《灵剑子》

To learn the Dao (the Way) and seek long life, one should first practice fuqi, the method of regulating the breath and circulating Qi (vital energy). Amid the secular world, those who pursue fame and profit find that when reputation grows prominent, gain becomes abundant, and when renown is achieved, benefit follows with it. When cultivation fills one with Qi, life can be prolonged. This is how the gentleman treasures life; how could it be compared with a petty person showing off cleverness? When literary talent and martial strategy are both possessed, one may become a loyal minister who assists the state; only when Jing (essence) and Qi are ample, and form and Shen (spirit) are both complete, is one a successor of the true immortals.

Confucius once said that he did not understand the fundamental origin of the Dao, and so he sought instruction from Laozi; only then did he come to know that the root of the Dao lies in Qi. If both bodily form and Shen are insufficient, even painstaking cultivation is effort spent in vain. If the heart’s wish is partial, in the end nothing is gained; when the mind within is upright, Shen comes into harmony, and when Shen is in harmony, the Qi of the Dao is then abundant.

Those who cultivate the wondrous Dao (the Way) differ from one another in appearance and bearing, and these qualities cannot be sought in haste. Without exception they have long since accumulated good affinities and practiced De (Virtue) through good deeds, and all of them display an air of having risen above the dusty world. Some are widely read, yet light and unrestrained in their conduct; others are steadfast and single-minded, with natures that are simple, honest, and upright.

Their features need not all bear extraordinary signs. The eyebrows need not sprout fine hairs, the pupils need not be slanted, nor the ears and eyes show unusual shades of red and white, and the face and brow need not differ from those of ordinary people. The scripture also lists unusual marks spoken of in traditional accounts: from thirty-six to forty-two teeth; a black mole on the abdomen; a long crease beneath the tongue; arms that, hanging down, extend past the knees; ears level with the neck; lines on the soles that run through to the heels; palm lines forming a separated “chuan” (川) pattern; a “Qian-Kun” pattern on the forehead; a “ji” (吉, auspicious) character on the chest; and a bearing that is dignified, full, and handsome.

There are also those whose clothing is worn and soiled, yet who, amid the crowd, keep a pure and resolute heart. Outwardly they mingle with the dusty world, and even when their bodies are covered with grime they do not wash it away. The scripture further says that some cast no shadow when they stand before the sun, the moon, or lamplight; that some constantly bestow kindness on others, eat quickly and eliminate slowly, and have sweat like pearls issuing from their pores. Still others have a square, regular mouth, a swelling like a horn at the nape of the neck, a head shaped like the sun and moon, or horns resembling those of the qilin, the dragon, or the tiger; the “jade pillow” (yuzhen) bone at the back of the head rises prominently, straight through and sharply angled. Those who possess features of this kind also attain the Dao with relative ease.

Those who aspire to cultivate the Dao, so long as they remain upright, keep faith, and persist without turning back, will in the end transcend the world and ascend as immortals, becoming perfected persons who have left the world behind. When their merit and De are complete, they may even cause the whole household to rise to heaven, house and all. Such people are ordinarily profound in talent and insight; they slight wealth and prize the methods of the Dao. Even without spiritual powers or extraordinary abilities, so long as they hold De within, cultivate themselves deeply, and go on accumulating good deeds that seek no reward, they can all in the end become persons who have attained the Dao. But if one lacks these unusual marks and merely wears out the mind in delusion, then even austerities as harsh as drinking ice and eating cypress may still end in sinking down among the ghosts of the lower realms.

I have further examined the accounts of the various schools, and it truly grieves me. If these principles can be set forth clearly so that people come to understand them, and if they hold fast to their resolve and conduct, then those who bear these unusual marks will find it comparatively easy to become immortals; and the great store of good affinities accumulated within the Daoist tradition over many generations will also be of help. All who set their whole heart on the Dao, earnestly hope for long life, and are eager to cultivate the Xuanpin (the “Mysterious Female,” a term in Daoist practice for the root of life or an inner aperture) ought to practice giving and kindness on a wide scale. Those who possess unusual marks and in the end complete the work are all persons who have cultivated diligently through successive lifetimes and attain deliverance only in this life. Those who in the present life delight in cultivating the Dao and truly nurture life are precisely receiving the blessed recompense of long practice in the past.

Form exists by relying on Qi (vital energy), and Qi in turn arises by depending on form. Form and Qi depend on each other and together constitute the body; the hun and po souls come and go along with them. Qi descends and gathers, forming Shen (spirit), and nourishes the five viscera. Qi is the root of blood, blood is the root of Jing (essence), Jing is the root of Shen, and Shen is in turn the root of bodily form. Without Qi, form cannot take shape of itself; Qi exists by relying on form, and the hun and po accompany it as well.

Shen is the root of Qi. What is called “fetal breathing” is to visualize oneself breathing as an infant does, and thereby reach a state of balanced harmony—that is, the smooth and free flow of primordial Qi. Between each inhalation and exhalation, within the Three Origins and throughout the hair of the body, one should imagine the breath passing freely and without obstruction. All of this must be regulated and restrained by the heart-mind and intention. Settle the heart, and do not deliberately use the mind to manage the process; once thought and deliberation grow excessive, the principle of naturalness is lost.

The heart may be compared to a fierce and restless fire, correlated with the earthly branches Si and Wu; the kidneys may be compared to the bearing of a gentle, yielding woman—at the hours of Hai and Zi they are deep, still, and lovely—and they are the source of primordial Qi. Thus the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger (in Daoist Neidan, internal alchemy, these commonly stand for the two forces of Yin-Yang), one rising and one sinking, produce the working of the circulation of Qi. The fire-qi in the heart transforms into cloud-fluids, and the moistening water-qi in the kidneys transforms into cloud-rain; the two follow one another and return to the northern position of Kan (a trigram of the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams), that is, the kidney-sea palace of Qi corresponding to Zi and Hai. Heart-qi connects upward with the Mud-Pill Palace (Niwan, an inner palace of the head) and downward nourishes the passes, orifices, and hair throughout the body, so that primordial Qi circulates freely; it is said that this can regulate many kinds of illness.

