Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 90 The 24 Secrets of the Golden Gate and Jade Lock: Distinguishing the True from the False M

The Twenty-Four Secrets of Golden Gate and Jade Lock were created by Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Quanzhen School of Taoism. They are a set of secrets for preserving the spirit, locking the essence, and consolidating the qi.

The mouth and teeth are called the "mysterious gate," and "lifting the golden essence to the mysterious gate is the golden gate, and clenching the teeth is the jade lock." Hence, the book is titled "The Secret of the Golden Gate and Jade Lock."

Generally speaking, it refers to methods such as tapping the teeth to preserve the spirit, swallowing saliva to absorb qi, nourishing essence and blood, and cultivating qi in the dantian to prevent illness and preserve health. It is believed that cultivators should abstain from alcohol, sex, wealth, and anger, eliminate entertainment and greed, maintain tranquility and cherish qi, and thus preserve essence and blood, thereby achieving longevity.

Yin Zu sat on the futon and said solemnly, "Listen to my incantation, circulate your Qi throughout the body."

"In the beginning of chaos, the five directions were established, and the three cardinal principles were established: Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon."

"The celestial sphere is arranged with stars, and the clear sky and turbid earth govern the principles of yin and yang."

……

Lu Qian closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. The profound and mysterious scriptures were engraved in his mind like golden books and jade talismans. As if enlightened, he directly comprehended the true meaning of the words.

In the beginning of chaos, all things were born from the primordial energy, and from then on, the five directions of east, south, west, north, and center came into being.

Qian represents the Yang of Heaven, Kun represents the Yin of Earth, and humans, situated between Heaven and Earth, form the three cardinal relationships of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

With the North Pole as the fixed point, all the stars in the sky revolve around the fixed point in a cycle, and the celestial phenomena change in a regular manner.

The primordial chaos was divided into clear and turbid. The clear qi rose to become the heavens, and the turbid qi sank to become the earth. The heavens are represented by the yang (乾) and the earth by the yin (坤). With the heavens and earth established, yin and yang began.

……

These golden books and jade scrolls gradually became clear in Lü Qian's mind, and then transformed into a golden stream of light that guided the Qi circulating throughout his body, circulating it through specific meridians.

Golden light, carrying Qi, traveled along the Ren and Du meridians, through the five internal organs, the six bowels, the three dantians, and the eight extraordinary meridians. Soon, it transformed into strands of golden shackles that continuously swirled around the three dantians.

The Three Dans refer to the upper, middle, and lower Dantian in the human body.

The upper dantian is located at the ancestral aperture between the eyebrows, also called the Niwan Palace, which is the place where the spirit is stored.

The middle dantian is located three-tenths of an inch directly below the solar plexus between the breasts, which is also known as the Yellow Court in the Earth Palace, and is the place where qi is stored.

The lower dantian is located three inches below the navel, at the Guanyuan acupoint, and is the place where essence is stored.

The golden light that formed the shackles gradually became more and more dynamic as the energy circulated throughout the body, and soon surrounded the three dantian.

"Clang!"

It was as if the sound of gold and jade clashing suddenly came. The golden lock fell and the jade lock closed. As Lü Qian clenched his teeth, his essence, energy, and spirit were firmly bound inside his body and no longer leaked out.

The originally clear and ethereal Yang spirit in the upper dantian, which seemed to be about to fly out through the orifices, was completely locked in the Niwan Palace of the upper dantian by the golden gate and jade lock.

The Qi that was originally somewhat scattered in the middle Dantian became more condensed as the shackles were formed.

The essence that had been stirring in the lower dantian as the lesser yang energy gradually developed was also firmly locked in, preventing it from flowing out.

At this point, the Golden Gate and Jade Lock had been fully formed.

Lu Qian then circulated his Qi according to the path of the flowing golden light, and as the Qi flowed, the shackles surrounding the three Dantian became more stable.

After completing three cycles of practice, Lü Qian stopped, opened his eyes, and bowed to Yin Zu opposite him.

"Many thanks to the Patriarch for transmitting the Dharma and imparting the Way!"

"No need for such formalities."

Yin Zu waved his whisk and helped Lü Qian up. "You have already learned the Twenty-Four Secrets of the Golden Gate and Jade Lock, and you must have understood its key points."

Lu Qian sat cross-legged on the futon, looked at the young Taoist opposite him, and said in a deep voice, "The Twenty-Four Secrets of the Golden Gate and Jade Lock are of great help to the cultivation of life and nature."

