《胎息抱一歌》

A person comes into being only through primordial Qi (the original vital energy of life). Only by knowing where this primordial Qi resides can one be said not to have strayed far from the Great Dao (the Way). Laojun said that all things are born by receiving the “One,” and there is nothing that does not turn its back to Yin and embrace Yang. If one does not understand “holding to the One” (guarding the root so that body and mind return to unity), it is difficult to draw near the Great Dao. The Dao arises from the “One”; the “One” is the source of Qi (vital energy). Qi condenses to form the embryo, and the embryo further condenses to form the breath (the vital breath of life); these two layers of meaning each carry profound significance.

The scriptures say that while a person is still in the mother’s womb there is an embryo but no independent breathing; growth occurs by relying on the mother’s breath. Only after leaving the mother’s body are both embryo and breath complete. Therefore those who cultivate the Dao must understand these two principles of embryo and breath and investigate their subtleties. If one can penetrate the original source, one can transcend the ordinary and enter the sage’s realm.

Ordinary people know only how to hold the breath yet cannot stabilize the embryonic origin; sages nourish and preserve the embryonic origin without deliberately holding the breath. So-called “holding the breath” fills the chest and disorders the breathing. Yanluozi said: “Swallowing Qi and then holding the breath only makes oneself more disordered.” Master Yin said: “As long as the Shen (spirit) intention constantly governs the breath, nasal breathing will not become unbalanced.” The Huangting Jing says: “Qin-heart in three layers, dancing the embryonic immortal.” (This uses qin-heart and embryonic immortal to describe the cultivated state of harmonious body and mind with ample embryonic breathing.) The ancient sages indeed attained the Dao by firmly nourishing embryonic breathing: when Shen and Qi condense like an embryo, breathing becomes settled. It is rarely heard that anyone becomes a realized being merely by holding the breath.

The sage said: “Hold to the One and guard the center, and the heart-Shen will naturally be harmonious; guard the three and return them to one place, then Shen, Qi, and Jing (essence) can unite as one.” This statement truly reveals the profound meaning of embryonic breathing, so the author composed twenty poems of the Song of Holding to the One, pointing out its essential points.

To hold to the One, one must first understand the source of the True One; spiritual brightness ultimately has its own Dantian (energy center), the place within the body where Jing, Qi, and Shen are stored and nourished. The Qi mechanism of entering and exiting opens in the heart; when Qi and Shen respond to each other they transform into the embryonic immortal (the inner spiritual embryo of embryonic-breathing cultivation).

When first learning to hold to the One, one has not yet recognized its true meaning; through daily accumulation, monthly progress, and diligent practice one naturally and gradually communicates with Shen. In deep and silent stillness, all things have not yet appeared, yet a corresponding vitality is already present, just as a clam contains the halo of the autumn moon and condenses it into a pearl.

There are different approaches to cultivating “holding the One” (Bao Yi), a practice of concentrating on and maintaining the harmonious unity of body and mind. Taking the subtle and imperceptible (Xi Yi, a realm so faint as to be scarcely perceptible) as a guide, one proceeds directly to Kunlun (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term, here referring to an important site within the body or a stage of cultivation). Subtle breathing need not deliberately follow the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin, what Daoists call the root of life and the gate of generation); one need only constantly guard this single breath of primordial Qi (vital energy), so that it endures and does not disperse.

In cultivating holding the One, one must know how to remain free and at ease, and not allow the breath to become blocked in the throat. In the depths of stillness and quietude, if one can respond to the inner mechanism of Qi, it is like a clam holding the autumn moon, nurturing a pearl.

There are different approaches to cultivating holding the One. Taking the subtle and scarcely perceptible realm as a guide, one proceeds directly to Kunlun. Subtle breathing need not deliberately follow the Mysterious Female; one need only constantly guard the primordial Qi, so that it endures and does not disperse.

In cultivating holding the One, one must know how to relax and remain at ease, not allowing the breath to lodge in the throat. If one can grasp the essential meaning of cultivating the True, the five viscera and the Three Palaces within the body—in Daoist Neidan, commonly the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy center)—will naturally be at peace.

In cultivating holding the One, one can return to the original source and penetrate through to the root. Why then search everywhere inside and outside the body? One need only firmly guard the foundation and deepen the root; the Dao (the Way) of long life is right here.

The true primordial essence of holding the One is originally extraordinary; do not allow the spirit and the primordial Qi to become separated from each other. Whether sitting or walking, one must constantly guard it. When the movement of Qi reaches the Heavenly Gate (Tianmen, a Daoist term often referring to the head or the location of the upper Dantian), it will naturally arise and grow.

