what is deviant and reveal what is correct. Within them, the true and the false of the medicinal substances, the right and wrong of their application, the proper sequence of the work, the cultivation of Nature and the cultivation of Life-Destiny — there is not one of these that is not provided for. But their language is veiled and hidden, their principle deep and abstruse; they use what has form to compare to what is formless, and what has image to illustrate what is imageless. This cannot be understood by a careless reading, nor grasped by private guesswork. Moreover, the study of Nature and Life-Destiny cannot be compared to things of the world that have form and image, which can be spoken of plainly and written down clearly. As for why Nature and Life-Destiny are as they are, and why the great Way is wondrous as it is — to argue over it is to miss it, to speak of it is to lose it. Though the elixir scriptures and the treatises of the masters describe it with the utmost effort, there are things spoken of that speech cannot reach, and things written of that writing cannot bring forth; what can be spoken and what can be written down is, after all, only the broad outline.

The student of the Way who applies his mind and studies closely, and grasps the broad outline, is thereby able to recognize the various gates and houses, and distinguish the deviant from the correct — and from this point he may seek out an enlightened teacher, and only then make progress. But if one clings to the scriptures and guesses at their meaning by one's own reckoning, relying on one's own one-sided views, and declares that the Way is right there in the text, and never again seeks correction from one who possesses the Way — this is a very grave error indeed. Therefore, to cast the scriptures aside and pay them no attention at all is certainly a great error; but to cling to the scriptures and never again seek out a person to learn from is an even greater error. Both casting the scriptures aside and clinging fast to them are wrong.

Muddled students of the world, having read a few scrolls of elixir texts, on seeing talk of Lead and Mercury, cinnabar and silver, either turn it toward the ingestion of substances or else toward the smelting of external compounds; on seeing talk of male and female, self and other, either turn it toward the boudoir elixir or else toward "gathering and taking" (cǎiqǔ 採取); on seeing talk of Dragon and Tiger, Tortoise and Snake, if they do not suspect these to mean the liver and lungs, then they take them to mean the heart and kidneys; on seeing talk of reversal and inverse circulation, if they do not suspect this to mean a rearward ascent, then they take it to mean a forward advance; on seeing talk of clarity, stillness, and non-action, if they do not suspect this to mean empty quiescence, then they guess it to mean visualization and mental fixation; on seeing talk of accomplishing something through technique and action, if they do not suspect this to mean the circulation of qi, then they mistakenly take it to mean physical contortion; on seeing talk of the Muddy Pellet (Níwán 泥丸), the Yellow Court, the Mysterious Pass, the Gate of the Myriad Mysteries, and the Kunlun Summit, they suspect these to be fixed cavities and apertures with definite locations in the physical body; on seeing talk of the Valley Spirit, the Infant, the Sacred Embryo, the Golden Elixir, and the dharma body, they suspect these to be some gathering of qi and blood within the body. Instances of this kind are too numerous to list; each relies on his own view, each sets up his own gate and house, taking the false for the true, and toils through an entire life to no accomplishment in the end. Not only is there no benefit in this — there is positive harm. Tracing the reason for this, it is entirely because they take the book itself to be the Way, and do not seek out an enlightened teacher — they have been struck by the Book-Demon, and have ruined the great matter. The Sage said: "Learn broadly, and inquire closely." If one only learns broadly and does not inquire closely, then, as the saying goes, "though your cleverness surpass even Yan Hui and Min Ziqian, without meeting a true teacher, do not force your guesses."

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the Barrier of the Book-Demon. Do not let yourself be misled by books. First you must savor the scriptures with care, distinguish the deviant from the correct, and settle firmly on the right gate and house, then seek out an enlightened teacher to verify what is right and wrong. On no account rely on your own supposed cleverness, dealing with things carelessly where they merely seem right. Otherwise, taking the book itself for the Way, believing yourself to have already attained it — to imagine that you could complete the Way this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Clinging to Emptiness (著空關)

The Buddha said: One who gives rise to the resolve for unsurpassed, complete enlightenment (anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi) does not, in regard to any dharma, speak of a mark of annihilation. Chan Master Zhizhe said:

Dharma upon dharma births wondrous dharma;
emptiness upon emptiness — its substance is not empty.
Annihilation, and yet no annihilation;
wisdom's awareness awakens to the deep source.

The Heart Sutra says: Śāriputra, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is form. The Wuzhen pian says:

Though you fully realize the nature of true suchness,
still you cannot escape casting off one body only to enter another.
How much better also to cultivate the great medicine,
and in an instant transcend all outflow to become one of the Perfected.

Master Yuandu said: Students of the Way today, not having received the correct transmission, fail to understand Zhang Boduan's (styled Pingshu) saying that one must not enter the mountains before refining the Reverted Elixir. They wish only to avoid clamor and seek stillness — fleeing the world, distancing themselves from others, putting away their wives, dismissing their children, leaving the dusty world and cutting themselves off from the mundane, dwelling alone in remote valleys and deep mountains, and considering this lofty. But this is simply abandoning the Dharma of the world. Zhang Sanfeng said: Stop boasting that clarity, stillness, and non-action alone can attain the Reverted Elixir.

All of this speaks of the great Way's true emptiness that is not empty — not the teaching of stubborn emptiness (wankong) and quiescent annihilation. Now, the Way: it is utter non-being yet contains utter being; it is utter emptiness yet opens onto utter substance. It is empty yet not empty, not empty yet empty — its principle works both ways at once, being and non-being are one and the same, non-action yet nothing left undone. Consider: Heaven and Earth take no action, yet the ten thousand things are born; sun and moon take no action, yet the four seasons turn; the sage takes no action, yet the world is governed. This is action within non-action — not the doctrine of empty, vacuous non-action. If one takes empty, vacuous non-action to be the Way, then the Way becomes a dead thing — not the Way of Heaven and Earth, sun and moon, and the sage, but a useless Way carved of wood or molded from clay. How could this be worthy of the name "Way"?

Now, what is called the Way is a path — a road. Where people pass through and travel becomes a road; where no one travels is not a road. From this we may know that the study of Nature and Life (xingming) must first seek understanding, and only afterward strive to put it into practice. Understanding is the means to practice; practice is the means to complete understanding. Moreover, "cultivating the real" means "cultivating practice." In a teaching of emptiness and quiescence, how can this be called "cultivating practice"? To call it "guarding emptiness" is acceptable; to call it "cultivating practice" is not. Hence, regarding matters of stubborn emptiness, the ancients mocked it as "polishing a brick to make a mirror," and satirized it as "stockpiling snow for grain" — precisely because it is empty and without substance.

Confused students in the world do not investigate the source and course of the Way, nor discern the right and wrong of principle. Some deaden their minds and halt their thoughts, forgetting things and forgetting the body; some empty the valley and guard stillness, untouched by a speck of dust; some fix their attention on a single aperture, nourishing qi and preserving spirit; some fasten their gaze upward at the crown, keeping the mind undivided; some stare fixedly at a mirror, hoping the spirit will emerge from it; some hold the thought at the Hall of Light, imagining a crimson pearl. All such practices are matters of stubborn emptiness and annihilation. They are not cultivating the Way but in truth are obscuring the Way. How could they possibly restore the origin and return to the root, realize nature and realize life, make body and spirit both wondrous, merge with the Way in the real, and transcend beyond yin and yang and the transformations of creation?

Moreover, ever since a person is born, they receive the lopsided qi of Postnatal (houtian) yin and yang and the Five Phases, and further carry the mixed qi of sense-root and sense-dust accumulated through the transmigration of beginningless kalpas. Without the great method for transmuting the assembled yin, without the ability to turn creation around, and relying only on empty, vacuous non-action to finish the task — how could one possibly turn yin back into yang, and uproot the seeds of karmic suffering accumulated through kalpa after kalpa? I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the checkpoint of Clinging to Emptiness. Seek out an enlightened teacher without delay, and pursue instead some real, substantial task that restores life and revives the living — apply your effort early. Do not go chasing wind and clutching at shadows, or quench your thirst by imagining plums, wasting your prospects and passing your years in emptiness. Otherwise, with only empty, vacuous non-action, grasping at nothing and holding nothing, what genuine benefit can there be? To imagine that the Way can be attained this way is difficult indeed.

The Barrier of Clinging to Form (執相關)

The Diamond Sutra says: One cannot see the Tathāgata by means of the thirty-two marks. The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment says: This body of mine now is the false union of the four great elements. The Wuzhen pian says:

Within yang lies yin's essence, its substance not firm;
cultivating this one thing alone only leaves one weak and wasted.
Toiling the body and pressing on shadows — none of this is the Way;
swallowing qi and feasting on rosy mists — all of it is madness.

And its afterword says: Students today take Lead and Mercury to be the two qi; they point to the internal organs as the Five Phases; they divide heart and kidneys into Kan and Li; they take liver and lungs as Dragon and Tiger; they take spirit and qi as mother and child; they cling to saliva and bodily fluids as Lead and Mercury. Not knowing floating from sinking, how can they distinguish host from guest? How is this different from mistaking another's wealth for one's own possessions, or calling another's child one's own son? An ancient immortal said: Do not cling to this body and say it is the Way — beyond this body there is a true body. All of this speaks of not clinging to the physical body as the Way.

Now, the Way of cultivating the real is the Way of the Prenatal (xiantian). The Way of the Prenatal can transform the formless into form, can give birth to substantial images out of the imageless, can seize creation, steal yin and yang, reverse the workings of qi, and put an end to birth and death — it is not to be compared with all those who merely labor upon the physical body. The physical body is a thing falsely conjoined from the four great elements: outwardly the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and mouth; inwardly the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys; together with the bones, joints, and apertures — all are false things. Not a single one of them is real. When the great limit arrives, all that remains is a heap of rotting bones and stinking flesh. If one clings to this body in cultivation, how can one realize Nature and Life, or escape birth and death?

Hence the Old Patriarch said: The reason I have great troubles is that I have a body; if I had no body, what trouble would I have? From this we may know that the physical body is the great trouble of human life. And because it is this great trouble, the Patriarchs bequeathed the great Way of the Golden Elixir, teaching people to cultivate and uphold Nature and Life, to discard the false and preserve the true, and to escape this great illusion. Once this great trouble is cast off, that which is without trouble naturally remains. That which is without trouble is the true body. The true body is also called the dharma body, and also called the Yang Spirit. Once this body is accomplished through cultivation, entering water it does not drown, entering fire it is not burned, entering metal and stone it meets no obstruction; yin and yang cannot cast it, creation cannot confine it; it endures as long as Heaven and Earth, and shines as bright as sun and moon. How could those who merely cultivate the physical body ever reach this station?

Confused students in the world, unable to distinguish right from wrong or true from false, study recklessly and act rashly — like walking at night, or acting in a dream. Some shake their bones and rock their marrow; some push forward and circulate backward; some dismantle east to patch west; some circulate qi to ram the crown-gate; some force their essence upward into the brain; some practice the Eight Brocades to loosen the bones; some circulate the Six-Syllable Formula to raise qi; some take the point between the two kidneys as the Origin Pass; some take the point in front of the kidneys and behind the navel as the Yellow Court; some take the mouth and nose as the Mysterious Female; some take the Elixir Field as the root of life; some take the Celestial Valley as the ground of nature; some take heart and kidneys as the Infant and the Fair Maiden; some take liver and lungs as the Green Dragon and White Tiger; some inhale qi past the navel wheel to the Elixir Field and call it embryonic breathing; some circulate qi to ram through the Three Passes, and take reaching the back of the brain as "opening the pass." There are further practices — rubbing the eyes and swallowing saliva, taking in the clear and expelling the turbid, rubbing the navel and holding back the call of nature — and all manner of other manipulations too numerous to list. All of this is called clinging to form; all of it is laboring upon the sack of skin and flesh, playing false tricks inside a worn-out bag — as far removed from the Prenatal Way of Nature and Life as heaven is from earth. When the years are spent and the months run out, one has nothing at all to hold onto — how tragic this is!

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the checkpoint of Clinging to Form. Take the two words "Nature" and "Life" and apply real, substantial effort to them, investigating until you find their whereabouts. What is nature? What is life? Where does nature reside? Where does life lodge? If one can truly distinguish the two words "Nature" and "Life" clearly, and recognize them with certainty, then one knows that Nature and Life are not in the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, or body; not in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys; not in the three hundred sixty joints; not in the four limbs, the hundred vessels, or the blood. There is, apart from these, a secret thing without location or place, without form or image. It is not within, and not without — it lies precisely in the realm of vacant nothingness and silent stillness. From this point, advancing further, one has something solid to rely on, and will not mistake the false for the true or be misled by side paths. Otherwise, not knowing what Nature and Life actually are, one gropes and guesses randomly up and down the body, blundering about wherever there is form and substance — to imagine that the Way can be attained this way is difficult indeed.

The Boudoir Elixir Barrier (閨丹關)

The Old Patriarch said: Of all evils, lust is foremost. The Wuzhen pian says: In vain do bedroom arts seal shut the Tailbone Gate — how many people of this world have been wrongly slain by it! An ancient scripture says: If one claims Zhang Sanfeng taught the arts of sexual plunder, this would condemn nine generations of ancestors to perdition. All of this speaks of the boudoir elixir of controlling women: not only is it of no benefit to Nature and Life, it also greatly damages one's hidden virtue.

Now, what is called the Golden Elixir is the original foundation. This elixir, this foundation, is fully possessed by every single person, perfectly complete in each and every one — it does not increase in the sage, nor decrease in the ordinary. Originally, Nature and Life are a single house, yin and yang are merged as one, and the Five Phases share a common qi — there is nothing to cultivate, and nothing to verify. It is only because, when the Prenatal yang reaches its extreme, the Postnatal yin is born, that Nature and Life become two separate places, yin and yang become mutually estranged, and the Five Phases fall into disorder; what was full develops a deficiency, what was complete develops a flaw. Day after day, year after year, the deficiency grows ever more deficient, the flaw ever more flawed, until the original, inherent foundation is entirely lost, buried and obscured, no longer manifest.

Therefore the Patriarchs established the Way of the Golden Elixir's return and restoration, so that people might once again cultivate and uphold it — returning it, restoring it — until they are brought back to that original foundation, fully possessed and perfectly complete, without deficiency and without flaw. The Way of return and restoration is simply the return and restoration of Nature and Life to a single house, of yin and yang merged as one, of the Five Phases sharing a common qi — nothing more. The method of return and restoration still lies in cultivating and upholding within yin, yang, and the Five Phases; hence there are such symbolic images as male and female, self and other, the Infant, the House-Maiden, the Squire of Metal, the Mother of Wood, the Maiden and her Suitor, and the Yellow Dame acting as matchmaker. A thousand analogies and ten thousand descriptions — all of them merely to clarify the harmonious union of yin and yang, and the gathering together of the Five Phases.

Hence Patriarch Lü said: To imitate the way men and women bring forth life necessarily draws upon the mechanism of Heaven — and to do so becomes an act that leaks Heaven's secret. For the method of the Way is no different from the way of ordinary men and women generating human life in the world. Where they differ is this: the latter borrows a mortal father and mortal mother to generate the physical body, while the former borrows a numinous father and sagely mother to generate the dharma body. Between the sagely and the ordinary, one follows the forward course and the other reverses it — as far apart as heaven from earth. This is what Zhang Sanfeng meant by: "To follow the forward course is to be ordinary; to reverse it is to become an immortal — it all lies in the reversal within reversal at the center." Yet although this matter resembles the way of ordinary men and women generating life in the world, it does not attach itself to the illusory forms of worldly men and women.

What the elixir texts call yin and yang are precisely the numinous father and sagely mother — precisely the true yin and true yang within one's own body. True yin and true yang are, moreover, not the Postnatal yin and yang within the body that possess form and substance, but rather a yin and yang without form and without substance. If even the Postnatal yin and yang of one's own body cannot be put to use for this purpose, how much less the yin and yang of men and women outside the body?

Confused students in the world, not considering that Nature and Life are things without form or image, without location or place, mistakenly heed the deviant teachings and lascivious words of blind teachers, and go to work upon the fleshly sacks of worldly men and women. Some play at the Three Peaks and the arts of sexual plunder; some practice nine shallow and one deep; some pass through nine women and call it the Nine Tripods and Nine Cycles; some gather the first menses, counting three before and three after; some pluck the "plum" of first menses and call it consuming the fruit of the ginseng-tree; some take the fresh blood after the menses and call it swallowing the True Red Lead; some "commune in spirit" without bodily union; some, separated by a curtain, draw breath mouth to mouth; some place the man below and the woman above, calling it reversing yin and yang; some have the man draw out the woman's qi, calling it "relying on Kun to plant Qian"; some drink a woman's milk, calling it "receiving and replenishing"; some master young girls, calling it "forging the sword." Practices of this kind cannot all be enumerated. Their shameful conduct takes a hundred forms, filthy and impure; shameless and without integrity, their behavior is no different from that of beasts. That the Way should come to this — how can one bear to speak of it!

There is, further, a class of people foolish upon foolish, piling offense upon offense — the ringleaders of these transgressions — who borrow the names of the Patriarchs to compose licentious and deviant forgeries, transmitting them to later generations and leading people into evil. Some use boudoir-elixir teachings to annotate the ancient scriptures, throwing the sagely Way into confusion — such as Peng Haogu and Zhi Jizi — deceiving both themselves and others. Students who wrongly enter their trap can hardly escape it for the rest of their lives. Is this not a thing to be feared and dreaded?

Alas! The Way of Nature and Life is the mutual response and interpenetration of the two qi of true yin and true yang — utterly clear, utterly pure, utterly honored, utterly precious — condensing and coalescing into form within the realm of empty nothingness. This is called the Sacred Embryo, and is also spoken of as "the man becoming pregnant." Though called an embryo and a pregnancy, it is not a thing of blood and flesh possessing form, but is formed through the condensation and gathering of essential, pure yang qi. If one instead takes the turbid blood and turbid qi of a young woman and congeals it into an "embryo," this is not only not the Sacred Embryo that ascends to heaven, but precisely forms a ghost-embryo that descends into hell. One could not even attain to being fully human this way — how much less dare one hope for immortality?

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the checkpoint of the Boudoir Elixir. Sweep clean every path of lustful desire, and instead seek out true yin and true yang, forging them into a single whole — and naturally a single sprout of numinous life will be born within. With this one may become an immortal, may become a Buddha, and endure as long as Heaven and Earth. Otherwise, indulging in lust and committing evil, harming others and injuring virtue, one's heavenly conscience already ruined — to imagine that the Way can be attained this way is difficult indeed.

The Furnace-and-Fire Barrier (爐火關)

Perfected Xu said:

Mixed natures are not of the same kind —
how could they consent to dwell united in one body?

Perfected Chunyu said:

When of the same kind, effort is easily applied;
when not of the same seed, skill cannot avail.

Perfected Ziyang [Zhang Boduan] said:

Do not refine the Three Yellows or the Four Spirits;
to seek among the myriad herbs is even further from the truth.
When yin and yang find their proper kind, they return to mutual response;
two eights, well matched, naturally join in intimacy.
At the bottom of the pool, the red sun makes the yin-demons vanish;
atop the mountain, the white moon brings the medicine-sprout fresh.
People of this age who wish to know the true Lead and Mercury —
know that these are not common cinnabar-sand, nor quicksilver.

And he also said:

Do not get stuck on elixir stoves and waste your effort;
to refine the medicine you must seek the Crescent-Moon Furnace.
There is a natural, true fire's timing (huohou) of its own accord;
no need for charcoal, no need for bellows-blowing.

Zhang Sanfeng said:

The Five Metals and the Eight Minerals are all false;
ten thousand herbs and a thousand recipes are all mistaken.
The Golden Toad, the Jade Crow —
one who truly recognizes them is a master of the art.

All of this speaks of the great Way of the Golden Elixir — it is not the art of furnace-and-fire smelting and refining. Now, as for what is called the Golden Elixir: "Gold" is taken for its meaning of hardness and indestructibility; "Elixir" is taken for its meaning of roundness, completeness, and lacking nothing. Being hard, firm, round, and complete, it is therefore named the Golden Elixir — it is none other than the original Prenatal True One's numinous treasure. It is also called the Prenatal True One's qi; also called the ancestral qi of living things; also called the Prenatal numinous root; also called the Primordial Origin's precious pearl. In sum, it is called the qi of true numinosity and utmost essence. This qi, in Confucianism is called the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji); in Buddhism is called Perfect Enlightenment; in Daoism is called the Golden Elixir. It is without form, without image; neither form nor emptiness. Yet although it is without form, it can give rise to form; although without image, it can give rise to substantial images; although not form, it can give rise to wondrous form; and although not emptiness, it is nonetheless true emptiness. It is rooted in the Prenatal, hidden within the Postnatal; it is the root of Nature and Life, the seed of immortals and Buddhas, the foundation of sages and worthies.

If one knows it and cultivates it, one can escape birth and death, step outside of creation, transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood, and attain the unborn and undying. But people cannot recognize this fundamental seed, and so they let it slip by even as it stands right before them. If one wishes to recognize it truly, this cannot be done by wild guessing or private speculation — one must seek an enlightened teacher's oral transmission, mind to mind, before the truth can be seen. And one must further have that enlightened teacher point out in detail the true and false of the medicine, the right and wrong of the fire's timing, the proper sequence of the work, and the rules governing its application, before one can advance.