If the fire within the heart is given free rein, it is as though nowhere between heaven and earth escapes being scorched. In cultivation, the five grains and the five flavors should be gradually reduced. At the beginning of practice one may swallow thirty-six times, alternating dry swallows with moist swallows; visualize the Qi in the heart and, by means of intention, guide it back into the Sea of Qi below the navel (the place in the lower abdomen where primordial Qi is stored and nourished), combining this with visualization of the sun and moon. Here the left kidney is taken as the sun and the right kidney as the moon; one visualizes the Qi of both sides rising together and finally uniting as one.

First visualize the right kidney as the moon, with white Qi ascending along the right side of the spine and entering the Mud-Pill Palace at the crown of the head; it then passes through the Cavern Chamber Palace and the Bright Hall Palace (inner palaces of the head), descends through the Twelve-Story Tower (the throat), reaches the Crimson Palace (the palace within the chest), and finally enters the Sea of Qi. Next visualize the left kidney as the sun, with yellow Qi ascending along the left side of the spine, likewise passing through these palaces and entering the center of the Sea of Qi. Finally visualize the white Qi within and the yellow Qi without, gathering into a pearl suspended in the Sea of Qi: yellow outside and white inside, bright and smoothly rounded, the size of a pellet, the color of an orange. With long practice, one can make it shine as brightly as the sun and moon.

The “Mysterious Pearl” spoken of here is the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) within the kidney palace. The so-called “Mysterious Female”—a term of Neidan (internal alchemy) for the root at which Yin-Yang unite and from which gestation and transformation arise—is the kidney palace itself. The Mysterious Pearl may also be described as two things joined into one: one Yin and one Yang combined. Both appear yellow; the outside is yellow, while white is enclosed within. “Red Water” means blood. If the Mysterious Pearl can be refined to completion, saliva, fluids, blood, and Qi naturally become abundant. To tell whether the practice is effective, one may blend bitter wine with essential dew and leave the mixture overnight, whereupon it turns into blood. Continued for nine years, this cultivation transforms the sinews and bones; the body grows light, one comes into communion with Shen (spirit), and one becomes an earth immortal.

One cannot yet proceed at once to the “Great Medicine,” a Neidan term for cultivation at a higher stage. Qi must first be refined to completion and used to replenish the body together with Jing and Qi; only then does the Great Medicine take effect. Someone just beginning to ingest Qi should not rush to seek the Mysterious Pearl. For three years, keep first to a plain diet, but do not cut off grains immediately. Sexual desire, however, must be renounced at once; otherwise one’s lifespan will be harmed.

Each day at the fifth watch, swallow Qi thirty-six times, so that saliva and fluids join with Qi. Gradually reduce food and drink, eat plain fare, and avoid salt, vinegar, and anything excessively cold or hot. Eat a full meal at midday, and eat little in the morning and evening. After three years of this, even plain food gradually comes to have flavor. Do not stop grain all at once, for that causes great harm. When plain fare tastes agreeable and one no longer craves ordinary flavors, the five viscera grow firm. If the five viscera are weak, replenish them with medicines until the body is robust. After that, the five flavors and the five grains may be reduced step by step: first, for three days in succession, eat plain porridge, vegetable juices, and such foods as sesame leaves and stems, goji, huangjing, and jujubes, and only then consider abstaining from grain.

During abstention from grain, one should also keep from feeling hunger or thirst. If the smell of grain being steamed or boiled becomes unbearable, one may eat for a time; with long practice, the desire for food will of itself gradually fade. If after three days or seven days one feels hungry and exhausted, one may again eat plain flour foods that have been allowed to cool. When hunger or thirst arises, visualize the Qi within the body and, at any moment, ingest Qi by the method already given; this is said to take the place of food and bring fullness. If one wishes to eat, taro, Chinese yam, fleeceflower root, and the like may also be taken, but tea should be drunk sparingly. If salt is added, hunger will soon be felt.

The text calls the five flavors the “five thieves” and the “five poisons,” giving salt, vinegar, water, fermented soybeans, and pungent foods as examples. During practice one may consume small amounts of good wine, jiaohuang pills, glutinous rice, and raw pepper. Glutinous rice replenishes the Qi of the stomach, and Sichuan pepper guides Qi downward. Lightly boiled wine lees, taro, winter melon, Chinese yam, and Chinese-chive soup may also be eaten, but they should be cooled. Wine assists Qi, and a gruel made from wine lees is likewise held to help the circulation of primordial Qi. After drinking, the breath may move more freely, yet good wine should not be taken in quantity; drunkenness that leads to vomiting injures the body. Now and then a single cup may be drunk to ease hunger in place of food. The scripture further holds that wine can wash away the Yin dregs in the body—the turbid Qi of Yin—and refine and nourish true Qi. Ginseng decoction stimulates the appetite and, on the contrary, easily makes one hungry. Poria and jujubes are very beneficial; melon, peach, and tangerine can also assist Qi. Chestnuts, peaches, fox nuts, and lotus root may be eaten in small amounts. Water caltrop is cold in nature, and eating too much of it disturbs the movement of Qi.

