Excerpt of Baopuzi

４．金丹
．．．第一之丹名曰丹華。當先作玄黃，用雄黃水、礬石水、戎鹽、鹵鹽、礜石、牡蠣、赤石脂、滑石、胡粉各數十斤，以為六一泥，火之三十六日成，服七之日仙．．．
Inner Chapters
Gold and Cinnabar
...The first cinnabar is known as the Flowers of cinnabar. It is begun by preparing some "tin oxide". From several dozen pounds each of realgar solution, kalinite solution, Turkestan salt, lake salt, arsenolite, oyster shells, red bole, soapstone, and white lead, prepare Six-One cement, with which to cover both caly crucibles inside and out. The crucibles are then dried slowly in the sun for ten days. The cinnabar will be ready after being fired for thirty-six days, and if you take it for seven days you will become a genie...

５．至理
．．．乃[口+父]吸寶華，浴神太清，外除五曜，內守九精，
堅玉鑰於命門，結北極於黃庭，引三景於明堂，飛元始以鍊形，采靈液於金梁，長驅白而留青，凝澄泉於丹田，引沈珠於五城，瑤鼎俯爨，藻禽仰鳴，瑰華擢穎，天鹿吐瓊，懷重規於絳宮，潛九光於洞冥，雲蒼鬱而連天，長谷湛而交經，履躡乾兌，召呼六丁，坐臥紫房，咀吸金英，曄曄秋芝，朱華翠莖，皛皛珍膏，溶溢霄零，治飢止渴，百痾不萌，逍遙戊巳，燕和飲平，拘魂制魄，骨填體輕.．．
The Ultimate System
...They (the immortals) chew and inhale breath to bathe their inner gods in Paradise.
They disregard astrology (the five celestial bodies) and concentrate on preserving within themselves the nine essentials.
They affix a lock to the sperm in the lower abdomen; keep their eyes on the pole of the universe.
Drawing the light of sun, moon, and dipper to within their foreheads, they enter trances in order to confine their bodies.
Gathering their life-giving exudate from the golden beams of Paradise, they slow down the race toward old age and retain their youth.
They maintain immutable the transparency natural to the centers within their heads, chests, and abdomens, and conduct their salive to the lungs, heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.
As they tend the fire below the bubbling crucible, multicolored birds are inspired to liik up toward them and chirp.
When they pluck the best products from the brew, a unicorn sounds its note.
Then, cherishing both sun and moon in their hearts, they conceal the gathered light within their own heads.
After their stomachs have been filled, the effects show in their faces; the nose becoming drenched, the effects pass to the blood vessels.
Imbued with heavenly contentment, they summon the Six-Ting gods to sit or lie in their hearts and chew upon the juices there.
Flourishing become their inner working parts: showing flowerings of vermilion and shoots of blue. Clear white becomes their fat: oozing and dripping.
Thus, hunger controlled and thirst ended, no illnesses burgeon in them.
Spleens completely at ease, they enjoy tranquility and peace.
Their inner spirits under firm control, their bones become filled, but their whole frames remain light...