The immortal scriptures of old expound the subtlest details and describe the most profound mysteries; their principles and their methods leave nothing unprovided for. But being subject to a thousand transformations and ten thousand changes, they establish names as expedient means, take up images drawn from things, and compose virtues out of a mixture of objects — comparing the imageless by means of images, illustrating the formless by means of form; scattered across many discussions, each pointing to a single principle or a single method in its own discourse. Their meaning is deep and hidden, concealing within it the mechanism of Heaven, difficult to state openly — so as to teach students to grasp the image and forget the words, to grasp the meaning and forget the image, to investigate for themselves to the utmost, and to comprehend and awaken by themselves. When investigation fails to reach it and inquiry fails to clarify it, one should then go and verify it with one who has attained the Way — proceeding from the broad to the essential, from doubt to awakening. It is not the case that the book itself simply is the Way. In truth, every single word of the Patriarchs concerns the immediate, wondrous function of Nature and Life, the genuine learning proper to body and mind — it is by no means a matter of abandoning what is near to seek what is far, or of borrowing the coarse, dreggy substances of the mundane world.

Confused students in the world seek far away what lies near at hand, and seek in difficulty what is easy. They do not investigate the meaning but only take the images at face value; they do not exhaust the principle but merely memorize the words — guessing at riddles, each putting forward their own opinion. Seeing talk of the "greater" and "lesser" Golden Elixir, they at once suppose it to be a thing with form and substance; seeing talk of the "golden tripod" and "jade furnace," they at once suppose it to be a mud stove and instruments of bronze and iron; seeing talk of "Lead and Mercury" as the medicine, they at once suppose it to be the common substances of quicksilver and black tin; seeing talk of the "Yellow Sprout" and "White Snow," they at once suppose it to be a numinous frost produced by smelting, refining, sublimating, and pounding; seeing talk of "gentle simmering" and "vigorous refining," they at once suppose it to be the common fire of charcoal and bellows. Taking the turbid substances of minerals, stones, grasses, and trees, they smelt, refine, and ingest them, vainly imagining they can thereby connect with the formless Nature and Life. Little do they know that a broken bamboo must be mended with bamboo, and that hatching a chick requires an egg. The common substances of this world are not of the same kind as my Nature and Life — how could they possibly connect with Nature and Life?

There is, further, a class of deluded and infatuated men who, borrowing the Patriarchs' sayings that "the Golden Elixir, once entering the mouth, transmutes the mortal frame," or the famous lines that a single grain of the Golden Elixir united with the Way makes a snake, upon swallowing it, instantly turn into a dragon, and a chicken, upon eating it, likewise transform into a phoenix — proceed to smelt and refine medicines of metal, stone, cinnabar-sand, mercury, the Three Yellows, and the Four Spirits, vainly imagining that by swallowing them they will ascend to heaven in broad daylight and change their form and appearance. They do not consider at all how turbid flesh and turbid bone, taking medicines of metal and stone, could possibly be transmuted, change form, and ascend to heaven. Their foolishness is extreme indeed. Moreover, medicines of metal and stone are inherently poisonous; add to this the poison of fire through refining, and the poison of the medicine and the poison of the fire combine as one — their toxicity grows only greater. Those who ingest them rot their intestines and ruin their skin; there has never been one who did not lose their life this way.

Long ago, Minister Zhang of Jiujiang believed in ingesting such substances. Patriarch Lü tried to enlighten him, but he would not awaken to it; so Patriarch Lü wrote a poem upon his gate, saying:

A pity — Minister Zhang of Jiujiang,
ingesting drugs, lost his sight, his spirit withered.
Not knowing the Reverted Elixir originally has no substance,
he mistakenly fed on metal and stone — how great a folly!

Afterward, he indeed went blind. From this we may know that medicines of metal and stone cannot accomplish the task, but on the contrary ruin it — throughout history, those who have suffered this affliction cannot be counted.

There is, further, a class of people greedy for wealth and committing transgressions, who, borrowing the Patriarchs' saying that "to seek the treasure of heaven, one must first have the wealth of this world," claim that buying tripods and preparing medicines cannot be accomplished without money — and so go east seeking patrons, west seeking the wealthy, deceiving the foolish, feasting on rich meat and fine wine, eating and drinking their fill on false pretenses. Some use methods of "multiplying silver"; some "draw the blood from red copper"; some "smelt lead to transmute mercury"; some "burn thatch to refine copper." All such things are false — how could they possibly become real? Some go so far as to steal away the real materials and substitute false ones in their place, swindling people's wealth and ruining people's family fortunes — hard-hearted and ruthless as bandits and thieves. Can their wickedness, their venom, even be spoken of?

Long ago, Patriarch Zhengyang [Zhongli Quan] transmitted to Patriarch Lü the art of yellow-and-white [the transmutation of gold and silver], for the benefit of others and the aid of all beings. But Patriarch Lü, knowing that after three thousand years it would revert to its origin, and fearing it would harm later generations, was unwilling to practice it. What was in his heart, that he should act this way? Those deluded followers of furnace-and-fire, not knowing how to accumulate virtue, instead injure virtue; wearing the robes of the Patriarchs while betraying the conduct of the Patriarchs, they gravely destroy their heavenly conscience. Even if other people might tolerate this, how could Heaven possibly tolerate it?

I urge true-hearted students of the Way to quickly break through the checkpoint of Furnace-and-Fire. Sweep away every unwholesome practice of smelting and refining, elixir-medicines, decocting, and thatch-methods; investigate carefully and diligently upon body, mind, and Nature and Life; seek out the furnace and tripod of Qian and Kun, find the medicine of the Raven and the Hare, and circulate the true fire of samādhi to forge and refine them into a treasure — only then will there be genuine benefit. Otherwise, taking metal and stone as your meal, and poison as your treasured life, there is no benefit but only harm — to imagine that the Way can be attained this way is difficult indeed.

The fifty items above are all life-and-death checkpoints for students, the great demons of the shadowed path; each and every checkpoint must be broken through before one can properly advance. If even a single checkpoint remains unopened, one is blocked by that single checkpoint alone — though you were a hero who could overturn the world, a mighty man who could uproot mountains, you would not be able to advance a single step. Students must recognize this truly and believe it fully. Though one cannot suddenly break through all of them at once, by applying effort gradually and in sequence, the day will eventually come when they are all broken through. But if one does not recognize it truly, or does not believe it fully, one will remain forever trapped within the checkpoints, unable to pass beyond them — and to wish, then, to ascend the great road, one would need wings to fly, or clouds to ride over — would this not ruin one's prospects?

All students who take these checkpoints lightly, regarding them as trivial matters, abandoning what is near to seek what is far, abandoning what is easy to seek what is difficult — who do not remove the root of their own sickness yet covet another's family estate, who do not exhaust their own human effort yet covet another's heavenly treasure — who indeed would hand over a family estate to a sick man, or entrust heavenly treasure to a scoundrel? Now, the Way of Nature and Life is the single greatest matter under Heaven, and the single most difficult matter under Heaven — one who is not a great man of great capacity and great merit cannot bear its weight, cannot accomplish it. But one who is truly able to break through all these checkpoints is precisely a great man of great capacity and great merit; and if such a one meets an enlightened teacher's single pointing-out, the great Way and the great hope are realized — one ascends directly to the other shore, moving freely in every direction, forward or reversed, with nothing to obstruct, achieving results step by step. Why, then, should one worry that the Way is difficult to accomplish?

Song of Ceasing Words (絕言歌)

I still recall the years I once was destitute and adrift —
with a single thought of pure sincerity, I sought a true teacher.
To Yanjing and Henan I trudged in vain;
through Shanxi and Guanzhong I rushed about for nothing.

Before my eyes I saw only lion-camel demons;
in my ears I heard only the words of foxes.
All of them claimed immortals were easy to encounter —
who knew that the true Way is hardest of all to know?

When ill fortune reached its limit, good fortune returned, and the spirits made it known;
they pointed me to Wujincheng to seek the great Way.
The Old Man of Shrine Valley was no ordinary man;
every word that left his mouth was profound and deep.

Close to my ear he spoke and broke open the gate of the Mysterious Female;
from that moment, yin and yang could be reversed.
The great mechanism, the great function, is rooted in what is spontaneously so —
unlike the side paths, which force things into being artificially.

At our parting, he charged me to keep this carefully hidden away:
first exhaust your human effort, and only then take counsel further.
Only because I left his seat too soon,
the later matters remained unclear, and in secret my heart was in turmoil.

For thirteen years I carried this knot of doubt in my breast;
then upon the Han, I was fortunate enough to receive a trace of the immortal's radiance.
He dug out for me the root of Heaven and the marrow of Earth,
and showed me the Raven's Liver and the Hare's Intestines.

The fire's timing, urgent or slow, he explained in detail;
the sequence of the work, before and after, he made into a clear formula.
In cultivating nature and cultivating life there is a proper effort and ease;
in observing the aperture and observing the wonder, there is a proper season.

When the Four Images harmonize and unite, the elixir begins to return;
when the Five Phases merge into one, the embryo then coalesces.
When yin is exhausted and yang alone is pure, only then is it round and complete;
breaking open empty space itself, there is neither birth nor death.

When my ears heard this true explanation, suddenly all was interconnected,
and I entered the wondrous mystery.
The order and sequence from beginning to end I fully understood;
from this point on I finally knew there is a heaven beyond heaven.

Jasper flowers and jade grasses appeared before me;
White Snow and Yellow Sprout were fully present within my body.
To the left and to the right, all was pearls and treasure;
before and behind, all was golden lotus.

How is this heavenly mechanism to be sought?
To seek it, one must set one's resolve early.
First cast aside all worldly affairs entirely;
next sweep away every entanglement of feeling and attachment.

Empty your mind, humble yourself, and seek out the enlightened;
probe the deepest subtleties and search the very core of principle.
When bitterness is exhausted, sweetness naturally arises;
when the will is firm, in the end one obtains the true treasure.

I, Wuyuan, have always harbored deep vows;
my heart holds only the greater good, without selfish intent.
I wish only that every single person might ascend to the sagely realm;
I take constant joy that each and every one might hear the sound of the Dharma.

Crooked paths and outside teachings throw the true Way into confusion;
brass dabbed with mercury is passed off as true gold.
Students mostly fall into the boundless, entangling net of Heaven;
men of resolve often wander into the black pine forest.

Where can these injustices be reported?
When the moment comes, regret arrives too late, and one weeps and wails in vain.
For the most part, this is because the path of reason was not investigated in detail —
because one's grasp hung suspended in emptiness, without firm discipline.

How could they know the sagely Way has a true transmission?
How could they realize that the workings of creation are not easily stolen?
Without great conduct and great merit,
Penglai, though close at hand, remains out of reach, and the heart frets in vain.

Laughable are the confused people of this world,
who, hoping vainly for the heavenly thoroughfare, instead fall into the dust.
The blind leading the blind injures hidden virtue;
error transmitting error leads into the ford of delusion.

I, unable to bear the great Way's decline,
have therefore set forth in detail the ancestral lineage.
This is not to fish for fame or angle for renown —
how could I intend to wag my tongue and flap my lips in vain?

Investigating and Awakening, with Direct Pointers, breaks open the parables and hidden words;
Clarifying the Truth of the Zhou Changes, with its preface on the fire's timing —
debates difficulties from beginning to end and distinguishes right from wrong;
the Convergence of Meanings on the Classic of the Way and Its Power fixes the rules and measures.

The original intent and its application are both stated plainly;
the medicine understood by the heart is all described in detail.
The Compass for Awakening to the Way unfolds what is subtle and fine;
Breaking Doubt and Breaking Through the Barriers bind together companions of the Way.

The simpler the words and phrases, the clearer the principle;
the smaller the details, the more refined the achievement.
Being careful and meticulous, starting from lowliness, one can rise high;
being cautious in small things, starting from emptiness, one can become full.

If instead one abandons what is near to pursue what is far,
in the end one will surely aim too big and ruin one's own prospects.
Better to first treat the sickness close to one's own body,
and not leap over the proper steps in longing for long life.

Having spoken to this point, there is no meaning left unsaid;
the rules and methods of cultivation and practice leave no ground uncovered.
A thousand words, ten thousand phrases — all of them unfold the truth;
every single line, every single sentence carries a deep intent.

This is not like discourse on mere outward wrappings and superficial images —
it is entirely the secret of becoming immortal and realizing the Way.
Although in this present age there are few who truly understand,
I leave this for later worthies to consider and discuss in detail.

I am now old and can no longer bear the tedium;
my heart's vow is fulfilled, and I wish to cease speaking.
I stop up the mouth and shut the gate, dissolving clever calculation;
I gather in the flowering and return to the substantial, attending to the original root.

My eyes no longer look upon the affairs of this dusty world;
in my heart I forever hang the banner of Primordial Unity.
Seeming foolish, seeming inarticulate, as though without knowledge —
yet with a single hand I lift the veil on yin, yang, and the transformations of creation.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Meditation and Inner Alchemy room of the Good Works Library. The English was translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below, in six consecutive parts by different translators working from the same brief; the parts were joined without retranslation, and the small differences of terminology between them are left visible rather than silently smoothed. Section headings are the essays' own titles; the Chinese title follows each. Verse quoted within the essays is set off with its line breaks kept.

Before the claim below was written, a translation-status check was performed within the bounds the library sets for such checks. The two standard bibliographies of Daoist texts in Western-language translation (Komjathy, Daoist Texts in Translation, and the 2023 Purple Cloud update) list several of Liu Yiming's works in translation — his commentaries on the Wuzhen pian, the Jindan sibaizi, the Yinfu jing, the Zhouyi chanzhen, and his Wudao lu — but neither lists the Tongguan wen or any translation of it, and no English rendering of it is known to us. To our knowledge, this is the first complete published English translation of the Tongguan wen. We state this as the limit of our knowledge, not as a certainty.

A note on a few readings. Where the Wikisource transcription plainly carries a slip of the brush (a phoenix 鳳 where the author's own idiom elsewhere reads 認 "mistaking," 嚏 for 懥 in a quotation from the Great Learning, 能 for 難 in the essay on cowardice), the translation follows the evident intended sense and the Chinese text below is left exactly as transcribed. A few obscure folk-immortals named in passing (Immortal Suoluo, the Dog-Hide Immortal, Master Xianliu) are kept as proper names without further identification.

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

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Source Text: 通關文

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

通關文

通關文序

修真大道，竊陰陽，奪造化，了性命，脫生死，為超凡入聖，成仙作祖之大事，非塵世一切草霜水泡，忽有忽無，虛而不實之小事可比。奈何天下道人管窺蠡測，以大事為小事，以小事為大事，重其假而輕其真。道不遠人，人之為道而遠人。所以古人謂學道者如牛毛，成道者如麟角。吾曰：今人學道者如牛毛，聞道者如麟角。何言之？古人聞道者多，而成道者少；今人學道者多，而聞道者少。今人學道之數，倍於古人學道之數；今人聞道之數，少於古人成道之數。以致今人學道者如牛毛，而聞道者如麟角矣。原其故，皆因學人一身偏病，滿腔邪氣，所以感不動師友。以故空過歲月，枉勞跋涉耳。因將所得於師者，盡發洩於《闡真》《會要》《直指》《會心》《原旨》《指南》《悟道》《破疑》等書之內，以結知音，吾願足矣。然猶恐學者捨近求遠，不知先盡自己之事，而即妄想他人之事，因著通關文一書，為學者助一炬之明。先學個無病好人，自卑登高，由近達遠，庶乎明師得遇，良友得逢，大道可聞。書內節目雖小，關事甚大，言辭雖鄙，益人甚多。雖曰通關，而性命修持之功，無由此步，見者甚勿以節鄙言而棄之。若是上智高明之士，原自大路開通，一遇明師，不難得真，通關之功，無所用之也。

嘉慶十七年歲次壬申冬至日

素樸散人自序

色欲關

呂祖云：二八佳人體似酥，腰中仗劍斬愚夫。雖然不見人頭落，暗裏教君骨髓枯。邱祖云：從正修持須謹慎，掃除色欲自歸真。又云：割斷絲蘿乾金海，打開玉鎖出樊籠。此皆祖師大慈大悲，教人去色欲而趨生路也。夫色欲一事，為人生要命第一大關口，最惡最毒。何以知其為要命關口？凡人一見美色，魂飛魄散，淫心即動。淫心一動，欲火即起，氣散神移。形雖未交，而元精暗中已洩，性已昧，命已搖。而況在色場中，日夜貪歡，以苦為樂，以害為快。有日油涸燈滅，髓竭人亡，雖欲不死，豈能之乎？故修道者，戒色欲為第一著。但色欲最不易除，亦所難防。人自無始劫以來，從色道中而生，從色道中而死，生生死死，大半是色魔作殃。色魔有動之於天者，有出之於人者。動之於天者，是曆劫根塵，發於不知不覺之中，起於無思無慮之時；出之於人者，見色而情生，遇境而神馳。古今多少英雄豪傑，諸般大險大難境遇，能以過去得，獨於色魔一關，皆被擋住。四大無力，不能掙扎跳出。若非金剛鐵漢，丈夫烈士，擺不開，丟不下。修道者，須知的色魔是討命閻王，務必很力剿除。即美如西施，姣若楊妃，猶如臭皮囊。視之不動不搖，不迷不昧，遇如不遇，見如不見，時時防備，刻刻返照，不使有毫髮欲念，潛生於方寸之中。亦如農夫務田除草，漸生漸除。宿根除盡，不容異日複生。果若除盡色根，自然靈苗發生。何以知其除盡？果若真實色根除盡，雖遇美色，不知其為美，雖見女子，不知其是女子。若見美色女子，猶知是美色女子，縱能當場強制，不動欲念，尚有宿根未拔乾淨，日久難免潛生。世間頑空守靜之輩，人前誇口，自謂已絕欲念，每每夢中洩精，無法可制。自己吃了昧心食，欺己欺人。殊不知我不生欲，卻有生欲者在內，窩藏欲念，豈是容易而絕？特以有根塵未盡也。然雖不易盡，必要狠力勇猛，下一番死功夫。不能除而勉強除，不能去而勉強去，功深日久，終有除去之時。若色根拔盡，則色身堅固，而法身易修。其餘關口，皆易為力。若身根不能拔盡，這一關口過不去，則一切關口，俱不能過去也。吾勸真心學道者，速將色欲關口打通，畏色如畏虎，防欲如防蠍，外而對景忘情，內而欲念不生。防危慮險，保養精神，學道有望。不但出家者當如是，即在家者，雖緒人倫、延後代，亦宜寡欲色。能寡色欲，精壯氣足，後天充實，足以卻病延年，且能廣種子嗣。昔黄帝文王多子，皆是寡欲之效。不論在家出家，俱當以戒色欲為首著。否則色欲之心未去盡，妄相明道，難矣。

恩愛關

《悟真》云：人生雖有百年期，夭壽窮通莫預知。昨日街頭猶走馬，今朝棺內已眠屍。妻財拋下非君有，罪孽將行難自欺。大藥不求爭遇，遇之不煉是愚癡。又云：為道須要猛烈，無情心剛似鐵。直饒男女妻妾，更與他人何別。此皆教人看淡世事恩愛，急修性命也。人生在世，萬般皆假，惟有性命是真。舉世之人認假為真，將性命二字置於度外，恩愛牽絆，為衣為食。百憂感其心，萬事勞其形。晝夜奔忙，千謀百計，損人利己，貪圖無厭。水火刀兵之處也去，虎狼煙瘴之處也去，生死不顧，存亡不管，碌碌一生，無有休歇，為子女作長久計，及至精神耗散，氣血衰敗，大病例臨身，臥床不起。雖有孝子賢孫，替不得患難，姣妻愛妾，代不的苦楚。生平恩愛，到此一無所恃。三寸氣斷，一靈不返。彼是誰而我是誰，言念及此，生平恩愛，有何實濟？既無實濟，則知恩愛為人生之大苦，須要早早看破。欲要看破，須先將此恩愛利害，暗中嘗探一番。嘗探來，嘗探去，嘗探出甜中有苦，恩中有害，是實實知的恩愛是假事，曉的恩愛是多事，自然不在泥灘上著腳，火坑中安身。別有個主見在內，而不為恩愛所牽扯矣。果能嘗探出恩愛中苦味，欲出世，則大解大脫，得以修持性命而無拘無束。即住世，亦明明朗朗，物來順應，可無傷無損。蓋悟的恩愛是苦，即能逢場作戲，自由自專，不受恩愛之害矣。然父子兄弟夫婦既聚會在一本戲中，為父者亦必出為父的道理，為子者亦必做出為子的道理，為兄者亦必做出為兄的道理，為弟者亦必做出為弟的道理，為夫者亦必做出為夫的道理，為婦者亦必做出為婦的道理。當知各盡道理，自己本分中應當如是，但不過心中明白是逢場作戲，大家合夥，將這一本戲順順序序作個完結，彼此了事也。如是應去，既不傷天倫，又不昧本性，便是在家出家，在塵出塵，有多少便宜快活處。昔厐居士、傳大士、葛仙翁、許真君、張天師、三茅真君，皆是在家出家，而能大成其道者。此住家者當如是。若是出家者，除事親養生送死而外，其餘恩愛，必須一刀兩段，脫卸繩索，絕不可有一毫沾染牽掛。稍有一毫沾染牽掛，便壞大事。不但不能修道，而且不能明道。特以心中有恩愛二字攪擾。既有恩愛攪擾，便是看不開恩愛。看不開恩愛，便被恩愛關口擋住，如何奔得前程？吾勸真心學道者，速將恩愛關口打通，無牽無掛扯，脫脫灑灑，一心學道，自有進益。否則，恩愛舍不的，常掛心胸，妄想明道，難矣。

