Huang Ting Nei Jing Jing (黃庭內景經) · Volume 3

二十四真出自然高拱無為魂魄安清靜神見與我言

the Twenty-four True Ones come forth of themselves (zi ran: so of oneself, so by nature, which does not mean "the natural world"); fold your hands high in wuwei (non-contrived action, which does not mean doing nothing) and the spirit-soul and bodily soul settle; in stillness the spirit appears and speaks with me,

安在紫房幃幔間立坐室外三五玄燒香接手玉華前

resting among the curtains of the Purple Chamber; standing and sitting outside the room, in the mystery of the Three and Five; burn incense and join hands before the Jade Blossom,

共入太室璇璣門高研恬淡道之園內神密盼盡睹真

and together enter the gate of the Great Chamber and the Jade Armillary Sphere; savor high and calm detachment, for that is the garden of the Way; the inner spirits gaze in secret and see the true one in full,

真人在己莫問鄰何處遠索示因緣

the true one is in your own body, so do not ask your neighbor; why go far afield to search before being shown the cause.

隱影藏形與世殊含氣養精口如朱帶執性命守虛無

Hide your shadow and conceal your form, unlike ordinary people; hold the breath and nourish the essence, so that the mouth is like cinnabar; hold fast to nature and fate, and keep to emptiness,

名大上清死錄除三神之樂由隱居倏欻遊遨無遺憂

your name is listed in the Great Highest Clarity and removed from the register of death; the joy of the Three Spirits comes from living in seclusion; roam in a flash and a moment with no sorrow left behind,

羽服一整八風驅控駕三素乘晨霞金輦正立從玉輿

once the feathered garment is put in order, the Eight Winds drive you; take the reins of the Three Plains and ride the dawn clouds; the golden palanquin stands upright and the jade carriage follows,

何不登山誦我書鬱郁竊竅真人墟入山何難故躊躇

why not climb the mountain and chant my book? The dense and hidden orifice is the village of the true ones; what is hard about entering the mountains, yet you still hesitate,

人間紛紛臭帑如

the human world is all bustle and confusion, like a foul and stinking sack.

五行相推反歸一三五合氣九九節可用隱地回八術

The Five Phases push one another and return to the One; the Three and Five join their breaths, and nine times nine is the measure; with these you can hide in the earth and turn the Eight Arts,

伏牛幽闕羅品列三明出華生死際洞房靈象鬥日月

the Hidden Ox and Dark Gate are laid out in rank; the Three Brightnesses put forth blossoms, at the boundary of life and death; the Cave Chamber's spirit images, the Dipper and the sun and moon,

父曰泥丸母雌一三光煥照入子室能存玄真萬事畢

the father is called Niwan and the mother is the Female One; the Three Lights shine and enter your chamber. If you can hold fast to the dark truth, all affairs are finished,

一身精神不可失

and the essence and spirit of the whole body will not be lost.

高奔日月吾上道鬱儀結磷善相保乃見玉清虛無老

To soar to the sun and moon is my upper way; Yu Yi and Jie Lin are good at preserving one another (the base text has "lin" in another character where this "lin" is meant), and so you may see the Elder of Jade Clarity and Void,

可以回顏填血腦口銜靈芒攜五皇腰帶虎錄佩金當

who can bring back the complexion and fill up the blood and brain; he holds spirit rays in his mouth and leads the Five Sovereigns; at his waist a tiger register, wearing a golden pendant,

駕欻接生宴東蒙

driving the sudden swift steed, he welcomes life and feasts at Dongmeng.

玄元上一魂魄煉一之為物巨卒見須得至真始顧盼

The Dark Prime, the Supreme One: spirit-soul and bodily soul are refined and nourished; as for the One as a thing, it is hard to see all at once; one must have the utmost truth before it begins to look upon you,

至忌死氣諸穢賤六神合集虛中宴結珠固精養神根

what is most to be avoided are the breath of death and all foul and base things; the Six Spirits meet and feast in the void; bind the pearl and firm the essence, and care for the root of the spirit,

玉匙金鑰常完堅閉口屈舌食胎津使我逮煉獲飛仙

jade keys and golden locks are always whole and firm; close the mouth and curl the tongue, and eat of the fluid of the embryo; so that I may complete the refining in time and gain flight as an immortal.

仙人道士非有神積精累氣以為真黃童妙音難可聞

Immortals and Daoists have no special powers; they became true by accumulating essence and piling up breath; the wondrous sound of the Yellow Child is hard to hear,

玉書繹簡赤舟文字日真人巾金巾負甲持符開七門

the Jade Book with its strung slips, the writing of the Red Boat; their style is True Person, with a head-cloth of gold; carrying a divine armor on the back and holding a tally, they open the seven gates,

火兵符圖備靈關前昂後卑高下陳執劍百丈舞錦幡

fire soldiers and talismans and charts guard the spirit pass; in front high and behind low, high and low in array; holding a sword a hundred feet long, they wave brocade banners,

十絕盤空扇紛紜火鈴冠霄墜落煙安在黃闕兩眉間

the Ten Extremes coil in the air and fan about in a swirl; the fire bell crowns the Milky Way, dropping smoke. Settle in the Yellow Gate between the two eyebrows,

此非枝葉實是根

this is not the branches and leaves, but truly the root.

