midst of silent trance, is this not spontaneous attention? This is what is
meant by acting without striving.
31 .The first two lines of the verse at the beginning of this chapter wrap up
the function of the golden flower. The next two lines refer to the
interchange of sun and moon; "midsummer" stands for the "fire" of [the
trigrammatic Book of Change symbol] fire. The "white snow" is the true yin
within fire about to return to earth, "Midnight" is the water of water. The
"sun" is the single yang in the center of wafer on the verge of blazing and
returning to heaven. Herein lies [the operation of spiritual alchemy known
as] "taking from water to fill in fire."
32. The next two lines explain the function of the dipper handle, the whole
mechanism of rising and descending. Does not "in the water" refer to
water? The eyes, as the breeze of wind, shine into the chamber of water and
beckon the vitality of dominant yang. That is what these lines mean.
33. "In the heavens" refers to the chamber of the creative. "Roaming and
returning to absorb the virtues of the receptive" means nurturing the fire.
34. The last two lines point out the secret within the secret. The secret
within the secret cannot be dispensed with from start to finish. This is what
is called cleaning the mind, washing the thoughts, which is "bathing."
35. The learning of sages begins with knowing when to stop and ends with
stopping at ultimate good. It begins in the infinite and winds up in the
