Song of Silent Sitting
Attributed to the Taoist Master
Chang San-Feng

"Sitting silently, practice meditation; The impulse is at yuanguan. Continuously and gently regulate your breathing; One yin and one yang brewing in the internal cauldron. Nature must be enlightened, life be preserved. Don't rush, let the fire burn slowly. Close your eyes and look at your heart of life. Let tranquility and spontaneity be the source. In a hundred days you will see a result: A drop of elixir rises from kan, The Yellow woman is the matchmaker in between, Both the baby and the red lady are perfect.

The beauty is boundless and inexplicable, All over the body vital energy arises. Who can know such a marvelous experience? It's like a dumb person having a beautiful dream. Swiftly take in the primordial essence; The elixir breaks through the three obstacles, Rising from dantian to the top at niyuan, Then submerging into the zongyuan. Water and fire combine for form real mercury, Without wu and ji there is no elixir. Let the mind be still, and life be strong. The spirit radiates throughout 3,000 worlds. Golden cockerel crows beneath the shadowless tree, The red lotus blossoms in the middle of night. Winter comes the sun shines again, A thunderous roar shatters heaven and earth. Dragons call, tigers play, Heavenly music fills the sky with harmony. In nebulous mixture everything is empty, The infinite phenomena are all here. Marvelous in its mystery, mysterious in its marvel. The circulation of the stream breaks through the three obstacles; All phenomena are born in the union of heaven and earth.

Drink the dew of nature, sweet like honey, Saints are buddhas, buddhas are saints. When the ultimate reality reveals dualism disappears, Now I realize all religions are the same! Eat when hungry, sleep when tired, Offer a joss stick and practice meditation. The great Tao is just before your eyes, If you are deluded, you'll miss the chance. Once you've lost your human form you may have to wait a million eons. The uninformed dream of going to heaven, The blind go into a deep forest to practice.

The ultimate secret is marvelous beyond the profane, Letting out the ultimate secret is heavy sin. The four true principles you have to cultivate,Breaking the gate of mystery to reach the marvelous.Cultivate day and nigh without break,Get a master early to develop your elixir.There are people who know that real mercury is the elixir of longevity and immortality.Cultivate each day, be more determined each day; Do not regard spiritual cultivation as just an ad hoc task.To succeed one must cultivate for three years, nine years,Before a pearl of elixir can be cultivated.If you want to know who composed this song, It's by the Taoist Priest of Purity and Void, the Saint Zhang San Feng."- Master Chang San-Feng, Song of Silent Sitting, from the "The Secret of Training in the Internal Elixir in the Tai Chi Art." Sources: Wong Kiew Kit, The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan, 1996, pp.19-21. Zhang San Feng, The Secret of Training the Internal Elixir in the Tai Chi Art, preserved by Taiyi Shanren, reprinted from an ancient text by Anhua Publications, Hong Kong, undated, pp. 68-69, in Chinese. Translated by Wong Kiew Kit, 1996.