"When the Golden Lock is formed, a person's three treasures—essence, energy, and spirit—are restrained and no longer dissipate. The foundation of one's cultivation is thus strengthened."

"The foundation of this method lies in the Quanzhen Northern School's cultivation philosophy of prioritizing nature over life and using nature to govern life."

"To practice the Golden Gate Jade Lock Technique, practitioners must clear their minds of distractions, maintain the purity of their hearts, and return themselves to their original state of clarity in order to reach a state of being free from desires and wants."

"Next is to remain clear-headed and focused during cultivation, seeking the key to inner cultivation, seizing the opportunity, and setting up the [Golden Gate and Jade Lock] to trap the three treasures within the body."

"As for the final step, it is the union of life and nature, which advances the alchemy process. Through this process, the human body and life are refined, and when the work is accomplished, it can be transformed into a minor medicine."

"After all, the true 'golden lock' lies within oneself; seeking it externally is a inferior approach."

"Seek the Way within, explore without, and become a sage within and a king without."

"Only shackles formed from within, originating from one's true nature, are the real 'golden locks and jade locks'."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zu, who was sitting opposite him, couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh. He pointed his whisk at Lü Qian and said, "Xingzhe, you have now been able to distinguish between the true and false mind, and have attained the wisdom to see the mind clearly."

"Go forth, for your path of seeking still holds many trials."

After saying that, Yin Zu waved his whisk, and the square where the patriarchs were sitting cross-legged was suddenly left with only Lü Qian. Yin Zu and the patriarchs all disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Lu Zu's three swords cut through the mortal world, severing the afflictions of greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, and delusion."

The song of the Great Way is sung in my heart; the cultivation of life and nature must be natural.

Yin Zu's voice came from the void as he sang poetry, his loud voice echoing between heaven and earth in the square.

"This junior thanks the patriarch for his guidance!"

After hearing Yin Zu's poem, Lü Qian's eyes lit up, and he bowed down to the heavens and earth once more.

This is Master Yin guiding him on his next steps: first go to the [Da Chunyang Wanshou Palace], the Daoist temple of Master Lü, and then go to the [Chongyang Wanshou Palace], the Daoist temple of Master Wang Chongyang.

Here are the two things he needs: the Three Swords of Lu Zu and the Song of the Great Dao of Quanzhen.

Legend has it that Lu Zu had three swords: one to cut off lust, one to cut off greed and anger, and one to cut off afflictions. These are the so-called "Lu Zu's Three Swords".

As for the "Song of the Great Dao of Quanzhen," it is the internal cultivation method of the Quanzhen School and also a secret melody passed down within the Quanzhen School for thousands of years.

Although Lü Qian doesn't quite understand the specific effects of these two things on him yet, he has grasped some of Yin Zu's guidance, and now he has direction for the journey ahead.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. In the midst of his thoughts, he felt that he had left the inner realm and returned to the Ancestral Master Hall.

The scent of incense wafted to his nose. He opened his eyes and saw several candles slowly burning on the altar in front of him.

The dim flames reflected in the eyes of the ancestral deity statues, making their eyes appear more lively.

Lu Qian rose again, burned incense and bowed to the patriarchs in the main hall once more, and then sat back down on the futon to begin his daily practice.

Since acquiring the "Turtle and Snake Generals," he has been burning the "Six Ding" in his physical body and igniting the "Samadhi" in his soul every day, using two true fires to temper and refine his life. He feels that both are improving every day, and the connection between his life and soul is becoming increasingly close.

Inside the pitch-black hall, Lu Qian was engulfed in fiery energy, the golden-red light between his brows growing ever brighter, and his internal organs gleaming.

As time passed, the morning sun shone through the doors and windows of the main hall, and the incense and candles on the altar were extinguished long ago.

"Squeak!"

The palace doors were pushed open from the outside, and Fang Dongtian's figure entered the hall under the morning sun. He looked at Lü Qian and smiled with satisfaction.

"Greetings, Master Fang!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Qian stopped his practice and performed a Tai Chi salute to Fang Dongtian.

Fang Dongtian nodded and then chuckled as he stepped aside, saying, "Traveler, the path ahead is clear, there's nothing more to do here."

"Thank you, Master Fang!"

Lu Qian picked up the bundle at his feet, slung it over his shoulder, nodded to Fang Dongtian, and then followed Fang Dongtian out of Baiyun Temple with firm steps.

He walked westward with the rising sun behind him.