《云笈七签》Vol. 13

The spirit of the heart is called Huanyang Chang, with the courtesy name Daoming. It is nine inches tall and red.

The spirit of the liver is called Kaijun Tong, with the courtesy name Daoqing. It is six inches tall and blue-greenish yellow.

The spirit of the gallbladder is called Longde Ju, with the courtesy names Daofang and Daoping. It is eight inches and one fraction tall, and pure white from head to toe.

The spirit of the heart is called Huanyang Chang, with the courtesy name Daoming. It is nine inches tall and red.

The spirit of the liver is called Kaijun Tong, with the courtesy name Daoqing. It is six inches tall and blue-greenish yellow.

The spirit of the gallbladder is called Longde Ju, with the courtesy name Daofang. It is three inches and six fractions tall, and blue-green-yellow.

The spirit of the left kidney is called Chunyuan Zhen, with the courtesy name Daoqing. It is three inches and seven fractions tall. Its color shifts among white, red, and the five colors of blue and green, and cannot be fixed.

The spirit of the right kidney is called Xiangdi Wu, with the courtesy name Daosheng. It is three inches and five fractions tall, and white or black.

The spirit of the spleen is called Baoyuan Quan, with the courtesy name Daoqian. It is seven inches and three fractions tall, and pure yellow.

These are the names of the eight numinous child spirits in the middle part of the body. Visualize them in sequence. Their forms are like infants, faintly appearing within the body, each dwelling in its proper place. After completing the visualization, click your teeth eight times, swallow saliva eight times, then softly recite the incantation:

The eight spirits of the middle part transform and ascend, traveling to and fro through the nine heavens. They refine the hun and po souls, straighten the body, and make their radiant divine light shine alongside the sun and moon. The Lord Emperor loosens their bonds, enabling the embryo spirits to be refined and return to the four directions. They ascend to reach the Mysterious Mother, spread forth the spirits’ Qi, and step with imposing majesty. May I ride in a carriage with the eight spirits, stand alongside them at the palace gates, lead a thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen, and ascend to the palace towers of Taiwei.

The spirit of the stomach is called Tonglai Yu, with the courtesy name Daozhan. It is seven inches tall and yellow.

The spirit of the stomach is called Tonglai Yu, with the courtesy name Daozhan. It is seven inches tall and yellow.

The spirit in the lower intestine is called Zhaoteng Kang, with the courtesy name Daohuan. It is two inches and four fractions tall, and yellowish red.

The spirits in the small and large intestines are called Pengsong Liu, with the courtesy name Daochu. They are two inches and one fraction tall, and reddish yellow.

The spirit in the torso is called Shouhou Bo, with the courtesy name Daoxu. It is nine inches and one fraction tall, and wears robes of nine colors.

The spirit of the chest is named Guangyingzhai, with the courtesy name Daozhong. It is five cun tall and white.

The spirits of the two flanks are named Bijia Ma, with the courtesy name Daocheng. They are four cun and one fen tall, and red and white.

The spirit of the left Yin and left Yang is named Fuliuqi, with the courtesy name Daogui. It is two cun and three fen tall, and green, yellow, and white. In visualization, men regard it as the spirit of left Yang, while women regard it as the spirit of left Yin.

The spirit of the right Yin and right Yang is named Baobiaoming, with the courtesy name Daosheng. It is two cun and three fen tall, and green, yellow, and white. In visualization, men regard it as the spirit of right Yang, while women regard it as the spirit of right Yin.

Next, visualize the Eight Spirit Children of the body’s lower region, deities who guard the human body. Remember their names and imagine them in the form of infants, as if they were within your body, each settled in its corresponding place. When the visualization is complete, click the teeth together eight times, swallow the saliva in the mouth eight times, and then recite this prayer softly:

The eight spirits of the lower region disperse their forms and transform into numinous beings. Purple mist rises thickly; they contain the Origin and guard the essence. The Primordial Father of the Great One and the Sovereign Lord emerge in majesty. The Seven Luminous Ones escape the registers, and the Director of Destiny records life. The souls are at peace; the Five Blossoms nurture radiance. A thousand chariots and ten thousand horsemen accompany me. First I create the Great Simplicity, then bow north to the Highest Clarity.

The inner spirit of the Dao One is named Daiwuma, with the courtesy name Daojisheng. It is one cun and two fen tall, and purple. In visualization, men call it the inner spirit of the Dao One; women call it the numinous spirit of the True Origin.

This is a spirit hidden deep at the body’s root, and a superior numinous being who guards the Dao within the body. Next, visualize this spirit in the form of an infant, seated calmly in its place. When the visualization is complete, click the teeth together twenty-four times, swallow the saliva in the mouth twenty-four times, and then recite this prayer softly:

The True One within, above and beyond, nourishes the body and attends the dawn; it gathers and holds the guiding threads, making nine revolutions and eight turns. The stars of the Dipper shine inwardly; the palace halls are arranged in nine ranks. The Sovereign Lord joins in flourishing; the nine paths and seven swallows. The inner essence emerges as liquid, harmoniously irrigating the many spirits.

Then click the teeth together fifty-four times and recite a prayer softly.

The Supreme True Spirit Within (the highest true spirit in the body) nurtures and protects the physical form and attends to the morning light. It governs the overall order and moves according to the nine measures and eight rotations. The stars of the Dipper shine brightly within the body, while palaces, towers, and pavilions stand in sequence across nine tiers. The sovereign lords flourish in harmony; the nine passages flow freely, and the seven orifices are clear. Jing and Qi transform into fluids that circulate within the body, harmonizing and nourishing the spirits. The Five Viscera glow with vitality, and an aged appearance returns to the freshness of childhood. A thousand chariots and ten thousand riders accompany me as I ascend to Heaven. I approach the Great Celestial Stairway and bow deeply to Yuchen, the revered spirit of Heaven.