After a period of practice, if spirit and vitality gradually strengthen, if one is not sleepy at night, if a lightning-like radiance sometimes appears in the eyes, or if one can even see in the dark, the scripture regards these as signs. At that point one must quickly guard Jing and Qi. It explains the appearance of spirit-light as the flourishing of the Yang hun-soul and the near exhaustion of turbid Yin, and it holds that if one does not carefully preserve Jing but indulges sexual desire, death may result. It also says that if desire cannot be cut off completely, one may, within bedchamber practice, restrain Jing and Qi so that they do not leak outward; if essence and marrow are discharged, depletion continues. The arts of the bedchamber are hard to control and may cause spirit and vitality to decline. The scripture further speaks of gathering and nourishing Jing and Qi through those arts, regarding this as something done by people of merit and good fortune, not a method that ordinary people can understand or practice.

The scripture compares the depletion of Jing and Qi to a sea drying up, a mountain collapsing, and rivers losing their proper course. It holds that this may give rise to a hundred illnesses and even invite ghostly afflictions, after which a return to cultivation will be very difficult to bring to success. Conversely, if one refines Qi and clears the heart-mind by the methods above, one can resist disease, epidemics, and poisonous Qi. It says that when brain and marrow are full and Jing and Qi are abundant, ghosts and spirits can hardly do harm. In illness, one may regulate Qi so as to drive it out, letting Qi reach the five viscera and six bowels and then forcing it from the body; if the body grows hot and sticky sweat appears, this is taken as a sign of effect. If the illness has not receded, continue regulating Qi, visualize the various spirits inside and outside the body, swallow Qi, and hold the breath; one may also practice within bed-curtains, wrapped in clothing and bedding. The scripture holds that wind diseases, Qi diseases, miasmal diseases, consumptive diseases, toxic diseases, and the like can all be expelled from the sinews, bones, and marrow by this method, and it claims an efficacy greater than that of medicines.

The scripture sums up illness as the “two hundred and two diseases”: hot syndromes belong to wind and cold syndromes belong to Qi, and together they are called the “four hundred and four diseases,” all of which, it holds, can be treated by regulating Qi. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “Immortals and Daoist masters are not born with numinous powers; they accumulate Jing and Qi and congeal them into the true.” By this the scripture shows that attaining the Dao (the Way) does not depend on first completing the Great Medicine, but begins with Qi. From ancient times, those who attained the Dao, together with sages and cultivators, all first achieved their realization through refining Qi. It holds that there is no other shortcut by which one can leap beyond the Three Realms. Riding clouds and driving mists, numinous powers and transformations, roaming the sun and moon, and traveling the Three Isles and Ten Continents—all such extraordinary abilities are attributed to the cultivation of Qi.

The scripture says that in one day and night a person has about 13,500 breaths, and that the coming and going of the breath totals about 27,000 times. Once Qi has been refined to completion, one can employ the breath, even changing cold and warmth within the space of a respiration and contemplating heaven and earth in the smallest place. It also gives the example of blowing upon seawater so that it runs backward for a thousand li, to show that a person may pass from the ordinary into the spiritual. A beginner in ingesting Qi should grow still, draw clear Qi in through the nose, and then swallow it, while slowly expelling turbid Qi from the mouth. When there is heat, one may open the mouth and breathe out with the “he” exhalation to vent it; when there is cold, one uses the blowing breath to replenish oneself, and thus regulates the upper burner, the region of the body above the chest and diaphragm.

Ingesting Qi is divided into an upper and a lower section. The upper section begins from the primordial Qi in the heart and joins with the lower origin; the upper section is used to regulate illnesses of the upper burner, while the lower section is used to ingest and refine the inner Qi within the heart. In ingesting and swallowing Qi one should use inner Qi, and this is called Neidan. One must preserve it with continuous, unbroken intent, and must not guide the practice by the outer Qi of the upper section; otherwise external wind will injure the five viscera. The scripture says that if these two sections cannot be distinguished, the Mysterious Pearl and Red Water cannot be understood. Those who have already ingested Qi and received a teacher’s transmission have breath that is relatively practiced, so its movement comes easily; those without such transmission have breath that is raw and halting, and find the work harder to enter. With long practice one can gradually master it; and if some rule is violated, one will also come, in the course of practice, to know where the problem lies.

“The Sea of the Dao (the Way)” is like a vast, boundless ocean, unfathomably deep and wide, and within it there are also winds, waves, and perilous obstacles. If one does not go there in person, undergoing travel and arduous journeying, how can one truly come to know it amid hardship and danger? Only through personal experience can one gain some understanding. As for those who have never experienced it themselves, they can only listen to what others say, and yet remain bewildered.

Some things in the world are hard to obtain. In the search for wonders and rarities, nothing is more difficult than braving danger oneself and crossing seas of whale-tossed billows and towering waves. If a person has traveled through the prefectures of You, Qing, Hua, and Wei, and has passed checkpoints and ferries, market towns and villages, Daoist abbeys and Buddhist monasteries, the dwellings of Daoist priests, numinous altars and spirit temples, grotto residences, and famous mountains, and is familiar with all these places, he can go straight to them without the slightest hindrance, arriving wherever he wishes. Because he has walked the way in person and knows the road, it is said to be easy.

Those who practice ingesting internal Qi (vital energy)—nourishing and refining the Qi within the body through breath regulation and the circulation of Qi—are just the same. If one has never personally cultivated and experienced this path, yet hopes to reach the realm out of thin air, and has no one to guide the way, one can only laboriously inquire and search in every direction. Even if the will is firm and some insight is gained at last, the process will be strenuous and slow. Immortal grottoes are deep and secluded; if conviction and wisdom are not firm enough, one easily loses the way. Never having walked the roads within them, cultivation is naturally difficult.