榮貴關

道德經曰：雖有拱璧以先駟馬，不如坐進此道。至聖曰：富與貴，是人之所欲也。不以其道得之，不處也。悟真曰：不求大道出迷途，縱負賢才豈丈夫。百歲光陰石火爍，一生身世水泡浮。只貪利祿求榮顯，不顧形容暗瘁枯。試問堆金如岱岳，無常買的不來無？邱祖曰：心安不說三公位，性定強如十里城。此皆教人以道義為重，而不可貪戀榮貴也。夫榮貴，有天爵之榮貴，有人爵之榮貴。天爵者，道德仁義是也；人爵者，功名祿位是也。求人爵者，讀書苦攻，十年寒窗，日夜用功，廢寢忘食，不知費盡多少心思，耗了多少精神，方得功名到手。雖得功名，而大小又不可必。或有發秀而不能發科者，或有發科而不能會進者，或有會進而不能登仕者，或有登仕而得失存亡又不可保者。如此艱難，耗散精神，消化氣血，以真換假，圖此虛名，榮在何處，貴在何處？更有功名未得而傷癆早發，痰喘氣促，行動艱難，性命莫保，豈不可傷可歎！其所謂榮貴者，不過所坐者轎，所乘者馬，所衣者紗羅綢緞，所食者羔羊海味。徒以裝身體，充口腹，耀人耳目。究之身心大傷，受福無幾，大限即到，臨時榮貴莫持，與無榮貴者同一泯滅，何貴乎榮貴？修天爵者，飽仁義而味道德，斂浮華而就樸實，蓄精神而養正氣，尊德性而道學問。不肯以真換假，不肯以苦為樂，自尊自貴，自足自滿，寵辱不到，咎譽難加，造化不能拘，陰陽不能移，吉凶不能近，完成本來乾元面目，天地喜悅，鬼神尊服，方且披天衣，食天祿，享天壽，其榮貴永久長存，較之塵世霜露之榮貴，何啻雲泥之異。吾勸真心學道者，速將塵世虛假榮貴關口打通，好作出世真正榮貴事業。打通塵世榮貴關口，不是教避榮貴，是要於榮貴境遇處，做出不貪榮貴的實落功夫。或處榮貴而恃榮貴，或居榮貴而貪榮貴，或出榮貴而不忘榮貴，或見榮貴而知是榮貴，或遇榮貴而諂媚榮貴，皆是不曾打通關口。若實實悟的榮貴能亂人之性，榮貴能迷人之心，榮貴能驕人之氣，榮貴能敗人之德，榮貴能縱人之惡，榮貴能傷人之身，榮貴能送人之命，榮貴是大苦，榮貴是火坑，榮貴是泥塗，方是打通關口。可以入乎榮貴之中，而不為榮貴所傷矣。昔人亦有在榮貴場中成道者，如鮑倩、淮南子、東方朔、許旌陽、梅真人、葛仙翁、抱朴子、羅狀元，俱是大隱居朝，成就大事。蓋緣早已看的開，識的透，故在大火裏栽蓮，泥水中拋船，借世法而修道法，顯晦逆順，人莫能測，非貪榮貴也。不但出世者要看破榮貴，即入世者能看破榮貴，自然別有個主見。得志則忠君愛民，盡心竭力，做出一番經綸大事。絕不與虛位素食者相同。不得志則獨善其身，修道立德，品行高超。亦不與庸愚混世者相等。昔伊尹相湯，非圖榮貴，蓋欲以斯道覺斯民也。孔子周遊列國，孟子游食諸侯，豈是求榮貴？蓋欲行其道以求世也。至於周程張朱，皆是不貪榮貴，可仕則仕，可止則止。自古大聖大賢，皆是以道為重，不在榮貴上著意也。世間糊塗學人看不破榮貴，或居榮貴又舍不的榮貴，或自不榮貴而羡慕榮貴，或結交勢力之家而謀利，或來往公候之門以為榮。既貪榮貴，又想修道。迷迷昏昏，邪思亂想，捉東撈西。無怪乎碌碌一世，到老無成。吾勸真心學道者，速將世路榮貴關口打通，處榮貴者忘其榮貴，無榮貴者莫羨榮貴。以明道為貴，以成道為榮貴，庶乎志念歸真，前程有望。否則鳳假榮貴為真榮貴，榮貴一念結於胸懷，茅塞靈竅，妄想明道，難矣。

財利關

至聖云：君子喻於義，小人喻於利。老祖云：不貴難得之貨。又云：不見可欲，使心不亂。呂祖曰：堆金積玉滿山川，神仙冷笑應不采。此皆教人不可貪圖財利，有壞大事也。但財有世財法財之別。世財者，金銀珠玉是也；法財者，功德精誠是也。圖世財者重金銀而輕功德，千謀百計，明取暗竊，損人利己，輕出重入。恨不的天下之財，為我一人所有，世間之利，為我一人獨得。無財不覓，無利不搜，捨身拼命而不顧，瞞心昧己而不管。有了十貫想百貫，有了百貫想千貫，有了千貫想萬貫。貪心不足，至死不肯回頭。殊不知大限一到，縱然富如石崇，財似萬山，買不轉閻王老子，避不過生死輪回。只落的罪孽隨身，滿載而歸，分文錢不能帶去。到的此時，悔之何及？更有一等迷瞪漢，只知積財，吃也舍不的，穿也捨不得，又不肯恤孤憐寡，又不知扶危救困，獨為看財奴，慳貪鬼。斷氣在於眼前，而猶吩咐子孫如何生財，如何聚財。何人少我債，何處有我錢。嗚呼！三寸氣斷，萬有皆空，此身亦不屬我，何況於財，豈不愚哉？積法財者，重功德而輕金銀，俯視一切，萬緣不起。積功累行，苦己益人，廣行方便，以性命為珠寶，以仁義為金玉，以惜氣養神為貨利，以存誠保真為富有，以清淨無為為家業。至於塵世金銀財寶，猶如石土視之。蓋以所求者，先天之真寶，而塵世一切假寶，何足戀之。學道者若有些兒貪財謀利之心，便礙大道。雖修行人，此身未離塵世，不能全廢世財，亦當見利思義，隨其自然，不得分外貪求。即遇自然之財，還當審其來歷，可取方取，可棄則棄。所謂以義為利，外雖取而心未嘗取，何礙於取。昔孔子周遊列國，孟子游食諸候，未嘗不受諸候之贐餽，皆出自然，非強求也。即我長春祖師，始而粒米文錢不敢妄貪，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，受人之所不能受，忍人之所不能忍，及至苦盡甜來，否極生泰，為宋金元諸帝之隆寵，有賜未嘗不受。然受之而禱雨救旱，禳災扶國，與無修造宮觀，大興教門。皆用財得當，然亦是先積法財，而後借世財立功也。世間糊塗學人，不知急求法財，而只以世財為重。哄騙十方，為衣為食，挪賬累債，又一功不行，一德不積，來生與人填還。求其為人尚不可必，何敢望仙？更有一等造孽頭，指東化西，拐騙善信，不做一件好事。賭博鬧酒，每因幾文錢，輕則口角爭吵，重則打架橫行。又有一等假道學，口道德而心盜蹠，裝模作樣，儼然神仙。一見錢財，便露馬腳，爭論多寡，不顧廉恥。吾嘗謂性命不如二百錢，誠然也。吾勸真心學道者，速將財利關口打通，不可見利忘義，心生貪圖。須知的堆金積玉，買不得生死，財多累多，利多害多。與其背道而亡，莫若守道而死，還有好處。否則利心重而道心輕，正不勝邪，妄想明道，難矣。

窮困關

至聖曰：君子固窮，小人窮，斯濫矣。中庸曰：素貧賤，行乎貧賤。孟子曰：貧賤不能移。紫陽翁曰：貧子衣中珠，本自圓明好。不會自尋求，卻數他人寶。此皆教人守死善道，處窮困而不為窮困所移也。夫修真之道，與世法相反，原欲棄富貴而就貧賤，去奢華而守恬淡。必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，磨煉切磋，去假求真。即刀兵水火，疾病災患，皆所不計，何論窮困？若受不的窮困，遇饑寒而生煩惱，值艱難而起無明，便是饑渴之害為心害。養其小者為小人，認假棄真，與道相隔，何時能進道岸乎？殊不知性命事大，衣食事小。重衣食而輕性命，如何修的性命？夫圖衣食者，僅可養皮肉；修性命者，卻能保天真。天真若失，雖身肥體壯，如豕如牛，外人形而內獸心，即生如死，豈是務道之人？昔長春真人，龍門七載，磻溪六年，常受饑餓，至死不變。太古真人趙州橋定坐，饑寒不避，生死不顧。丹陽真人棄巨富而入鐵查，去飽暖而就貧淡，把茅蓋頂，岩居穴處。以上諸公，受人之所不能受，苦人之所不能苦，皆從窮困中而成大道。世間糊塗學人，受不的困苦，耐不的饑寒，稍遇艱難，受些淡泊，即便自生煩惱，恨天怨地，邪思亂想，不守本分，設法編轉。如此行為，窮困且不能受的，如何能在大危大險中過去的？故學人必以受的窮困為要著。若稍有懼怕厭惡之心，即此一事，便是擋路高山，害道大魔，寸步難移。吾勸真心學道者，速將窮困關口打通，心如鐵石，意若寒灰，隨緣度日，餓也如此，凍也如此，即凍餓身死，也是如此。絕不以窮困小事，忘卻性命大事。如此行去，一心一意，真履實踐，以道為己任，未聞道者，終須聞道，已聞道者，終須成道。祖師暗裏有安排，決不教凍餓壞真正學道人。否則，豐衣足食，自自在在，作事受不的一些苦難，當不的一些貧淡，妄想明道，難矣。

色身關

老祖云：吾所以有大患者，為吾有身。及吾無身，吾有何患難？又云：後其身而身先，外其身而身存。金剛經云：不可以身相見如來。逍遙翁云：須知諸佛法身，本性無身，而以相好壯嚴為身。臨濟禪師云：真佛無形，真性無體，真法無相。莊子云：悲夫！世之人以為養形足以存生，而養形果不足以存生，則世奚足為哉？古仙云：莫執此身雲是道，此身之外有真身。自古成道仙佛，皆不重色身，而修法身也。舉世之人皆認此色身為真寶，而遂愛之惜之。欲厚其生，戀戀不捨。圖貴顯以榮此身，積財貨以養此身，噉肉飲酒以肥此身，華衣美食以飾此身。日夜謀慮，時刻打算，費盡心血，耗散精神，與鬼為鄰。雖曰厚生，實是傷生。殊不知色身者，天地之委形，四大假合。一旦陽氣消盡，陰氣獨盛，魂飛魄散，直亭一團濃胞臭肉，不過壯地而已，真在何處，實在何處？既不真實，則必是假。愛惜色身者，豈不假中又添其假乎？世間糊塗學人，妄想修真，而又不知窮真；妄想成道，而又不知辨道。不窮真，不辨道，不曉的真道是何事，迷迷昏昏，以此色身為真，怕苦著此身，怕勞著此身，怕餓著此身，怕凍著此身。暖衣美食，保愛此身，自在安穩，將養此身，一切出力好事不做，偏是要命路上無益有損之事，不惜精神，不省力氣，反能做的。認假為真，以虛為實，殊不知此身內外，皆是傷生之物，並無一件益生之物。眼見好色則喜，耳聞惡聲則怒，鼻嗅香氣則愛，舌嘗美味則思，意有所法則欲，身有所觸則懼。外而六門，內而六識，內外交攻，斫喪真元。原其故，皆色身所招，若無色身，六門六識之害，從何而生？況天地間萬物，凡有形者皆有壞，若愛此色身之假，而不窮性命之真，大限一到，我是誰而身是誰，身與我兩不相干。吾勸真心學道者，速成將色身關口打通，莫被瞞過。視七竅為窟窿，視四肢為木節，視皮肉為膿胞，視五臟為痞塊。舍此色身於度外，另尋出個無形之形，無象之象的真身，方能延的性，明的性，蓋以舍的假，方能求的真；認的假，始能見的真。邪正不並立，善惡不同途也。否則識其假，便不能脫離其假；不能脫離其假，如何尋見其真？不能尋見其真，如何能修其真？若愛色身而不醒悟，妄想明道，難矣。

傲氣關

易曰：君子以虛受人。又曰：謙尊而光，卑而不可踰。道德經曰：不自見，故明；不自是，故彰；不自伐，故有功；不自矜，故長。此皆教人屈己尊人，不可有高傲自是之心也。蓋學道者，先要虛心下氣，自卑自小，不滿不盈。只見己短，不見己長。敏而好學，不恥下問。尊師敬友，毫無高傲浮燥之氣，方能感動真師指點，良友勸勉。大凡真師良友，多不淺露圭角。果是真正有志之士，不恃才，不稱能，如愚如訥，明眼者一見，暗中留心，不肯棄舍。日久試確，即便提攜。若是自矜自是之輩，縱然聰明過人，學問出衆，置於不問而已。世間糊塗學人，才入門戶，即想成仙；方見高人，即要口訣。不思大道是何物，修持是何事，褻慢輕視，妄想走路拾寶。或學些旁門功夫，自負有道。心高氣傲，予聖自雄，人前賣弄。即遇明人，不肯低頭，當面錯過。或有讀過幾卷儒書，解得幾句文義，又記些丹經子書，執象泥文，自謂大徹大悟，高談闊論，目空四海，再不聆教高明。冒然下手，混作亂做，非徒無益，而反受害。及弄得大病臨身，方知自錯，無法醫治，後悔不及。又有一等無知文人，仗自己才學，妄猜私議，似是而非，偶遇緇黄，即以丹經考較，倘不應酬，便謂無道。即遇真師，亦不誠敬。大模大樣，高坐妄談，略無忌憚。如此之類，懈怠欺心，怎能聞的香風，近的道岸？夫道者，竊陰陽，奪造化，超生死，脫輪回，為天地所寶，鬼神所秘。苟非大賢大德，真心實意之士，豈敢輕洩，豈容輕聽？況大道秘旨不在文字，丹經子書乃歷代祖師開明理道，為後人引路，使其擴充識見，就證於師耳。非是教人執書為道也。在不通學問者，往往只聽梆聲，不辨是非，以盲引盲。在稍知文義者，每每膠執己見，不肯低頭，將錯就錯。凡此，其病在於氣傲自足，氣傲自足便是無有真心，既無真心學道，誰肯真心指道，豈不枉勞精神，自壞大事耶？吾勸真心學道者，速將傲氣關口打通，尋訪明師良友，誠敬求教，把一切自見自是自伐自矜等弊掃去，容有些子埋藏於內，作個虛心屈弱小人。未聞道者，即能聞道；已聞道者，即能成道。蓋以惟小故能大，惟卑故能高，惟屈故能直，惟虛故能實也。否則，傲氣滿胸，目中無人，妄想明道，難矣。

嫉妒關

易曰：君子以朋友講習。大涅槃曰：自未得度先度他。金剛經曰：若善男子善女人，於此經中受持，乃至四句偈等，為他人說，而此福德勝彼福德。孟子曰：善與人同，舍己從人，樂取於人以為善。此皆言與人為善，而不可有嫉妒私心也。夫修真者，修性命也。性命二字，人人具足，個個圓成，處聖不增，處凡不減，不論富貴貧賤賢愚高低，誰無個性命。既人人有性命，則知大道為公共之物，人人可以明大道，人人可以作仙佛。是在信心志士自修自證耳。然修證之法，須要求明師指引，借良友資益。明師所以提整綱領，良友所以擴充識見。明師須要誠求，良友亦當尊敬。蓋以良友之益，有半師之功。借彼之有知，以益我之無知；借彼之所能，以濟我之不能。利益甚多，豈可輕慢。故祖師教人尋師訪友也。比如同師學道，俱是同心同事，朝夕聚處，須當彼此相敬相愛。有善同勸，有過同規，患難扶持，疾病照應。如同夥求財，打㘞扯船。彼不知者，借我講說之；我不知者，求彼開明之。彼此相濟，其功加倍。況同堂學道，是性命之友，道義之交，理宜親愛和氣。彼有所得，如我之得，彼有所失，如我之失。方是同學道之士。詩云：人之有技，若己有之；人之彥聖，其心好之，不啻若自其口出者是也。世間糊塗學人，自無志氣，朋友勸勉，反加不愛。自有過犯，朋友規戒，即起無明。不但不聽，且懷嗔恨。自己不肯鑽研道理，久無所知，見他人殷勤用功，能解能悟，師尊見喜，暗生嫉妒。故意搬弄是非，敗人好事。不悔自己無能，反忌他人有能。絕不思學道學的何事。無學道者，所以遷善改過也。以不善而學之，欲遷於善；以有過而學之，欲改無過。今見人善而不知遷之於善，自本無過而嫉人，自致其過。居心拐杖，日學日下，學於下愚不移之地矣。更有一等不知高低之匪類，見人言道，當面齒笑；見人修行，暗中譭謗。既不通道，何必入道？即入道門，又不喜道。冠祖師之冠，服祖師之服，違祖師之言，背祖師之行。罪孽不知，因果不究，何為道人。昔地藏菩薩，願人人成佛，後方自成佛。呂祖願度盡世間人，方自飛升。七真同師重陽帝君，帝君登真後，邱劉譚王郝孫六人皆師事馬祖，皆得馬祖提攜，完全大事。大抵學人，先要存大公無私，與人為善之慈心，利人利己，方有進益。吾勸真心學道者，速將嫉妒關口打通，大同無我，只把自己攻苦磨煉，尊人之長，示己之短，低頭作事，誠心前進，走過一步是一步，行的一功是一功，存聖賢之心，行聖賢之行，終久了的聖賢事業。否則，嫉妒滿腔，愈學愈壞，好人且不能作，何敢望聖賢，妄想明道，難矣。

暴燥關

易曰：君子以懲忿窒欲。陰符經曰：火生於木，禍發必克。曾子曰：心有所憤嚏，則不得其正。孟子曰：持其志，無暴其氣。了道歌曰：未煉還丹先煉性。此皆言其暴氣燥性，有害於道，必須用心除去也。夫真正學道之士，行動如處子，養氣若嬰兒。以柔弱為先，以和平為本，以因物付物為應世，以饒人讓人為要著。昔釋迦牟尼五百劫為忍辱仙人，終得成佛。太上老君，呼我以牛，應之以牛；呼我以馬，應之以馬，終為道祖。長春真君曾嘗人之糞，故能大成。三丰真人受盡旁人罵，故了大事。時以心慕於道，性命事大，而外來惡言惡行等等不順境遇，盡置度外，而無識無知也。世間糊塗學人，自不思出家為何事，道巾道衣是甚人，昏昏迷迷，糊塗過日。喜人奉承，好人抬獎。只愛人順己，自不去順人。稍有磕撞，燥性發作。怒由此而起，忿由此而生。水火刀兵而不顧，坑井崖河而不怕，甚至以力爭勝，彼此兩傷，入於死地，自喪性命者有之。不僅此也，暴氣燥性一發，元神出室，大火燒身，津液涸而正氣散。三寶受傷，五德歸空，內而喪真，外而敗德，性亂命搖，未得於人，已傷其己，暴燥之為害豈小焉？吾勸真心學道者，速將暴燥關口打通。作個有氣死人，裝個無心癡漢。如愚如訥，如聾如啞。人罵也如此，人打也如此，人憎嫌也如此，人譭謗也如此。心似冷灰，性如凍冰。無一些熱氣藏內，方是跳出暴燥關口。倘有些兒熱氣在內，雖外不現其形，而內實栽其根。如遇不順之境，不平之事，未有不大發者。道德經曰：上善若水，水善利萬物而不爭，處衆之所惡，故幾於道。蓋以能下於人者，方能上於人；能弱於人者，方能強於人。否則，暴燥不去，只知有己，不知有人；只知用強，不知用弱。任性而行，隨心而作。妄想明道，難矣。

