Scripture of the Golden Liquor

Continuity with the later history of tvaidan is also shown by the use of gold for casting vessels. Both Taiqing and other tvaidan sources record this use of alchemical gold. The received version of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor says ... 

Ge Hong s summary of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor Jinye fing) omits important details of the method. Some scholars have examined its chemical features, but not enough attention has yet been paid to the Scripture of the Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals, by the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature [Baopu zi shenxian jinzhuo jing), which describes the same procedure in full. ... 

The Scripture of the Golden Liquor says Throw a golden figurine of a man weighing eight ounces into an east-flowing stream, and utter an oath after drinking some blood. Only then you may receive the oral instructions. Baopu zi, 4.83)... 

Transmutation into gold is also mentioned in the received text of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor, which states that if you add yellow clay to the Golden Water and the Mercury [Water], and calcine them (duan) over an intense fire for one day, they will entirely transmute themselves into gold. ... 

Uses of the Reverted Elixir. The third part of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor concerns the uses of the Reverted Elixir. Placed on fire, it will form the Elixir-Gold (or Cinnabar Gold, danjin). This can be used for smearing the blades of swords that keep the other weapons ten thousand miles away (a phrase that also appears in the Nine Elixirs) or for casting dishes and cups. Those who eat and drink from these vessels can live as long as Heaven and Earth, for these vessels, like the fangzhu mirrors, absorb the essences of the sun and the moon. ... 

Elixir for the Nomination to Immortal. The fifth and final part of the received Scripture of the Golden Liquor concerns another elixir. By adding yellow clay to the Gold and Mercury Waters one obtains gold after one day of heating, and the Elixir for the Nomination to Immortal after two days. When one ingests this elixir, one will be able to retire to a mountain or a river and become an immortal. This is referred to in identical terms by Ge Hong ... 

The other man who comes from the east is Zhao Sheng, one of Zhang Daoling s two main disciples with Wang Chang. We have already met both disciples in Chapter 3 of this book as the putative authors, with their master, of the preface to the variant version of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor. 

On the three main Taiqing texts and their present versions in the Daoist Canon see below. Chapter 3. The Scripture of the Nine Elixirs and the Scripture of the Golden Liquor are translated in Chapter 9 and Chapter 10, respectively. 

The summary in the Inner Chapters is compared to the received Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals below, pp. rr4-i8. Lor more details on the Scripture of the Golden Liquor and the Taiqing jinye shendan jing see Appendix B. 

Kaltenmark, Le Lie-sien tchouan, 18. On becoming as radiant as the sun after ingesting an elixir see, for instance, the passages quoted above, pp. 13 and 15, from the Scripture of the Golden Liquor and the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs. 

Baopu zi, 4.83, summarizing the Scripture of the Golden Liquor (translated below, p. 114). On the pure chamber in early Daoism see Stein, Remarques sur les mouvements du taoi sme politico-religieux au He siecle ap. J.-C., 70-72 Stric mann, Le Taoisme du Mao Chan, 149-52 and Yoshi awa Tadao,... 

The last three substances are used as solvents. There are some identical methods in chapters 8 and 16 see note 26 below, and my comments to the translation of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor, p. 189. Stone spleen is attested as a synonym of la e salt see Shiyao erya, 1.3 b. 

---