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Where there are heaven and earth, there are men and women. There are many men who become immortals, but few women who do so. Why? It is generally because men can travel to seek the Dao, whereas it is difficult for women to leave home to find a master;
There are countless scriptures on male Dan (internal alchemy for men), while those on female Dan (internal alchemy for women) are scattered and sporadic, lacking dedicated books; ten out of seven or eight men can read and understand the meanings, while one in a hundred women can.
If there were dedicated books on female Dan, if all women could read and understand them, and if they were permitted to travel conveniently to seek masters and the Dao, then the number of women becoming immortals would not necessarily be less than that of men.
However, there are also many drawbacks in women's cultivation. Let me briefly discuss them: Some slander those who cultivate; some despise the practice of cultivation; some loathe hearing about cultivation; some obstruct others' paths to cultivation; some are unaware of the beauty of cultivation; some know its beauty but find worldly ties hard to sever; some have severed worldly ties and entered Buddhist monasteries, merely enjoying a quiet life without bravely advancing forward; some lack foundation in youth and support in old age, burdened by complex affairs and debts, using Buddhism as an escape to barely secure food and clothing; some are reckless and muddled, failing to follow the stages of cultivation; some lump together Qian and Kun (male and female principles), unaware of the distinction between male and female Dan; some only know male Dan scriptures but are ignorant of female Dan scriptures; some take refuge in Buddhism, chanting Buddha's name to cultivate nature (Xing), yet fail to use specific female Dan secrets to cultivate life (Ming); some take refuge in Taoism, mistakenly identifying the Qi gate located one inch and three fen below the navel—a point for men—as the female mysterious pass (Xuan Guan); some join benevolent halls, knowing only to eat vegetarian food, worship deities, chant sutras, bow to Buddha, release lives, and perform good deeds to invite blessings and avoid disasters, unaware that for women, cutting the Red Dragon (stopping menstruation) is the urgent priority; some do not repent, absolve grievances, resolve karmic debts, ward off disasters, subdue demons, establish merit and virtue, exhaust principles and perfect nature, before rashly beginning to cultivate life; some, though kind-hearted, are too deeply tainted by habits, arrogant and self-reliant, seeking no secret instructions from enlightened masters, and recklessly attempting to cut the Red Dragon; some cling to the mysterious pass, accumulating Qi until illness arises, leading to death; after cutting the Red Dragon, some are unaware of the sequence and timing of male Dan practices; some encounter demonic trials—such as warfare, fire and water, plague, lawsuits, verbal disputes, rumors—and when their protective masters or friends fall ill, die, argue, or scatter, they lose their resolve and abandon the path halfway; some gain half-knowledge and boast, believing the Dao lies therein; some, like ordinary people, have unfinished business making pure cultivation difficult; some are distracted by wandering thoughts, blinded by profit and desire, engaged in a battle between human and heavenly natures, cultivating yet effectively not cultivating; some wish to remain chaste and cultivate but are hindered by natal family members; some wish to remain widowed and cultivate but are rejected by their husband's family; some admire immortals and Buddhas but delay turning back, pushing it to next year; some wish to accumulate sufficient resources for nourishing the Dao before cultivating; some are insatiable, filled with anger and poison, overly attached, continuing sexual relations, entangled in love nets, unwilling to part with children, yet vainly seeking immortal destiny; some fail to transform "Qi," developing lumps from worry, yet only fantasize about becoming immortals; some lack dignified demeanor and pure hearts, speaking ill of others, content to be fools, yet hoping for celestial guidance; some raise and kill animals, using the excuse of "putting down the butcher's knife to become a Buddha instantly"; some consume meat and alcohol, citing "Meat and wine pass through the intestines, but the Buddha sits in the heart"; some fast verbally but harbor hearts like wild wolves and tigers, viewing parents-in-law and sisters-in-law as enemies; some mistakenly enter heterodox paths, unaware of the orthodox way; some trust blindly in matchmakers, fortune tellers, spirit mediums, and claims of observing flowers or water, leading to madness or seduction into