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Further Discussion on Spirit and Intention

When you lower your eyelids and begin to meditate, there is no need for spirit and intention to separate. Spirit and intention separate only when movement and stillness begin to follow each other in cycles. Focus the spirit in the Central Palace, but do not replace it with intention. When you have reached absolute emptiness, you should hold on to stillness. When the cycle of movement and stillness starts, you should start the furnace. It is possible that, in this stage, you can focus the spirit in the Central Palace. However, do not replace it with intention. The process of focusing the spirit is similar to that of capturing the lead and taming the mercury: You become the ruler of the celestial movement and act as the go-between. Why? Spirit and intention function differently. The spirit works through nonaction, and intention works through action. It is in nonaction that the spirit can accomplish everything. Intention, on the other hand, works in the realm of action and reaction. The spirit is the ruler of the intention, and intention acknowledges spirit to be its true primal origin. The spirit tends toward stillness and does not move. Intention, on the other hand, moves. In its movement, intention directs spirit; thus intention is spirit set in motion. Spirit must work together with intention in order for true intuition to emerge. If you want to nourish the primordial spirit, you must extinguish all thoughts. Only then can the spirit work in nonaction and attain everything.

The sage Shangyang, commenting on the Triplex Unity, said, “The realized being hides in the great depth and uses nonthinking to respond to everything.” Therefore, you too should float and wander within the great center. Use nonthoughts to direct things, and let inhalation and exhalation embrace and nourish each other. Use the state of no-thought to attain this state of being. When the three natures meet, let nonthinking guide you to enter and use it. If you want to circulate the true intention, you must first refine the body. Only then can you respond with the appropriate action. Qianxui said, “Refine the celestial stem ji; seek lead, and use ji to welcome it. When you have obtained the lead, use ji to escort it into the cauldron. In bathing and steaming, use ji to hold it still. When incubating and nourishing, use ji to complete it.” The subtle workings of the ji of earth do not stop here. Spirit and intention are integral to the generation and completion of the golden pill. The two cannot be isolated. As for their other uses, this will vary among people. I have merely told you some of the prevailing ideas concerning the relationship of spirit and intention.