This passage speaks of a precious spirit within the body, named “Nei” (“Inner”) and styled “Hua” (“Transforming”): the spirit of life. If you do not know this spirit’s name, you cannot attain the Dao of immortality. Before loosening the knots in the body, you must first offer prayers to this spirit; otherwise, the knots cannot be undone. If they remain bound, the Three Hun souls will fall into disorder, the Upper Origin—the divine region housed in the head—will be damaged, the Five Elders, the spirits of the five viscera, will lose their sight, and the sovereign lords will become estranged and discordant. In visualization, men see this spirit appear as a boy, while women see it appear as a girl; both forms bear the same name.

To visualize the twenty-four spirits of the body, lie flat at midnight with your pillow set aside. Hold the hands in the “firm grip” posture, relax the body, and let the breath become calm and fine. Visualize the spirits within the body and focus your attention peacefully on the sovereign lord, as if he were settled in his divine seat. Close your eyes and look inward, checking whether all the spirits are present. If any seem to be missing, burn incense, then sit upright with your eyes closed and hands in the firm grip posture on your knees. Focus on visualizing the spirits and offer prayers according to the ritual. When visualizing the spirits of the body at dawn and midday, sit upright as well, and do not let others see you. Throughout the practice, keep your eyes closed, look inward, and hold the visualization in your mind.

On the first day of each month, focus on visualizing the spirits and offer prayers according to the ritual. When visualizing the spirits of the body at dawn and midday, sit upright, and do not let others see you. Close your eyes, look inward, and hold the visualization in your mind.

After completing the visualization at midnight on the first day of the month, imagine a ball of white light, each the size of an egg, within each eye and in front of you. After a short while, the lights transform into two bright mirrors, each nine inches in diameter. One shines over the whole body from the front, the other from behind, making all twenty-four spirits of the body clearly visible. After a moment, offer this prayer inwardly:

“Bright and wondrous mirrors, reveal forms and scatter blossoms. Shine upon the primal spirit and subdue the myriad demons. Let me fly to Shangqing, clothed in a cloud scarf and gauze robe; let me command a thousand spirits, seal the mountains, and summon the rivers.”

The meaning is: May the bright and wondrous mirrors reveal forms and spread their radiance, illuminate the primal spirit, and drive away the myriad demons. May I ascend to Shangqing, the high celestial realm in Daoism, wearing a cloud scarf and gauze robe, command the spirits, seal the mountains, and summon the rivers.

Perform this visualization once every five days. It is called “reviewing the inner essence and inspecting and gathering the Five Spirits”: that is, checking the Jing and Qi within the body and gathering the spirits of the Five Viscera. Practicing this regularly can ward off calamity and lead to a high rank among the immortals.

The “Way of Brushing the Eyes” (a practice of washing the eyes to gain clear vision) is said to enable one to see the Sovereign Lord and the Five Spirits clearly. It is usually practiced at the appointed times of the jiazi cycle; afterward, it is performed once every five days. This is called “rechecking the inner essence and examining and gathering the Five Spirits”—that is, repeatedly inspecting and collecting one’s own essence and vital energy, along with the Five Spirits. It is said that regular practice can protect one from calamity and eventually raise one to the rank of a High Immortal.

The method is as follows: at noon on the gengwu day within a jiazi cycle, take one sheng of clear water and place one zhu of True Cinnabar (a medicinal substance used in Daoist alchemy) in it. Stir counterclockwise twenty-one times while reciting this prayer:

“Mysterious, wondrous water flows with cinnabar-red essence, sending forth bright radiance in all eight directions. The many spirits within my body each reveal their forms. Let me see clearly for ten thousand li and reach the Nine Numinous Ones. May the Sovereign Lord shine upon the child, so that I may ascend to Shangqing.”

When the prayer is finished, face east and wash your eyes fourteen times. Regular practice is said to make it possible to see the myriad spirits. The prayer should be recited softly. One may also wash the eyes while facing the direction associated with the month’s earthly branch; it is not necessary always to face east.

Jizhong Jing (Scripture for Aiding the Multitudes)

The Most High Dao Lord said to Perfected Pu Guang: “The five kinds of vapors and dust and grime gather together to form the visible body. Through karmic ties from past lives, sentient beings acquire consciousness; their spirit-consciousness then circulates, and life comes into being. When consciousness is tainted by the external world, it gradually falls into evil connections and enters dim paths and shadowy realms. Filth and turbidity obscure one’s nature, while demonic prisons confine the body. Through the hardships of long kalpas, people lose the innate clarity they once possessed. Thus they continue to sink and drift amid waves of confusion and a sea of suffering, with no one able to find liberation.”

Perfected Pu Guang then asked: “Where, exactly, do the principles of vapors and dust and grime come from? Who governs the innate clarity that exists in the dark realms? From where do spirit and consciousness obtain their forms? Are spirit and consciousness one thing or two? If they are originally one, why are they given two names?”

Pu Guang asked again, “Where does the principle of yanxie arise from? Who governs the nature of darkness and light? Where do Shen and awareness obtain their forms? Are awareness and Shen ultimately one, or are they two? If they are one, why do they have two names? If they are two, what does each govern? I still do not understand who performs good and evil deeds. If Shen is responsible, then since Shen is mysterious and beyond measure, it should have no faults or evil deeds. If awareness is responsible for evil, then awareness must differ from Shen; in that case, how can their punishments be linked? And on what basis do we say that awareness depends on Shen? I have heard that the Venerable Shen said in the Daoist teachings that both good and evil deeds must arise from Shen. If so, what fault can be attributed to awareness? I am ignorant and confused, and beg you to take pity on me and offer guidance. This kindness will benefit living beings throughout the myriad kalpas.”

The Lord of the Way replied to Pu Guang, “When the five formless things join together, yanxie comes into being. Contact with karma forms a body, and by relying on that body, things can change. When nature and principle unite, the myriad things come into being. Change arises from awareness, while Shen sets things in motion.