lewdness; some secretly lure virtuous women to serve as cauldrons for others, acting as intermediaries themselves, thereby ruining their own reputations; some virtuous women, bewitched by sexual alchemists, willingly serve as cauldrons seeking immortality, only to ruin their reputations later; some visit mountains and temples, randomly attaching to monks, Taoists, or male teachers in benevolent groups, planting roots of passion; some nuns, Taoist priests, and teachers in benevolent groups exploit heavenly grace to act as proxies, traveling widely with talismans, spells, sacred waters, swords, spiritual strikes, foot formations, elixir burning, and ingestion techniques to instruct women and amass wealth under the guise of Dao; some receive secret instructions but neither seek self-benefit nor benefit others; some transmit secrets to unworthy persons, leaking heavenly mysteries and facing condemnation; some withhold transmission, cutting off the lineage of the Dao; some mishear evil monks and rogue Taoists regarding alchemical arts, setting up numerous alchemical rooms, vessels, cauldrons, and instruments, refining and ingesting the Great Elixir of Three Origins, hoping to ascend to the imperial court, only to end up with nothing and bankrupt; some indiscriminately absorb solar and lunar essences, swallow clouds and exhale mist, breathe air, ingest herbs and minerals, or manipulate limbs and Dantians, resulting in severe, incurable illnesses; some believe their bodies are broken and leaky, making cultivation impossible, and thus give up hope.
All these deviations make attaining fruition difficult. To attain fruition, one must understand Dan scriptures, verifying the body with texts and texts with the body. Using the principles in books and the phenomena experienced in the body, consult masters and friends to distinguish orthodoxy from heterodoxy and decide what to follow, thus avoiding confusion by blind masters and evil friends and falling into these pitfalls. If already afflicted, repent immediately. If not yet afflicted, be especially vigilant. I summarize it in one phrase: "The Dao is outside the body." Its essence is revealed as: "The Dao is within the self-heart." The principle of the initial separation and subsequent union of Qian and Kun sources must be clearly distinguished for women. There are three main aspects: First, temperament; second, physical form; third, methods.
Men belong to Yang, which is clear. Women belong to Yin, which is turbid. Men are rigid, women are soft. Men's emotions are urgent, women's are slow. Men's thoughts are mixed, women's are pure. Men are active; activity causes Qi to leak easily. Women are passive; stillness causes Qi to gather easily.
Men correspond to Li (Fire) like the sun, completing a cycle in a year. Women correspond to Kan (Water) like the moon, completing a cycle in a month. Men's Qi is hard to subdue, women's Qi is easy to subdue. This is the difference in inherited Qi. Men have a throat knot; women do not. Men's breasts produce no milk and are small; women's breasts produce milk and are large. Men's pelvic base protrudes; women's is concave. Men have a "chamber of essence"; women have a "uterus." Men's life force resides in the Qi gate; women's in the breasts. Men regard the waist as the Kidney; women regard blood as the Kidney. Men possess Essence, white in color, named White Tiger. Women possess Blood, red in color, named Red Dragon. Male essence contains Yin within Yang. Female blood contains Yang within Yin. Male essence Qi is abundant; female blood Qi is slight. This is the difference in physical form.
Men first refine the primal origin, then refine physical substance. Women first refine physical substance, then refine the primal origin. Men's Yang energy leaks downward; women's Yang energy rises upward. When men achieve perfection, they do not leak essence, called "Subduing the White Tiger." When women achieve perfection, they do not bleed menstrually, called "Cutting the Red Dragon." Men's essence reverses to become immortal; women's blood ascends directly to the Heart cavity. Men's seven lotuses are hard to open but easy to close; women's are easy to open and close. Men's cultivation is called Solar Qi Refinement; women's is Lunar Form Refinement. Men refer to the fetus state; women to breath regulation. When the White Tiger is subdued in men, the penis shrinks to the size of a child's. When the Red Dragon is cut in women, the breasts shrink to resemble men's. Men's spirit emergence is late, and thus attainment is late. Women's spirit emergence is swift, and thus attainment is swift. Men can transcend independently; women require deliverance. Men must face walls in meditation; women rarely return to emptiness. Men become True Persons; women become Yuan Jun (Primordial Ladies). This is the difference in methods.