Once internal Qi has gradually become practiced and mature, diet may be adjusted according to the person and the time: sometimes one abstains from food for many years, sometimes one takes three meals a day, sometimes one eats and sometimes one does not; some take a meal once every three days, or drink only a single bowl of gruel in a day. Even when hunger and thirst arise, they can be regulated and kept under control. When the five viscera are peaceful and harmonious, this shows that internal Qi has matured. The scripture further lists plants, minerals, and other medicines—such as purple lingzhi, huangjing, poria, goji, he shou wu, cinnabar, frankincense, and black beans—and holds that all of them may be taken. Yet merely taking medicines without nurturing and harmonizing Qi, even fasting until the belly and intestines are withered and the blood vessels dried up, in the hope of thereby gaining longevity and freedom, is not as good as concentrating on the cultivation of primordial Qi: one eats as need requires, and stops whenever one wishes to stop. This is the sign that Qi has been brought to completion.

When Qigong cultivation succeeds, the sinews and bones become supple and harmonious, the joints open and flow freely, the bodily fluids gradually grow abundant, and the blood vessels become strong. The hands, feet, and crown of the head also undergo the changes described in the scripture. When one circulates Qi and exerts effort, one can even make Qi take on a ball-like form. The scripture also says that when Jing (essence) and blood are full and the sinews and vessels are strong, the body can be transformed and the hair replaced. It cites the Daodejing (Classic of the Dao and De) to show that the great Dao (the Way) is not something everyone can recognize and practice. Even figures such as Boyi, Shuqi, Bi Gan, and Qu Yuan did not necessarily understand it. Ordinary people, entangled in worldly affairs, find it still harder to comprehend.

If a person indulges greed and sexual desire, then, come old age, the teeth wither and decay, the hair turns white, and in the end form and Shen (spirit) disperse and are buried in barren soil. The scripture further speaks in terms of the Daoist idea of transmigration: a person may be reborn as an infant, as ox or horse, sheep, chicken or dog, fish or insect, or, under the weight of heavy karma, drift about in suffering, or be reborn as mosquito, fly, or maggot. If one does not understand this principle, even the great Dao can hardly offer rescue. The great Dao is vast and profound, like the great sea, able to contain and nourish the myriad things. Mountains and rivers, fish and dragons, and the like can also raise clouds and send down rain, displaying its power.

The Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) says that heaven, earth, and the myriad things all contain the Qi of the Dao, including plants and trees, insects and fish, mosquitoes, and crickets and ants. The Dao is present in the myriad things, yet is not easy to see—just as a fish lives in water yet does not know that the water is nourishing it. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says, “Like the turtle, draw Qi to the numinous root.” The text uses this to explain that the turtle can obtain Qi and thereby live long. The snake hides in winter and takes no food; the text holds that the snake keeps a stone in its mouth and lies concealed, and that the stone in the end turns into snake’s yellow—an efficacy of having obtained Qi. When the phoenix and the crane obtain Qi, they can fly and roam among immortal grottoes and the Three Islands and Ten Continents. The oyster holds the light of the autumn moon and forms a pearl; the macaque can learn Chan meditation and enter samadhi; the white deer is skilled at stretching its sinews and bones and, according to legend, may live nine thousand years. The soft-shelled turtle in winter absorbs Qi amid the sand, and fish each have their own ways of taking in the Qi of water. The scripture sighs that human beings, by contrast, do not know how to practice daoyin and cultivation so as to seek long life.

Living in the world, if a person does not cultivate the methods of the Dao and only seeks a means of life outside the body, how can one hope to obtain a human body again? The scripture explains this with the saying, “When the Dao is present, there is accomplishment; when it is lost, there is failure.” A person who loses the Dao is like a fish that leaves the water and dies. Worldly people who go into the mountains to seek the Dao are like those who climb a tree to look for fish; traveling far to seek a teacher is like hoping for rain in a drought. The Yinfu Jing further says that if one cultivates again and again, day and night, and learns from a teacher, the efficacy can be doubled. The myriad things can wear a person down, and a person can also draw upon the myriad things. So long as one empties the mind, nourishes Qi, and makes the body full, the Qi of the Dao will arrive. Doing good and accumulating De (Virtue/Power) is like sweet rain falling in its season.

The scripture holds that foods grown in the fields, such as the five grains, carry the Qi of earth; eaten over a long period they harm a person and in the end return him to the dust. If the cultivator can take in the Qi of Great Harmony belonging to the Yin-Yang of heaven and earth, he is no longer bound by limited food, as though partaking of the fare of the celestial kitchen. Hence it is said that heaven cannot slay him and earth cannot bury him; a person’s destiny is decided by his own cultivation, not wholly arranged by heaven and earth. The Golden Mother (Jinmu, a title of the Daoist goddess the Queen Mother of the West) further says that a person’s life and death depend on the Three Passes. The scripture compares the Qi of the Dao to the clear light of the moon, holding that every household may cultivate, making the body bright and pure, even to the point that the whole family ascends to heaven, dwelling and all.

In cultivation, when the fluids of the mouth fill and are then swallowed, they are called “jasper nectar” and are regarded as the food of the immortals. The scripture says that one year of cultivation can make the viscera sound, two years can heal a sick body, three years can make the blood vessels firm, four years can turn the sinews and bones strong, five years can brighten the eyes, six years can lengthen life, seven years can make the marrow soft and moist, eight years can make one an earth immortal, and nine years can turn the hair black. After nine years, one can also lighten the body and ascend more than a hundred zhang, roaming famous mountains and grotto-heavens without obstruction, fearing neither weapons, water and fire, nor ghosts and spirits, and able to subdue dragons and tame tigers. Such a person is called a Zhenren (Perfected Person). If one continues to practice the methods of ascent, expounding and reciting the mysterious principles and cultivating flight and ascension, one may roam above the sun and moon and become a celestial immortal.