口舌關

易曰：艮其輔，言有序。又曰：修辭立其誠，所以居業也。至聖曰：君子欲訥於言，而敏於行。老祖曰：閉其兌，塞其門，終身不勤。此皆教人謹言，而不可妄言也。蓋口舌者，出納之門戶，是非之根苗。關乎人之節操，系乎人之德行。君子小人於此分，正人邪僻於此別。招禍致福、成事敗事，無不於此而定。故君子議之而後言。可言方言，不可言不言。或言而益於世道人心，或言而使人遷善改過，或言而勸人去邪歸正，或言而為人方便解難，或言而為人隱惡揚善，絕不妄言輕言虛言。非是閉口不言，特以一言既出，駟馬難追，立見禍福，言不可不慎也。倘言有不謹，不是傷人，便自致咎。口舌為害，其利如刀，其毒如鴆，豈小焉哉？世間糊塗學人，不知利害。以口舌之動為小可，以利便為才能，以善辯為得意。或形人之短，或誇己之長，或謊言詭語，或說是論非，或前言而後失信，或空言而行不速，或狂言而起禍端，或高談而無實事，或白日咒詛，或巧言讒佞，或以言敗事，或以言傷人。凡此皆有損無益之言。何貴於言？不如不言為妙。吾勸真心學道者，速將口舌關口打通，口莫妄開，舌莫妄動，非禮勿言，言必以禮。修其辭而立其誠，謹於言而慎於行。絕不輕於言，言必有中。況言語者心之聲，舌者心之苗。口舌之動不正，即知心田不正。心田不正，根本已壞，性已昧，命已搖，精神暗傷，妄想明道修道，難矣。

嗔恨關

般若波羅密多心經曰：無無明亦無無明盡。傳大士曰：掃除心意地，名為淨土因。無論福與智，先且驅貪嗔 。百丈禪師曰：若臟腑中都無所得，都無所求，此人諸塵不生，人我不起，是納須彌於芥子中。不起一切貪嗔，是能吸四大海水。不受一切喜怒語言入耳中，於一切境，不惑不亂，不嗔不喜，刮削並的乾淨，是無事人，勝一切知解精進頭陀。敲爻歌曰：嗔不除，態不改，墮入生死輪回海。此皆言嗔恨為礙道之物，必須狠力除去也。夫嗔恨二字，如蛇如蠍，最惡最毒。若結心胸，積久成蠱。傷生損命，為禍甚烈。外而損人，內而壞己，卻無醫可治。學人度量，必如天之廓大無邊，醇厚必如地之無物不載，容納必如海之衆水朝宗。而後可試觀天之廓大，無物不覆，無物不生。日月往來由他，星辰運轉由他，雲霧遮蔽由他，人欺瞞也由他，人尊敬也由他，人感戴也由他，人毀恨也由他，一切善惡邪正兇頑愚劣，而皆不知也。地之醇厚，無物不長，無物不載。泰岱崧華至重也能負，江河溪澗沖崩也能受，樹木草石穿壓也能忍，飛禽走獸嗛踏也能隨，耕鋤挖刨也能順，一切欺侮殘壞而皆無心也。海之容納，衆水會流，日夜不息。千年萬載，不見有餘。清水來入不見其清，濁水來入不見其濁。甜水來入不見其甜，苦水來入不見其苦。魚鱉蝦蟹橫遊也由他，鼋鼍蛟龍奔騰也由他。一了穢汙臭垢等等不潔不淨之物，而無不容也。學道者能如天之量、地之厚、海之寬，便是無事仙人，保生妙訣，與道相鄰，大有便宜。世間糊塗學人，不知嗔恨之害事最大，或境遇不順而生嗔，或所謀不遂而生嗔，或因物有失而生嗔，或嫉人之能而生嗔，或情性不投而生嗔，或衣食不足而生嗔，或為觸犯而生恨，或記人小過而結恨，或求人不應而有恨，或人不順己而積恨。凡此嗔恨等病，總由自己昏愚，無有真心學道而然。果是真心學道之人，決不如此。故至聖窮自厚而薄責於人。顏子犯而不校，以其無嗔無恨，所以為聖賢。舉世之人，有嗔有恨，所以為凡夫。聖凡之分，只在有無之間耳。但嗔恨不但形於外者能害其事，即隱微之中，稍有絲毫煙塵不盡，亦能傷真。務須內外乾乾淨淨，如雪之白，如鏡之明。應事接物，皆以無心處之。度乎神氣不傷，性情和平，大道可冀。吾勸真心學道者，速將嗔恨關口打通，學個無心道人，輕也過去，重也過去，低也過去，高也過去。因物付物，隨事應事。應而不納，過而不留，何有嗔恨害事乎？否則，生嗔生恨，陰毒暗惡凝滯方寸，真性早昧，妄想明道，難矣。

人我關

易曰：艮其背，不獲其身。行其庭，不見其人。無咎。又曰：同人於野，亨。金剛經曰：無我相，無人相，無衆生相，無壽者相。聖人云：忠恕，違道不遠，施諸己而不願，亦勿施於人。上陽子曰：速將人我山放倒，急把龍虎空衝開。此皆言修道必須無人我之見也。然欲無人，先須無我。蓋一有我，則私心起。私心起，一言一行，一舉一止，總要為我。即要為我，必不顧人。即不顧人，必損人利己，傷天害理，無所不為矣。原夫有生之初，不論賢愚貴賤，同一性命，同一形骸，何有彼此之分？即無彼此之分，則我如人，人亦如我，人我如一，即是天地大公無私之心，即是聖賢民胞物與之道，即是修真人我兩忘之法。學者能守此心、此道、此法而行持之，便是聖賢胚胎，仙佛種子，大道可冀。世間糊塗學人，不知大公無私，物我同觀之理。執著此身，以為是我。一認是我，即便有人。有我有人，即分彼此。一分彼此，輕乎人而重乎我。內於我而外於人。日謀夜算以肥己，千方百計以取人。一行一事，不肯讓人，一貨一利，要討便宜。不但應事接物，處處而勝，事事好強。即至親好友、同事同業者，亦要分出爾我。恨不得他人貴物，為我獨得；世間好事，為我獨成。有利處鑽頭探手，無利處縮肩藏身。殊不知三寸氣斷，萬有皆空，即此身亦不屬於我。到的那時，我在何處，人在何處，人我俱無。何苦在世枉用心機，強分人我，獨結冤讐，豈不愚哉！吾勸真心學道者，速將人我關口打通，必如生初無人無我的面目；必如死後無人無我的模樣。視萬物為一體，視天下為一家。見人有喜，如我之喜；見人有憂，如我之憂；見人有得，如我之得；見人有失，若我之失。有財者可以濟困；無財者，不妨方便。處處益人，事事積德。橫逆之來，付於不知；淩辱之加，置於不曉。得饒人時且饒人，宜退步處即退步。方是學人的舉止，慕道真心。否則，有人我之見，彼此之分，私欲堆積，茅塞心竅，妄想明道，難矣。

冷熱關

老祖云：外其身而身存。文始云：冬禦風而不寒，夏禦火而不熱。呂祖云：求生而不生，未死先學死。此皆言其為道忘軀，而不避寒暑也。夫修道者，先要看破幻化之身，置色身於度外。死且不懼，何況冷熱？故神光少林寺求法，雪擁過膝而不知。太古趙州橋冷坐，水淹將沒而不曉。釋迦化雪山修道，受盡多少苦楚。長春祖磻溪磨性，受盡多少饑寒。即近世白石鎮梁真人，破衣垢面，長年不倒身，未曾歇息。西寧府張睡仙，水泉長臥，赤身露體，四十餘年猶如一日。梭羅仙河灘磨煉，狗皮仙冰灘睡眠，仙留師黄沙下苦，皆是不避冷熱，舍的色身，成的法身也。世間糊塗學人，不知香從臭出，甜向苦來。誤認色身為真實，而遂愛之惜之，只圖自在將養。遇冷而即想暖處，逢熱而即思涼處。怕冷怕熱，隔絕道念。卻不思性命為人生第一件大事，豈可因冷熱之小事而誤性命之大事乎？果是真為性命者，即生死關口、大難境界，亦要脫脫灑灑過去。至於寒暑冷熱，何足在意？雖未成道之先，色身亦不可壞。但粗衣護體，將就過去便休。不必以冷熱常掛心頭。遇冷時亦須受冷，逢熱時亦須受熱。熱之冷之，與時偕行而已。與時偕行，非是不該受冷一定教受冷，不該受熱一定教受熱。若不該受冷而必欲受冷，不該受熱而必欲受熱，此有必做作，亦是固執不通，枉自受罪。何益於事？大抵怕冷怕熱，雖是小節，甚礙於道。倘有些兒冷熱之見，便有無限邪思妄想生出。遇冷必設法要不冷，遇熱必設法要不熱。認假失真，豈不誤了多也？吾勸真心學道者，速將冷熱關口打通。隨時將就，到處安身。冷可也，熱可也，不至凍死熱死便休。萬不因冷熱而起無明。否則，有冷熱在心，心有所恐懼，則不得其正；有所憂患，則不得其正。心且不得其正，妄想明道，難矣。

懶惰關

易曰：不恒其德，或承之羞。又曰：天地之道，恒久而不已。至聖曰：君子遵道而行，半途而廢，吾弗能已矣。重陽帝君曰：香從臭裏出，甜向苦中來。此皆言其學人須當猛勇精進，不可懶惰偷安也。夫性命之學，為人生至大之事，又為天下至難之事。是在攻苦殷勤，志念堅固，愈久愈力，有始有終，方能進益。蓋以恒久不易之大事，必賴持久不已之大功而始成。或修橋補路以益人，或施藥舍茶以濟急，或修廟造觀以勸善，或恤老憐貧以積德，或扶危救難以解厄，或教門出力，大起塵勞；或心地下功，全拋世事；或因正理不明而日窮夜究，或因明師不遇而東訪西尋，或遇災難困苦而志氣倍加。見有一善而即為，見有一惡而即去。時時勉力，刻刻用功。寸陰是惜，不使時光一些空過。自然自卑登高，由淺入深，鶴立雞群，終得高人顧盼。世間糊塗學人，一功不立，一德不修，只圖安樂，怕受辛苦。見出力之事而遠避，遇行功之處而退步。飽食終日，無所用心。閒遊浪蕩，虛而不實。既遇明師，妄想一言半語，大徹大悟。外裝老實，內藏盜心。又不肯細心窮理，又經不的陶冶磨煉。三朝二日，求訣不得，以為無緣，即便遠去。更有一等造孽罪漢，不怨自己無志，反謗師尊吝嗇，結讐於心，終身不釋。如此行為，即無長久志氣，又無學道真心。不但難上天堂，而反墜地獄。吾勸真心學道者，速將懶惰關口打通。廣積陰德，量力行功。外而利物，內而煉己。朝斯夕斯，以性命為重；念茲在茲，以身心為事。步步出力，處處向前，至死不變。終久有個出頭之日，得意之時。否則，逡畏不果，懶惰打混，虛度歲月，小苦大功不能行去，至於成仙作佛，稀有之大事，怎能行的？妄想明道，超越人天，出離苦海，難矣。

才智關

易曰：勞謙，君子有終，吉。至聖曰：如有周公之才之美，使驕且吝，其餘不足觀也已。老祖曰：大成若缺，其用不弊；大盈若沖，其用不窮；大直若屈，大巧若拙，大辯若訥。此皆言有才不使，有智不用，方能成其才，全其智。何為才？聰明技巧是也；何為智？謀慮變通是也。才者，世人之所珍重者也。特以功名非才智不能成，財貨非才智不能得，應世接物皆以才智為先。然究其實，人人俱被才智喪其生，但人未之深思耳。蓋用才智以求名利，日夜勞心，為名利所迷。只知進而不知退，只知福而不知禍。費精耗神，爭強好勝，思慮過度，精液涸幹，身軀衰敗。甚至名利未得而性命已喪，豈不是用才用智，反被才智所害乎？ 世間糊塗學人，不知才智誤事最大。一舉一動，仗自己小聰明，假伶俐，便在人前誇能，自謂人莫我若。若恃才而目中無人，或用智而苟圖衣食，或強辨是非而欺壓尊長，或妖言邪語而作孽惑衆，或記幾宗公案而借取迷人，或作幾句詩歌而自負有道，或學些扭捏功夫而以盲引盲。甚至膠執己見，以男女為陰陽，引人作孽，而入於採取；以金丹為有形，耗人錢財，而引人燒煉。只此皆是自恃才智，誤用聰明，管窺蠡測，俱是黑夜裏走路徑，涸井中作生活。殊不知真正慕道之士，黜聰毀智，韜明養晦。不在塵緣中出頭，不於俗事中爭勝。一念純真，萬有不知。尋明師，訪良友，以性命為一大事。老老實實，樸樸誠誠，一切假才假智，絲毫不用矣。吾勸真心學道者，速將才智關口打通。掃去外用之假才智，就於內用之真才智。將諸般爭強好勝，師心自用，妄猜私議，無而為有，虛而為盈，等等偏病，一筆勾消。改頭換面，以誠而入，以柔而用，庶乎學道有望。否則，予聖自雄，只知有己，不知有人，恃才用智，機謀詭詐。本欲向前，反落於後。妄想明道，難矣。

任性關

道德經曰：自見者不明，自是者不彰。古經云：執著之者，不明道德。孟子曰：反身而誠，樂莫大焉；彊恕而行，求仁莫近焉。詩曰：令德令色，小心翼翼。此皆教人順情順理而行事，不可任性固執也。夫人有生以後，秉其後天氣質之性，賢愚善惡清濁強弱，彼此不同。惟天縱之聖人，本性圓明，純白無疵。其次中下之人，各有偏病在身。實為性命之大害。雖為大害，果能自知，亦能變化氣質，反愚為賢，反惡為善，反濁為清，反弱為強。是在不任其性，親近有道之士，虛心求教。借人之高明，以破我之迷網；借人之磨礪，以去我之瑕疵。蓋他山之石，可以攻玉。漸習漸高，漸學漸好。雖愚必明，雖柔必強。何愁道之不明，修之不成乎？世間糊塗學人，不知任性之害。既要學道，而又縱性，不肯學好；既想學道，而又任性，不重其道。或師尊指教而陽奉陰違；或朋友規過而面是心非；或與人同事而予聖有雄；或與人同居而爭強好勝；或依自己學問而形人之短；或恃自己聰明而笑人之愚；或出言吐語而不肯讓人；或磕著撞著而便生煩惱；或欺大壓小而不能和衆；或度量曲狹而不能容物。凡此皆任性之弊。不但外而取人嫌惡，而且內則自種陰毒。生平偏病，一件不去；自帶愚氣，一些不減。自以為是，不肯認錯。以是學道，縱老君對面，釋迦同居，何益於事。果是丈夫，一心在道。靜坐常思己過，閒談不論人非。事事謹慎，步步點檢，順人順理，隨方就圓，毋固毋我。以退步為進步，以不強為大強。焉有不深造而自得者？吾勸真心學道者，速將任性關口打通。低頭行事，柔弱安身。把已往一切固執偏病，自見自是條款，漸漸革去。學個無性道人，裝個愚癡聾啞呆漢，常在切身大事上留心。日久必有所得。否則，一味任性，剛而不柔，過而不改，雖在道門一世，妄想聞道難矣。

患難關

易曰：困而不失其所，亨。其惟君子乎？中庸曰：素患難，行乎患難。長春真人曰：病即教他病，死即教他死。至死一著，抱道而亡。此皆言不可因患難而變其初志也。夫道者包羅天地，竊奪造化，出死入生，超凡入聖，作佛作仙。非有大勇大力，頂天立地之鐵漢，脫塵超俗之金剛，知不的，載不起，拿不動。如何是大勇大力？富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈，是大力；恩愛不能牽，名利不能誘，是大力；憂愁恐懼，一些不起，是大力；喜怒哀樂，截然放下，是大力。困苦危難，不動不搖，是大勇；疾病災厄，順其自然，是大勇；饑寒凍餓，至死不變，是大勇；羞恥淩辱，不識不知，是大勇。故釋迦佛遇歌利王，割身而不知；純陽翁遇正陽祖，十試而無弊；紫清喝罵而教去而弗嗔 ；三丰衣破鞋穿而不悔；長真受人拳打而不爭；長春折肋三次而不顧。以上聖賢，皆遇患難磨煉，受盡無限苦楚，所以終能聞大法，明大道，超凡入聖，成其稀有之大事也。世間糊塗學人，不知患難是修真大藥，是成道爐鎚。而反怕患難，避患難。或受些饑寒便生別法；或遇些疾病即起妄念；或逢些危險即思退步；或遭人淩辱即便爭論。殊不知真金要在大火裏煉出，荷花須從汙泥中長成。非火不見金之明，非泥不見荷之淨。患難何病？患難然後見人之身份高低；患難然後驗人之志氣真假。吾勸真心學道者，速將患難關口打通。認定性命二字。生也是這個，死也是這個。一切大災大難、大困大厄、大危大險，付之於天，皆以無心處之。日久自然化凶為吉，變禍為福。否則，遇患難而怕患難，心神不定，志念遷移。無患難而自致患難，小患難而變為大患難，妄想明道，難矣。

詭詐關

易曰：盥而不薦。詩曰：神之格思，不可度思，矧可射思。玉樞經曰：以誠而入。參同契曰：孝子用心，感動皇極。上陽子曰：天或雖違，當以財寶精誠求之。此皆言其誠心用事，而不可稍有詭譎詐偽之心也。 夫學者學道，貴乎真心實意，自卑自下，方能感動真師，取信良友，受其益惠。蓋我有真心，而師友即以真心待之；我有實意，而師友即以實意待之。此感彼應，一定不易之理。倘不能真心實意，反以詭譎詐偽為事，面是心非，自謂可以瞞哄高明。殊不知真師明鑒照遠，一見即識真假。欺人實自欺，瞞人實自瞞。不但無益於事，而且反壞於事。詭詐奚為哉。世間糊塗學人，糊塗出家，糊塗學道。將性命視為平常之物，將學道視為平常之事。遇真師即問元關，見道朋自誇奧妙。並不知尊師之理，敬友之道。或謊言詭語而侮慢；或假意虛情而妝飾；或巧言令色，徒取人悅；或指東畫西，誘人露話；或斜臥依靠而問難；或一頭一飯而求訣；或對坐高談而辨別；或稍有磨煉而懷恨；或偶遇苦事而躲避；或看經書而略觀大義，一過即了；或聽師言而不嘗滋味，謹記話頭；或外雖學道，心中又圖謀別事；或既想修行，轉身又纏染俗情。如此弊病，不一而足。如何感的真師指點，良友扶持？吾勸真心學道者，速將詭詐關口打通，換出個至誠心腸。從實落處進步，萬不可存絲毫詭譎之心，欺人欺己，誤了前程。蓋誠之一字，能以動天地，通鬼神，感人物。豈有師友而不能感動者乎？即能感動師友，則大道可冀。否則稍有虛假詭詐之念，則心不誠。心不誠，方寸中亦生大病，不但不能求真，而且反昧其真。妄想明道，難矣。

猜議關

古經云：若無師指人知的，天上神仙無住處。《悟真》云：饒君聰慧過顏閔，不遇真師莫強猜。又云：要知口訣通元處，須共神仙仔細論。三丰真人云：月之圓，存乎口訣；時至子，妙在心傳。又云：拜明師，問方兒，下手速修猶太遲。此皆言道須師傳，非可妄猜私議而知也。蓋大道奧妙幽深，大則充滿宇宙，小則細入毫端。其大無外，其小無內。人能修之，可以奪造化，出陰陽，了性命，成仙佛，與天地同長久，與日月共光明，先天而天弗違，後天而奉天時，非一切傍門外道可比。但是道也，有內陰陽，有外陰陽；有內五行，有外五行。有真有假，有真中之假，有假中之真；有真中之真，有假中之假。修持有火候，有次序，有有為，有無為，有始條理，有終條理，有采藥，有合藥，有結丹，有服丹，有結胎，有脫胎。其事多端，作法不一。苟非明師從頭至尾，一一分別，細細指示，難以自知。雖以往群真，丹經子書，千方比喻，萬樣形容，藥物火候，無不俱備。然道之元妙，作之細微，有言之而言不出，論之而論不及者。況以有形喻無形，以有象指無象。加之後世盲漢，借祖師之名，妄作妄著，譭謗聖道，紊亂仙經，真偽相雜。若依自己識見，以為有得，再不印證於高明，一入網中，終身難出。縱有聰明良材，辨的是非邪正，略有會悟，亦是有頭無尾，似是而非。何能真知確見，一了百當哉？ 世間糊塗學人，不知道之深淺，不曉命之輕重，以螢火之明，而欲破迷天之網。不求真師，只求於己。或看傍門偽書，記些搬弄功夫，終身持守，牢不可破，耽誤一生。亦有見祖師真正經書，日夜誦讀，不究其意，只認其象。見藥物爐鼎之說，疑是燒煉；見男女陰陽之說，猜為閨丹；見龍虎龜蛇之說，疑是心腎肝肺；見顛倒逆運之說，猜為後升前降；見寶珠之說，疑是有象之物；見聖胎之說，猜為氣血凝結；見清靜之說，疑是存神定息；見有為之說，猜為做作；見無為之說，猜為空寂。如此等類，不可枚舉。皆打迷猜枚，終歸虛妄。吾勸真心學道者，速將猜議關口打通。把平生自負才能伎倆除去，尋求真師，開明奧義。萬不可以自己假聰明，妄議猜量，自哄自也。否則，不證於人，只求於己，不是在外搜尋，便是身內做作，妄想修道，難矣。