In cultivating holding the One, cause the primordial Qi to return to the Five Movements (here referring to the circulation of Qi within the body). If one can correspond with the color black, how could there be no attainment? Within the Empty Gate there is originally not a single thing; why then insist on leaving it? To waste a lifetime because of this would be to squander all effort in vain.

Holding the One is like a person’s reflection in a mirror: within form and appearance, only oneself as form and appearance is manifested. From this one gradually transcends the Three Realms (the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm). How then could delusive thoughts and the turmoil of the dusty world ever again obscure oneself?

In cultivating holding the One, the mind and Shen (spirit) are as clear and pure as a moonlit night. Within each breath, it is as if embryonic breathing is being nurtured. If Shen and Qi coalesce, they can congeal into a treasure; if the original numinous spirit is about to disperse, one must also cause it to return.

The essential point of holding the One lies in guarding the original source; do not take ordinary panting as the key to cultivation. True embryonic breathing (Taixi, in Neidan cultivation a deep, subtle, and inward state of respiration) is just above the Palace of Li (Ligong, usually referring to the heart or the middle Dantian); one must cause it to settle and abide in the lower Dantian.

When primordial Qi is harmonious, the precious treasure readily grows. Do not allow spirit and breath to become separated and disordered. If one takes the practice of exhaling and inhaling as the root of cultivation, it will be difficult to reach the realm of long life without death.

In cultivating holding the One, there must be no interruption at any time. When the Six-Character Formula (a breathing method that uses six exhalation sounds to regulate the viscera) has been mastered, the five viscera become clear and tranquil. If one merely wishes the physical form to remain long in the human world, one will still cycle through rebirth in future lives.

In cultivating holding the One, one solely preserves and nourishes Shen, Qi, and Jing (essence). By guarding the Three and returning them to the One, the work of cultivation can be accomplished. By what, after all, can this bodily form endure? One must refine and nourish it in the Golden Chamber and the Field of Numinous Mushrooms (Daoist Neidan terms referring respectively to the elixir chamber within the body and the Dantian), until Jing and Qi become pure.

Cultivating “holding the One” (guarding body and mind so that Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) return to unity) cannot be accomplished merely by sitting in stillness in the deep mountains. Even if one lives in a secluded place, without understanding the Dao of cultivation it is only wasted effort. Prolonged fasting, abstaining from the five grains, and living idly in the world are none of them the key to becoming an immortal. Only by congealing the “spirit embryo” (the inner body of Jing and Qi formed during cultivation) does one truly set foot on the immortal path.

By cultivating “holding the One,” one can nourish of oneself an essence like sweet dew. The transformations of wind, thunder, clouds, and rain pervade Heaven and Earth. Once the “five aggregates” (the five constituents that make up the human body and its physical and mental activities) have all settled and the inner mind is bright, pure, and tranquil, ordinary people can together transcend the dusty world and roam the immortal realms.

Guarding the true origin of “holding the One” can nourish the original nature of the Great Dao; there is no need to climb mountains and cross rivers in search of immortals. In cultivation, circulating back and forth and returning to the source, one naturally comes into accord. If one merely puffs the cheeks to circulate Qi, over a long time this will instead deplete the Jing in the body.

By holding to “the One,” one constantly causes body and mind to contain and store the Qi of Supreme Harmony (the peaceful and pure primordial Qi). How then could heterodox teachings arise in the Crow’s Nest (a legendary immortal realm or place of cultivation)? How could the seven po souls and the three corpses (spirit entities spoken of in Daoism that affect the human body and may hinder cultivation) still cause harm? Beneath Mount Kunlun the moonlight is naturally bright and clear.

Holding to “the One” is like dwelling in the land of immortality. The golden lotus opens and one sits at ease in a realm of purity and stillness. Filling the abdomen while emptying and stilling the mind, leaving no stray thoughts or defilements, the jade pool (referring to the location of saliva in the mouth or of bodily fluids within) will then be filled with the eight precious nectars (precious and sweet immortal fluids).

Within the true secret of “holding the One” there are hidden passes and orifices; even Confucian scholars of outstanding learning may not be able to explain them openly. Returning the spirit and restoring the sovereign that warms and nourishes the embryonic origin—only those who understand this marvelous purport will comprehend the profound mystery within.

Seeking longevity is not a difficult matter: cause the physical form to correspond with the inner Jing and Qi, letting them return to the upper, middle, and lower three Dantians (energy centers) (the three locations in the human body for refining Jing, Qi, and Shen). The verses have already stated the essentials of cultivation; what is there to doubt? Yet one must still personally receive the oral transmission from an enlightened teacher.