８．釋滯
．．．世之謂一言之善，貴於千金然，蓋亦軍國之得失，行己之臧否耳。至於告人以長生之訣，授之以不死之方，非特若彼常人之善言也，則奚徒千金而已乎？設使有困病垂死，而有能救之得愈者，莫不謂之為宏恩重施矣。今若按仙經，飛九丹，水金玉，則天下皆可令不死，其惠非但活一人之功也。黃老之德，固無量矣，而莫之克識，謂為妄誕之言，可歎者也．．．
初學行氣，鼻中引氣而閉之，陰以心數至一百二十，乃以口微吐之，及引之，皆不欲令己耳聞其氣出入之聲，常令入多出少，以鴻毛著鼻口之上，吐氣而鴻毛不動為候也。漸習轉增其心數，久久可以至千，至千則老者更少，日還一日矣．．．
房中之法十餘家，或以補救傷損，或以攻治眾病，或以采陰益陽，或以增年延壽，其大要在於還精補腦之一事耳。此法乃真人口口相傳，本不書也，雖服名藥，而復不知此要，亦不得長生也。人復不可都絕陰陽，陰陽不交，則坐致壅閼之病，故幽閉怨曠，多病而不壽也。任情肆意，又損年命。唯有得其節宣之和，可以不損．．．
．．． 道書之出於黃老者，蓋少許耳，率多後世之好事者，各以所知見而滋長，遂令篇卷至於山積．．．雖欲博涉，然宜詳擇其善者，而後留意，至於不要之道書，不足尋繹也．．．
Resolving Hesitations
...It is said that one word can be so good that it is worth more than a thousand in gold. What this signifies is probably only success in military matters, or the quality of personal conduct. But when a person is given the oral directions for enjoying Fullness of Life or a prescriptions for immortality, it is worth far more than the right word of the ordinary man. Why is it values at only a thousand in golg? If a man lies at death's door with illness and a person is able to cure him. everyone says that he has a mighty favor or an enormous gift. TIday, if the Nine-crucible cinnabars are sublimed and ogld or jade liquified, the whole world can be made immortal - a fovor involving not the life or just one individual. The excellence of the Yellow Emperor and Lao Dan is certainly immeasurable; it is a pity that one can understand it and is therefore considered madness...
...When first learning to circulate the breaths, one inhales through the nose ans dloses up that breath. After holding it quietly fo 120 heartbeats it is expelled in tiny quantities through the mouth. During the exhalations and inhalations one should not hear the sound of one's own breathing, and one should always exhale less than one inhales. A goose feather held before the nose and mouth during the exhalations should not move. After some practice the number of heartbeats may be increased very gradually to one thousand before the breath is released. Once this is achieved, the ages will become one day younger each day...
On the methods of correct sexual intercourse at least ten authors have written. Some claim they show how to replenish losses, cure illnesses, gather more yin or increase the yang, or increase the years and protract longevity. The essential here lies solely in reverting the sperm to repair the brain. God's Men have transmitted this method orally without any writing. Through one were to take all the famous medicines, without a knowledge of this essential it would be impossible to attain fullness of life. Man may not, however, give up sexual intercourse entirely, for otherwise he would contact melancholia through inactivity, and die prematurely through the many illnesses resulting from depression and celibacy. On the other hand, overindulgence diminishes one's life, and it is only by harmonizing the two extremes that damage will be avoided...
Only a few Daoist writings come from the Yellow Emperor and Lao Dan themselves; most are enlargmenets upon the personal knowledge and experience of later curiosity-seekers, and their bundles and scrolls have accumulated like a mountain... No matter how extensively one may with to study this material, it is adviable to choose carefully the best and concentrate one's attention on them. It is not worthwile to unravel the less important Daoist writings...

１１．仙藥
．．．仙藥之上者丹砂，次則黃金，次則白銀，次則諸芝，次則五玉，次則雲母，次則明珠，次則雄黃，次則太乙禹餘糧，次則石中黃子，次則石桂，次則石英，次則石腦，次則石硫黃，次則石飴，次則曾青，次則松柏脂、茯苓、地黃、麥門冬、木巨勝、重樓、黃連、石韋、楮實、象柴．．．
The Genie's Pharmakopoeia
...At the top of the genie's pharmakopoeia stands cinnabar. Second comes gold; third, silver; fourth, excrescences; fifth, the jades; sixth, mica; seventh, pearls; eighth, realgar; ninth, brown hematite; tenth, congolmerated brown hematite; eleventh, quartz; twelfth, rock crystal; thirteenth, geodes; fourteenth, sulphur; fifteenth, wild honey; and sixteenth, laminar malachite. After these come resins, truffles, yellow dock, Liriope graminifolia, "tree sesame", Salomonia, goldthread, fern, mulberries, and xiangchai...

Translated by James R. Ware.

抱朴子外篇
１．嘉遯
抱朴子曰：「有懷冰先生者，薄周流之棲遑，悲吐握之良苦．讓膏壤於陸海，爰躬耕乎斥鹵．祕六奇以括囊．含琳琅而不吐．謐清音則莫之或聞，掩輝藻則世不得覩．背朝華於朱門，保恬寂乎蓬戶．絕軌躅於金、張之閭，養活然於幽人之仵．」．．．
Outer Chapters
In Praise of Eremitism
Baopuzi said, "Once there was a recluse embracing ice (to still desiring wealth and status) who thought lightly of busy scurrying. He felt sorry for the suffering involved in spitting out one's food and twisting up one's hair. He did not want fertile land. This he tilled salty land. He kept a secret of the six marvelous methods and kept his mouth closed. He concealed his literary talent, refusing to expose it. He treasured his pure sound and would not utter it. People heard that he had hidden his brilliance and elegance, and the world had not opportunity to see it. He turned back on the lively world of the red doors for officials and men of substance and preserved a tranquil state behind a door of grass. He left not cart-ruts or foot-prints before the houses of men like Jin Midi and Zhang Tang (mighty politicians of the Han Dynasty), but cultivated his natural vigor in the company of recluses."...