“Awareness and Shen are neither wholly identical nor entirely separate. Why? Because they share the same source. In essence, it is awareness, formed through the harmonizing of the five natures; in function, it is Shen, able to perceive its surroundings and exercise wisdom. Without awareness, how could Shen exercise wisdom? Without Shen, awareness could not function either. This is like making soup by combining water shield with seasonings: the five flavors blend together, but were they ever completely separate? Without the greens, the flavor would have nothing to appear in; without Shen, awareness could not function. Thus, calling Shen’s function ‘wisdom’ is like calling the soup made from greens and seasonings a broth.”

“From this, we can see that darkness has no fixed, unchanging existence. Living beings have ignorance—delusion and failure to understand the Way—because they cling to things. Awakening is light, but light has no fixed location; delusion is darkness, but darkness does not come from any fixed place. Deep craving can make a person seem trapped in prison, binding the body. Without craving, there is no grasping or possession. For example, in an uninhabited wilderness, where could the spirits of the twelve double-hours, who govern the hours of the day, find a place to dwell? Only when walls are built does a house take shape.”

The spirits of the four directions can manifest efficacy and transformation, so the various spirits within a house also exist. The same is true of sentient beings falling into the dark underworld. When spirits arrive, no one knows where they came from; when they depart, no one knows where they have gone. Once evil karma has taken shape, the underworld appears through the power of karma. After one’s offenses have been exhausted, that does not mean the underworld can be declared nonexistent.

Human wisdom varies from high to low, and spirits too have distinctions of rank. If, upon seeing a spirit, one says that spirits have no fixed place, then everyone ought to be a sage. Why do I say this? Because humans and spirits are not the same. Perfected One Puguang, you should now understand: the principles of light and darkness, and of spiritual consciousness, have been fully explained here.

◎ Speaking of the True Parents

The Celestial Worthy said: The various breaths continue to circulate, giving rise to all kinds of conditions for birth; good and evil, fortune and misfortune each have their own root in destiny. These things are not determined by Heaven, Earth, or other people. Their basis lies in the heart, which is governed by spiritual consciousness.

The body does not truly belong to me. The conditions that enabled me to be born came naturally from the Void; they rested in the womb, underwent transformation, and brought me forth. The parents whose womb I depended on were not my original, fundamental parents. My true parents are not the couple before my eyes; they are noble, exalted, and supreme. The parents of this life are those with whom I have entrusted my conditions for birth and from whom I have received the kindness of nurture. Therefore, I repay them with respect and call them my parents.

Thus, the form I have received does not truly belong to me either; it is only borrowed as a dwelling and a place of refuge. The form is attached to me, enabling me to appear in a state that is either manifest or unmanifest. Therefore, those who attain the Dao are no longer bound by bodily form, nor do they have separate, dispersed body spirits. When the spirits of the whole body unite as one, the true body is achieved; by returning to the original, fundamental parents, one can attain the Dao.

◎ The Secret of the Nine True Sovereign Lords: The Nine Yin, United and Intermingled, Traverse the Radiant Scene, Transform in Myriad Ways, and Conceal Themselves in Heaven

The Scripture of the Nine Yin of the Divine Lord says: If you wish to transform your body and create a duplicate of yourself, disappear in any of the eight directions, conceal your body and shadow, enter dark and hidden places, summon the myriad things, and subdue evil spirits, you should regularly observe purification and cultivate the practice, focusing your thoughts on the essence of the Divine Lord’s Nine Yin.

The palace of the first star of the Northern Dipper is called the Supreme Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the arts of transformation, concealment, and escape. The inner consort in this palace is named Taiyi Faheng, styled Xingzhengfu. She wears a yellow brocade cape and a vermilion-and-blue flying skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the second star of the Northern Dipper is called the Central Origin Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the protection of pregnancy and the transformation of the body. The inner consort in this palace is named Taiyi Sanweng, styled Luozhuying. She wears a red brocade cape and a green feather skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the third star of the Northern Dipper is called the True Origin Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the arts of the Six Escapes and Seven Concealments—methods of hiding oneself through the use of directions and timing. The Mother of the Upper Origin Elixir is named Taiyi Xuyi, styled Zhongshuangzhao. She wears a blue-green brocade cape and an embroidered, feathered, flowing skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the fourth star of the Northern Dipper is called the Hidden Pivot Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the arts of concealing one’s traces and hiding one’s radiance. The inner consort of the Middle Origin is named Taiyi Qilie, styled Hengdanpan. She wears a purple brocade cape and a yellow, feathered, ornamental skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the fifth star of the Northern Dipper is called the Spirit of the Celestial Net Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the arts of changing the body and transforming one’s surroundings. The Great Woman of the Dipper is named Taiyi Yushu, styled Chouqiulan. She wears a vermilion brocade cape and a purple-blue flying skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the sixth star of the Northern Dipper is called the Bright Record Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the arts of hiding one’s tracks and dispersing multiple forms. The Middle Woman of the Dipper is named Taiyi Qijing, styled Baodingling. She wears a vermilion brocade cape and a blue embroidered skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the seventh star of the Northern Dipper is called the Assembly of Passes Palace. Within it is a Divine Lord who governs the arts of dividing and transforming appearances, manifesting in myriad forms. The Young Woman of the Dipper is named Taiyi Yumo, styled Tianfan. She wears a vermilion brocade cape and a blue, feathered, ornamental skirt, and her hair is arranged in a hanging cloud-shaped bun.

The palace of the Eighth Star is called the Palace of the Emperor’s Seat. Within it, the Emperor Lord, a revered deity of the celestial realm, generates the sun, moon, water, and fire. The High Sovereign’s Left Consort is named Grand Unity, Shi Qizhu. Her courtesy name is Luomaohua. She wears a purple brocade cape and a flying cinnabar skirt embroidered with feather patterns, and her hair is arranged in a cloud-shaped coiffure.

