试看世上之人不求于名即贪于利而不贪不求者。盖亦鲜矣。惟修道之士。体混元之本法
。天地之枢。立
为洪炉。大鼎以炼其真毫无挂碍。随缘安止。故不与世俗等类也。予于是年作客。汉皋适遇
柯翁怀经汪
翁东亭丰姿俊秀品格高超。飘然有出尘之表。复探其行。止二翁常憩僻处。促膝论道。津津
有味。无日不
然。因谓曰二翁之学志在一身何不着书。广行天下。教后世人人修其慧。命同臻寿域。以建
功德之不朽。二
翁答曰。子之所言者。善也。然道至公岂敢私于一己不费苦心。切究不遭。明师指点。又焉
能闻斯大道乎。
顷即遂出书二帙。以示比阅之。乃知养性编。柯翁所作性命要旨。汪翁所着。退而读之。一
文章华美学业
功宏克继黄老之道脉一辞。旨浅显义理精详尽。露钟吕之玄机守劝以刊刻两卷合成一部。公
诸海内。
以预学人采药炼丹之快捷方式。超凡人圣之慈航也。恐误入傍门者。得遇是书可能去傍而归正
有被伪师
所惑者。得遇是书。亦可知伪而悟真辟其异端得入正道。不负二翁。寿世一片婆心。爰不揣
固陋妄作序以志之。
时光绪十五年荷月天贶日新安弟程守一拜序于云鹤山房
盖闻玄学。自黄帝问道于广成子。以创其始。老子着道德经。以发其源。亘古迄今。成
仙得
道者。莫不以黄帝老子为宗也。予生性嗜慕玄学。搜罗丹经子书。博览经史道籍。历有年所
。无非颇明其理。未得其诀是以浪迹江湖。遍越名山觅访明师。十有二载。一日由匡庐经过
。偶遇天秩吴翁。睹其丰神洒脱。必非常人也。故请问玄旨。答曰。子虽有仙缘诚恐始勤而
终
怠。予以弟子礼事之。复询其诀。师乃大发鸿慈。遂传七返九还。金液大丹之法。火候次序
之妙。予已心领神会。豁然贯通。乃知大道原在己身所得。决非向外求也。嗣后至汉。又遇
柯怀经。李云岚。周俊夫。柯载书等四五道友。同参切究。顿悟全旨。始知起手。性命双修
之理。生人生仙同出一源。下手功夫。明白玄关。一阳初动。神入气穴。化生机缄。次。地
果还生。腹中觉有一物。活活泼泼。如盘走珠次。铅汞
交归真土。仍从窍内发出。先天真铅。谓之药产。次。药物采归炉里。封固停息。以伏神气
。次。气满督任。子进阳火。聚于干顶。卯沐浴以益其铅。午退阴符。降归坤宫。酉沐浴以
益
其汞。次。周天行满。铅气飞尽。 成一块干水银。斯为丹矣次用七日采功。神攒入鼎中。
大药始萌。次。炼到火珠呈象。采大药出炉。营运大周天。穿过后三关降下重楼。落入黄庭
。次。静养道胎。养到十月胎圆气足。迁至上田。次。寄居泥丸。百日冥目。始见天花乱坠
。则出神之景至矣。次。调神出壳。初出顶门。俟金光如车轮之大。即收归于上田。次。一
出一入
。渐渐纯熟。能通天达地。遂以身化身。愈化愈多。不可胜数。古人谓之千百亿化是也。次
。万殊复归一本。炼神还虚。功行圆满。永作帝乡之客。俾学人阅其纲领。庶不致前后
之混
杂也。因不揣谫劣。勉成书一卷。名曰。性命要旨。彰明玄学。大开道门。亦不敢以为己作
。引诸仙口诀。概而证之。愿天下人人修此大道。超升上界。同享天福是予之浓望也夫。
时光绪十三年仲秋月中浣海阳汪东亭(序于北学草堂之玩月轩)
试看世上之人，不求名即贪利，而不求不贪的人，大概很少了。只有修道之士，体悟混元之本法，作为天地之枢纽，立起洪炉、大鼎来炼其真性，毫无挂碍，随缘安止，所以不与世俗同类。
我这一年作客汉皋，恰好遇到柯怀经翁和汪东亭翁，他们丰姿俊秀，品格高超，飘然有出尘之表。我又探询他们的行踪，得知二位老人常栖息在僻静之处，促膝论道，津津有味，没有一天不是这样。于是我对他们说：“二位的学问志向在于修身，为什么不著书立说，广泛流传天下，教导后世人人修慧，使性命同臻长寿之境，以建立不朽的功德呢？”
二位老人回答说：“你说的很好。然而大道至公，岂敢私藏于一己？若不费苦心，切实探究，不遭明师指点，又怎能听闻这大道呢？”随即拿出两本书，给我阅读。才知道《养性编》是柯翁所作，《性命要旨》是汪翁所著。退下来读后，见文章华美，学业功宏，能继承黄老之道脉，言辞浅显，义理精详尽致。显露了钟离权、吕洞宾的玄机，劝我刊刻这两卷合成一部，公之于海内，作为预备学习的人采药炼丹的快捷方式，超凡人圣的慈航。恐怕误入旁门的人，得到这本书可能去除旁门而归正；被伪师所惑的人，得到这本书，也能知道什么是伪而领悟真，辟除异端，得入正道。不辜负二位老人寿世的一片婆心。因此我不揣固陋，妄作序言以记录此事。
时光绪十五年荷月天贶日，新安弟程守一拜序于云鹤山房。
听说玄学，自从黄帝问道于广成子，以此开创其始；老子著《道德经》，以此发其源。从古至今，成仙得道者，莫不以黄帝、老子为宗。我生性嗜好羡慕玄学，搜罗丹经子书，博览经史道籍，已有多年。无非颇明其理，但未得其诀，因此浪迹江湖，遍越名山觅访明师，历时十二载。
一日由匡庐经过，偶遇天秩吴翁，看到他的丰神洒脱，必非常人。故请问玄旨。他回答说：“你虽有仙缘，诚恐始勤而终怠。”我以弟子礼侍奉他，又询问其诀。师父乃大发鸿慈，遂传七返九还、金液大丹之法，以及火候次序之妙。我已心领神会，豁然贯通，乃知大道原在己身所得，决非向外求也。
嗣后至汉，又遇柯怀经、李云岚、周俊夫、柯载书等四五道友，同参切究，顿悟全旨。始知起手性命双修之理，生人与仙人同出一源。下手功夫，明白玄关，一阳初动，神入气穴，化生机缄。其次，地果还生，腹中觉有一物，活活泼泼，如盘走珠。其次，铅汞交归真土，仍从窍内发出，先天真铅，谓之药产。其次，药物采归炉里，封固停息，以伏神气。其次，气满督任，子时进阳火，聚于干顶，卯时沐浴以益其铅，午时退阴符，降归坤宫，酉时沐浴以益其汞。其次，周天行满，铅气飞尽，成一块干水银，斯为丹矣。其次用七日采功，神攒入鼎中，大药始萌。其次，炼到火珠呈象，采大药出炉，营运大周天，穿过后三关降下重楼，落入黄庭。其次，静养道胎，养到十月胎圆气足，迁至上田。其次，寄居泥丸，百日冥目，始见天花乱坠，则出神之景至矣。其次，调神出壳，初出顶门，俟金光如车轮之大，即收归于上田。其次，一出一入，渐渐纯熟，能通天达地，遂以身化身，愈化愈多，不可胜数。古人谓之千百亿化是也。其次，万殊复归一本，炼神还虚，功行圆满，永作帝乡之客。
让学人阅其纲领，庶不致前后之混杂也。因不揣谫劣，勉成书一卷，名叫《性命要旨》，彰明玄学，大开道门。亦不敢以为己作，引诸仙口诀，概而证之。愿天下人人修此大道，超升上界，同享天福，是予之浓望也夫。
时光绪十三年仲秋月中浣，海阳汪东亭（序于北学草堂之玩月轩）