懸虛關

儒曰：真履實踐。釋曰：行深般若波羅密多時。道曰：勇猛精進。三教聖人皆以真心實用為貴，而不使懸虛作事也。夫修真之道，窮理盡性至命之學也。窮理者，即窮究此真也；盡性者，即盡此真也；至命者，即至此真也。窮之盡之至之既皆是真，則不可有些子之假雜於其中也明矣。若有些子之假雜於其中，則心不專，其行不力。如何鑽入理窟，見的真寶。如何感動真師喜悅，指點理路。故古之聖人，聞一善言，見一善行，若決江河，沛然莫之能禦也。道門有三乘之法，務上乘者乃上智之人，易於會悟，一了百當，生而知，安而行也；務中乘者乃中智之人，因象會意，聞一知二，學而知，利而行也；務下乘者乃下智之人，極力研究，功深方得，困而學，勉強而行也。三乘之法，在人量力而行之。然雖分三等，俱要從實地上用功夫。若懸虛不實，略不關心，不但中下之人，終無進益，即上智，亦落於空亡。昔達摩長廬下功、少林冷坐，惠能黄梅服役、四會磨煉，邱祖龍門七載、磻溪六年，淨身折肋，志氣倍加。如諸聖賢，皆是真心實意作事，故能超凡入聖，了卻大事。世間糊塗學人，既入道門，不知所為何事，打混過日。常在認食上打算，日在是非中出入，狐朋狗黨，口說雜話，心思雜事。眼不看祖師法言，耳不聽明人好話。即或誦讀經書，亦是走馬看花，絕不用心思搜尋深義。即或遇明師聆教，亦是秋風過耳，並不用功夫嘗探滋味。更有一等口孽愚夫，以為丹經不留口訣，不屑觀看。偶見明人，即欲順手取道。取之不得，即便退步。今日求王，明日拜李，忽然學此，忽然學彼，主意不定，志念不長。何嘗以性命為大事？往往在道門一世，終無所長，豈不可悲可歎。吾勸真心學道者，速將懸虛關口打通。死心踏地，日日在性命上留心，時時在理義上著意，把一切懸虛不實行為，一一改過。先窮其理，再求其師。博學之、審問之、慎思之、明辯之、篤行之。何患大道不明，性命不了乎？否則，懸虛不實，行事荒唐，虛度年華，心不專，志不致，妄想明道，難矣。

妄想關

悟真曰：恍惚之中尋有象，杳冥之內覓真精。有無從此自相入，未見如何想得成。又曰：契論經歌講至真，不將火候著於文。要知口訣通處，須共神仔細論。太虛真人曰：他人說的行不的，偏我行的說不的。此皆言道必真知實行，非空空妄想而可得也。蓋道至尊至貴，極高極大，最深最幽。必須用工細辨，由淺及深，由近達遠，深造自得。豈可妄想片言隻語而能明，一步兩步而即成者？特以至高至大之事業，還要至高至大之丈夫，而後能做。道在天地之間，人人有分，人人不能。人人有分者，人人秉陰陽五行之氣而生身，身中即有陰陽五行之理，為萬物之首，理氣俱備，誰無個道，誰無個性命？有此道，有此性命，即可以了此道，全此性命，為聖為賢，作仙作佛。所以謂人人有分也。人人不能者，人為世情所迷，名利所惑，恩愛所牽，認假棄真，立不起志氣，振不起精神，用不得功力。順其所欲，一任識神作殃。方要向前，即便退後；方欲為善，卻思作惡。所以謂人人不能也。果是丈夫，以性命為重，認真辨事，勇猛向前，終始如一，志念堅固，窮究道理，尋師訪友，真履實踐，走過一步是一步，行過一事了一事，晝夜匪懈，時刻用心，只盡自己之事，而不預期他人之事，積功累行，屈己尊人。至於明道成道，聽其自然，隨其天緣，絕不妄想。即今生無有功行，無有福分，大道難知，亦不怨天尤人，至死方休。如此存心立志，祖師暗中自有安排。 世之糊塗學人，自己身邊事情未曾了的，打混過日，只圖吃好的，穿好的。晝則浪蕩閒遊，夜則高眠穩睡。方便不行，功德不作，又不肯辯別道理，又不肯尋求明師。學些包皮話頭，扭捏功夫，在一身上下做作。假充修行，妄想成仙。殊不知性命之學，有竊奪造化之功，扭轉乾坤之法，必有心傳，非可私猜，亦非可妄行。得其真者，持而修之，可以與天為徒，與地為配，豈是等閒而知，容易而曉？自古成真祖師，不知受盡多少苦楚，方遇真師；不知受盡多少磨煉，方能聞道；不知曆過多少艱險，方能成道。豈是不做實事，空空妄想，而能知能成乎？空空妄想，只此一念，便是不能明道的孽根。道且不能明，更何可望其成？我勸真心道者，速將妄想關口打通。穩定腳根，不論學道行道，步步出力，時時用功，自然苦盡甜來。未聞道者，即能聞道，已聞道者，即能成道。否則實事不作，言不顧行，行不顧言，妄想明道難矣。

生死關

莊子曰：古之真人不知悅生，不知惡死。其出不訢，其入不距。翛翛然而來而已矣。至聖云：朝聞道，夕死可矣。悟真後序曰：此道至妙至微，世人根性迷鈍，執其有身而惡死悅生，卒難了悟。此皆言不論學道修道，不可有貪生怕死之心也。夫人生而有身，原是四大假合，無中生有，結此幻形。乃天地之委物，有生必有死，有成必有敗，豈是真正不壞之物乎？既是有壞，則生死亦屬於假。祖師教人了生死者，使其齊一生死，至於無生無死而後矣。莊子所謂攝精神而長生，忘精神而無生。然則長生之道，猶非了性了命之極功，必至忘生無生，不生不滅，方是了的生死，而出乎生死造化之外矣。蓋天地能役有形，不能役無形；能役有氣，不能役無氣；能役有心，不能役無心。無心則無氣，無氣則無形。無心於生死，而生死不能累，幾於道矣。 世之糊塗學人，妄想成道者，皆由怕死也。怕死即有求生之心。既有求生之心，或怕餓死，或怕凍死，或怕疾病而死，或怕夭折而死。或登大山，怕有狼虎來傷；或入茂林，怕有蟒蚺采咬；或宿古壇，怕有鬼魅來侵。貪生怕死之心，存於宥密之中，驚悸不安。形雖存而心先喪，生氣之苗已敗，死氣之根已栽。石固不化，柴草堆胸，機謀亂出，神頭鬼面，千邪百怪，紛紛擾擾，削磨精神。真者俱失，假者皆發，日損夜傷，不死豈能之乎？吾勸真心學道者，速將生死關口打通，將生死二字，置於度外。未死先學死雖生不知生。生也由他，死也由他，餓死也由他，凍死也由他，狼虎來傷也由他，蟒蛇來咬也由他，鬼魅來侵也由他，即遇水火之災也由他，即遭刀兵之害也由他，即生疾病而死也由他。猶如死人，不識不知，任憑天斷。只有道之一字，常褂胸前。始始終終，久而不忘。祖師暗中護佑，不肯教真正學人苦壞。否則，貪生怕死，推前縮後，即此一關，緊鎖牢封，寸步難移，妄想明道，難矣。

自滿關

易曰：巽在牀下，用史巫紛若，吉。道德經曰：虛其心，實其腹。上陽子曰：道有三戒。凡學道者，心雖慕向，而乃驕其富貴，不肯下問，似不芥意，是謂奸譎，戒而弗與。次學道者，略聞旁門小法，惟事強辨，以逞私慧，是謂誇眩，戒而弗與。三學道者，疑信相半，不以生死為憂，重財輕身，是不知命，戒而弗與。此皆言不滿不盈，方能受益也。夫聖賢大道，無窮無盡，無邊無岸，有體有用，有本有末，層次細微，工程遙遠。仰之彌高，鑽之極堅。一人知識有限，衆人意見無窮，非能下於人者不能學；非能屈於人者不能知；非能示己之無者不能進；非能尊人之有者不能得。蓋能下於人者，方能上於人；能屈於人者，方能高於人；能示己之無者，方能受人之有；能尊人之有者，方能濟己之無。故曰：滿則溢，窪則實，滿不如虛之貴也。昔周公一沐三握而禮賢。淮南子遇八公，被發跣足以拜接。。石杏林遇紫陽，解韁脫鎖以供奉。長春祖初從王祖學道，後隨馬祖受教而全事。上陽子初遇緣督而有得，後求青城指點而完功。以上聖賢皆從虛心而成大道。假令周公挾貴而不尊賢，焉能為聖？淮南自尊而不禮八公，焉能成仙？邱祖自滿不從馬祖，焉能了事？上陽自足不求青城，焉能大就？特以性命之學，一處不知一處迷，差之毫髮，謬之千里。明的一事，行的一事；明的一法，做的一法。倘知體而不知用，知假而不知真，知性而不知命，知始而不知終，知收而不知放，知進而不知退，知急而不知緩，知吉而不知凶，知大而不知小，知本而不知末，知有為而不知無為，知下手而不知結果，皆不得謂明道。倘稍知門戶而即自滿自足，以為道即在此，目空四海，再不求人，何能徹始徹終，縱橫順逆，自由自專，無遮無攔，直達聖域哉？ 世間糊塗學人，恃自己聰明，妄議猜量，自是而不求人。或丈自博學，高談闊論，自滿而不求人；或得些旁門小事，不辨是非，自負而不印證；或遭逢高人指點，知個入門，自足而不深進。更有一等勢利之輩，書囊俗儒之流，拿起身份，高著胸膛，怕人笑話，不肯屈身卑下。如此之類，皆是以滿為害，怎能聽的真師奧語，入的通衢大道，進的聖賢堂室也。吾勸真心學道者，速將自滿關口打通。低心下氣，作個不如人人的模樣。不論老少賢愚貴賤高低，恭敬一切，莫可分別。見人稍有一長，即便誠心求教，不可放過。博學審問，人人是我師，處處可以學。何患理不能明，道不能成乎？否則，自滿自盈，無而為有，縱有真師，意欲指引，無隙可入，妄想明道，難矣。

畏難關

易曰：君子以順德，積小以高大。至聖曰：君子遵道而行，半途而廢，吾弗能已矣。邱祖曰：天下無難事，只怕有心人。此皆言修道必須志氣堅固，而不可有畏難之心也。夫天下至難之事，必是至大之事。至大之事必須下至大之功而方成。若至容至易，一作即成者，則事必小而不大矣。性命之學大事也，其事包羅萬有，超越人天，脫五行，出三界。先天地而立其體，後天地而發其用。為聖為仙為佛，其事顧不大哉？事大而欲修此大事，為永久不朽之業，豈不難哉？然知其難而不畏其難，以生死為一大事，立志堅固，一念不回，至死方休。可以明道，可以行道，則難者不難矣。倘知其難而畏其難，不以性命為大事，始勤終怠，志念不專，疑信各半，逡巡不前，不特不能行道，而且不能明道，則難者終難矣。昔神光斷臂求法，即得達摩心傳。王中立立雪三尺，卒得伊川指示。邱祖淨身折肋，感得神明報信。蓋專心學道，誠一不二，且能感天地，通鬼神，而況於人乎？ 世間糊塗學人，不知性命是人生第一大事，望冀得個工夫，便要作仙；妄想學些小乘，即要不死；聞說聖道精奧，須深鑽研，即便作難；聞說修道路遠，要捨身掩命，饑寒不避，即便退步；聞說道有始終，功有層次，火有時刻，至細至微，即便墜志。如此學道，進退不果，四大無力，志氣不振，怎能嘗得道中滋味，豈不誤了大事也？吾勸真心學道者，速將畏難關口打通。另換一個鐵石心腸。不避艱險，猛力前進，廢寢忘食。不管他得力不得力，見效不見效，愈久愈力，愈遠愈勤，一心前行，終必有得，難而不難。否則，畏難不果，若存若亡，口說而身不行，欲前而即退後，妄想明道，難矣。

輕慢關

中庸曰：大哉聖人之道，洋洋乎發育萬物，峻極於天，優優大哉。禮儀三百，威儀三千，待其人而後行。老祖曰：天上地下，惟道獨尊。複命篇曰：有物先天地，無名本寂寥。能為萬象主，不逐四時凋。此皆言道之至大至尊，匪人弗行也。夫道之為道，廣大無際，高深莫測，至無而含至有，至虛而含至實，無形而能生有形，無象而能生萬象，包羅天地，推遷日月，運行四時，育養萬物。無處不有，無物不存。昔孔子得之，而為儒教之聖；釋迦得之，而為諸佛之祖；老君得之，而為群仙之宗；黄帝得之，而跨龍升天；女媧得之，而煉石補天；旌陽得之，而拔宅飛升；天師得之，而分人判鬼；五祖得之，而位證天仙；七真得之，而不生不滅。古今成道聖賢，歷歷有考，不可以數計。道之尊貴如此，豈可輕褻慢視乎？若以平常小事觀之，而輕褻慢視，則非載道之材，乃是背道之輩，尚可以語道哉？蓋輕視乎道，則必以學道為容易知，而不能鑽研深入；慢視乎道，則必以行道為不足為，而不能苦力前進。不能入，不能進，憑何修持以成天下稀有之事耶？故學道者，先要知的道是至尊至貴之物。非可容易而知，等閒而得。方能發的狠心，用的苦功，經久不怠，必至成道而後已。 世間糊塗學人，不知道為天地所秘，鬼神所寶，輕慢小視，絕無誠心。或仗自己小聰明，以為能以會悟；或記幾句野狐禪，以為道即在此；或捉風捕影，以為實有所知；或指鹿為馬，以為實有所見；或遇明人詢問，大言不慚而絕無誠心；或逢同道考究，強辨自是而略無忌憚。又有一等口孽魔頭，聞人言道而便譭謗；見人看書而便憎嫌。以聖賢經典科論為包皮外象，以志士積功累行為下乘小事。偶遇高人，不肯低頭而反以高人自居。即能暫時低頭，又耐不得年月，受不得磨磋。殊不知學道求人，所以求人救我之性命耳。求人救性命必象個惜性命之人，然後，能明則感動真師指引，暗則感動鬼神扶持。若不象惜性命之人，便是不以大道為尊貴。既不尊貴大道，如何得聞大道，豈不愚之甚哉？吾勸真心學道者，速將輕慢關口打通。通道篤實，鄭重性命。奉師誠敬，小心謹慎，兢兢業業，腳跟著地，不敢稍有輕慢褻視之心。如登高山，步步出力；如渡大江，刻刻防險；何患不能登於道岸也。否則，不知道之高低貴賤，當有如無，懈怠為事，牧羊拾柴，妄想明道，難矣。

懦弱關

中庸曰：道不遠人，人之為道而遠人，不可以為道。至聖曰：有能一日用其力於仁矣乎？我未見力不足者。悟真曰：大藥不求爭得遇，遇之不煉是愚癡。古經云：道不虛行，待人而行。此皆言修道必須勇猛精進，而不可懦弱懈怠也。夫人秉天地陰陽五行之正氣而生，為萬物之首。不論貴賤賢愚剛柔強弱，皆俱天地之全功，即可以載天地之大道。故夫婦之愚，可以與知焉。夫婦之不肖，可以行焉。是在有志無志之間耳。有志，則柔弱者可變為剛強，剛強即可以漸登道岸。無志，則剛強者亦為柔弱，柔弱便不能超出苦海。所謂志者，剛決也、果斷也。有此剛決果斷之志，則世事不能染，恩愛不能牽，私欲不能起，名利不能誘，富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，患難不能動。只知有道，不知有他；只知顧性命，不顧別事。一切身外之物，俱不能礙的。可以聞道，可以修道。無剛決果斷之志，世事看不破，恩愛擺不脫，私欲掃不去。見富貴而動心，處貧賤而移志，遇患能而不受，日在假境而不識其假，身在苦海而不知其苦。縱有一時道心發現，剛氣不振，旋生旋滅。前怕狼，後怕虎，又怕餓著，又怕凍著，又恐勞碌身體，又恐學道不成。耽誤現在，推委不前，主意不定，懦弱畏縮。憑何而學道，憑何而聞道，憑何而行道？世間糊塗學人，雖名學道，並不象學道之人；妄想聞道，並不作想道之事。一日十二時中，何嘗有一時在身心性命上著意？只是講衣食、說是非、圖熱鬧、爭勝負。一舉一動，與世人一般；或作或為，與俗人無異。 見有利處，鑽頭覓縫；遇行功處，藏身退步。苦中作樂，夢裏行事。弄虛頭渾身是剛，作正事四大無力。絕不思身穿道衣，頭頂道巾，吃了十方脂膏，與自己作正經事，豈不是大便宜之事？而反懈怠不力，虛度歲月，挪匪累債，無功受祿，如何開消？況此修真之事，又不要你身軀出什麼大力氣，做什麼莽活路。不過是心頭一點長久念頭，剛決志氣，便能有造。釋迦佛不是天上降下的，李老君不是地下長出的，孔夫子不是風中化成的。同人耳目，同人皮肉，皆系先盡人功，而後得證聖位。故孟子曰：堯舜與人同耳。蓋以聖賢仙佛，皆自人修而成。人人可以為聖賢，人人可以為仙佛。特患懦弱無能，不肯自立剛志耳。吾勸真心學道者，速將懦弱關口打通。穩定柱杖子，發猛勇志，堅長久心，舉步向前，單刀直入。時時刻刻在性命上留心，行行步步在道理上窮究。不知而必強求知，不明而必苦力明。如遇明師，只是一味誠心去參學。亦不妄想口訣，亦不急問心傳。就是教苦即去苦，教死亦要死，教餓亦要餓。至於打罵磋磨，通皆喜受，絕無一點嗔恨，方能濟事。特以受人之所不能受，始能得人之所不能得；苦人之所不能苦，始能知人之所不能知。否則，一味懦弱，剛氣不振，便是無有力量，如何載的大道？妄想明道，難矣。

不久關

易曰：不恒其德，或承之羞。至聖曰：人而無恒，不可以作巫醫。子思曰：苟不至德，至道不凝焉。孟子曰：君子深造之以道，欲其自得之也。緣督子曰：學全真者，得師略指門徑，而不知逐節事條；知神氣相依，而不知鉛汞交姤；知鉛汞交姤，而不知性命混合。妄擬火候，進退不知，此皆無成。古經曰：言語不通非眷屬，工夫不到不方圓。此皆言修道立德，必須有長久之志也。夫修真之道，窮理盡性至命之學也。窮理必窮至於無一毫有疑，無毫不知，方是大徹大悟。知之真，見之的，而理始明矣；盡性必盡至於無一些氣質，無一些私欲，方能空空洞洞。明不昧，暗不迷，而性始盡矣。至命必至於脫離陰陽，跳出五行，方謂功力悉化，不動不搖，自由自專，而命始立矣。然窮理盡性至命之事，非一朝一夕之功。必要立長久之志，行長久之功，方能明的理，盡的性，至的命，處乎造化之中，而不為造化所拘。特以經久不易之大事，必須經久不已之大功而方成。已往群真，哪個不是立長久之志，用長久之功而成者。試觀世間小巧技藝，亦必專心致志，聽師指教，多年功夫，方能得心應手，因材造作。況此性命大事，豈是無恒心者所能知？世間湖塗學人，不知理是何理，學此著空執相事務，即謂明理；不知性是何性，或疑性在天穀顖門，神存頭上，即謂修性；不知命是何命，或疑命在丹田氣海，意定下元，即為修命。噫！以此謂理謂性謂命，妄想超脫，以冀不死，如緣木求魚，捏目生花，有何實濟？理與性命且不能知，何可望仙？即有一二學人，分的邪正，辨的是非，卻又妄想速得，急欲見效。日久懈怠，無長久之心，少堅固之念，忽進忽退，忽行忽止。方欲向前，卻又縮後，懸虛不實，恍惚不定。如此等類，怎能見的堂奧真物？吾勸真心學道者，速將不久關口打通，立長久志念，下永久功夫，莫要三心二意，半途而廢。愈久愈力，愈難愈苦，終久有個得意之時。否則，始勤終怠，言行不顧，妄相聞道，難矣。