The palace of the Eighth Star is called the Palace of the Emperor’s Seat. Within it, the Emperor Lord generates the sun, moon, water, and fire. The High Sovereign’s Left Consort is named Grand Unity, Shi Qizhu. Her courtesy name is Luomaohua. She wears a purple brocade cape and an elegant skirt adorned with kingfisher feathers, and her hair is arranged in a cloud-shaped coiffure.

The palace of the Ninth Star is called the Palace of the Supreme Venerable. Within it, the Emperor Lord generates metals and stones, mountains and rivers. The High Sovereign’s Right Consort is named Grand Unity Tiao. Her courtesy name is Yunyu Xuan. She wears a green brocade cape and an elegant skirt adorned with kingfisher feathers, and her hair is arranged in a cloud-shaped coiffure.

These are the nine Emperor Lords of the palaces of the Nine Stars of the Northern Dipper, along with the secret names of the Nine Yin Consorts. In prayer, one need only recite their honorific titles and names; do not mention their clothing or coiffures. Practitioners who learn of the Emperor Lords and the Nine Yin Consorts can ascend to Heaven and become perfected beings of Shangqing. It is said that in this life they will also be spared grief and calamity. The deity of Great Yin will guard and attend them, the essences of the myriad numina will come to pay homage, and practitioners will be able to multiply and transform themselves, merging with Heaven and Earth.

These nine Great Yin Consorts are deities of the Emperor Lords’ Yin palaces. Practitioners follow the Dao to undo knots, present talismans for entry in the registers, settle the hun-soul and control the po-soul, transform and generate the body’s spirits, and use the Dao’s Qi to sustain Jing and Qi, seeking thereby to attain long life. If they do not know the names of the imperial consorts, or cannot use the methods of the Nine Yin to bring themselves into harmony with them, then even if they practice these methods, they will ultimately be unable to become immortals.

The place one inch inward from the point between the eyebrows is called the Bright Hall. The Bright Hall is square, one inch across; the Emperor Lord and the Nine Great Yin Consorts often dwell there. On odd-numbered days in the middle of the month, observe abstinence. At the time when living Qi arises, burn incense and enter a separate, quiet room. You may sit or lie down; then close your eyes and wait quietly. After a while, visualize the Emperor Lord seated at ease within the Purple Chamber of the Taiji. Next, visualize the Five Spirits of Grand Unity within the Six Directions; then visualize the Nine Stars of the Northern Dipper within your heart; then visualize the Nine Great Yin Consorts …

Within the Hall of Brightness (Mingtang), the inner palace symbolizing the activity of spirits within the body, further visualize the Child of the Great Tenuity, Gan Jingjing, standing before the Sovereign Lord. The child holds five talismans in the left hand and five registers in the right. Then visualize yourself standing behind the child. The Nine Consorts of Great Yin, the nine goddesses governed by Great Yin, rise from the Hall of Brightness and enter the Purple Chamber of the Supreme Ultimate, a celestial palace in Daoist visualization. They line up across behind you in order. The Five Spirits of the Great One, the five deities governed by the Great One, also rise from the Six Directions—the four quarters of the earth and heaven above and below—and enter the Purple Chamber of the Supreme Ultimate, taking their places in order behind the Nine Consorts.

Once these visualizations are complete, the Sovereign Lord and all the deities suddenly merge into one and transform into a person. This person resembles a newborn baby and is named “Child of Impermanence,” with the courtesy name “Transformation.” The child holds the Nine Stars in the left hand, has the sun atop the head, and carries the moon in the mouth. Visualize the child’s light, from the sun, moon, and Nine Stars, shining upon and suffusing you until your whole body is luminous within and without. The practitioner feels the body glowing red like fire, with no distinction between inside and outside, as light shines everywhere. This is the manifestation of the Sovereign Lord merging with the Nine Yin Spirits of the Great One, the yin deities governed by the Great One, and transforming into many forms.

After a short while, end the visualization. Click the teeth together twenty-four times, swallow the saliva nine times, then recite the following prayer softly:

The grotto-heaven, the dwelling place of immortals, sends forth a wondrous radiance that shines upon Purple Clarity, the celestial realm high above. Mysterious Yin of the Nine Mornings, a Daoist deity or perfected being, is hidden in a deep and distant darkness. The Lady within the Dipper, a goddess of the Northern Dipper, and three goddesses disperse and transform their forms. The divine consort transforms within, and all things come into being in response. Lightning flashes, thunder surges, and clouds and mist drift and disperse. Through nine transformations and ten modes of generation, Elixir Qi arises and a blue radiance appears. The Nine Goddesses governed by the Great One merge and transform into one, blending together and coming to rest.

They change without end, darting away and vanishing into the palaces of the empty, shadowy depths. They wear brocade capes and splendid sleeves, with flying skirts woven from purple feathers. On the left they carry hidden talismans; on the right they wear tiger-patterned ornaments. Flames issue from their mouths, and they wear Dipper-shaped crowns. Holding absolute banners used in ritual, they command the winds of the eight directions and draw auspicious clouds toward them from every side. They roam freely among the celestial order and bring change to the Seven Primordials, the stars or deities associated with the Northern Dipper.

They conceal mountains and rivers, turn mountain peaks around, and shift the Five Stars. The sun and moon lose their brilliance, and the stars seem unreal. They can divide into a hundred forms and transform into a thousand shapes: in fire, they become fire; in a forest, they become trees. In water, they become water; in the mountains, they become mountains.