紫清上皇大道君太玄太和俠侍端化生萬物使我仙

The Purple Clarity Supreme Sovereign, the Great Dao Lord, with Tai Xuan and Tai He attending at his side; he transforms the myriad things and makes me an immortal,

飛昇十天駕玉輪晝夜七日思勿眠子能行此可長存

to soar through the Ten Heavens, riding a jade wheel; for seven days and nights keep it in mind and do not sleep; if you can practice this, you can endure,

積功成煉非自然是由精誠亦由專內守堅固真之真

accumulate merit and complete the refining, which does not come of itself without effort; it comes from sincerity and also from single-mindedness; if you hold firm within, then you are the truest of the true,

虛中恬淡自致神

in the void, calm and plain, the spirit will naturally be drawn to you.

百穀之實土地精五味外美邪魔腥臭亂神明胎氣零

The fruits of the hundred grains are the essence of the earth; the five flavors are beautiful to the mouth outside, but they bear the foul stench of demons, disturbing the spirit-light so that the embryonic breath withers,

那從返老得還嬰三魂忽忽魄糜傾何不食氣太和精

how can one turn back from old age and return to infancy this way? The Three Souls drift off and the bodily soul rots and collapses. Why not eat breath, and eat the essence of Great Harmony,

故能不死大黃寧

and so you can avoid death and rest in the Great Yellow Peace.

心典一體五藏王動靜念之道德行清潔善氣自明光

The heart is the model of the whole body and the king of the five viscera; in movement and stillness keep it in mind, and the Dao and De will run (De: the portion that the Dao comes to hold in people and things, not "virtue" in the sense of moral preaching); clean and good breath is naturally bright,

坐起吾俱共棟梁晝日曜景暮閉藏通利華精調陰陽

sitting or rising I am with it as a beam and pillar; by day the sun lights its scene, and at dusk it is shut away; it clears and benefits the blossom of essence and harmonizes yin and yang.

經歷六合隱卯酉兩腎之神主延壽轉降適鬥藏初九

Passing through the six directions, it hides in Mao and You; the spirits of the two kidneys govern longevity; turning and descending to the Dipper, it hides in the first yang line,

知雄守雌可無老知白見黑急坐守

know the male and keep to the female, and you will not grow old; know the white and see the black, and you must quickly sit and keep guard.

肝氣都勃清且長羅列六府生三光心精意專內不傾

The liver's breath is luxuriant, clear and long; it arrays the six bowels and brings forth the Three Lights; with the heart refined and the intent focused, within there is no tilting,

上合三焦下玉漿玄液雲行去奧香治蕩發齒煉正方

above it joins with the Triple Burner and below it becomes jade fluid; the dark fluid moves like clouds, removing foulness and bringing fragrance; it washes the hair and teeth and refines them into proper form,

取津玄府大明堂下溉喉嚨神明通坐待華蓋遊貴京

draw the fluid from the Dark Treasury and the Great Bright Hall, and let it irrigate downward through the throat so that the spirit-light connects; sit and wait for the Splendid Canopy and roam in the Noble Capital,

飄搖三帝席清涼五色雲氣紛青蔥閉日內眄自相望

drift about on the mats of the Three Emperors, cool and refreshed; clouds of five colors are green and lush; close your eyes and look inward, so that you gaze upon yourself,

使心諸神還相崇七玄英華開命門通利天道存玄根

and the spirits in the heart return and honor one another; the Seven Mysteries' blossoms open the Gate of Life; clear the way of heaven and keep the dark root,

百二十年猶可還過此守道誠獨難唯待九轉入瓊丹

for a hundred and twenty years you can still return; beyond this, keeping the Way is truly hard to do alone; only wait for the Nine Turns and enter the Jasper Cinnabar,

要復精思存七元日月之華救老殘肝氣周流終無端

and still think on it with refined attention and visualize the Seven Primes; the blossom of the sun and moon rescues the old and frail; the liver's breath flows around and has no end.

肺之為氣三焦起視聽幽冥候童子調理五華精發齒

The breath formed by the lungs rises from the Triple Burner; sight and hearing grow dim and distant as you wait for the youth; set the Five Flowers in order, refined in hair and teeth,

三十六咽玉池裡開通百脈血液始顏色生光金玉澤

thirty-six swallows of fluid in the Jade Pool open the hundred vessels, and the blood begins to flow; the complexion gives off light, with the sheen of gold and jade,

齒堅發黑不知白存此真神勿落落當憶此官有座席

the teeth are firm and the hair black, and you do not know what white is; visualize this true spirit and do not let it scatter and drift apart; you should remember that this office has its seat,

眾神合會轉相索

the spirits meet together and turn about, seeking one another.

隱藏羽蓋看天舍朝拜太陽樂相呼明神八威正辟邪

Hide the feather canopy and gaze upon the Heavenly Lodge; pay homage to the sun and delight in calling to one another; the Bright Spirit's Eight Awes are driving away evil,

脾神還歸是胃家耽養靈根不復枯閉塞命門保玉都

the spleen spirit returns, and this is the stomach's house; concentrate on nourishing the spirit root, and it will wither no more; shut the Gate of Life and keep whole the Jade Capital,