There is also another verse that says: Cultivating the Way and preparing the elixir of life, one nurtures the perfect purity of the nature. Cultivation is done with the goal of obtaining immortality. In order to gain eternal life, you must take a kind of efficacious pill and wonderful medicine. Where can this efficacious pill be found? You must refine it yourself; you must smelt the pill by means of "refining mercury and lead." What does it mean to nurture the perfect purity of the nature? It means to get rid of all bad habits, so that the six thieves--the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind--no longer steal things. When you don't let any of your essence, energy, and spirit scatter and disperse, that's called perfect purity. It means there is not the least bit of deficiency, and everything is full and complete. When you are complete within yourself, that's called perfect purity. Eliminating desire and severing love, one sees the host. How can you nurture perfect purity? You have to eliminate desire and sever love. Only then can you see the host. To see the host means to see your true host, to be your own master. When you are your own master, then the mind king will not be able to take over, and you will not be troubled and confused by the six thieves of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

The three flowers gather at the crown; one is free to roam at will. After smelting and refining for a long time, you will succeed and your essence, energy, and spirit will blossom and gather at the crown of your head. At that point you will be able to send an astral body out the top of your head, and it will be a yang spirit. Some people send yin spirits out, but that can only be done when they are asleep. You can send out a yang spirit without having to fall asleep. Once it goes out, it can travel to many places very quickly and then come back. That is, "Let it go, and it fills the six directions; roll it up, and it hides away in secret." He can direct it at will, going out and returning as he pleases.

The five energies are vigorous and strong; one's body is at ease. The five energies could be interpreted as meaning the energies of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It could also be interpreted as the energies of the five organs: the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Through cultivation, you gain the ability to control these five kinds of energy. The five energies are associated with five colors. The energy of wood is associated with the east and with the color green. The energy of fire is related to the south and to the color red. The energy of earth is in the center and is yellow. The energy of metal is in the west and is white. The energy of water is in the north and is black. The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth radiate the light of the five colors. When the five-colored light gathers in your body, the goblins, demons, ghosts, and monsters will perceive you as having an aura of five colors and being filled with yang energy. So when Lü Dongbin was living in the cave, he changed his name to be "The Pure Yang One" after his wife passed away. To be pure yang means you don't have even a bit of yin energy left; you are completely and purely yang. Being pure yang is also the meaning of "the five energies are vigorous and strong." "One's body is at ease." His body was comfortable and free. He was able to mount the clouds and ride the fog, flying and transforming himself, and doing things that most people could not do. That's "the five energies are vigorous and strong."

Huang Long scolded him for being a corpse-guarding ghost. Despite his considerable powers, Dhyana Master Huang Long upbraided him, "You're nothing but a ghost who can't let go of his body!" The golden lion swallowed the immortal spirit. The Buddha's speaking of Dharma is compared to a lion's roar, so we could say that the Buddha's disciples are like lion cubs. The golden lion belongs to the element earth, and the soil of the earth is yellow. The spiritual man Huang Long  (Yellow Dragon) is compared to a yellow lion, because he subdued Lü Dongbin. Subduing and overcoming him is just like swallowing him down into his stomach. Thus Lü Dongbin took refuge with the Triple Jewel. "The immortal spirit" refers to Lü Dongbin, who knew the way to become immortal and therefore felt very self-satisfied, very free and easy. There was a trace of smugness and conceit in his attitude. He was an immortal spirit but he got swallowed by someone.

That day he realized his fault of being attached. It was then that he became aware of his shortcoming of being attached. What was he attached to? He was attached to his ability to live forever and never grow old; that was his problem. When he encountered Dhyana Master Huang Long, the Master helped him to bit by bit eradicate that problem of being attached to immortality. After he eliminated that habit, he reverted to his original identity in Buddhism and became a Buddhist disciple. And discovered that he had applied his mind incorrectly before. At that point, he realized today's rights and yesterday's wrongs. A line from a poem says, "I am aware that I was wrong in the past, but I know that there is hope for the future. I have not strayed too far from the path, and I realize today's rights and yesterday's wrongs." He awakened to the fact that he had been wrong before, so then he took refuge with the Triple Jewel and became a Buddhist disciple.