Whatever is sought arrives at once; whatever deity is summoned is already at hand. A thought stirs, the gaze falls, and in an instant it is accomplished. A thousand things and myriad beings all change in accordance with the will. The Emperor Lord appears in bodily form; the Most High Jade Dawn, a revered Daoist deity, and Wuying, a Daoist deity, share the same radiance. The Four Patterns and Baiyuan, a Daoist deity, appear as well. May I endure as long as Heaven and Earth, and preserve and nourish my body and mind. Whatever I say aloud, all things change and move as I wish.

Jade attendants wait at my side, while Jade Radiance holds a hand cloth. The divine consort presents incense, and the Four Perfected Ones ride together in one carriage. All things come to pass as I have spoken. End.

Scroll Thirty-Two, “Section on Miscellaneous Practices of Cultivation and Regulation,” Part One

Record of Nourishing Nature and Extending Life (with preface)

Among the beings between Heaven and Earth that breathe and possess a spirit, humans are the most precious. What makes human beings precious is, above all, life. Life is the foundation of the spirit (Shen); the body is the vessel on which the spirit depends. If the spirit is used up excessively, it will become depleted; if the body is overworked, it will break down.

If one can keep the mind and spirit settled and still, quiet wandering thoughts, and refrain from reckless action; observe the movement of primordial Qi after the Zi hour, once midnight has passed; practice Daoyin in a quiet room to nurture the body through breathing and physical movements; take care to preserve one’s health; and then take suitable medicines, living to a hundred years or more should be quite common. By contrast, how could someone who indulges in sensual pleasures, exhausts mind and strength in pursuit of wealth and status, constantly frets over gains and losses, remains restless and unable to find relief, disregards proper conduct and moderation, and eats without regularity avoid premature aging and illness?

During a quiet interval spent sitting in contemplation, I leafed through the Collected Essentials of Nurturing Life. This work was compiled by worthy men of earlier generations, including Zhang Zhan, Daolin, Zhai Ping, and Huangshan. All were devoted to preserving health and cherished life. Some gathered from the immortal scriptures methods by which perfected beings lived long lives; others selected methods used by Peng Zu and Li Dan (Laozi) to extend life. The material spans the era of Shennong and the Yellow Emperor through the Wei and Jin dynasties. Everything beneficial to health and free of harmful consequences was included. The original accounts by the various authors were extensive; here I have selected only the essentials, removed extraneous material, and arranged the contents by subject. I have titled the work Record of Nurturing Nature and Extending Life, in the hope that it may help those destined to benefit from it and thereby serve the world.

The Shennong Classic says: “Those who eat the five grains are intelligent and perceptive; those who eat stones have plump skin and are less prone to aging” (here, this refers to refining and taking the five minerals); “those who eat lingzhi can extend their years; those who take in primordial Qi cannot be buried by the earth, nor made to die by Heaven. Thus, those who take medicines can endure as long as Heaven and Earth and exist alongside the sun and moon.”

The “valley” spoken of by the Venerable Lord means nourishment: one who is skilled at nourishing the spirit can keep it from waning. Here, “spirit” refers to the spirits of the five viscera: the liver stores the Hun, the lungs store the Po, the heart stores the spirit, the kidneys store essence, and the spleen stores intention. When all five viscera are harmed, the five spirits depart as well.

This is the “Mysterious Female” (the fundamental gateway associated with the nourishment of life). The key to the way of longevity lies in the Mysterious Female. “Mysterious” refers to Heaven, which corresponds to the nose in the human body; “Female” refers to Earth, which corresponds to the mouth. Heaven nourishes people with the five Qi, which enter through the nose and are stored in the heart. When these five clear and harmonious Qi transform, they become spirit, intelligence, voice, and the five natural dispositions. The spirit that corresponds to them is called the Hun. The Hun belongs to Yang and enters and leaves through the nose, connecting with Heaven; hence the nose is called “Mysterious.” Earth nourishes people with the five flavors, which enter through the mouth and are stored in the stomach, forming the body, flesh and bone, blood and vessels, and the six emotions. The spirit that corresponds to them is called the Po. The Po belongs to Yin and enters and leaves through the mouth, connecting with Earth; hence the mouth is called “Female.”

The “gate of the Mysterious Female” is the gateway through which the original Qi of Heaven and Earth flows. Breathing through the nose and mouth should be fine and prolonged, as though present and absent. The breath should be used with ease and naturalness, never in a hurried or strenuous way.

The Scripture of De by the Venerable Lord says: “‘Birth’ refers to desires arising from the five viscera. The Hun’s breath, as it enters and leaves, should be fine and prolonged, as though present and absent. The breath should be used with ease, never in a hurried or strenuous way.”

The Classic of the Virtue of Lord Lao says: “‘From within, one moves toward life’ means that desires and passions recede from the five viscera, the Hun becomes settled and the Po grows calm, so life can be preserved. ‘Entering into death’ means that desires and passions fill the chest, Jing and Qi are depleted, and the spirit becomes confused, so one moves toward death.”

There are thirteen ways that belong to life, and thirteen that belong to death. The “thirteen” refers to the nine bodily openings and the joints of the four limbs. While alive, one does not let the eyes roam indiscriminately, the ears listen indiscriminately, the nose smell indiscriminately, or the mouth speak indiscriminately; the hands do not grab things at will, the feet do not move about without purpose, and Jing and Qi are not recklessly depleted. On the path toward death, the situation is exactly the opposite.

People naturally want to stay alive, yet their actions can lead them instead to places of death. There are also thirteen such circumstances. Why is this? Because people desire and cling too fiercely to preserving themselves, go against the natural Way, and act without restraint.

It is said that those skilled in nurturing life can travel on land without encountering rhinoceroses or tigers, and enter battle without being wounded by weapons. The rhinoceros finds no place to use its horn, the tiger nowhere to strike with its claws, and weapons cannot harm such a person. Why is this? Because they have not entered places that lead to death.