The scripture also says that the immortal realm has offices and duties arranged: some oversee immortal grottoes, some keep the registers of immortals’ names, and some are charged with recording the merits of cultivators and promoting them in due order, much like official posts in the human world. If one does not cultivate the methods of ascent, one dwells in seclusion in a grotto residence and remains an earth immortal for the long term. Cultivators must also accumulate hidden merit—good done in secret, without seeking a reputation. Only when three thousand good merits are complete will the Jade Emperor summon one to the Mysterious Capital and confer office. Without hidden merit, even if one’s name is entered on the roster of cultivators, there is no record of hidden De, and the celestial realm will not summon one for advancement. Therefore, in cultivating the higher methods of the Dao, one should put the accumulation of hidden De first and help others, so that one’s own merit and virtue are brought to completion. All who have attained the Dao from ancient times to the present have been like this.

Cultivating the Dao takes faith as its root; cultivating De takes wisdom as what comes first. The scripture says that the great Dao is like the sea: if one neither believes nor cultivates, no amount of talk is of any use. Those of shallow wisdom and thin virtue should not be lightly taught these things. Transmission must follow the rites of the lineage. A suitable disciple performs the rites before the teacher, offers gold and treasures as tokens of faith, and, after fasting and bathing, kowtowing and swearing an oath, only then does instruction begin. The scripture criticizes those who spend vast sums gathering every kind of herbal and mineral medicine: though these may perhaps cure some illnesses, one cannot by this means prolong life.

If one wishes to learn the arts of the immortals, one must also cultivate the methods of Qi, and visualize in the mind that the teeth serve as ritual implements: the teeth on the left are like a golden bell, those on the right like a jade chime, and the upper and lower incisors like jade tablets, also called the “celestial drum.” Clicking the teeth can gather Shen and present a report to heaven. When praying to dispel disaster and remove baleful influences, one strikes the celestial drum thirty-six times; when using talismans to expel evil and remove misfortune, one strikes the golden bell twenty-four times; when dispensing medicine or ingesting substances, one strikes the jade chime twelve times.

Learning the methods of the Dao (the Way) and nurturing the sacred embryo—the inner embryonic breathing formed in cultivation—is the path to long life and enduring vision. Everyone possesses this possibility; it is only that very few truly have the resolve to seek longevity. The “sacred embryo” spoken of here is embryonic breathing, breathing so fine that it resembles a fetus breathing in the mother’s womb. Visualizing the infant-like newborn is the way of deathless longevity. In cultivation one need not dwell on life and death, nor cling to the future.

Those who trust in the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao—the primordial energy of life spoken of in Daoist teachings—must be determined not to spare body or life. Only then can they steady the mind set on studying the Dao, inquire deeply into the mysterious and subtle, and gradually come to understand its ultimate truth. In cultivating this Dao-Qi, one causes it to circulate freely through the body, taking as one’s aim the experience of the realm of mystery; only by not fearing death can one persist until the practice is complete.

“Niwan” refers to the place three inches inward from between the eyebrows. The scripture says that there is a passage here leading upward to the crown, running back through the spine, reaching also into the bones of the feet, then entering the Sea of Qi—the region of the Dantian (energy center) below the navel—and finally being expelled through the outlets of urine and stool, with an effect like tihu, pure refined cream.

“Danque” refers to the Central Palace. The elixir governed by the heart is red, and so it is called the Crimson Palace, presided over by the Lord of the Heart. The Lord of the Heart commands every part of the body, and the blood vessels likewise communicate through it. “Mai” here means to nourish and gather in, rendering it harmonious, unobstructed, and pure. The “Three Powers” refer to the Triple Burner—upper, middle, and lower: the upper burner symbolizes Heaven, the middle burner the human being, and the lower burner Earth. What cultivation follows is the Qi of primal harmony, Qi that is original and peaceful.

If one takes cultivation to be no more than a journey of three circuits back and forth, one fails to understand that the mysterious Dao is Qi in its very nature, and one cannot gauge how far or near, how wide or narrow, the path may be; one may even fail to reach the destination. Only by steadying one’s resolve and going forth to seek does one complete a course of learning. The subtlety of the method by which cultivation obtains Qi lies in accomplishment through oneself, not through another; therefore one need not spend too long going and returning.

The “Mysterious Pearl” has already been explained above. It is like seeking a pearl in the sea: so long as one has once sought it, there is a possibility of finding it; even if one only ponders it in the heart, some attainment is possible. If one has never sought it, it is like facing the vast ocean with nowhere to begin. “Red Water” refers to blood. Even if the Mysterious Pearl is obtained, should the bodily fluids and blood-Qi fail to join, there is no passage to serve as a medium.

The art of longevity is easily reached by one who cultivates well; one who cultivates poorly cannot grasp the mystery within it. When cultivation reaches the Sea of Qi, an inner radiance arises, like a graceful image. The two characters “niao a” are suspected of being corrupt. The scripture goes on to say that one should visualize the white Qi on both sides of the spine moving back and forth. “Cui” means to urge it into swift circulation, so as to bring the Mysterious Pearl to completion.

Within Qi there is originally no solid substance. Once Dao-Qi has been cultivated to completion and, through the use of mind, one reaches the state of no-mind, walking, sitting, and lying all accord with the principle of Wuwei (non-action), and one enters the realm of natural spontaneity. The “Jade Terrace” is a palace chamber like fine jade, referring to the palace where the sun and moon reside. The head is the “head”; “sao” carries the sense of moving or of removing. Here the Jade Terrace is said to be the place where the three hun-souls of the yang realm—the three kinds of souls spoken of in the Daoist religion—receive their offices and carry out their duties, and also the palace chamber in which Shen (spirit) dwells.