暴棄關

至聖曰：朝聞道，夕死可矣。顏子曰：舜何人也，予何人也，有為者亦若是。孟子曰：自暴者，不可與有言也；自棄者，不可與有為也。老祖曰：吾非聖人，學而得之。上陽子曰：釋迦聞佛半偈而欲舍其身，黄帝順下風膝行而進問廣成子治身奈何而可以長生。此皆自貴自重，而不可自暴自棄也。夫人秉天地五行之氣而生身，有氣而即有性，有性而即有命。是理氣性命即寓於一身之中，不論賢愚高低，同此一理氣，同此一性命。凡夫聖賢，原無分別，惟能了性命者，即是聖賢；不能了性命者，即是凡夫。孟子所謂人之所以異於禽獸者幾希，庶民去之，君子存之者是也。仙傳云：自古飛升者三千，拔宅者八百，坐脫立亡者不計其數。凡此皆是學而知，苦而成，未有不學不苦而能知能成者。世間生知者有數，學知者居多。雖雲生知，翻個筋斗，即有迷處。不學不成，學而方成。故釋迦亦必師然燈；孔子亦必師項槖；老子亦必師元始。至如玉鐘呂劉王張石薛陳白諸位祖師，皆是脈脈相續，口口相授，可知能學而即成，不學不能成。學之功力，豈小焉哉？世間糊塗學人，不將自己性命看重，不將自己身心修持。身在道中而知自己有道，身居寶林而不知現在有寶，認假棄真，以虛為實。或曰性命長短，乃有定數，非人所能勝；或曰仙聖是天生，非凡人所能學；或曰大道至深至奧，非等閒所能知；於是自暴自棄，自畫其限，甘居苦海，蹈於沉淪，枉為人類矣。殊不知既在人類，負陰抱陽，即有天地之造化，人人可以為聖賢，人人可以成仙佛，但要至誠進步，屈己求人，由近達遠，經久不怠耳。試觀山中狐狸猿鹿，乃畜類耳，存神養氣，靜處於窟穴，年久功深，亦能隱形變化，延年益壽，而況人為萬物之靈，焉有修道不成者？如曰人不能成道，豈乃獸之不如乎？吾勸真心學道者，速將暴棄關口打通。立不易方，把有生以後氣質偏病，習染累贅，一齊掃去。專心慕道，從艱難困苦中磨煉出去。不知者必欲學而知，不能者必欲學而能。遷善改過，存誠去妄，始終如一，永無更變，大道可冀。否則，自暴自棄，不以性命為重，不以道義為貴，打混過日，醉生夢死，空空一世，一失人身，萬劫難矣。

累債關

至聖曰：士志於道，而恥惡衣惡食者，未足於議也。邱祖曰：粒米文錢皆農夫之血膏，豈無功而可受。此皆言學者須當以道為重，而不可苟圖衣食也。夫修道者，所以為性命也。此身未離塵世，雖衣食不能廢，但不因衣食而誤性命大事。自古祖師教人素位而行，素富貴，行乎富貴；素貧賤，行乎貧賤。不必一定乞衣食於十方。因其上智少而中下多，故行持有安勉之分，難易之別，教人量力行之耳。蓋上智者有大身分，有大力量，不妨在市居朝，處於富貴場中，而能做出不染富貴之事。不待借人之力，直登道岸。若中下者，身分低，力量小，不能一了百當，居富貴便為富貴所累，有妨大事。故教脫離富貴，忍辱乞化，隨緣度日，困心衡慮，磨煉性氣，從實地上做事業，在艱難處用功夫。亦有上智之人，不愛富貴，擺脫恩愛，而甘受貧淡。一衲一瓢，遊食護口，潛修密煉，使人不識，易於為功。凡此皆不在衣食上留心，但不過借十方之力，暫以養此皮囊耳。世間糊塗學人，不知十方血汗，非可輕易空受，舍其性命大事，乃以衣食為重。東募西化，飽食曖衣，正事不幹，閒遊浪蕩，絕不思出家所為何事。既不能報父母養育之恩，又不能報皇王水土之恩，累下十方賬債，怎的消化？更有一等作孽漢，頭頂道冠，心藏盜蹠，苟圖衣食，設法哄騙。或借而竊人財物；或裝高明而受人供養；或借修廟而善中生機；今日入善人之家而化錢，明日尋學好之人而乞米，東拐西騙，耍錢賭博，吃酒嚥肉，挪下十方口債，將何抵擋？邱祖所謂肉雙角或有或無，一條尾千定萬定者是也。吾勸真心學道者，速將累債關口打通。隨緣護口，淡泊養身。一絲一線，當思來處不易；一飲一食，須知成就艱難。時時努力，步步加功，期必至於道成德備而後已。果能到道成德備之時，不但消化十方債賬，即無始劫以來宿孽，皆一筆勾消，方且衣天衣，食天祿。而況塵世之物乎？否則，只知累債，不知消債；只知挪帳，不知還帳，無功無行，罪積如山，妄想知道，難矣。

高大關

道德經曰：剛強者，死之徒；柔弱者，生之徒。孟子曰：敬人者，人恒敬之；愛人者，人恒愛之。諺云：自小天下去的，剛強寸步難移。此皆言其人宜自卑自下，而不可有自高自大之心也。夫所謂高大者，予聖自雄，剛強好勝，有己無人也。惟不自高者，終必至於高；不自大者，終必至於大。何言之？不自高者能卑於人，不自大者能小於人。能卑能小，有若無，實若虛，有才而不使，有智而不用，藏其所能，示其無能；本自有知，示其無知，以之應世而世人皆喜，以之學道而師友皆悅。昔禹聞善言則拜，子路人告之以有過則喜，皆是自卑自下，而不自高自大，故為大聖大賢，而萬古不沒也。但不自高自大之事，須要真心實意行去，方有所濟。倘外而勉強卑小，內而傲氣暗藏，是伏戎於莽，內外不應，其心不真，其行不遠。外恭而內不敬，所謂巧言令色，鮮仁矣。不但不能去高大之病，而反增其窩禍之病。故不自高，必至於不知有高；不自大，必至於不知有大，才是高大之病悉化矣。 歷代祖師，已往群真，俱在自卑自小路上修道立德，久而不怠，是以大成其事，終為人人之所不能及也。世間糊塗學人，在俗者或有富貴勢利，而不肯卑小於人；或持才能學問，而不肯卑小於人；或仗年老齒尊，而不肯卑小於人。在道者或記幾卷丹經，自謂有得，而不肯卑小於人；或學幾段工夫，自負抱道，而不肯卑小於人；或隨心任性，高傲無忌，而不肯卑小於人；或急欲速得，不耐久長，而不肯卑下於人。更有一等詭詐之徒，罔知誠心受教，而反竊取祖師法言，東挪西扯，混說亂講，引誘露話。或師心自用，捉風捕影，班門弄斧，稱能誇長。如此等類，皆是自高自大，不能自卑自小，以性命為大事也。殊不知性命大道，為世間稀有之事，豈可以自高自大而妄想，又豈可以自高自大而輕得乎？吾勸真心學道者，速將高大關口打通。把一切自滿自足，傲氣雄心，一筆勾消。從至卑至小處下腳步，實實落落學去。不但應世無禍無災，而且學道必多受益。否則，自高自大，不能卑小於人，誰肯以高大之事來說？妄想明道，難矣。

妝飾關

道德曰：田甚蕪，倉甚虛，服文采，帶利劍，厭飲食，財貨有餘，是為道誇非道哉。南華經曰：凡外重者內拙。孟子曰：令聞廣譽施於身，所以不顧人之文繡也。凡此皆言其修道者，決不可務外失內，棄真以從假也。蓋性命之學，真著實用之事，一些虛假入不得，一毫做作用不著。稍有虛假做作，不但不能修性命，而反有以壞心地。故自古修真上士，以性命為重，一衲一瓢，蓬頭跣足，隨緣度日，不愛華美，並無些兒妝飾。大智若愚，大巧若拙，和光同塵，與庸俗為伍，使俗眼不識耳。昔慧能大士隱於四會獵人之中；道光禪師棄僧還俗，以了大事；重陽帝君歇宿於活死人墓；長春大起塵勞；紫清把茅蓋頂；三丰衣破鞋穿；皆系為性命大事，置色身於度外，而不在色身上打點裝飾也。又如咸陽張瘋仙隱跡於農夫之內；涅中張睡仙身臥於冰灘之旁；白石樑仙翁打水運漿以混俗；我仙留老師背河打樵以磨煉。以上群真，無非明裏攻苦，暗中用功，何嘗莊嚴身體，修飾外貌？特以所重者在內，所輕者在外，顧其真者而棄其假也。世間糊塗學人，所重者在外，所輕者在內。認其假而棄其真，事事與古人相反。或怕人笑話，而必衣巾華美；或恐懼凍著，而必多衣多服；或妝作樣，[了]髻銅箍；或納絛異樣，大搖大擺；或濯人耳目，哄人供養；或坐圜閉關，沽名釣譽。如此行藏，只在假事中作工夫，何嘗在性命上用心思。認其假而務其假，妄冀得真。如在海底撈月，鏡中摘花，終落於空。吾勸真心學道者，速將妝飾關口打通。斂華就實，粗衣破裳，本本分分，淡淡泊泊，以性命為重，以道德為貴，反邪歸正，事事落實，方有進益。否則以無為有，以虛為實，務外失內，棄真從假，妄想明道，難矣。

假知關

至聖曰：知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也。老祖曰：知不知上，不知知病。紫陽真人曰：縱識朱砂與黑鉛，不知火候也如閑。大都全藉修持力，毫髮差殊不結丹。緣督子曰：學道之士，得內外藥物之真，兩段作用之全，合大造化，方得所傳。苟有毫髮差殊，未免天地懸隔。此皆言學道必要真知確見，而不可以不知為知，有誤大事也。夫學人尋師訪友者，以其不知而欲求其知也。求知必要知其何者是性，何者是命，何者是陰陽，何者是五行，何者是先天，何者是後天，何者是下手，何者是休歇，何者是有為，何者是無為，何者是鍛煉，何者是溫養，何者是接命，何者是了性。自始自終，大徹大悟，絕無一點疑惑，方是四通八達，真知確見，而行持無差矣。倘知性不知命，知命不知性，知陰陽而不知五行，知後天而不知先天，知下手而不知休歇，知有為而不知無為，知鍛煉而不知溫養，知接命而不知了性，總不謂之知道。既不知道，焉能行道？蓋性命之學，知的一分，行的一分，知的十分，行的十分。未有不知而能行者。是以修道者，貴乎先求其知也。但求知須要先知的自己有知有不知，果是實實知的此一件事，方可雲已知之。若稍有些兒疑惑，似是而非，不謂是知。再當求人開明，心地豁亮，疑惑盡釋，方謂是知。萬不可以不知為知，耽誤自己。世間糊塗學人，不知性命是什麼，修行是怎樣。學些旁門做作，曲徑擺弄，糊裏糊塗，自謂知道，冒然下手，非徒無益而反受害。更有一等造孽漢，以無為有，以虛為盈，不辨是非，不究邪正，以假作真。自己受傷，明知有錯，尚裝高人，更將錯路又去教人，使人又錯，陰惡尤甚。亦有親近明師，耳聽幾句話頭，不曉細嘗滋味，以記話頭為知，便在人前賣弄。或有看過幾卷丹經，循行數墨，隨心猜量，無頭無尾，亦謂有知。縱有明師在前，不求印證。如此等類，俱是以不知為知，是謂假知，而非真知。古今學人蹈此轍者，不可枚舉。嗚呼！性命之事為何事，而乃如是荒唐，自欺欺人耶？殊不知，知徹方能行徹。竭力審辨，細心追求，猶恐知之不到，行之不通，必要求師。而況不知自裝其知者乎？吾勸真心學道者，速將假知關口打通，把自作聰明心腸掃去。未知者急求其知，已知者更求深知。性命事大，至道幽微。必須極深研幾，愈知愈入。必到水盡山窮，見得底落而後已。若假裝高明，以性命為兒戲，未知者終不知，稍知者難深知，妄想明道，難矣。

陰惡關

易曰：同人於野，亨。至聖曰：躬自厚而薄責於人，則遠怨矣。老祖曰：道沖而用之，或不盈。此皆言持身應世，須要性情和平，而不可暗藏陰惡，有妨於道也。夫學道之人，原因不好欲學好，有惡欲去惡也。但學好去惡，尤貴無心，最忌有心。無心則無我，無我則無人。無人無我，人即是我，我即是人，人我兩忘。雖人有淩辱也不知，人來欺哄也不知，人來戲謔也不知，人故加害也不知，耳聞譭謗也不知，身遭大難也不知，一切外遇，逆順境界，皆以無心應之，不結讐結冤，處於無事而已。即如同堂學事，善惡賢愚不一，一人一性，百人百性，怎合我意？或言語有傷，或行事有偽。耳聞如不聞，眼見如不見，皆當隨人應，過而不計較。又如師尊教訓指摘斥喝，必有過犯，更宜急速改去，加倍留心。況真師教人，揀選良材，果是志士，分外磨煉，以添志氣。若是廢材，聽其自便，置於不問而已。故學道者，不論應世從學，皆要不起私心，常存公心，方有進益。世間糊塗學人，只要人順己，自不去順人。只要人奉承，不喜人直言。稍有觸犯，即便不快。忘人大恩，記人小怨。陰毒藏於心胸，累年積月不能放過。雖外而巧言令色，內而暗伏鋒芒。不至報復而不已。即或自有過咎，師友指摘規戒，不知自悔，明則強辯是非，暗則譭謗結冤，陰毒無比，便是匪人。絕不思性命大道，豈許匪人所知，陰毒所得？所謂嗔不除，態不改，墜入生死輪回海，可不悲哉。吾勸真心學道者，速將陰惡關口打通，把生平嗔恨毒氣，昏愚惡念，一概除去。和平應物，事事讓人，擔的重，受的辱，從大火坑中鍛煉，在爭勝場中掙出。萬有皆空，一毫不納，終久得遇真師，提出苦海。否則一言一語，不能受的，磕著撞著，便生煩惱，蛇蠍積胸，蜂虻滿肚，妄想聞道，難矣。

貪酒關

孟子曰：禹惡旨酒而好善言。呂祖曰：酒色財氣四堵牆，人人俱在裏邊藏。有 人跳出牆兒外，便是長生不老方。此皆教人不可貪酒而壞正事也。蓋酒為四害之首，一貪於酒，酒醉性迷，色心於此而起，財念於此而生，氣性於此而發。財色與氣，皆由酒起，喪德敗行，亦因於酒。甚至任性亂行，蹈 於水火而不知，陷於刀兵而不曉。古來多少聰明良才，英雄豪傑，往往皆遭此難，自喪性命。亦有性格良善，自有把持，貪酒不至亂，色與財氣不能染者。雖不亂不染，而神昏氣促，濕熱薰蒸，津液涸而氣血傷，無益有損。故佛家以酒為首戒，蓋因為害最大也。世間糊塗學人，借祖師酒肉穿腸道在心之語，不忌腥暈不斷酒之言，而便貪酒無厭，日在醉鄉，昏昏沉沉，顛顛倒倒，縱性而行。或酒醉而失言傷人；或酒醉而記仇鬧事；或酒醉而拿刀弄棒；或酒醉而赤身露體，信口亂說；或酒醉而倒街臥巷，廉恥不顧；或酒醉而嘔吐傷氣，神魂不安。甚至日久，造作成病，飲食不入，至死不忌。亦有專心慕道，諸多偏病，皆能去的，惟於此糟粕之味，卻不能戒。噫！修真之士，務要拔去曆劫根塵，輪回種子，酒不過口頭滋味，外來之物，不是曆劫帶來之根，於此小病，終身且不能去的，如何能拔去曆劫輪回種子？如此之輩，豈不是以小害大，自尋死路耶？況酒之一物，不比飲食湯水，飲食數日不進，即便餓壞，若酒終身不用，有何傷事？如曰解渴，湯水甚便，何必用酒？到底是貪酒之病深沉，不肯醫治耳。吾勸真心學道者，速將貪酒關口打通，把好酒一番意念，用在盡心窮理功夫上。莫被曲魔攪撓。雖酒為小節，能壞大事，狠力除去，其益甚多。否則，貪酒無厭，醉生夢死，日在混沌之鄉，常居迷悶之網，妄想明道，難矣。

怕苦關

中庸曰：人一能之，己百之；人十能之，己千之，果能此道矣。雖愚必明，雖柔必強。太古曰：睡了一時，死了一時；睡了一日，死了一日；日日有功無睡，千日便了事也。諺云：不下苦中苦，難為人上人。此皆言大好之事，必須勤苦而後成也。夫天下最大之事，須最苦之功，日久而方成。特以苦之大，成之大也。而況性命大事，豈有不苦而成者哉？苦之一字，為修道者治病之良藥，惟能苦的，方能磨煉的身心，方能調治的大病。故必外而積功行，內而煉意念，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，處處行功，事事努力。修橋補路，損己益人，忍辱受垢，隨地方便。人好的我不好，人愛的我不愛，人難受的我能受，人難過的我能過。把有生以來，習染事物，一概決去，此外苦也。內而整頓精神，堅固志氣， 除去情欲，掃卻妄念，諸般煩惱，一切無明，狠力剪滅。不能去而必欲去，不能除而必欲除，只是一個求道的真心在內，須臾不離，其餘皆不受納，是內苦也。如此苦去，內外如一，方是真苦，方能治的大病。昔釋迦雪山修煉，六祖四會用功，邱祖磻溪磨性，如諸聖賢，皆天縱之姿，還要在大苦中度出，而況後世學人，皆中下之流，豈有不苦而成者哉？世間糊塗學人，不知苦中生甜之樂，要自在得寶，安閒成道。聞說下苦，即便生愁；聞說力勞，即便作難。日間惜力養膘，飽食閑浪，夜裏綿被厚褥，長眠大睡。一些利人之事不做，一點用力之處不行。無數毛病不改。或看幾部丹書，或諗幾卷經典，虛裝有道；或雲遊乞化，飽食暖衣，即為本事；或坐寺居觀，住持焚修，不受饑寒，以為消交。如此等類，絕不思拋離父母、丟棄妻子所為何事。若以出家為衣食，與俗人何異？何必累十方債賬，豈不多此一事？吾勸真心學道者，速將怕苦關口打通，立一個苦死不回頭的念頭，腳踏實地，勇猛前進。把性命二字，貼在額頭上，時時刻刻留心。大凡有益之事盡力做去，大凡無益之事盡力棄去。自己苦行以外，聽師指教，一一如命，莫生怠心，日夜勤勞，久而不廢，終得實惠。否則，懼怕辛苦，逡畏不果，苟延歲月，妄想聞道，難矣。

不信關

道德經曰：上士聞道，勤而行之；中士聞道，若存若亡；下士聞道，大笑之。金剛經曰：善男子、善女人，發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，應如是住，如是降伏其心。阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，即華言無上正等正覺心，乃信心也。易曰：中孚豚魚，吉。中庸曰：誠者物之終始，不誠無物。是故君子誠之為貴。三教聖人垂訓，皆以誠信為修道之本也。夫信者，非言語之信，非資訊之信，乃真心實意之信。信之一字，其理最真，其力最大。能以感天地，通神明，轉生殺，扭生死，為聖為賢，作佛作仙，為修道者第一至寶。學者認定此一字，緊抱心胸，須臾不離，則大本已立，不動不搖，不更不變。從此進步，可以聞道，可以行道；可以了性，可以了命。古來仙真，那個不從信中著腳，那個不從信中成道？但信不是懸虛妄想，不是打夥講譚，乃是一心在道，別無二意，念茲在茲，朝斯夕斯，時刻不忘之義。非視性命為一大事者不能信；非視天下如敝蹝者不能信；非富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈者不能信；非俯視一切，萬有皆空者不能信；非至死不變，吉凶患難置於度外者不能信。若方寸之中稍有一毫疑慮，稍有一些懈怠，俱不為之信。可知真信是誠一不二，與日俱進，與時偕行之功。能如此者，日有所進；若反此者，枉度歲月。但信又要辨其是非，分其邪正。世間有誤入旁門外道，持守終身，固執不化，至死不變者，何嘗不是信？但信之非正，反為信害。故學道者貴乎信，尤貴乎信得其正，方是真信於道矣。世間糊塗學人，通道不篤。一日十二時中，萬起萬滅，任其群魔反亂，未嘗一刻把道放在心上。或無事之時，忽想起翻弄書卷，未曾玩味，卻又想起別事，被鬼怪將心扯去。亦有學人，一時整頓剛氣，勇猛精進，辨別理義，尋師訪友，久而不遇，便生怠心。或有稍聞些子香風，不見速效，便生疑惑，逡巡不前；或有入於歧路，造作成病，不悔自錯，反以丹經為虛妄。如此等類，不可枚舉。不能通道，焉能知道。吾勸真心學道者，速將不信關口打通。認定性命，一概邪心邪事掃去，另立起個金剛志氣，實實落落向前，不管他得力為不得力，學成學不成，至死方休。暗中自有鬼神扶持，終有好事。否則，今日作此，明日作彼，忽然而前，忽然而後，或信或疑，主宰不定，妄想明道，難矣。