The “Nourishing Life” chapter of the Zhuangzi says: Human life is limited, while wisdom seems to have no end. Xiang Xiu explains that each person’s allotted span of life has its own limit. Ji Kang holds that desires arising naturally, without deliberation, are the activity of one’s nature; knowledge and feelings arising when things stir the mind are the exercise of wisdom. When nature acts spontaneously, a person who is content with what they encounter need not give it much thought. But when feelings lead them to pursue things without restraint, they become ceaselessly exhausted. Thus, people’s troubles usually arise from the exercise of wisdom, not from the spontaneous activity of their nature. Guo Xiang says: How could one avoid becoming worn down by using one’s limited nature to pursue limitless wisdom? Xiang Xiu adds: If someone is already weary yet continues to use wisdom to strive and grasp, they will become even more exhausted.

The Zhuangzi says: One who understands the realities of life does not force what life itself does not require. Xiang Xiu says that what life does not require lies outside the scope of one’s nature. Zhang Zhan says that life’s natural order is already complete, yet to do what exceeds one’s proper bounds is to use the limited to pursue the limitless. One who understands the realities of destiny also does not force what wisdom cannot change. Xiang Xiu says that life comes to an end in death because this is its destined course. Zhang Zhan says that following life’s natural order and fulfilling the limits of one’s endowment are not things wisdom can alter.

The Liezi says: In youth, do not strive eagerly to compete; in one’s prime, do not contend with the customs of the age; in adulthood, be content with poverty; in old age, lessen one’s desires. Keep the mind and spirit tranquil and give the body a moderate amount of exercise: this is the way to nourish life.

The Liezi also says: The body’s fullness and depletion, its waxing and waning, are linked to Heaven and Earth and responsive to the myriad things. Zhang Zhan explains that human beings are connected to the Qi of Yin-Yang.

The Liezi says: All the changes in the body, from flourishing to decline, are connected with Heaven and Earth and respond to the myriad things. Zhang Zhan explains that human Qi is connected with the Qi of Yin-Yang. If a person remains calm from the beginning to the end of life, keeping the spirit settled and free of distracting thoughts, this is the way to nurture life.

The Wondrous Truth Scripture of Lord Lao says: People often lose the Dao themselves; it is not the Dao that leaves them. People often distance themselves from life; it is not life that leaves them. Therefore, those who nurture life must be careful not to lose the Dao, and those who cultivate the Dao must be careful not to damage life. Let the Dao and life depend on one another, and let life and the Dao preserve one another.

The Yellow Emperor and Laozi Scripture, “Profound Revelations,” says: The Way of Heaven ceaselessly brings forth transformation, so the myriad things continue to be born without end. The activities of human life, however, consume the body and spirit. When Shen and Qi transform and Jing and Qi dissipate, once Jing and Qi are exhausted, the body grows weak. The body produces Jing, and Jing arises from the spirit. If Jing is not dissipated, one can accord with Heaven’s De; if the spirit is not made to change along with external things, one can accord with the patterns of the Dao. “Profound Revelations” also says: Transformation through changes in the body resembles corpse liberation (a Daoist term for shedding the body and becoming an immortal). The spirit and body separate, and the two cannot exist at the same time, like a bird diving into the sea and turning into a clam, changing with the Yin-Yang Qi of late autumn. Through transformation by Qi, life can take on different forms; transformation through changes in the body is terrifying.

Yan Junping’s Lord Lao’s Guide to the Dao says: A bird dives into the sea and turns into a clam, changing with the Yin-Yang Qi of late autumn. Through transformation by Qi, life can take on different forms; transformation through changes in the body is terrifying.

Yan Junping’s Lord Lao’s Guide to the Dao says: Let the mind and spirit rest in emptiness and stillness, gather one’s will in the hidden and mysterious, set aside thoughts and desires, and make Wuwei (non-action) one’s destination. Then one can understand life, extend one’s years, and remain with the Dao for a long time.

Someone asked in perplexity: “At the beginning, all things came from the formless, boundless source. Later, they received the Qi of Yin-Yang and came into being; between Heaven and Earth, they took on bodies and souls, sustaining their growth through food and breath. Yet people differ in dullness and intelligence, strength and weakness, long life and early death. Are these differences determined by Heaven, or do they result from human actions?”

The reply was: “A person’s body, and whether they are dull or intelligent, are formed by what Heaven endows. Strength and weakness, long life and early death, have to do with a person’s own conduct. The Way of Heaven unfolds naturally; the human way depends on oneself. Those whose breath is abundant in the womb, who receive ample milk after birth, who do not become overly greedy for flavors as they grow, and who restrain their desires for sights and sounds in adulthood tend to be strong and long-lived. Those whose breath is deficient in the womb, who receive too little milk after birth, who become greedy for flavors as they grow, and who indulge their desires for sights and sounds in adulthood tend to be weak and short-lived. If growth and development are complete and one then practices careful regulation and nurture, how long one will live is difficult to predict.”

The Da ji says: “People are born with different life spans, but these are not all fixed by Heaven from the start. This is often because they fail to care for their bodies with due caution: their eating and drinking are excessive, they indulge their desires without restraint, they go against the changes of Yin-Yang, and their spirit cannot remain settled. Their Jing and Qi are depleted and their lives weakened; all kinds of illness follow, and so they cannot live out the years allotted to them by Heaven.”

The He tu di shi meng says: “Going against the seasons brings misfortune; following the seasons brings good fortune. In spring and summer, it is suitable to live in elevated places in the mountains and forests. In autumn and winter, it is suitable to live in lower places and remain in quiet retreat to conserve and nurture oneself. In this way, one will be blessed with good fortune and may live a long life.”

The Luo shu bao yu ming says: “The method by which the ancients treated illness was to harmonize the body with spring water and nourish it with primordial Qi. The medicines they used were neither pungent nor bitter, but sweet and full of flavor. Taken regularly, they allow the body’s fluids to circulate through the Five Zang organs and gather in the lungs, so that one may remain free of illness and misfortune throughout life.”

