《保生铭》

If a person engages in moderate physical activity of the body, the hundred illnesses are not easily generated. One should avoid drinking to the point of great intoxication, and thus various diseases will naturally find it difficult to arise.

After eating, walk one hundred paces, then massage the abdomen repeatedly with the hands. When sleeping, do not pad the pillow too high. Do not spit saliva and nasal mucus far away.

On Yin days and Chou days (in the ancient system of recording days by heavenly stems and earthly branches), trim the fingernails; haircuts should be done with due moderation. After eating one's fill, one should urinate while standing; when hungry, one should sit to defecate.

When walking or sitting, do not face the wind; the place of residence should avoid narrow crevices through which the wind can blow directly. Relieving oneself facing north will cause a person to remain muddled and unclear throughout life.

There should be avoidances when the sun and moon shine down, and water and fire should likewise be cautiously kept distant. Apart from washing the feet every evening, eating a full meal brings no benefit.

The ability to forbear is the highest form of cultivation; do not distance relatives and friends on account of slanderous talk. Excessive rumination most depletes the Shen (spirit), and immoderate joy and anger damage the harmony of body and mind.

Regularly clear the nasal hairs from the nose, and also cultivate the habit of not spitting phlegm indiscriminately. When just at daybreak and preparing to get up, first place the left foot down from the bed.

By doing so, one can avoid calamities within a single day and drive out deviant Qi (vital energy) and noxious Qi. So long as one can tread the Seven-Star Step (the walking method in Daoism according to the directional positions of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper), it can bring a person longevity, peace, and happiness.

Sour flavors injure the sinews, pungent flavors deplete the righteous Qi, bitter flavors damage the heart, sweet flavors damage the will of the heart, and eating too much salty flavor shortens the lifespan; therefore one must not favor any one particular taste. In spring and summer, the Yang Qi may be allowed to expand and circulate unimpeded; in autumn and winter, the Yang Qi should be consolidated and protected.

Even in solitude one must guard the original authenticity; cautiousness and quietude are most precious. Wealth and possessions have their predetermined allotment; knowing contentment is itself a benefit.

Considering oneself to know everything is a great calamity; with few desires, one has few burdens throughout life. Shen and Qi are naturally preserved; in cultivating the Dao (the Way), constancy from beginning to end is most valued.

Write this inscription on the wall or beside the door, leaving it for people of De (Virtue/Power) to circulate and read.

The Inscription on Preserving Life ends.