無主關

易曰：擬之而後言，議之而後動，擬議以成其變化。中庸曰：言前定則不跲，事前定則不困，行前定則不疚，道前定則不窮。皆言凡有作為，貴乎先有主宰定見也。夫學道之人先要自己有主宰，有主宰，認定性命，則真心發現。真心發現自然世事不能染，恩愛不去戀，名利不去貪，一切身外之事，不掛胸懷，專心致志。艱難也能受，困苦也不知。以之窮理而理可窮，以之聆教而教可聆。蓋以主宰在內，而外物不能惑也。但立主宰須辨的真假兩途，真主宰有益於性命，假主宰有害於性命。若不分真假，誤躧旁門，入於假途，索隱行怪，百般做作，無益有害。究是無主宰，不名有主宰。故必先細心辨別，實實認得正路，然後在正路上立定主宰，一心一意行去，步步有益，日日見功。所謂能謹於始，自全於終也。易曰：不出戶庭，無咎。蓋言預有定見耳。世間糊塗學人，雖曰為性命，其實不知重性命。亦不知性命之事是何事。看的輕，視的易，模模糊糊，直然要了性命。沒有一定主宰，只聽梆聲。今日學此，明日學彼；朝去拜李，暮去拜王，裝下一肚皮古董雜貨。隨意做作，及至受傷，無法醫治，悔之晚矣。或有見些幻境假像，認為效驗，不辨是非，誤了前程；或遇真師，無有長久念頭，忽來忽去。原其故，皆是無有真正主宰，所以懸虛不實，虛度歲月，空空一世。吾勸真心學道者，速將無主關口打通，拿定主宰。先窮其理，日夜用心，鑽研實義，嘗探趣味。不拘年月，愈久愈力。鑽研來，鑽研去，鑽研出個眉眼，確有所知，自然主宰愈牢，智慧愈開。從此捉定這個主宰，時刻不放，再求師印證，細撥火候，指示運用，方能得真。即或誤入歧途，做的不妥，心有疑惑，不妨求教高明，直告無隱，審問破疑，雖不得真，亦可免禍。否則，無有真正主宰，乃亂乃卒，不識邪正，不分真假，無有一定主宰，本欲求生，反而促死，妄想明道，難矣。

速效關

聖經曰：格物而後知至，知至而後意誠，意誠而後心正，心正而後身修。道德經曰：大器晚成。上陽子曰：大修行人，盡將平時憂愁思慮艱苦之心，執著貪愛之念，悠然脫去，無一毫牽掛之念。真要形如枯木，心若死灰。古仙云：言語不通非眷屬，工夫不到不方圓。又曰：還丹在一時，煉己須十月。此皆言修道必須循序而進，漸次用功，日久方得。不可躐等而求，急欲見效也。夫性命之學，長生久視之道。長生久視必須有長久之念，長久之行，年深日遠，功力不廢方能濟事。非一朝一夕而能成。蓋以人從無始劫以來，罪積如山，孽深似海。現世帶來劫劫根塵、輪回種子，與夫秉受後天五行偏氣，習染塵垢，千妖百怪，亂亂紛紜。迷我元神，耗我元氣，盜我元精。將先天真物消化怠盡，一身純陰。所存者一些微陽，亦隱而不彰。若欲拔盡曆劫輪回根塵種子，化去後天五行偏氣，積習舊染，非耐的年月，下的苦功而不能見效。蓋以一毫陽氣不盡不死，一毫陰氣不盡不仙。故祖師設返還之道，教學者從實地上做功夫。步步出力，時時勤行，漸次用功，期必至於陰氣化盡，陽氣純全而後已。所謂陰氣者，即根塵偏氣習染之陰；所謂陽氣者，即元神元氣元精之陽。試思去此陰還此陽，豈是容易而能去，等閒而能還哉？是道也，不但行持維艱，即欲明的陰陽，亦非易事。世間糊塗學人，方入門戶，即想口訣；未曾學事，即想成道。經書不究，功德不行，即遇明師，妄想順手取寶。殊不知連城之壁，非可易得；子母之珠，最難尋求。修真妙道如壁如珠，必須下的工夫，耐得年月，方能見效。豈可儻然而得？亦有儻然而得者，不是旁門，必是曲徑。旁門曲徑見效易而成功難，久而必受其害。若夫真正大道，修的是先天無形之氣，見效難而成功易，久而必得其益。況聞道者小聖人，成道者大聖人。欲作聖人，必要祖上有大德，自己前劫有功行，今生早遇明師，得聞大道。若祖上缺德，自己少行，如何得聞聖人之道，如何得到聖人之位？然既為學人，須當先盡人事，志誠下苦，真心聆教。行的一步有一步之益，行的十步有十步之益。即或今生今世，於大事不明，宿根已栽，來生可望。吾勸真心學道者，速將速效關口打通。立起經久不已之志，聞一善言，見一善行，即留心採取。習玩丹經，親近明師，在切身現在處下功夫學去，縱然不 能完成大道，卻異常人，不於苦海作活計矣。否則，不立長久志，不存永遠心，急欲見功，輕視懈怠，本欲上天，反墜於坑，妄想明道，難矣。

粗心關

至聖曰：學而不思則罔，思而不學則殆。又曰：溫故而知新。孟子曰：心之官則思，思則得之，不思則不得。悟真曰：俗語常言合聖道，宜從其內細尋討。若將日用顛倒求，大地塵沙盡成寶。古經云：識得一，萬事畢；使的二，去處是；認的三，不索參。此皆教學者細心窮理，必須真知灼見，而不可粗心了事也。性命之學至重至大，不比世間尋常小事，可以將就而作，稍有些差錯，欲求長生，反而促死，豈可輕易？故欲了性命，先要究明性命之理，然後好作性命之事。性命之理非身內有形有質之物，亦非身外至重至濁之物。說到此處，諸天及人皆當驚疑。其驚疑者，非身內，非身外，將在何處捉摸乎？自古旁門三千六百，曲徑三百六十，各分枝葉，自拈門戶。以訛傳訛，以盲引盲，分枝楂葉，愈久愈多。奇奇怪怪，滿耳梆鈴，罩眼蜂蝱。有絕不經見，絕難想到，出入意外之事；有絕不似道者，僅可以哄愚迷，而不能哄明智。至於似是而非，似乎道而不是道，不是道而卻似乎道，不但愚迷者信之，即明智者亦被瞞過。一入網中，終身難出。即如丹書所言陰陽五行元精元氣等語，采戰家以陰陽為男女，愚迷者信之，明智者必不信；工夫家以氣之一呼者為陽，一吸者為陰，愚迷明智者皆信之；有人言五行是心肝脾肺腎，愚迷者信之，明智者必不信；有人言五行是精神魂魄意，愚迷明智者皆信之；有人言元神是思慮之神，元氣是呼吸之氣，元精是交感之精，愚迷者信之，明智者必不信；有人言元神居天穀，元氣在氣海，元精在丹田，愚迷明智者皆信之。又如丹書所言性命元牝黄庭等象，有人言腎氣為命，心神為性，愚迷者信之，明智者必不信；有人言窮通壽夭為命，賢愚善惡為性，愚迷明智者皆信之；有人言元牝在生門，黄庭在頭腦，愚迷者信之，明智者必不信；有人言元牝是咽喉，黄庭在臍輪，愚迷明智者皆信之。又如丹書所言清淨虛無、煆煉金丹之說，有人言修煉內丹必須清清淨淨、空虛無物，外丹必須採取藥物，煆煉熟成，內丹修養以了性，外丹服食以接命，不論愚迷明智者皆信之。凡此似是而非之旁門，最易惑人。古今多少聰明良材、英雄志士，皆被瞞過。碌 碌一生，終無歸結。殊不知修真大道，所修者先天真一之祖氣。此氣恍惚杳冥，曰希曰夷曰微。視之不見，聽之不聞，摶之不得。然雖不見不聞不得，其實至無而含至有，至虛而含至實，生天地、含陰陽、包五行，萬理具備，萬象皆該。非可於身內求，非可於身外尋，乃在虛無中來者。性命於此寓，生死於此寄，仙佛於此成，爐鼎於此安，藥藥於此采，火候於此運，四象於此和，五行於此攢，金丹於此成，聖胎於此結。逆運陰陽在此，竊奪造化在此，超凡入聖在此。至於元牝門、元關竅、黄庭、土釜無不在此。所謂得其一而萬事畢者即此。這一天機秘密，天地鬼神不可得而測度，豈是等閒而知，容易而曉？惟有大智大慧者方能知，惟有大功大德者方能曉，惟有大力大苦者方能學，惟有大志大量者方能進，惟有細心追求，耐的久遠，下的功夫，方能得。況修持有法則，作用有火候，工程有次序，節節不一，隨時變通。雖要自己鑽研，還求明師指點。至若丹經萬卷，多是以有象比無象，以有形喻無形，豈是粗心可以會悟，大意能以見真哉？世間糊塗學人，用不得心思，下不得苦功，耐不得年月。一言半語，即要通徹；似是而非，便欲成道。認其比象，而不究實意；記其話頭，而不細嘗滋味。無怪乎見偽書即作偽事，遇旁門即走旁路。不辨真假，不論是非，只說門門有道，書書演真。冒作亂為，自招其禍。凡此皆粗心而不細心之故。吾勸真心學道者，速將粗心關口打通。細心鑽研，把道理撥去一層入一層，悟了一條進一條。須要分開邪正，辨出是非，見的理之精髓，知的道之肯綮。自己心中了然，實實信得過。一理貫通，見的天上地下萬事萬物皆是如此。左之右之，前之後之，道氣盈滿。方是真知真見，大悟大徹，不被執象著空之事所惑矣。否則，不能細心鑽研，粗心了事，知的如此而實未見的如此，猶在恍惚疑似之間，妄想直登道岸，難矣。

虛度關

至聖云：後生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？四十五十而無聞焉，斯亦不足畏也已。紫陽真人曰：嗟夫！人身難得，光陰易遷，罔測修短，安逃孽報？不自及早醒悟，惟只甘分待終，若臨岐一念有差，墮於三途惡趣，則動經塵劫，無有出期。三丰真人曰：拜明師，問方兒，下手速修猶太遲。此皆言學者須當年少時及早勤學，而不可虛度歲月也。夫日月易逝，光陰似箭，百年歲月，悠忽間耳。世間萬般皆假，惟有性命是真。重性命者，須當逞年少力強之時，立定主意，勇猛向前，一念純真，尋師訪友。志誠學學去，尋出個救命良方，以了出世因緣。莫待氣敗神昏，筋骨衰疲，還不得元，複不得本，待時大化，豈不枉來世間一場。蓋年少力強之時，東奔四走，饑寒困苦能以受的，神足氣旺，易於為力；前程悠遠，可以有造。萬不可虛度歲月，打混過日，有誤性命。故古人寸陰是惜，朝乾夕惕，不使一時空空放過也。世間糊塗學人，不知立志修持，貪戀世事，看不開名利，放不過衣祿。認假棄真，日謀夜算，醉生夢死，自惹煩惱，自生苦楚。喜怒哀樂而俱有，貪嗔癡愛而皆全。無益處偏去用心，有益處反不著意。即不在聖賢經書上辨理，又不於明師良友處聆教，只圖豐衣足食。打夥成群，口說雜話，心生雜念，身行雜事，枉自錯過時光。異日閻王老子討要飯錢，將何支持？絕不思歲不我與，一過不來。不以性命大事為重，而反幹身外傷身害命之事，是以有用之歲月，置於無用之地，豈不可悲哉！吾勸真心學道者，速將虛度關口打通。將性命時時刻刻放在心上。一舉一動，一言一語，不可忘了。遇師受教，逢友參學。即或大道不明，亦不蹉跎歲月，終得成個好人，免造罪孽。若果專心致志，能受大苦、立大功，神明默佑，真師鑒賞，大道可冀。否則，不重性命，志氣不振，空過年華，妄想仙道，難矣。

退志關

易曰：碩果不食，君子得輿，小人剝廬。古仙云：七十八十，一息若存，尚能還丹。三丰真人曰：梅寄柳，桑接梨，傳與修真作樣兒，自古神仙栽接法，人老原來有藥醫。此皆言年老者不可灰心退志，半途而廢，必須耄而好學，愈老愈勤，至死方休也。夫金丹之道，歸根複命，返老還童，重複接命之道也。返老還童非是易形變像、容顏如童之說，乃是歸根複命，返還於神全氣足，無虧無欠，娘生本來面目也。本來面目不難返還，特患人無志氣恒心耳。雖年老力衰，而先天靈根未曾全泯，但不過為後天客氣消磨虧傷矣。若遇明師，誠求栽接之法，用功修持，增其陽氣，損其陰氣，增之又增，損之又損，增損到無可增損處，虧者而仍圓，無者而複有，依然當年囫囫圇圇、完完成成一個原本。此便是歸根複命；此便是返老還童；此便是接命之法。接得命住，我命由我不由天。再做向上事業，直達聖域，老何病乎？昔葛仙翁六十歲聞道，住證靈霄卿相。呂祖五十四歲聞道，修成大羅天仙。紫清六十四歲聞道，修成不壞真身。三丰七十余歲聞道，修成十極大羅真人。以上祖師皆是年老成道，修道何拘老少乎？然則有志者雖年老亦成道，無志者雖年少不成道。志之為功大矣哉！世間糊塗學人，當年少之時，既不下肯心，虛度歲月，及其年老，心灰意冷，即思退步，別務事業。或有早遇明師，得聞香風，自己下不的攻苦，若存若亡。遲延至老，自委無力可辨，即便歇足不前。凡此皆始勤終怠，自誤前程，將誰咎乎？殊不知先盡人事，後待天命。走過一步少一步，作的一事了一事，立定至死方休的念頭，縱然不生不能直登千峰頂頭，能上半山，較之山下之人，不啻雲泥之異。若因年老退志，四大平放，不肯向前，自畫其限，所謂閻王不叫，自送其死也。吾勸真心學道者，速將退志關口打通。須要年老志強，誠心辦事。間或大事不成，宿根已栽，後世來生一出頭來，便異於人，決能成道。如有大德大力，不懼生死，現世即能了事。否則，委於年老，不肯努力，自退志念，到的回頭一著，手忙腳亂，無處歸宿，難矣。

誇揚關

老祖曰：多言數窮，不如守中。至聖曰：君子欲訥于言而敏於行。《玉樞經》曰：以誠而入。古仙曰：知者不言，言者不知。此皆教人誠實用功，而不可虛張聲勢也。夫修真之道，至精至細，最詳最深，必須審問慎思，極深研幾，功力日久，而後見真。必須志念堅固，腳踏實地，愈久愈勤，而後得真。非可以似是而非、隔靴瘙癢，草草了事；非可以輕薄自滿、空搭虛橋而已。若明道稍有些兒恍惚，行道稍有些兒懸虛，不但不能行，而且不能知。故學道者，期必至於真知確見、真履實踐為貴歟。世間糊塗學人，學下幾個功夫，自負有道，數黄道白，人前混說亂講；做過幾日搬弄，見的有些效驗，自謂得道，裝模做樣，目中無人。凡此皆是賣弄精神，以不知為知，以不是為是，自誇其能，虛沽其名。殊不知性命之學，原是為己，非是為人；原是顧內，非是顧外。當未聞道之時，急欲求其知，須要細心辨別以窮理。及其聞道之後，急欲求其行，須當潛修密煉以用功，始終一味，誠心辦事，別無二念。所謂用志不分，乃凝於神，更何有閒暇工夫在人前誇能喧揚，沽名釣譽哉？吾勸真心學道者，速將誇揚關口打通。如愚如訥，謹言慎行，莫持己長，莫圖虛名，以性命為重，真心實意前行。未聞道者低頭學道，已聞道者低頭修道。若到功果完滿之時，至誠前知，神通廣大，自不誇而人俱誇，自不揚而人皆揚。方且百世而後，說者稱獎，聞者仰慕，永傳不朽，何須自誇自揚，以圖虛名哉？否則，無而為有，虛而為盈，自是自足，欺己欺人，妄想成道，難矣。

幻景關

悟真曰：不移一步到西天，端坐諸方在眼前。項後有光猶是幻，雲生足下未為仙。又曰：女子著青衣，郎君披素練。見之不可用，用之不可見。三丰曰：空即色，色即空，識破真空在色中。了了真空無色相，法相長存不落空。此皆言大道無形無象，不著於幻景也。夫性命之道，真常之道也。真常之道，不怪誕，不奇異，無形色，無做作，無勉強，自自然然，平平常常。故老君謂之自然，孔聖謂之中庸，釋迦謂之無住。特人在道中而不知道耳。只因有生以後，氣質性發落於後天造化，順其陰陽陶冶，內而妄念紛紛，外而六門勾引，內外交攻，本來自然者變為不自然，中庸者變為不中庸，無住者變為有所住，真者潛而假者發，失其本來面目矣。是以祖師設以術延命之法，從有為而入無為，由漸修而至頓悟，仍返還於自然、中庸、無住，真常永久不壞耳。未嘗於自然、中庸、無住、真常之外，別有增減也。雖雲奪造化、轉生殺、逆陰陽、扭氣機、結金丹、凝聖胎、自外有身等事，只是完的一個真常物事，豈有借取一切有形有質非類雜物乎？既雲真常，有何景象？若有景象，則非真常，而不自然，不中庸，不無住矣。世間糊塗學人，聞金丹之說，疑其必有丹之景象；聞蟾光之說，疑其必有光之景象；聞偃月之說，疑其必有月之景象；聞霞光之說，疑其必有霞之景象；聞紅光之說，疑其必有紅之景象；聞結胎之說，疑其必有胎之景象；聞元關一竅之說，疑其必有關之景象；聞元牝之門之說，疑其必有門之景象。更有旁門外道之徒，行內觀之功，而見五臟，自謂見了景象。或坐定心之功，耳聞仙樂，目見光華，自謂坐出景象。或行住想之功，神遊仙境洞天，見有龍鳳樓臺，自謂有真景象。或眼視一處，久而神光外散，忽明忽暗，自謂有了景象。或默朝上帝，久而神不守室，雲來霧去，覺在空中，自謂道成景象。或運氣逆升，覺的上下輪轉，骨節沖透，自謂開關景象。或服氣餐霞，覺的腹中響動，丹田有物，自謂結丹景象。如此等類，皆是認其幻景，以假為真。輕則受其病患，重則傷其性命。殊不知真常之道，非色非空，無形無象，豈有奇奇怪怪之幻景乎？至於大道完成，身外有身，形神俱妙，與道合真，無形生出真形，無象生出實象。聚則成形，散則化氣，有仍是無，無而實有，有無不立，與虛空同體，有何景象？不特旁門外道，幻景不是道，即修持正道，功深日久，識神作殃，亦現奇怪幻景，來敗吾道。或報吉凶，或化鬼怪，或化美女仙童，或化虎豹狼蛇，等等異形。若稍著意，鉛飛汞走，大事壞矣。大抵正道沒幻景，幻景非正道。總而言之，不認幻景為妙。吾勸真心學道者，速將幻景關口打通，把一切執象空寂等事掃去。從自然真常處留心窮究，自有個無象之象，空而不空之實理，可以了性，可以了命。否則以幻景為真，不但旁門固壞大事，即正道亦壞大事，而欲成道，難矣。

恥辱關

道德經曰：江海能為百谷王者，以其善下之。金剛經曰：忍辱波羅密。傳大士曰：頻經五百劫，前後極時長。承仙忍辱力，今乃證真常。此皆言修道者，貴乎能受恥辱也。夫載道之人，其心如山，其量似海。山之為物，雲來霧去隨他，林遮雪蓋隨他，風吹火熱隨他，而山之本體，不動不搖，萬古如此。學道者，志念堅固，遇貧窮而不知，逢災患而不曉，其心亦是如此。海之為物，混濁甜苦之水來也容的，九江八河之水入也容的，黿鼉蛟蜃潛藏也容的，而海之本量，不增不減，永久如此。學道者，能忍辱受垢，遇逆事而不爭，處卑下而不恥，其量亦是如此。特以為性命者，能受人之所不能受，方能載人之所不能載。故仲夫子衣敝縕袍，與衣狐貉者立而不恥。顏子一簞食、一瓢飲，在陋巷，人不堪其憂，顏子不改其樂。曾子縕袍無表，顏色腫膾，三日不舉火，十年不制衣，正冠而纓絕，捉衿而見肘，納屨而踵決，曳蹝而歌商頌，聲出金石。長春受惡人拳打，順受而不爭；紫清被橫逆喝罵，喜納而不校。以上聖賢，皆是中之所謀者大，而身外一切不順之境，非禮之加，俱所不計也。世間糊塗學人，縱性而行，由心而作。身處貧寒，見富貴者，而羞愧，自不多事，遇橫逆者即動火。磕著撞著便起無明；言語稍犯，即要爭辨。更有一等愚人，妄想學道，而又不尊重道。或挾貴而問，或挾賢而問，或挾長而問，或挾有勳勞而問，或挾故而問，不肯虛心誠求。或在衆人觸目之地，努起身份，大模大樣，不能低頭，怕人笑話。殊不知自大者終不大，自尊者終不尊。如此舉止，縱有祖師對面，神仙同室，何益於事？吾勸真心學道者，速將恥辱關口打通。把一切世事上假恥假辱，置於度外，另取出個不能明道、不能成道之真恥真辱。立定志念，努力前行，自有無限好事來臨。否則，以不恥為恥，以不辱為辱，好強爭勝，只欲人服我，我不去服人；只知高於人，不知下於人。妄想聞道，難矣。