The Kongzi jiayu says: “Those who eat meat are fierce and ferocious, like tigers and wolves. Those who consume Qi have clear spirits and long lives, like immortals and sacred tortoises. Those who eat grains are wise but short-lived, like human beings. Those who take no food do not die, and can commune with the spirits; they live solely on breath and have no distracting thoughts.”

The “Tradition” says: When one eats an irregular and varied diet, or eats too much, the hundred illnesses and harmful influences readily gather. The less one eats, the clearer and more open the mind and spirit become, and the longer one lives. The more one eats, the more clouded and obstructed the mind and spirit become, and the shorter one’s life.

The Grand Historian Sima Tan, father of the Han historian Sima Qian, said: A person’s spirit is the root of life, and the body is what life depends on in order to exist. When the spirit is overused, it is exhausted; when the body is overworked, it is damaged. If the spirit and body decline too soon, yet one hopes to endure as long as Heaven and Earth, this has never been heard of. A person lives because they have spirit, and the spirit rests within the body. When spirit and body part, the person dies. The dead cannot live again, and what has dispersed cannot be made whole again. For this reason, sages place great value on caring for mind and body.

The Way of nourishing life has an overall guiding principle and foundation. Even if you cannot yet grasp it fully, simply keep in mind that it often goes against worldly habits, and quietly follow the right path laid out by those who came before. This will bring you more than halfway to success. How could anyone intent on self-cultivation fail to reflect on this carefully?

The Jing of Minor Abundance says: “Reduce thinking, reduce distracting thoughts, reduce desires, reduce activities, reduce speech, reduce laughter, reduce sorrow, reduce pleasure, reduce delight, reduce anger, reduce fondness, and reduce aversion.” These “Twelve Reductions” are important principles for nourishing life. Excessive worry makes the spirit weary; too many distracting thoughts scatter the will; excessive desire damages wisdom; too many affairs tire the body. Speaking too much disrupts the breath; laughing too much harms the inner organs; excessive sorrow unsettles the heart and spirit; excessive pleasure makes the mind unrestrained; excessive delight makes one careless and confused; and too much anger throws the channels throughout the body out of balance. Excessive fondness can lead to such absorption that one loses self-control, while excessive aversion brings agitation and vexation. Failing to remove these “Twelve Excesses” is a root cause of harm to life. To avoid being burdened by many desires and emotions is an important principle for approaching the perfected person, one who has succeeded in the Dao.

The extravagant and indolent may live long, while the miserly and harsh are often short-lived: these are different outcomes of indulgence and toil. Farmers who till the fields may live long, while those who eat fine foods are often short-lived; this reflects the degree of one’s appetites. Recluses who hold no office suffer few illnesses, while travelers who rush about from place to place suffer many; this difference arises from having more or fewer affairs. Thus, people in the secular world compete to pursue profit, while Daoists seldom engage in schemes to gain it.

Hu Zhao said: “Do not let the eyes look upon improper sights, the ears hear foul words, or the nose draw near to rank, gamey odors. Do not let the mouth taste pungent, poisonous things, or the heart devise deceitful schemes, for these all damage the spirit and shorten life.” Sighing constantly in daily life, or chanting and whistling without pause day and night, may also invite harmful influences. Ordinary people cannot avoid having desires or dealing with affairs, but they should steady their disposition, reduce distracting thoughts, and quiet their thinking. They should first avoid things that disturb the spirit and go against their nature. This is one way to nourish the spirit.

The Jing of the Yellow Court says: “Clear water from the Jade Pool irrigates the numinous root; if you cultivate it earnestly, you can endure for a long time.” The “natural drink” referred to here is the Flowery Pool, or the mouth. The saliva in the Flowery Pool is its fluid. It is said that breathing according to a prescribed method and then swallowing the saliva can ease hunger.

The Inner Explanation of Lord Lao and Master Yin says: One should keep contemplating saliva for a long time, regarding it as food and drink that arise naturally. What is called “natural” is the “Flower Pool,” which refers to the saliva in the mouth. Breathe according to the method, then swallow the saliva, and hunger will lessen.

The Inner Explanation of Lord Lao and Master Yin also says: When saliva is swished around in the mouth, it is called the “Spring of the Body”; when gathered, it is called “Jade Syrup”; when it circulates, it is called the “Flower Pool”; when dispersed, it is called “Essence Drops”; and when swallowed, it is called “Sweet Dew.” Thus the mouth is called the Flower Pool, and within it is the Spring of the Body. Swishing and swallowing saliva moistens the Five Viscera and nourishes the body, helps Qi and blood flow freely, and nourishes the spirit within. The joints of the limbs and the hair also depend on it to grow. This describes the Daoist cultivation method of swallowing saliva: swishing the saliva around in the mouth and then swallowing it to nourish the body.

The Central Scripture says: Those who are tranquil live long; those who are agitated die young. If one is tranquil but does not know how to nourish oneself, one’s lifespan will still be shortened. Those who are agitated, if skilled at self-nourishment, can also prolong their lives. Still, maintaining tranquility is comparatively easy, while sustaining agitation is difficult to manage. If one can fully follow the principles of nourishing the body, both tranquility and agitation can serve to preserve life.

Han Rongyuan says: Wine is the essence of the Five Grains and the finest of flavors, yet it can also harm the body. Fine flavors are hard to resist, making it easy to eat and drink too much. For this reason, one should be cautious about them when nourishing life.

Shao Zhongkan says: The Five Grains strengthen the body but cannot make people live long. Various medicines can cure illness and prolong life, but are not necessarily pleasant to taste. Things that satisfy hunger and taste good may also harm the body. Fine flavors are hard to resist, making it easy to overindulge. For this reason, one should be cautious about them when nourishing life.