Since I began cultivating the Dao (the Way), I have come to understand that practicing methods of Qi (vital energy) is the foundation, while accumulating hidden virtue is the matter of first importance. Not long ago I obtained a spirit sword, which I use to sweep away demons and evil beings. The poisonous harm of the snake and the shen threatened the common people, so beside Zitan I cast iron implements to seal the shen’s lair, and at night I commanded ghosts and spirits to forge two iron pillars, secretly locking that lair. One pillar stands to the south of Yuzhang; and because I feared the shen might burst out toward the west and flood and harm the people, I set up another pillar before the two ridges on the eastern side of West Mountain.

I once slew a great snake at the border of Xiping and Jianchang. A young snake escaped from its belly and fled toward the great sea. I then sent the divine sword in pursuit. But this young snake had committed no offense, so the divine sword did not kill it. My leading disciple Wu Meng said, “Five hundred years from now, this young snake may harm the people just as before. A mark ought to be left at the Pine Altar: if the pine branches droop low, cover the face of the altar, and brush the ground, that will show that the term of five hundred years is about to arrive. At that time I will come down in person to inspect. If it still injures the people, even my spirit sword may not slay it on its own authority.”

Now, in the Wuling area within the territory of Yuwei, eight hundred people, one after another, have already attained the Dao here and become earthly immortals. At that time, worthies of later ages will of themselves come there to subdue demons and evil beings. Wu Meng asked, “What shall serve as the sign?” I replied, “If a sandbar suddenly arises in the middle of the great river of Yuzhang and gradually extends downstream until it reaches the mouth of Shashi and stands opposite Longsha, that is the sign.”

Those who cultivate the Dao practice step by step; each completes his own achievement and, in turn, ascends into the Golden Portal (the palace towers of the heavenly realm). In the future, the leaders of the Dao and the teachers of humanity who preside over grotto residences and famous mountains will emerge from Yuzhang and will greatly propagate my methods of the Dao. I have composed the Qifa Yiyan Jun in fifty juan, and it circulates in the world; you need not worry.

My leading disciple also once struck the stone beast of South Lake with the spirit sword, shooting the flying sword into the beast’s eye. Although that stone beast breathed out Qi like clouds, this only brought chastisement upon its face; its eyes were not injured. Because it had committed no fault, the divine sword did not put it to death. Afterward I gathered up the sword and returned. On the strength of these deeds I have been called Lingjianzi, and I have transmitted the methods of the Dao to those who later attained immortality.

In the city on the west bank of the river at Yuzhang, I sought out the traces of Lady Wei and Master Hongchuan, and in the residence I obtained gold and money together with elixir medicines. These matters again show that cultivating the Dao requires attention to the arts of Qi and to hidden merit. One who studies the Dao should at the outset broadly accumulate hidden virtue, first practice the methods of circulating Qi, and then maintain the arts of Neidan (internal alchemy) for long life and enduring vision. What has already been said above need not be repeated. Only after the cultivation of Qi is complete may one cultivate the Great Medicine. From ancient times, those who attained the Dao and ascended as immortals, and those who became immortals through corpse liberation, have all taken the accumulation of hidden virtue as primary: relieving poverty, resolving dangers and difficulties, or secretly bestowing kindness, helping people escape hunger and cold, and accumulating merit through every kind of expedient good deed. After merit is fulfilled, the Director of Allotted Lifespans and the Director of Records (the divine offices in charge of human lifespan and of merit and transgression) report upward to Heaven; only then may one cultivate the Great Medicine.

The Dao (the Way) takes clarity and stillness as its root, while De (Virtue/Power) places humility, yielding, and patient endurance first. Cravings and desires are to be restrained in everyday life. Abstaining from the flavors of grain can leave the abdomen clear, pure, and full; when nothing stagnates or blocks the abdomen, movement becomes light and easy. To make both mind and body clear, still, and empty is the constant path of cultivating the Dao.

Those who are just beginning to cultivate the Dao should avoid craving beautiful forms, should not indulge in mournful sounds, should not hanker after rare delicacies, should not chase unusual fragrances, and should not let the body be stained by filth. The Superior Perfected—Perfected Persons who have attained the Dao—all reject these things. If one can keep the six roots, the six faculties of sensation and cognition (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind), from being pulled about by external things, and can gradually cut off desire in keeping with a sincere heart, one may hope to become a great immortal.

Beginners should not break off all food and daily affairs at a single stroke. They may first eat more plainly, and then gradually reduce worldly fare, mundane business, and social dealings. If a cultivator suddenly appears abnormal, this may alarm others, draw down misfortune, and even endanger life. For this reason some cultivators feign madness, change their dress, and let their appearance seem soiled and untidy. The scripture (Jing) holds that this is done so as to mingle unnoticed in the world and wash away yin defilement, while at the same time preserving life, grasping the mysterious and wondrous principle, and allowing the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao to come gradually to completion.

Secret methods are to be passed on to later students only by carefully choosing the recipient according to the proper rules. To transmit the teaching to one person and guide that person in practice increases merit; if the recipient neither believes nor cultivates, the teacher suffers a loss of Qi cultivation and of merit. Before transmission, one should first observe the other’s character: whether that person is compassionate at heart, often speaks of the Dao and De, is filial toward kin and respectful toward friends, keeps faith and is loyal and righteous, treats others with humaneness, harmony, and propriety, remains humble and self-possessed, and is intelligent and discerning. Only when these conditions are met may the oral instructions be given and the person accepted as a disciple. If the teaching is transmitted contrary to the rules, the scripture says, one’s lifespan will be shortened and one’s merit diminished. Perfected Persons should practice together with those who are truly compassionate and who revere the Dao.