因果關

易曰：積善之家，必有餘慶；積不善之家，必有餘殃。書曰：作善，降之百祥；作不善，降之百殃。又曰：天作孽，猶可違；自作孽，不可活。參同曰：初正則終修，幹立未可持。正陽翁曰：種麻即得麻，種黍即得黍。此皆言有因必有果，凡事謹之於始，自能全之於終也。蓋天地間一切大小事物，皆有因果。善有善之因果，惡有惡之因果。為善者必有善報，為惡者必有惡報。為善者，善之因也；善報者，善之果也。為惡者，惡之因也；惡報者，惡之果也。善惡之報，如影隨形，毫髮不爽。故君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐懼乎其所不聞。念念歸善，不使有一些惡念生於方寸之中。非禮不履，非義不行，行行皆善，不使有一件惡行見於日用之間。念念善，行行善，因善，而果未有不善者也。試觀世間殺人者償人命，救人者人報恩，感以善，應以善，感以惡，應以惡，此感彼應，有因有果，自然而然。所謂一念之善便是天堂，一念之惡便是地獄，天堂地獄，惟人自造。孟子曰：禍福無不是自己求之者。老子曰：禍福無門，惟人自招。觀此而因果之理，豈不顯然易見哉？世間糊塗學人，不信因果，損人利己，傷天害理，無所不為。或騙化十方，以為得計；或假裝有道，以哄愚迷；或借黄白假術，而破人家產；或以閨丹邪事，而引人作惡；或枉口嚼舌，而譭謗高明；或陰謀暗箭，而壞人好事。諸如此類，皆是不信因果。殊不知作善作惡，是修結果之路。修成善路，異日造物者，送你善路上去享福；修成惡路，異日造物者，送你惡路上去受罪。諺云：要知前世事，今生受者是。要知後世事，今生作者是。此言真實不虛，不信來世，試觀現世，現世少年作善者，老年受福；少年作惡者，老年受罪，此人人共知共見者也。吾勸真心學道者，速將因果關口打通。一念一事，須要謹慎，一動一靜，不可忽略。先學一個不作孽、不造罪的好人，然後理會大事，以圖上進，庶乎有造。若因果不論，即要學道，又要作孽，明知明昧，罪上加罪，妄想聞道，難矣。

書魔關

悟真曰：契論經歌講至真，不將火候著於文。要知口訣通元處，須共神仙仔細論。又云：卦中設象本儀形，得象忘言意自明。舉世迷徒惟執象，卻行卦氣望飛升。上陽子曰：大道從來是強名，陰符道德始存經。神仙次第丹經續，口訣安能紙上明。此皆言讀經書而不可偏執經書也。夫經書典論，千比萬喻，所以為後世學人開明路，指大道，劈邪示正。其中藥物真假、作用是非、工程次序、修性修命無一不備，但其言幽隱，其理深奧，以有形比無形，以有象喻無象，非可粗閱而知，亦非可以私猜而曉。況性命之學，不比世間有形有象之物能以顯言明書，至於性命之所以然，大道之所以妙，議之則非，言之則失。丹經子書雖極力形容，有言之而言不及，書之而書不出，其能言能書，亦大略耳。學道者用心鑽研，會的大略，便能識的門戶，分的邪正，從此再求明師，方有進益。若執經書以意猜度，依己偏見，自謂道即在是，再不就正於有道，誤之甚矣。故棄經書全不理論，固是大錯，若執經書再不求人，更是大錯。棄書執書皆非也。世間糊塗學人，看過幾卷丹書，見有鉛汞砂銀之說，不入於服食，便歸於燒茅；見有男女彼我之說，不入於閨丹，便歸於採取；見龍虎龜蛇之說，不疑為肝肺，便認為心腎；見顛倒逆運之說，不疑為後升，便認為前提；見清靜無為之說，不疑為空寂，便猜為存想；見以術有為之說，不疑為搬運，便誤為扭捏；見泥丸、黄庭、元關、衆妙門、昆侖頂等說，便疑為色身有方有所之穴竅；見谷神、嬰兒、聖胎、金丹、法身等說，便疑為身內有氣有血之結聚。如此之類，不一而足，各憑己見，自拈門戶，以假為真，碌碌一生，終無所成。不但無益，而且有損。原其故，皆由執書為道，不求明師，中了書魔，誤了大事。聖人云：博學之，審問之。若只博學，而不審問，所謂饒君聰慧過顏閔，不遇真師莫強猜者是也。吾勸真心學道者，速將書魔關口打通。不要為書所誤，先須細玩經書，辨別邪正，認定門戶，訪求明師，以證是非。萬不可自作聰明，似是而非，草草了事。否則執書為道，自以為得，妄想成道，難矣。

著空關

佛曰：發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心者，於法不說斷滅相。智者禪師曰：法法生妙法，空空體不空；斷滅不斷滅，智覺悟深宗。心經云：舍利子，色不異空，空不異色。色即是空，空即是色。悟真曰：饒君了悟真如性，未免拋身卻入身。何似更兼修大藥，頓超無漏作真人。緣督子曰：今人學道者不得正傳，不悟平叔未煉還丹莫入山之說，惟欲避喧求靜，遁世遠人，出妻屏子，離塵絕俗，窮谷深山獨居孤處，以為自高，如此則棄世間法也。三丰子曰：再休誇清靜無為也得還丹。此皆言大道真空不空，而非頑空寂滅之學也。夫道也者，至無而含至有，至虛而啟至實，空而不空，不空而空，乃法則兩用，有無一致，無為而無不為。試觀天地無為而萬物生，日月無為而四時運，聖人無為而天下治，是無為之中而有為，非空空無為之說。若以空空無為為道，則道為死物，非天地日月聖人之道，乃木雕泥塑無用之道，何足以為道哉？夫所謂道者，徑路也。人通行為路徑，無人行者非路徑。可知性命之學，必先求其知，而後努力其行，知所以為行，行所以全知。況修真者，修行也，空寂之學，何雲修行，謂之守空則可，謂之修行則不可。故頑空事物，古人有磨磚作鏡之譏，積雪為糧之諷，蓋因其虛而不實也。世間糊塗學人，不究道之源流，不辨理之是非。或灰心止念，忘物忘形；或空穀守靜，一塵不染；或守定一竅，養氣存神；或目注頂上，一意不散；或對鏡定視，冀望出神；或念存明堂，想像赤珠。如此等類，皆是頑空斷滅之事，非是修道，實是昧道，如何能複初歸根，了性了命，形神俱妙，與道合真，超出乎陰陽造化之外哉？況人自有生以來，受後天陰陽五行之偏氣，又帶無始劫以來輪回根塵之雜氣，若無點化群陰之大法，扭轉造化之本領，只以空空無為畢其事，怎能返陰為陽，拔去曆劫孽苦種子乎？吾勸真心學道者，速將著空關口打通。急訪明師，另求個起生回生實落事務，早下功夫，莫要捉風捕影，望梅止渴，耽誤前程，空過歲月。否則，空空無為，無捉無拿，有何實濟？妄想成道，難矣。

執相關

金剛經曰：不可以三十二相見如來。圓覺經曰：我今此身，四大假合。悟真曰：陽裏陰精質不剛，獨修一物轉羸尪。勞形按影皆非道，服氣餐霞總是狂。又後序云：今之學人，取鉛汞為二氣，指臟腑為五行，分心腎為坎離，以肝肺為龍虎，以神氣為子母，執津液為鉛汞，不識浮沉，寧分主賓，何異認他財為己物，呼別性為親兒？古仙云：莫執此身雲是道，此身之外有真身。此皆言不執色身以為道也。夫修真之道，先天之道，先天之道，能以無形化有形，能以無象生實象，能以奪造化、竊陰陽、逆氣機、了生死，非同一切在色身上作工夫者可比。色身為四大假合之物，外而眼耳鼻舌口，內而心肝脾肺腎，與夫骨節穴竅，皆是假物，那有一件是真。大限一到，一堆朽骨臭肉。若執此身而修，如何了得性命，出得生死？故老祖云：吾之所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無身，吾有何患？可知色身為人生之大患，因其是大患，故祖師留金丹大道，教人修持性命，去假保真，脫此大幻也。脫去大患，自有無患者存。無患者，真身也。真身又名法身，又名陽神。此身修成，入水不溺，入火不焚，入金石無礙，陰陽不能鑄，造化不能拘，與天地同長久，與日月同光明，修色身者，焉能到此地位？世間糊塗學人，不辨是非真假，亂學冒做，如夜間走路，夢中作事。或搖骨而擺髓，或推前而運後，或拆東而補西，或運氣撞頂門，或逼精而上腦，或行八段錦以活骨，或運六字訣以提氣，或以兩腎中間為元關，或以腎前臍後為黄庭，或以口鼻為玄牝，或以丹田為命根，或以天穀為性地，或以心腎為嬰兒姹女，或以肝肺為青龍白虎，或吸氣過臍輪至丹田為胎息，或運氣撞三關，至腦後為開關。更有拭目咽津、納清吐濁、摸臍勒便，等等擺弄作為，不可枚舉，皆謂之執相，皆是在皮肉囊上做事業，破插袋內弄虛頭，與先天性命之道，天地懸隔。到的年滿月盡，一無所持，可不傷哉！吾勸真心學道者，速將執相關口打通。把性命二字著實下個實落功夫，追究出個下落。如何是性？如何是命？性於何處存？命於何處寄？果然將性命二字辨的分明、認的真確，即知性命不在眼耳鼻口舌身，不在心肝脾肺腎，不在三百六十骨節，不在四肢百脈血液，別有個無方無所、無形無象的秘密物事。不在內，不在外，正在虛無寂寞之境。從此進步，便有著落，不至認假失真，為旁門所誤。否則，不知性命是何物，在一身上下亂摸揣，有形有質處亂做作，妄想成道，難矣。

閨丹關

老祖曰：萬惡淫為首。《悟真》云：房中空閉尾閭穴，誤殺閻浮多少人。古經云：若說三丰采戰法，直教九祖沉淪。此皆言禦女閨丹，不但無益於性命，而且大損於陰德也。夫所謂金丹者，原本也。此丹此本，人人具足，個個圓成，處聖不增，處丹不減。本來性命一家，陰陽混合，五行同氣，亦無可修，亦無可證，只因先天陽極，後天陰生，性命兩處，陰陽相隔，五行錯亂，足者有虧，圓者有缺。日復一日，年復一年，虧者愈虧，缺者愈缺，而固有原本全失，埋沒不彰。故祖師設金丹返還之道，使人重複修持，返之還之，仍歸於具足圓成、無虧無缺原本而後已。返還之道，即返還於性命一家，陰陽混合，五行同氣耳。返還之法，仍是在陰陽五行中修持，故有男女、彼我、嬰兒、宅女、金公、木母、女子郎君、黄婆媒聘等等法象。千方比喻、萬樣形容，總以明和合陰陽、攢簇五行耳。故呂祖云：效男女之生，必發天機，而作洩天之機。蓋道法與世間男女生人之道無異，其所異者，借凡父凡母而生色身，借靈父聖母而生法身。聖凡之間，一順一逆，天地懸隔。三丰所謂順為凡，逆為仙，只在中間顛倒顛者是也。然其事雖與世間男女生人之道同，並不著於世間男女幻相。丹書所謂陰陽者，即靈父聖母也；即吾身中之真陰真陽也。真陰真陽，亦非身中後天有形有質之陰陽，乃無形無質之陰陽。一身後天之陰陽且用不得，而況身外男女陰陽乎？世間糊塗學人，不思性命乃無形無象、無方無所之物事，誤聽盲師邪說淫詞，於世間男女肉皮囊上作事物。或弄三峰采戰；或行九淺一深；或度九女為九鼎九轉；或采首經，按前後三；或摘首經梅子為服人參果；或取經後鮮血，為吞真紅鉛；或神交而體不交；或隔簾而口吸氣；或男下女上為顛倒陰陽；或男抽女氣為依坤種乾；或服婦乳為接補；或禦少女為煉劍；如此等類，不可勝數。出醜百端，穢汙不湛，寡廉鮮恥，行同禽獸。道至如此，尚忍言哉。更有一等愚而又愚，罪上加罪之造孽頭，借祖師之名，作淫邪偽書，傳流後世，引人為惡。或以閨丹注解古經，紊亂聖道，如彭好古、知幾子，自欺欺人，學者誤入籠中，終身難出，豈不可懼可怕。噫！性命之道，乃至清至潔、至尊至貴真陰真陽二氣交感，在虛無中凝結成象，名曰聖胎，又謂男兒有孕。雖曰胎孕，非血氣有形之物，乃精粹清陽之氣，凝聚而成。若取少女之濁血濁氣而凝結成胎，不但不是上天堂之聖胎，適以成入地獄之鬼胎。求其為人而不可得，何敢望仙乎？吾勸真心學道者，速將閨丹關口打通。將淫欲等等門路，掃個乾淨，另尋出個真陰真陽，打成一片，自然有一點靈苗於中生出。可以作仙，可以作佛，與天地同長久。否則，淫欲作惡、損人傷德，天良已壞，妄想成道，難矣。

爐火關

徐真人曰：雜性不同類，安肯合體居。淳于真人曰：同類易施功，非種難為巧。紫陽真人曰：休煉三黄及四神，若尋衆草更非真。陰陽得類歸交感，二八相當自合親。潭底日紅陰怪滅，山頭月白藥苗新。時人要識真鉛汞，不是凡砂及水銀。又云：休泥丹灶費功夫，煉藥須尋偃月爐。自有天然真火候，不須柴炭及吹噓。三丰真人曰：五金八石皆是假，萬草千方總是差。金蝦蟆、玉老鴉，認得真的是作家。此皆言金丹大道，非爐火燒煉之術也。夫所謂金丹者，金取其堅剛不壞之義，丹取其圓成無虧之義，堅剛圓成，故名金丹，即本來先天真一之靈寶。一名先天真一之氣，一名生物之祖氣，一名先天靈根，一名元始寶珠，總而言之曰真靈至精之氣。此氣在儒則曰太極，在釋則曰圓覺，在道則曰金丹。無形無象，非色非空。然雖無形而能生有形，無象而能生實象，非色而能生妙色，非空而卻是真空。本於先天，藏於後天，為性命之根、仙佛之種、聖賢之基。知而修之，可以脫生死、出造化、超凡入聖、不生不滅，但人認不得這個根本種子，所以當面錯過。若欲認得的，非可妄猜私議，必求明師口傳心授，方能見真，又要明師細指藥物真假、火候是非、工程次序、作用法則方可進步。古來仙經，演說細微，形容奧妙，其理其法無一不備，其如千變萬化，方便立名，隨物取象，雜物撰德，以有象比無象，以有形喻無形，分散辯論，各指一理一法而論。其意幽隱，內藏天機，難以顯言，教學人得象忘言，得意忘象，自窮處究，自會自悟耳。窮之不得，究之不明，就證有道。由博而約，自疑而悟，非是即書即道也。其實祖師一言一語，皆是性命切近妙用，身心分內實學，並非捨近求遠，借用世間滓質之物也。世間糊塗學人，道在邇而求諸遠，事在易而求諸難。不究其意，但認其象，不窮其理，僅記其言，猜枚打謎，各出己見。見有大小金丹之說，而即疑為有形有質之物；見金鼎玉爐之說，而即疑為泥灶銅鐵之具；見鉛汞藥物之說，而即疑為水銀黑錫之凡物；見黄芽白雪之說，而即疑為燒煉升打之靈霜；見文烹武煉之說，而即疑為柴炭吹噓之凡火。以金石草木之濁物，鍛煉服食，妄想接無形之性命。殊不知竹破須將竹補宜，抱雞當用卵為之。世間凡物與我性命非類，安能接得性命？又有一等癡迷漢，借祖師金丹入口，點化凡軀之說，或借通道金丹一粒，蛇吞立變成龍，雞餐亦乃化鸞鵬之名句，而遂烹煉金石砂汞三黄四神之藥，妄想吞服飛升，變形易象。絕不思濁肉濁骨，金石之藥怎能點化變形飛升？愚之甚矣。況金石之藥本來有毒，加之火煉，藥毒火毒結於一處，其毒愈大，服之而爛腸壞膚，未有不喪其命者。昔九江張尚書信服食，呂祖點化不悟，題詩於門曰：可惜九江張尚書，服藥失明神氣枯。不知還丹本無質，謬餌金石何太愚。後果失明。可知金石之藥不能濟事，反而壞事，古今受此症者，可不勝數。更有一等貪財作孽之輩，借祖師欲求天上寶，須要世間財之語，以為買鼎辦藥，非財不成，而遂東覓外護，西尋巨富，哄騙愚人，肥肉美酒，混吃混喝。或用增銀之法，或去紅銅之血，或燒鉛點汞，或燒茅煉銅。凡此等類，皆是假物，怎能成真？甚至盜去真物，換出假物，拐人資財，敗人家產，忍心狠心如同賊寇，其惡其毒，尚可言哉？昔正陽祖師傳與呂祖黄白之術，利人濟物，呂祖因三千年以後還元，恐害後人，不願為之。其居心為何如？爐火迷徒，不知積德而反傷德，服祖師之服，背祖師之行，大喪天良，縱然人容，天豈能容哉？吾勸真心學道者，速將爐火關口打通。把一切燒煉、丹藥、烹煎、茅法等等不善事物掃去，在身心性命上細心鑽研，尋出個乾坤爐鼎，找出個烏兔藥物，運三昧真火，鍛煉成寶，方有實濟。否則以金石為點心，以毒藥為命寶，無益有損，妄想成道，難矣。

以上五十條，皆學人要命關口、陰路大魔，須要關關打通，方好進步。若有一關不通，即被此一關擋住，任爾蓋世英雄，拔山烈漢，寸步難行。學者須要認得真，信得過，雖不能遽然皆通，漸次著力，終有打通之日。倘認不真，信不過，終在關內，而不能出於關外，欲上大路，除是插翅而飛，騰雲而過，豈不誤了前程？一切學人，將這些關口略不經意，看為小可，捨近求遠，舍易求難，自己病根不去，妄想他人家業；自己人事不盡，妄想他人天寶。誰肯將家業交於病漢，誰肯將天寶付於匪人？夫性命之道，天下第一件大事，天下第一件難事，非大力量、大功德之大丈夫載不起，作不成。果能諸般關口，便是大力量、大功德之大丈夫，若遇明師一點，大道大望，直登彼岸，縱橫順逆沒遮攔，步步見功，何愁道之難成乎？

絕言歌

曾憶昔年落魄時，一念精誠訪真師。燕京河南枉跋涉，山右關中空賓士。眼裏多見獅駝怪，耳邊只聞狐狸辭。盡說神仙容易遇，誰曉正道最難知。否極泰來神明告，指無金城求大道。龕谷老人非等閒，出言吐語俱深奧。附耳說破元牝門，當時陰陽能顛倒。大機大用本自然，不似旁六強作造。臨別分付謹收藏，先盡人事再商量。止因離的座下早，後事不明暗心慌。一十三年疑團抱，漢上幸沾仙留光。挖出天根並地髓，指示烏肝與兔腸。火候急緩仔細說，工程前後分明訣。修性修命有勉安，觀竅觀妙安時節。四象和合丹始還，五行混一胎即結。陰盡陽純方圓成，打破虛空無生滅。耳中聽得這真詮，豁然貫通入妙玄。始終條理皆了悟，從此才識天外天。琪花瑤草面前有，白雪黄芽身內全。左之右之皆珠寶，前也後也俱金蓮。這個天機怎尋討，要尋必須立志早。先把世事盡丟開，次將情緣一概掃。虛心自下訪高明，極深研幾探理腦。苦盡自然生出甜，志堅終久得真寶。悟元平素發願深，大公為懷無私心。惟望人人登聖域，常喜個個聞法音。曲徑外道亂正道，銅點汞金充真金。學者多入縵天網，志士每進黑松林。這些冤屈何處告，臨時悔遲枉泣號。大抵理路不細窮，蓋因懸虛無定操。那知聖道有真傳，怎曉造化豈易盜。若非大行與大功，蓬萊咫尺空心躁。可笑世間糊塗人，妄想天衢反落塵。以盲引盲傷陰德，即訛傳訛入迷津。吾今不忍大道墜，因此細把祖脈陳。非是沽名與釣譽，豈圖饒舌亂鼓唇。參悟直指破譬語，周易闡真火候序。前後辯難別是非，道德會義定規矩。原旨作用俱明言，會心藥物皆細敘。指南悟道演精微，破疑通關結道侶。辭句愈淺理愈明，節目極小功極精。謹細自卑能高上，慎微由虛而能盈。若還捨近求遠事，終必圖大誤前程。不如先治切身病，莫要躐等想長生。說到這裏無剩義，修行法則沒餘地。千言萬語皆演真，一條一句有深意。不比包皮外象譚，儘是成仙了道秘。雖然現世少知音，留與後賢細酌議。吾今老矣不耐煩，願心已了欲絕言。塞兌閉門毀智慮，斂華就實顧本原。眼內不觀塵世事，心中長掛混元幡。如愚如訥無知識，陰陽造化一手掀。

Source Colophon

The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Tongguan wen (article 通關文, revision of 28 April 2022), 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 work itself, printed in 1812, is in the public domain. The wiki header and license templates have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.

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