Essence of the Taoist Canon

Master Chen Niwan Chen Nan (d. 1213), a famous Daoist alchemist of the Southern Lineage known for his "Thunder Magic" and medical skills. says in his Chapters of Emerald Emptiness:

This refers to using the "days and hours" as the standards and measures for practice. The "day" represents the Fire Fire (Huo): In internal alchemy, this refers to the concentrated intention and metabolic heat used to transform energy., and the "hour" represents the Timing Timing (Hou): The specific moments or stages during meditation when the intensity of focus should change.. If a person can take the hours and days of the heavens and seek them instead within their own body, then the position where the Sun resides becomes the present moment in their own internal clock.

The Chapters on Understanding Reality The "Wuzhen pian," one of the most important texts in the history of Chinese internal alchemy. says: "In refining the medicine, one must know the dusk and the dawn." This refers to the fact that there is an early and a late stage to Movement and Stillness. Movement is like the sun rising to begin the day's work; stillness is like the sun setting to begin the night's rest. Within my own body, there is naturally a dawn and a dusk, a sunrise and a sunset. The movement and stillness of the "Fire Times" each secretly correspond to the degrees of the heavens. This is not a matter of using the movement of the stars or the timing of the tides as the moment to begin one's work.

In Spring and Summer, rely on the internal essence, moving from the hour of the Rat to the hours of the Dragon and Snake. In Autumn and Winter, correspond to the external application, from the hour of the Horse until the hours of the Dog and Pig.

A hexagram has six lines. The bottom three lines are the "Internal," and the top three lines are the "External." Let us clarify this using the two hexagrams Zhun Zhun: Hexagram 3, "Sprouting." and Meng Meng: Hexagram 4, "Youthful Folly.".

In the morning, one uses Zhun, which is the time when the Yang Fire is ascending. The first line of Zhun corresponds exactly to the Hour of the Rat Hour of the Rat (Zi): 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM, the time of the first "spark" of light/energy. within the body. Because it moves from the inside to the outside, it is called "Spring and Summer," and it relies on the "internal essence" from the hour of the Rat through to the hours of the Dragon and Snake The sequence from Zi (Rat) to Si (Snake) represents the increasing growth of light and heat (Yang)..

In the evening, one uses Meng, which is the time when the Yin Talisman is descending. The top line of Meng corresponds exactly to the Hour of the Horse Hour of the Horse (Wu): 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, the peak of heat and the beginning of the descent into darkness/coolness. within the body. Because it moves from the outside to the inside, it is called "Autumn and Winter," and it corresponds to the "external application" from the hour of the Horse through to the hours of the Dog and Pig The sequence from Wu (Horse) to Hai (Pig) represents the gathering and storage of energy as it cools (Yin)..

However, these terms—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, the hours of the day, and the talk of "internal essence and external application"—are all merely metaphors. If one stubbornly clings to the literal images and follows the written text as a rigid schedule for the "Hexagram Breath," they will merely exhaust themselves with hard labor. What benefit could there be in that?

Diagram of the Internal Alchemical Cycle

• The Center: The hexagrams Kan (Water) and Li (Fire) are at the core, representing the fundamental ingredients of the elixir.
• The Rings: The twelve Earthly Branches (Rat, Ox, Tiger, etc.) are arranged in a circle to show the progression of the twenty-four hour day.
• The Seasons: Spring and Summer are mapped to the left and top (East/South), associated with the Internal Essence and the rising of energy. Autumn and Winter are mapped to the right and bottom (West/North), associated with External Application and the storage of energy.
• The Application: The diagram serves to map the "Fire Times" (the intensity of meditation) onto the natural cycle of a single day, showing that the practitioner's internal state should mirror the cosmic cycle.