Let us look at people in the world; if they do not seek fame, they covet profit. Those who neither seek nor covet are indeed rare. Only those who cultivate the Dao comprehend the fundamental law of Hunyuan (Primordial Chaos), acting as the pivot of Heaven and Earth. They establish a Great Furnace and Cauldron to refine their true nature, free from all hindrances, resting peacefully according to conditions. Thus, they do not belong to the same category as the secular world.
In this year, while staying as a guest in Hangan, I happened to meet Master Ke Huaijing and Master Wang Dongting. Their demeanor was elegant and handsome, their character lofty and superior, appearing ethereal and transcendent. Upon inquiring about their lifestyle, I learned that these two elders often rested in secluded places, discussing the Dao knee-to-knee with great interest, day after day. I said to them, "Your learning aims at self-cultivation. Why not write books to spread widely throughout the world, teaching future generations to cultivate their wisdom, so that life and destiny may both reach the realm of longevity, thereby establishing immortal merit?"
The two elders replied, "What you say is good. However, the Dao is supremely public; how could one dare to keep it private? Without painstaking effort and earnest investigation, and without guidance from a enlightened master, how could one hear of this Great Dao?" They then produced two volumes for me to read. I came to know that *Yangxing Bian* (Treatise on Nourishing Nature) was written by Master Ke, and *Xingming Yaozhi* (Essentials of Nature and Life) was authored by Master Wang. After reading them, I found the prose magnificent and the scholarship profound, capable of continuing the lineage of Huangdi and Laozi. The language was accessible, yet the principles were precise and comprehensive. It revealed the mysteries of Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin. I advised them to print these two volumes combined into one book and make it public to the world, serving as a shortcut for learners to gather herbs and refine elixirs, and as a compassionate ferryboat to transcend humanity and attain sainthood. For those who mistakenly enter heterodox paths, obtaining this book might lead them away from the wrong path and back to orthodoxy. For those confused by false masters, obtaining this book would allow them to recognize falsehood and awaken to truth, rejecting heresies and entering the correct path. This would not fail the benevolent heart of the two elders who wished to benefit the world. Therefore, presuming upon my own ignorance, I rashly composed this preface to record it.
