There is evidence to suggest that it was possible to read certain special
mind-body postures of attention into portions of the original text.
These postures were used only for temporarily anchoring the mind
while performing the inner gazing toward the source of consciousness.
This is not the same as the energy circulation of Taoist practice. The
text speaks of the highest experiences being purely mental, "in the
heart," elevating the spiritual over the physical in the manner of Chan
Buddhism and the northern branch of Completely Real Taoism.
12. The celestial mind refers to unconditioned consciousness; light is its
function. When the light is "turned around" and directed toward its own
source, environmental and psychological
factors influence the mind less, with the result that the energy in the
body is also preserved and purified because it is not drawn into conflicts
with inner or outer states.
13. The expression "above the nine skies" means a state of mind beyond the
influence of mundane conditioning. In Buddhist terminology it also has the
special meaning of being above all cultivated meditation states; Silently
paying court (to God) and soaring upward are common Taoist expressions
for elevation of consciousness. There are several Mind Seal scriptures, and
it is not certain to which of these the text refers in this passage.
14. Taoist master Liu I-ming says of the gold pill, "The pill is the original,
primal, real unified energy. This energy, when passed through fire to refine
