《胎息秘要歌诀》

If one suddenly contracts an illness or suffers injury from improper conduct, one may gather the mind-spirit, retire to a quiet room, remove outer garments, and lie supine upon the bed with both hands in the grasping-solid position (clenching the fingers in order to still the mind), lightly tapping the teeth and burning incense. After swallowing Qi (vital energy) thirty-six times in accordance with the method, the Qi within the Dantian (energy center, the site of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation below the navel) becomes more abundant than usual. One then follows the mind's intent to conduct the Qi to the site of injury, regarding this as supremely beneficial for regulation; the process is carried to the point of perspiration, with no need to pursue other extensive treatments.

When one has cultivated the Dao (the Way) over many days with single-minded practice, embryonic breathing—a deep and subtle respiratory condition within Daoist inner cultivation—forms within the body. Should another person fall ill, the location of the disease and the viscera and bowels involved must be clearly distinguished. The patient faces the practitioner who circulates Qi; that practitioner keeps the mind-spirit lucid and calm, never acting rashly. True Qi is transmitted so that the patient swallows it, and the patient is caused to swallow Qi several times in succession. One then visualizes the illness receding; it is said that suffering may be swiftly relieved, ghosts and spirits caused to withdraw, and the disease thereby dispersed.

In employing the six Qi to regulate illness, one should cease as soon as the condition eases; excess is forbidden, for it injures the heart Qi. Si Qi, also called swallowing Qi, is the most efficacious of these methods and must be kept in cautious secrecy. It corresponds to the nasal orifices and is internally connected with the lungs, serving conditions of cold and heat, fatigue and weariness, oppression in the chest, and sores or ulcers of the skin. By practicing this form of exhalation and inhalation, it is said that all such ailments may be regulated.

He Qi corresponds to the heart, which governs the tongue. When the mouth is dry and astringent and the body suffers vexation and heat, He Qi may be used according to the severity of the illness so that imbalance in the Triple Burner (the visceral concept that unifies and oversees the body's functions of Qi transformation) recedes.

Hu Qi corresponds to the spleen, which governs Earth. In cases of vexation and heat, abdominal distension resembling a drum, or congestion of the four limbs with obstructed breath, Hu Qi is employed to restore the body to its normal state.

Xu Qi corresponds to the liver, which governs the eyes. Redness of the eyes, the presence of membranes, dimness of vision, and tearing, when arising from liver heat with Qi rushing upward, may be regulated by Xu Qi, which is said to bring relatively swift relief.

Chui Qi corresponds to the kidneys, which govern the ears. Cold in the waist and knees or failure of the yang path to arise may be regulated by gently emitting the breath in a blowing manner, without seeking medicinal substances from without.

Xi Qi corresponds to the Triple Burner. When illness appears in the Triple Burner or the Qi mechanism is disharmonious, thereby injuring it, Xi Qi is used for regulation so that it recovers of its own accord.

Regulating Fluids

Because people eat foods of the five flavors, the body may become congested and stagnant, with the Triple Burner (the Upper, Middle, and Lower Burners of Chinese medicine, which encompass the regions of Qi (vital energy) and fluid circulation within the body) becoming obstructed. When hot Qi is excessive, the mouth turns bitter and astringent; when cold Qi predominates, one should drink more plain water. At such times primordial Qi can be used for regulation, without need of other methods. Hot Qi may be relieved by “He” exhalation, while cold Qi may be dispersed by “Chui” exhalation.

Frequent rinsing of the mouth with fluid followed by swallowing the saliva allows the fluids to harmonize naturally. Once this effect is observed, cold and heat gradually subside.

Appropriate Diet

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) and wish to experience the true Dao should choose foods suited to the interval between hunger and satiety. Light porridge in the morning relieves thirst; sesame moistens the throat and generates saliva; japonica rice is especially suitable, and light wheat foods are also beneficial. If Qi circulation becomes obstructed while drinking wine, wine itself may be used to help resolve the blockage. Eating raw pepper is said to help reduce a hundred illnesses.

Before a meal one should first swallow saliva six or seven times. Diet should follow the standard of moderation. After eating, perform “He” exhalation three or five times so that the chest is not disturbed by uncomfortable Qi.

Miscellaneous Dietary Taboos

One should dwell in a secluded, wind-sheltered room and sleep on a raised bed to avoid invasion by wind. Consolidating and storing Jing (essence) and Qi benefits the body; nurturing the breath reduces the depletion of life. Emotions of joy and anger should be restrained, and attachment to fame and profit released.

