A Translation of The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic by Stuart Alve Olson
The Supreme Medicine has three distinctions:
Ching [Essence], Qi [Vitality], and Shen [Spirit],
Which are elusive and obscure.
Keep to non-being, yet hold on to being
And perfection is yours in an instant.
When distant winds blend together,
In one hundred days of spiritual work
And morning recitation to the Shang Ti,
Then in one year will soar as an immortal.
The sages awaken through self-cultivation;
Deep, profound, their practices require great effort.
Fulfilling vows illumines the Heavens.
Breathing nourishes youthfulness.
Departing from the Mysterious, entering the female.
It appears to have perished, yet appears to exist.
Unmovable, its origin is mysterious.
Each person has Ching.
The Shen unites with the Ching.
The Shen unites with the Qi,
The breath then unites with the true nature,
These terms appears to be fanciful exaggerations.
The Shen is capable of entering stone;
The Shen is capable of physical flight.
Entering water is not drowned;
Entering fire is not burned.
The Shen depends on life form;
The Ching depends on sufficient Qi.
If these are neither depleted nor injured
The result will be youthfulness and longevity.
These three distinctions have one principle,
Yet so subtle it cannot be heard.
Their meeting results in existence,
Their parting results in non-exsistence.
The seven apertures interpenetrate
And each emits wisdom light.
The sacred sun and sacred moon
Illuminate the Golden Court.
One attainment is eternal attainment.
The body will naturally become weightless.
When the supreme harmony is replete,
The bone fragments become like winter jade.
Acquiring the Elixir results in immortality,
Not acquiring it results in extinction.
The Elixir is within yourself,
It is not white and not green.
Recite and hold ten thousand times.
These are the subtle principles of self- illumination.
Lu Szu-hsing’s Appended Verses
The two images of the dragon and tiger are unified through Qi;
Chaos blending as One.
It is not possible to attain the eternal just through invocation.
The Elixir is called Green Dragon and White Tiger;
The Elixir is the nature of no-nature,
Emptiness of non-emptiness.
Even if you are unable to make use of the substance,
You can certainly make use of the function.
Frequently both the substance and conditions
for the substance appear together, although
these are not always perceived as identical.
The ancients said, “The Term emptiness embraces the entire teaching.”
Reference:
The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic: The Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity and Immortality
by Stuart Alve Olson
ISBN 0892811358
p. 114-116
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