５．君道
．．．君人者，必修諸己以先四海，去偏黨以平王道，遣私以標至公，擬宇宙以籠萬殊．真偽既明於物外矣，而兼之以自見，聽受既聰於接來矣，　而加之以自聞．儀決水以進善，鈎絕絃以黜惡，昭德塞違，庸親昵賢．．．
考名責實，屢省勤恤，樹訓典以示民極，審褒貶以彰勸沮，明檢齊以杜僭濫，詳直以違晦吝．其與之也，無叛理之幸，其奪之也，有百（＝伯）氏之揜．．．
# 則明罰勑法，哀敬折獄．．．
金城湯池，未若人和．守在海外，匪（＝非）山河也：是以賢君抱懼不足．．．
The Way of the Ruler
...He who governs men must cultivate within himself and lead those within the four seas, casting away narrow factions and harmonizing the princely way. He should abandon selfish feelings and set the public welfare as his standard. He should be on a par with the universe and set the myriad distinctions so that true and false can be understood from the appearance of things. He hears and understands what comes to him from without and adds to it the hearing of an inner perception. He releases the water and promotes goodness. The string is broken, and wickedness cast out. He manifests virtue and obstructs improper conduct. Those with whom he is on good terms are worthy men"...
The ruler studies the name of a man's position and compares it to reality and the duties involved. He frequently ponders and earnestly pities. He sets up rulers to instruct the masses and makes them a standard for the people. He investigates the praise for the good and the blame cast upon the bad to encourage goodness and persuade people to be good and discourage them from being bad. He makes standards clear in order to discourage infringements. He distinguishes carefully the straight and the crooked to guard against regrets and hatreds. When men are elevated, there is no going against sensible principles. When there is plundering, it is like the case of Master Bo (who never complained about being plundered by Guan Zhong)."...
"Thus he makes clear the punishments and perfects the laws. He employs sympathy and carefulness in deciding official cases..."
"Even an iron city with a boiling moat is not so good as one's people being at peace. The most impregnable part of the country lies beyond the seas; it is not mountains and rivers, but rather a worthy ruler who embraces virtue and fears it is not sufficient..."

３３．漢過
抱朴子曰：「歷覽前戴，逮乎近代，道微俗弊，莫劇漢末也．當塗端右、閹官之徒，操弄神器，秉國之鈞，廢正興邪，殘仁害義，蹲踏背憎。
即聾從昧，同惡成群，汲引姦黨，吞射多藏，不知紀極。而不能散錙銖之薄物，施振清廉之窮儉焉。
進官則非多財者不達也，獄訟則非厚貨者不直也。官高勢重，力足拔才，而不能發毫釐之片言，進益時之翹俊也。其所用也，不越於妻妾之戚屬，其惠澤也，不出乎近習之庸鎖．．．」
The Faults of Han
Baopuzi said, "Having looked upon the record of the past, right up to the present day, the Way has become increasingly narrower and custums increasingly vulgar. There is no greater example than the situation at the end of the Han Dynasty. People like high officials and palace eunuchs gained control of the realm - the power of ruling the country. They abolished the upright and elevated the wicked; benevolence was destroyed and harm done to right principle. Though appearing respectful, people harbored hatred behind men's backs."
"It was a case of heeding the deaf and following the blind. Men of similar wickedness formed into groups. There was mutual drawing up among evil factions and the annexation of others' property and its accumulation in great lots. This went on to an unknown extent, yet such men would not dispense even a trifle in meager provisions to come to the aid of the pure and honest in their poverty."
"One could not become an official without expending much wealth. In litigations, one could not succeed without a generous sum. Officials were high and their power great. Their power was sufficiant to promote talented men, but they would not come forth with the slightest word to elevate such men to high office - men who could be of benefit to the age. Men who were employed did not go beyond friends of wives and concubines. Those who were generously treated never came from outside those worthless members of the immediate group."...

Translated by Jay Sailey.