The scripture states that consuming the blood and flesh of animals’ claws, heads, and limbs is harmful. Meat and fish injure Qi, and excessive hunger or satiety is equally damaging. Raw and hard foods should be eaten with caution; sour, salty, and spicy items should not be taken in excess. During weather changes of rain, cloud, or wind, and also at night, related practices should be avoided. Attention must likewise be paid to radish soup, clear broth, and wheat foods; overly hot foods should be avoided, and melons and fruits not eaten casually. Stale, foul-smelling items harm the body, and filthy things bring no benefit. Food that enters the mouth must be treated with care, and one should not overly doubt the circulation of Qi.

Abstaining from Grains

If cultivation continues without interruption for a thousand days, the mind will gradually eliminate the corpse worms; filling the three Dantian (energy centers—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian) with Jing and Qi then renders the body’s joints firm and solid.

The original text is incomplete at this point, and the meaning of the subsequent phrase “only wishing to contemplate the cause of fasting...” cannot be fully determined.

If one cultivates for a thousand days without ever slackening, the corpse-worms in the heart (used in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) practice to refer to desires and distracting thoughts that harm body and mind) will gradually be eliminated. Then, by filling the three Dantians (energy centers) (the upper, middle, and lower Dantians, the gathering places of Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) within the body according to Daoism), the hundred joints throughout the body will also gradually become firm.

During cultivation, one thinks only of reducing food intake and no longer craves various flavors. When the abdomen is empty, swallow the Qi and guide it to the navel region; in this way the original Qi can be rested and nourished. When full, calmly guard the middle Dantian; when hungry, close the mouth, restrain the breath, and do not speak. Practicing diligently in this manner, only long persistence will yield results, and only then will one believe that there is a secret to nourishing life. It is not the same as ordinary people taking medicine, nor is it unceasing effort from morning till night.

If one is merely busy taking medicine, it may ultimately prove futile; if one merely endures hunger without being able to persist, it is likewise useless. Better to constantly guard and nourish the Jing of Great Harmony (the harmonious and pure Qi spoken of in Daoism), rendering body and mind tranquil and revealing a state of peace and joy. If one greedily seeks external flavors and disturbs the original Qi, various illnesses will take advantage of the vacancy and arrive, causing the body to weaken day by day.

Careful Guarding

Jing and Qi must be carefully guarded so as to nourish the body, preserve life, and enable lasting well-being. People often harm their bodies through excessive desires, yet how many are willing to eliminate those desires in pursuit of longevity? Worrying about illness before it arises makes illness difficult to form; once calamity has already struck, wanting to remove it, can the calamity then dissipate? Only at the point of death does one know to cherish the frail and endangered body, but it is already too late, like trying to bite one’s own navel—regret is of no avail.

Even if one diligently practices embryonic breathing (a Daoist method of regulating the breath that seeks deep and quiet respiration, as if a fetus breathing in the mother’s womb), if desires continue unabated it will still invite misfortune. Only by realizing and completing the Yin Elixir (a Neidan term referring to the Jing and Qi obtained through internal refinement) is the practice of the Dao considered complete; how many such people are there in the world?

Nine Years of Transformative Practice

Qi combines with the blood vessels, muscles, and marrow, and the sinews, bones, and physical form will also change in sequence. If one wishes to cast off aging and restore the radiance of youth, it requires nine years, with a change occurring each year.

First sit upright with the body aligned, the mind and spirit clear, quiet, and settled, close the eyes and regulate the breath; then knock the teeth (called “sounding the heavenly drum” in Daoist practice, that is, gently tapping the upper and lower teeth together) forty-eight times. Then use the tongue to lightly sweep across the upper lip. The scripture continues that Qi will combine with the blood vessels, muscles, and marrow, the sinews, bones, and form changing in sequence; wanting to escape aging and recover youthful radiance requires nine years, changing once each year.

First, sit upright in a proper posture, quiet the mind, close the eyes, and regulate the breathing evenly. Then lightly tap the back of the head with the fingers, a practice known as “sounding the heavenly drum,” doing so forty-eight times. Next, use the tongue to lick the lips in sequence: first the outer side of the upper lip nine times, then the outer side of the lower lip nine times; afterward the inner side of the upper lip nine times, followed by the inner side of the lower lip nine times. Here the outer upper lip corresponds to the south, the outer lower lip to the north, the inner upper lip to the east, and the inner lower lip to the west; the position where the tongue rests corresponds to the center.

Once the saliva has fully accumulated in the mouth, puff the cheeks with a little force and circulate the saliva inside the mouth twenty-one times. Then gently exhale a small amount of Qi (vital energy) from the nose and swallow immediately. While swallowing, produce an “ai-ai” sound in the throat and imagine the saliva and Qi entering the lower Dantian (energy center), the site of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation below the navel. Repeat this three or five times. With each swallow, wait for the breath to emerge before swallowing.