This page will contain links to documents that have not — as far as I could ascertain — previously been translated into English.
The first is Bai Yuchan’s Xiū Xiān Biàn Huò Lùn. Here is an excerpt, the link to the full document is below:
Baí Yùchán (1194-1229?) was a key figure in Southern Song dynasty Daoism and internal alchemy.
This particular passage is notable for how clearly it states that context will determine the meanings of alchemical terms, and for its precise directions regarding getting to grips with the practice.
Resolving Confusions in Cultivating Transcendence
(Xiū Xiān Biàn Huò Lùn)
Bai Yuchan had studied with Chen Niwan since he was young. Before he knew it, nine years had passed. One day, amidst the mountain crags, under some pines, when the moon was full and the night was still, Bai Yuchan was thinking about death, the brevity of life, and impermanence.
He arose, and kowtowing to his teacher, said:
Your student Bai Yuchan has not followed you for long, and having assessed himself, knows that his innate ability is meagre. But he dares to ask: can he hope to become an immortal in this lifetime?
Chen Niwan said: Everyone can, why not you?
Link: baiyuchan
The second is The Valley Spirit not Dying. Here is an excerpt, the link is below.
This is the fifth section of Baí Yùchán’s Zazhu Zhixuan Pian (miscellaneous essays guiding toward the mystery). This is an essay which discusses chapter six of the Dao De Jing:
The valley spirit not dying
Is called the mysterious female
The opening of the mysterious female
Is called the root of heaven and earth.
Continuous, on the brink of existence,
To put it into practise, don’t try to force it.
(T. Cleary translation from The Essential Tao)
What is remarkable about the essay is how Bai describes the yin and yang aspects that make up the mysterious female, his unreserved depiction of the different functions and qualities of the centres in the upper, middle and lower body, and how specific Bai is regarding the indications for practice, with warnings such as:
Just when the qi of the mysterious female has entered its most fundmental, the quiet can be lost through excitement and the ability to sustain this state lost through becoming stirred up. What you want is a gentle continuation without letting it break.
The essay is also an exercise in concentration, as Bai Yuchan shifts terminology frequently (ie, using different terms for the same referent), so that in order to comprehend the thread of his thought one needs to read mindfully.
Link: the-valley-spirit-not-dying-c
Translations © Steven Clavey.
The Fat Monk 