If someone who has received the method is for a time unable to practice because of entanglement in worldly affairs, then, when the sun and moon are bright and the stars and the Dipper stand clear, that person may burn incense, light lamps, and offer fresh fruit, flowers, and fine wine, praying sincerely in words to this effect: “Although I have received transmission of the wondrous method, I have not yet been able to cultivate and honor it. I earnestly beg Heaven to look into this clearly and not to diminish my original teacher’s Qi cultivation.” The scripture says that if one prays in this way, the teacher will not be harmed; if one does not pray to the stars according to the rite, illness or penal harm may follow. Should illness appear and medicine prove ineffective, one should pray again to Heaven and, following the original method, regulate one’s practice and drive out the affliction. The scripture stresses that one must not rely on drugs alone to force an assault upon the illness; otherwise one will sink into the dark underworld. Only the Qi of the Dao is worthy of trust.

Hunger and satiety, toil and ease, cold and heat, damp and wind, vomiting, excessive drinking, sexual activity, as well as prolonged walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, and long stretches of loud talk and laughter, of grief and joy, of delight and weeping—all of these deplete Qi cultivation. Other texts have already recorded these matters, so they will not be set out in detail here. This book long remained with the immortals in the celestial palaces and was never transmitted to the human world.

Later, Cailuan, daughter of Wu Meng, while visiting an old residence of an immortal mansion at the Mid-Autumn Festival, was able to see this book. After she asked to receive its transmission, she saw a crowd holding hands and singing lyrics and tunes in a lively scene; she also met Wen Xiao and found his writing fluent and his replies quick. The two admired each other, their words were in accord, and it seemed as if a bond had long existed between them. When the singing ended, Wen Xiao lit a lamp and led her to the immortal dwelling, and that night the two were in conjugal harmony, like zither and lute sounding together. At dawn an immortal attendant brought a document. After Wen Xiao inquired and thereby leaked a secret of Heaven, the Lord on High punished him by having him reborn as someone’s wife for twelve years. Fearing that Wen Xiao would no longer cultivate the Qi of the Dao, the Lord on High used this matter to instruct him. Wen Xiao cultivated for twelve years; his Qi of the Dao was brought to completion, and in the end he ascended to the Upper Mysterious Capital.

Anyone who wishes to practice embryonic breathing and the ingestion of Qi (vital energy) should first train in daoyin. Daoyin means using stretching, bending, and massage of the body to loosen the sinews and bones and harmonize the blood vessels, and then guiding Qi so that it circulates freely all around. When Qi has filled to a certain point, one can feel it moving.

One may rub the hands and feet, curl and flex the body, extend the limbs, or grasp, press, and knead with the hands, letting Qi move in time with the breathing. Long practice is said to make all kinds of pain and illness recede. The Shen (spirit) Qi in the five viscera and six bowels also gradually becomes free-flowing, and once the movement of Qi is well practiced, what is called the Qi of the Dao (the Way) can take form. In guiding Qi, one may visualize it rising to the niwan (the point at the crown of the head) or descending to the yongquan (the point on the sole of the foot). With prolonged practice one gradually comes to experience a natural state: the hun and po souls grow vigorous, and Jing (essence) and marrow become full. The text says that all who practice this method can become immortals.

Each of the five viscera has its own corresponding daoyin method, and one should regulate and nourish according to the season so that primordial Qi is replenished. In spring, summer, autumn, and winter alike, one must give full attention to regulating and guiding Qi. Laozi also cultivated in this way when he studied the Dao. The ancient sages transmitted these methods, and the related classics record many essential instructions. Sixteen daoyin postures are listed here.

Three postures for replenishing and nourishing the liver in spring

The first: Cover the mouth with both hands, and take the warm Qi and the fluids on the palms to rub the face, wiping up and down thirty to fifty times. Done after meals, this is said to make the complexion moist and lustrous. One may also rub the face with both hands until it grows warm, which is said to make the skin bright and free of wrinkles. Kept up for three years, the complexion will become like that of a young woman, the eyes will grow clear, and old ailments will be cleared away.

Afterward, guide Qi from the region corresponding to the liver, sending it through the shoulders and back, then draw in yuanhe (harmonized primordial Qi) so as to replenish and nourish the liver, and let the Qi return to the lower prime (the seat of primordial Qi in the lower body). Daoyin is always performed while holding the breath. First make the blood vessels of the whole body flow freely, then guide Qi to circulate from within the body; this is said to heal a hundred illnesses. One must never exhale with the mouth open, lest external pathogenic influences seize the chance to enter the five viscera and six bowels and bring on harm instead. In practice, guard this with care.

The second posture: sit with the body upright, cross the two hands, and strain them forcefully against each other. This posture is used to regulate and treat wind in the liver (a class of liver wind disorders as understood in antiquity). Place both hands behind the neck, tilt the head backward, and raise the eyes to look upward, so that the neck and the hands exert force against one another. It can dispel heat-toxin, ease shoulder pain and dimness of vision, and also help disperse accumulated wind-Qi (vital energy), so that the original harmonious Qi (the harmonizing Qi of the body’s fundamental source) does not become obstructed. One then nourishes the liver by harmonizing the balanced Qi, allowing Qi to descend to the Qi Sea, the Dantian (energy center) below the navel, and to replenish the inner pearl (a term in Daoist cultivation for the condensed state of Jing (essence) and Qi within the body).

The third posture: lay the hands one over the other, press them on the knees, and pull and stretch to the left and right with full strength. This posture is used to dispel wind-toxin Qi at the waist and stagnation in the chest and diaphragm (the region of the thoracic cavity and the diaphragm), to nourish the liver, and also to help brighten the eyes.