Regarding the principles of Nature (Xing) and Life (Ming), there is no difference. I advise women to seek sameness in differences, and differences in sameness. All differences exist before the Red Dragon is cut. All similarities exist after the Red Dragon is cut. This is an unchanging truth through the ages. Therefore, female Dan scriptures often state that after cutting the Red Dragon, the refinement of medicine, returning the Elixir, and the timing of fire should be referenced from male Dan scriptures, such as Wu Shouyang's *Tianxian Zhengli* and *Xianfo Hezong*, and Liu Huayang's *Jinxian Zhenglun* and *Huiming Jing*, which are particularly crucial. If women can understand the principles, apply the methods, and practice the skills without disorder or error, how could they engage in blind cultivation and suffer strange diseases? However, I initially did not know of these pros and cons in female cultivation.
My father and brothers both favored Buddhism and Taoism. I recall my late father once telling my mother: "For women, practicing this in youth transforms Qi; in old age, it cures illness; for widows, it strengthens the resolve to remain chaste. As for becoming immortal or Buddha, it depends on the magnitude of merit and depth of effort, which cannot be compared across different stages." This is why my mother enjoyed this practice tirelessly for nearly thirty years. Later, my sister-in-law, niece, maternal relatives, daughter, clan relatives, and various aunts and elder sisters followed suit, quite numerous. While they made progress in precepts and concentration, they were clueless about Life cultivation. My mother worried and ordered me to set aside personal concerns and seek female Dan scriptures and secrets whenever I encountered cultivators of the Three Teachings. After years of inquiry without success, I eventually obtained a copy of *Moni Zhukun Ji* from Master Xuecen, containing over seventy works. Generally, they detailed Nature but obscured Life, beyond the comprehension of dull-rooted individuals. Fearing I could not fulfill my mother's command, my heart burned with anxiety. In the Gengzi year, secluded in Mount Emei, I collected Daoist classics day and night, excerpting any mention of female Dan, compiling over ten works into a volume titled *Nüdan Hebian*. Presented to my mother, she was delighted and ordered it treasured as our family's secret manual for female cultivation.
In the winter of the Guimao year, I went to Chengdu's Erxian An to collate the *Daozang*. I saw that Yan and Peng's printed *Kunyuan Juelu* contained only *Kunyuan* and *Kunning*, matching our family's secret manuscript. Indeed, the southwest abounds with Daoist vessels, yet dedicated female Dan books are rare. Yan and Peng truly understood my heart. Since confidants are hard to find, I present *Nüdan Hebian* for your review. Yan and Peng praised it and urged publication. For the sake of shared interest, I dare not withhold it, though my view is limited and I feel ashamed. I only hope other superior editions will be shown to me to satisfy my mother's wish; obtaining jade from throwing bricks would be doubly fortunate!
I further exhort women: Whoever holds this compilation must sever the Seven Emotions, eliminate the Six Desires, sweep away the Three Minds, fly past the Four Appearances, let go of all conditions, empty the Five Aggregates, remain unyielding despite setbacks, and not retreat when encountering demons. Refine blood into Qi, Qi into Spirit, Spirit into Emptiness, Emptiness into Non-being. Upon attaining the Golden Immortal, imperishable for eons, you will attend the Queen Mother above and save sentient beings below. I believe at the Peach Banquet, you will not lag behind male immortals. Women, strive for it! I await your success daily!
These plain words are offered with a common perspective; may those who understand forgive me, and please do not mock.
Autumn of Yisi, Guangxu Era, Preface by He Longxiang of Jingyan.