On the Tiankuang Day of the Lotus Month in the 15th Year of Guangxu, Cheng Shouyi, younger brother from Xin'an, bowed and wrote the preface at Yunhe Study.
It is heard that Metaphysical Learning (Xuexue) began when Huangdi asked questions to Guangchengzi. Laozi wrote the *Daode Jing* to originate its source. From ancient times to the present, those who became immortals or attained the Dao have all taken Huangdi and Laozi as their ancestors. By nature, I am fond of Metaphysical Learning. I collected alchemical classics and philosophical works, extensively studied historical texts and Daoist scriptures for many years. Although I somewhat understood the principles, I did not obtain the secret method. Therefore, I wandered the rivers and lakes, traversed famous mountains, and sought enlightened masters for twelve years.
One day, passing through Mount Lu, I accidentally met Master Wu Tianzhi. Seeing his spiritual demeanor and unconstrained manner, I knew he must be an extraordinary person. Thus, I asked him about the profound principles. He answered, "Although you have the affinity for immortality, I fear you will start diligently but end lazily." I served him with the etiquette of a disciple and again inquired about the secret method. The Master, out of great compassion, transmitted the methods of Seven Returns and Nine Revolutions, the Golden Liquid Great Elixir, and the subtleties of fire intervals and sequence. I grasped them in my heart and understood them intuitively, achieving sudden enlightenment. I then realized that the Great Dao originally resides within oneself and is certainly not sought externally.
Later, arriving in Han, I met several fellow Daoists, including Ke Huaijing, Li Yunlan, Zhou Junfu, and Ke Caishu, totaling four or five people. We participated together and investigated earnestly, suddenly awakening to the complete essence. I began to understand the principle of simultaneous cultivation of Xing (Nature/Spirit) and Ming (Life/Energy). The origin of human birth and immortality is the same. The initial work involves clarifying the Mysterious Pass (Xuan Guan), the initial movement of Yang (Yiyang Chudong), spirit entering the Qi cavity, transforming the mechanism of life and sealing it. Next, earthly fruits return to generation; one feels something in the abdomen, lively and active, like a pearl rolling on a plate. Next, Lead and Mercury intersect and return to True Earth, still emitting from the aperture. The innate true Lead is called the production of medicine. Next, the medicine is gathered into the furnace, sealed and stopped, to subdue spirit and qi. Next, when qi fills the Du and Ren vessels, during Zi hour, Yang Fire advances, gathering at the apex of the Qian trigram; during Mao hour, bathing nourishes the Lead; during Wu hour, Yin Talisman retreats, descending to the Kun palace; during You hour, bathing nourishes the Mercury. Next, when the Small Heavenly Cycle is complete, the Lead qi flies away completely, forming a lump of dry mercury; this is the Elixir. Next, using seven days of gathering work, spirit gathers into the Cauldron, and the Great Medicine begins to sprout. Next, refining until the Fire Pearl presents its image, gathering the Great Medicine out of the furnace, operating the Great Heavenly Cycle, passing through the last three passes, descending down the Chonglou (Throat), and falling into the Huangting (Yellow Court). Next, quietly nurturing the Dao Fetus; after ten months, when the fetus is round and qi is sufficient, it moves to the Upper Field. Next, residing in the Niwan Palace, closing eyes for a hundred days, one finally sees flowers of heaven raining down; this is the scene of spirit exiting the body. Next, adjusting the spirit to exit the shell; initially exiting through the crown, waiting until the golden light is as large as a chariot wheel, then returning it to the Upper Field. Next, exiting and entering gradually become proficient, able to connect Heaven and Earth, thus transforming the body into more bodies, becoming increasingly numerous, countlessly so. The ancients called this thousands of billions of transformations. Finally, myriad differences return to one source; refining spirit to return to emptiness, completing merit and conduct, forever becoming a guest of the Imperial Homeland.
I let learners read its outline so as not to cause confusion between earlier and later stages. Presuming upon my inferiority, I reluctantly completed one volume, named *Xingming Yaozhi*, to clarify Metaphysical Learning and open wide the Dao gate. I dare not claim it as my own creation but cite the oral formulas of various immortals to verify it generally. I wish that everyone in the world cultivates this Great Dao, ascends to the upper realms, and shares heavenly blessings together. This is my ardent hope.
In the middle decade of the mid-autumn month of the 13th Year of Guangxu, Wang Dongting from Haiyang (Prefaced at the Moon-Playing Pavilion of Beixue Cottage).