One posture for supplementing the spleen, practiced in late spring

The fourth posture: to the left and to the right, perform the movement of shooting a hawk. Practiced with force, it can dispel wind-Qi accumulated in the chest and flanks and about the chest and diaphragm, and regulate the spleen. When related disorders occur, this posture may be practiced; during practice keep the mouth closed, so that the Qi within the body moves and disperses along with the movements.

Three postures for supplementing the heart, practiced in summer

The fifth posture: sit in a broad posture, incline the body, and push and brace forcefully to one side, as if thrusting a mountain aside. Strive to dispel wind-cold Qi between the waist and the spine, so that the Qi dynamic of the five viscera and six bowels flows freely, and to disperse foot-Qi (a traditional general term for swelling, pain, numbness, and related disorders of the feet). Both the left and the right sides must be practiced. This posture is used to nourish the heart and increase wisdom.

The sixth posture: press one hand on the knee and raise the other hand upward, exerting full effort in the movement of lifting a stone. This posture is used to dispel wind-toxin between the two flanks, regulate the heart, and make the blood vessels flow freely. Both sides must be practiced, with the breath held during practice. This method may be practiced in all twelve months of the year; after the first posture, continue with this one.

The seventh posture: regularly join the palms and push them forward while moving the arms and wrists. This posture is used to regulate wind-taxation of the heart (a traditional term for taxation and depletion caused by wind pathogen) and to free the joints. Both sides must be practiced, in each case according to the method of spring.

One posture for supplementing the spleen, practiced in late summer

The eighth posture: sit upright, spread the fingers, and raise both hands straight upward; then reverse the hands and bend the fingers, raising them three times, and afterward bend the body forward. This posture is used to dispel impediment-wind of the waist, spine, feet, and knees (numbness, pain, and the like caused by wind pathogen) and to disperse the Qi of the bladder. Practice both forward and backward, beginning after the fourteenth day of the sixth month.

Three postures for supplementing the lungs.

One posture for supplementing the spleen, practiced in late summer.

Keep the body upright and sit down. Spread the fingers, extend the arms straight upward, and then bend them backward. Do this three times, and then bend the body forward. This movement may be used to relieve impediment pain and pathogenic wind in the lower back, spine, feet, and knees, and to disperse the Qi (vital energy) of the bladder. Practice it on both the front and the back, after the fourteenth day of the sixth month.

Three Postures for Supplementing the Lungs (Autumn Practice)

Ninth posture. Clasp the head and neck with both hands, and slowly turn the body, bending forward and leaning back. This movement is used to stretch the flanks, chest, sinews and vessels, and back, to disperse the wind Qi within them, and to free the circulation of Qi associated with the lungs. Practice on both sides of the neck, following the method of the first month.

Tenth posture. Cross both hands above the crown of the head and stretch and draw them to the left and to the right, ten times on each side, in order to disperse wind Qi from between the joints and to regulate disorders associated with the lungs.

Eleventh posture. Make fists with both hands and strike the shins more than ten times. This movement helps to open the chest, shoulders, and diaphragm, to disperse stagnant Qi in the face, and to regulate disorders associated with the lungs. While practicing, hold the breath according to the method of the first month, and accompany the exercise by tapping the teeth thirty-six times.

One Posture for Supplementing the Spleen (Late Autumn Practice)

Twelfth posture. Practice after the twelfth day of the ninth month in order to nourish the spleen. Cross both hands above the crown and press them forcefully against each other, performing the movement on both the left and the right. This movement is used to regulate the spleen and the four limbs, to disperse accumulated wind Qi beneath the flanks and Qi of the diaphragm, and also helps to improve the appetite. Hold the breath while practicing.

Three Postures for Supplementing the Kidneys (Winter Practice)

Thirteenth posture. Cross both hands and step on them with one foot. This movement is used to relieve tightness of the lower back and feet, disharmony of kidney Qi, cold impediment, pathogenic wind in the hands and feet, and pain in the knees.

Fourteenth posture. Sit with the legs spread wide and extend the fingers, then slowly draw in and bend the toes. This movement may be used to regulate impediment pain, pathogenic wind, and Qi stagnation in the feet, and to disperse pathogenic factors associated with the kidneys. It is also suited to relieving foot pain and discomfort after a long journey, and may be practiced regularly.

Fifteenth posture. Support one knee with one hand and bend it backward, while the other hand clasps the head, moving forward, backward, to the left, and to the right. This movement is used to disperse pathogenic wind from between the joints, to free the blood vessels and the Qi of the bladder and the kidneys, and to regulate disorders associated with the kidneys.

One Posture for Supplementing the Spleen (Late Winter Practice)

At this point the original text gives only the heading and does not describe a specific movement.

The sixteenth form: raise both hands upward and stretch them as fully as possible, repeating this three times. It can eliminate various diseases and discomforts of the spleen. Practice it according to the method for spring.

The sixteen forms of daoyin (guiding and stretching exercises) above are more effective when combined with breath retention. According to legend, within a thousand years after this set of daoyin exercises, an adept who has attained the Dao (the Way) will vigorously propagate the methods of the Dao. Chanting and teaching according to the five tones—gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu—he will later gather many scholars as disciples, eight hundred in all. After two periods of cultivation, these people will ascend one after another within four yuan.

The saying “one cultivation of five hundred years, a second cultivation of one thousand years” refers to the length of time the cultivation takes. In secular reckoning, twelve years make one zhou (cycle); in Daoism, twelve years make one ji (era). One yuan is sixty years, and four yuan are two hundred forty years. Later statements in the original text about the “four yuan” and the number of years until ascension are repetitive; calculated from the figure given in the text, that one yuan equals sixty years, four yuan should be two hundred forty years.