Wǔ zhēn rén dān dào jiǔ piān 伍真人丹道九篇
Master Wǔ’s Nine Chapters on the Elixir-Way
by 伍守陽 (Wǔ Shǒuyáng), dated 1640 (大明崇禎十三年庚辰春)
A nine-chapter inner-alchemical compendium by Wǔ Shǒuyáng, completing his trilogy of major works (with KR5i0066 Xiān fó hé zōng yǔ lù and KR5i0067 Tiān xiān zhèng lǐ zhí lùn). The yuán qǐ (origin) signed by Wǔ himself narrates the WǔLiǔ pài’s foundational transmission to Prince Zhū Tàihé of Jí over a 25-year span: in Wànlì yǐmǎo (= 1615) Wǔ first transmitted to Tàihé diànxià the bǎirì liàn jīng formula (100-day refinement of essence); seven years later, Tiānqǐ rénxū (= 1622), the cǎidàyào formula (gathering-the-great-medicine); six years later, Chóngzhēn wùchén (= 1628), the wǔlóng pěngshèng formula (five-dragons-supporting-the-sage); finally, four years later, Chóngzhēn rénshēn (= 1632), the Xiān fó hé zōng quán zhǐ full-purport. The 9 chapters were assembled in the Chóngzhēn gēngchén spring (= 1640) by Wǔ himself.
Prefaces
Origin-statement (Wǔ Shǒuyáng), dated 大明崇禎十三年庚辰春 = spring 1640. “Chōngxūzǐ in Wànlì yǐmǎo first transmitted to Jí Wáng Tàihé diànxià the hundred-day refining-essence oral-formula; passing seven years to Tiānqǐ rénxū, again transmitted with the gathering-great-medicine oral-formula; passing six more to Chóngzhēn wùchén, third transmission of the Wǔ lóng pěng shèng oral-formula. Further requested for the Xiān fó hé zōng full-purport — not yet permitted. Passing four years to rénshēn, then permitted to transmit; thereupon the Xiān fó hé zōng mystery-marvellous full-purport was wholly leaked between the show-and-instruct moments; further the Qiūzǔ gate-down’s zhèngchuán fújié (orthodox-transmission tally-and-charter) was also given to him. Because his asking was meticulous, my answer was detailed; assembling into nine chapters, I instructed him: ‘this truly is the supreme treasure of Huángtiān — it must meet the same-virtue same-aim and the ancestor’s-and-father’s benevolent-and-worthy class before it can be transmitted; do not let it be transmitted to one who is not the right person.’ — The time is great-Míng Chóngzhēn 13, gēngchén spring; Qiūzǔ gate-down 8th sub-lineage tally-and-charter inheriting disciple Chōngxū Wǔ Shǒuyáng inscribed.”
Preface (the Xiān fó hé zōng preface). “The fruition-position of the immortal-lineage realises long-life; the fruition-position of the Buddhist-lineage realises no-life. Yet realising no-life must take long-life as its real arrival; realising long-life still further must take no-life as its beginning-and-end. This is what is called xìngmìng shuāngxiū. — This record unfolds the immortal-lineage and uses the Buddhist-lineage as verification, therefore named Hé zōng; nothing other than to make all-the-world later-ages know that xìngmìng shuāngxiū is the essential. — Earlier there was the Tiān xiān zhèng lǐ zhí lùn nine-chapter setting forth the immortal-principle in detail; now further the Xiān fó hé zōng yǔ lù nine-chapter — to expound the secret method that the Zhí lùn did not unfold, and to exhaust the Heaven-mechanism that the oral-transmission did not leak. With this record, the mystery-within-mystery and wonder-within-wonder are bright as the sun-and-stars. Whoever obtains it, eternally treasure it.”
Abstract
The compact summary of the WǔLiǔ pài transmission, dated 1640 — the last of Wǔ Shǒuyáng’s major works, completed shortly before his death in 1644. The “nine chapters” structure aligns with the systematic xìngmìng curriculum but presents it in concentrated formulary rather than in extended exposition. The detailed transmission-history given in the yuán qǐ — naming exact years and exact stages of transmission to Prince Zhū Tàihé over 25 years — is one of the most documented pedagogical sequences in late-imperial Daoism.
The text is closely paired with KR5i0066 Xiān fó hé zōng yǔ lù: in some editions the two are bound together, with the Jiǔ piān serving as the formal transmission-charter and the Yǔ lù as the elaborated dialogue.
Translations and research
Links
- Kanseki Repository KR5i0070
- Author: 伍守陽.