古仙佛所炼之丹,人皆谓为元精,纯阳菩提,舍利子等物。不知此乃仙佛所炼后天金丹,非先天
元丹。先天元丹者,畀之降衷,禀之父母,无影无形,无声无臭,极诚极明,至虚至灵。不炼后天金丹以辅
之,则渐失于昏,渐至于无。故藉后天以补先天,即以先天统属后天。若第以精气所结为元丹,亦无灵有象
之顽物耳!安能出入由己,生死如归哉?是必炼谷化精,炼精化气,炼气化神,结成金丹,以善养元丹,
于活泼泼地静待天命,安能脱化?斯古仙佛上乘功夫。
养婴之法,修养与胎养不同。胎养之婴,精成形而神具焉。修养之婴,神入定而气送焉,胎养之婴,
藉气以聚神,以活。修养之婴,藉精以蓄气,以导。胎养者,由气生精,由精生神。修养者,以气敛神,
以神调精。胎养之婴成有神,御气以送精,所以先出者为精,是因先天而有后天也。修养之婴,以气
炼精而存神,所中主者为神,是以后天而补先天也。常人不知护蓄、成人后精必亏,气必馁。归时,精
顽气落,神与具散,而入于鬼。修士善于保重,成功后精必凝,气必结。归时,精完气升,神随之出而
存其灵。礼记所谓,魂气升于天,形魄归于地。中庸所谓弗见弗闻,体物不遗者,皆此意也。婴何由
能出?其体至轻,其用至灵,以气之至轻,送神之至灵,自与轻清上浮之天契合。无闲安能不出入上
清乎?要之,婴之能出,必由定之能入,定之能入,必由运之能久,婴由昏而明,明而清,清而轻,轻
而虚,虚而灵,灵而神。斯与天地合撰,日月合明,四时合序,鬼神合吉凶矣。尽人合天,舍此何从。
其理精粹,其事平庸,人习焉不察,遂忽焉不觉耳!慎毋惑于旁门左道,从身中有形之精为婴也。有形
之精,在身中是一块血肉,非轻清之品,如何能到上清世界?!世俗所称肉身成圣,是以肉身修成圣人。
拔宅飞升,是合一宅而飞空上升耳。岂身与宅可安置于上界哉?!纵世有传说!皆后人附合之词也。
揆之于理,万难取信。
The elixir refined by ancient immortals and Buddhas is generally considered by people to be Yuanjing (Primordial Essence), Pure Yang Bodhi, Sarira (Relic), and other substances. However, they do not realize that this is the Postnatal Golden Elixir refined by immortals and Buddhas, not the Prenatal Primordial Elixir. The Prenatal Primordial Elixir is endowed by Heaven, inherited from parents, without shadow or form, without sound or smell, extremely sincere and bright, reaching the utmost emptiness and spirituality. If one does not refine the Postnatal Golden Elixir to assist it, one will gradually become dim and eventually vanish into nothingness. Therefore, one uses the Postnatal to supplement the Prenatal, while simultaneously using the Prenatal to govern the Postnatal. If one merely regards the congealed essence and qi as the Primordial Elixir, it is but a dull object with spiritlessness and tangible form! How could it be able to enter and exit at will, regarding life and death as returning home? One must refine grain into essence, refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit, and condense them into a Golden Elixir, thereby properly nurturing the Primordial Elixir. Only by waiting quietly for the Mandate of Heaven in a vibrant state can one achieve transformation. This is the supreme skill of ancient immortals and Buddhas.
The method of nourishing the infant differs from fetal nourishment. In fetal nourishment, the infant has formed its body through essence and possesses spirit. In self-cultivation nourishment, the spirit enters Samadhi (meditative absorption) while qi guides it. Fetal nourishment relies on qi to gather spirit to activate it; self-cultivation nourishment relies on essence to accumulate qi to guide it. Fetal nourishment proceeds from qi generating essence, and essence generating spirit. Self-cultivation nourishment uses qi to collect spirit, and spirit to regulate essence. When the fetus-formed infant acquires spirit, it drives qi to send forth essence; thus, what emerges first is essence, which arises from the Prenatal to produce the Postnatal. In the self-cultivated infant, qi refines essence to preserve spirit, where spirit plays the dominant role; this supplements the Prenatal through the Postnatal. Ordinary people do not know how to protect and store essence; after adulthood, essence inevitably becomes deficient, and qi becomes weak. At the time of death, essence becomes rigid, qi falls, and spirit scatters along with the body, leading to becoming a ghost. Cultivators are good at cherishing themselves; upon success, essence becomes condensed, and qi becomes gathered. At the time of death, essence is complete, qi rises, and spirit follows out, preserving its spirituality. As stated in the *Book of Rites*, "The soul and qi ascend to Heaven, while the form and魄 (corporeal soul) return to Earth." As stated in the *Doctrine of the Mean*, "Though unseen and unheard, it permeates all things without omission." All these refer to this meaning. How can the infant exit? Its substance is extremely light, and its function is extremely spiritual. Using the extreme lightness of qi to send off the extreme spirituality of spirit, it naturally harmonizes with the light and clear Heaven that floats upward. Without distraction, how could it not exit to enter the Supreme Purity realm? In summary, the infant's ability to exit depends on the ability to enter Samadhi; entering Samadhi depends on the longevity of practice. The infant goes from drowsiness to clarity, from clarity to purity, from purity to lightness, from lightness to emptiness, from emptiness to spirituality, and from spirituality to divine spirit. Thus, it harmonizes with Heaven and Earth, illuminates with the Sun and Moon, follows the order of the Four Seasons, and aligns with the auspicious and inauspicious influences of spirits and ghosts. To make humanity harmonize with Heaven, what path is there other than this? The principle is exquisite, yet the practice seems mundane. People are accustomed to it and do not notice, thus ignoring it unconsciously. Do not be confused by heterodox schools, mistaking有形 (tangible) essence within the body for the infant. Tangible essence is merely a piece of flesh and blood within the body, not a light and pure substance; how can it reach the Supreme Purity World?! Secular terms like "flesh-body becoming a saint" mean achieving sainthood through the physical body. "Flying up with the entire household" means flying into the sky together with the whole house. Could the body and house truly be placed in the Upper Realm?! Even if such legends exist, they are all words attached by later generations. Examined by reason, they are hard to believe.