Shao Zhongkan also says: Foods that satisfy hunger and taste good are prized by ordinary people; foods that taste bitter and astringent but help prolong life are cherished by Daoist practitioners.

The Suwen records the Yellow Emperor asking Qibo, “I have heard that in ancient times most people lived to a hundred, yet remained strong and vigorous, with abundant Qi and blood. Today, people have already begun to grow weak in their movements just past the age of fifty. Has the age changed, or is something wrong with people themselves?”

Qibo replied, “In ancient times, those who understood how to preserve life followed the changes of Yin-Yang, regulated their lives according to the principles of health cultivation, and knew how to moderate sexual activity. They ate in moderation, kept regular hours, and avoided needless exertion and depletion. As a result, they maintained harmony between body and spirit, lived out the lifespan allotted to them, and sometimes even surpassed a hundred years.

“People today are different. They drink wine as though it were water and treat indulgence as normal. They have sex while drunk, let their desires deplete their Jing and Qi, and take pleasure in exhausting their Jing, Qi, and Shen. They do not know moderation or how to nurture the spirit; they seek only immediate gratification and go against the changes of Yin-Yang. Their daily lives and routines are also irregular and unrestrained, so their bodies often grow weak before they reach a hundred.”

The Laozi says, “A person’s lifespan is generally limited to a hundred years; those who know how to exercise restraint and preserve the body can live for a thousand.”

Peng Zu said: Cultivating the Dao need not be complicated or burdensome. One need only stop worrying about clothing and food, sights and sounds; stop fretting over victory and defeat, gain and loss, honor and disgrace; keep the mind and spirit from growing weary, and avoid overtaxing the body. Practice Daoyin (a health regimen that coordinates the body and circulates Qi), internal Qi cultivation, and fetal breathing (a breathing practice in which the breath becomes subtle and continuous, like that of a fetus), and you can live for a thousand years. If you seek endless life, you should also take the finest elixirs.

Zhongchang Tong said: Let joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, dislike, and the many other human dispositions become calm and restrained. Though you have a mind, do not cling to its thoughts; though you have a mouth, do not speak at will and at length; though you have a body, do not crave comfort. Even when at ease, be ready to adapt and change; even when you love something, do not become absorbed in it. Cultivate body and mind in this way, and you will gradually benefit without noticing it, while remaining unaware of changes in the things around you. Peng Zu and Lao Dan probably managed this. Otherwise, if they were no different from ordinary people, why did they live so much longer?

Chen Ji, courtesy name Yuanfang, said: Many illnesses and untimely deaths are caused chiefly by food and drink. The harm they bring exceeds that of sensual pleasures. The desire for sights and sounds can be renounced for a year, but eating and drinking cannot be stopped even for a day. Food and drink bring many benefits, but their harms are also immediate: excess seriously damages the body, while moderation nourishes it.

Zhang Zhan said: People of high rank and great authority may harm their bodies, and even endanger their lives, through inner damage to the spirit, even when they have suffered no external affliction. This is not caused by demons or malign forces working from outside. Rather, anxiety and rumination torment them, as ice clashes with fire, until the body collapses from within and they may even vomit blood. Those who were once wealthy but later fall into poverty may likewise suffer no external affliction, yet poverty can leave them emaciated, with dry, withered skin and prominent sinews and veins, until they gradually become numb and contract into spasms. Poverty and wealth affect people much as power does: all can damage the body.

Frequent movement can ward off cold, while quiet rest can ease heat. When movement and stillness are properly balanced, they help one attain longevity. Jing and Qi should be kept pure and still so that they may accord with the Dao.

The Zhuangzi says: A True Person (one who has succeeded in cultivating the Dao and follows the Great Dao) does not dream while asleep.

The Shenzi says: When the mind is free of distractions during the day, one will not dream at night.

Master Zhang lived for more than a hundred years and remained remarkably robust. He said, “The way to preserve life is not to walk, sit, lie down, or listen for too long; not to force yourself to eat or drink; not to drink excessively; and not to grieve or worry too much. These are what is called ‘harmony and balance.’ Those who achieve harmony and balance are often able to live long.”

The Immortal’s Scripture says, “My lifespan rests in my own hands; it is not decided by Heaven. Only the foolish fail to understand this. The Daoist essentials for preserving life lie in achieving harmony and balance. Those who achieve it may hope to live long.”

The Immortal’s Scripture also says, “My lifespan rests in my own hands; it is not decided by Heaven. Only the foolish fail to understand this.” Daoists regard harmony and balance as an essential principle for sustaining life. The causes of the many illnesses and pathogenic winds—harmful influences that invade the body—often lie in indulging one’s desires and acting on every impulse without restraint. People fail to cherish themselves, leaving their bodies weakened and depleted. This is like a dry, rotten tree that snaps when the wind blows, or a riverbank on the verge of collapse that crumbles at the touch of water. Even without taking medicine, those who know how to cherish their Jing and restrain their sexual desires may hope to live for one or two hundred years.

In his Preface to the Collection on Preserving Life, Zhang Zhan says that the essentials of preserving life comprise ten points: first, gather and calm the spirit; second, cherish the breath; third, nurture the body; fourth, practice daoyin (health-preserving exercises that coordinate bodily movements with breathing); fifth, use speech with care; sixth, moderate one’s diet; seventh, moderate sexual activity; eighth, change customary habits that go against the way of preserving life; ninth, make use of medicine; and tenth, observe prohibitions. Beyond these, the principles of preserving life can largely be summed up in these areas.

The Daoist practitioner Green Ox (a legendary health cultivator) said: People need not deliberately pursue pleasure, for excessive enjoyment can harm longevity. The key is not to force yourself to do what lies beyond your strength, such as carrying heavy loads, straining too hard, or digging laboriously, then failing to rest when your muscles and bones are exhausted. Moderate activity is better than idle comfort and pleasure. Ideally, keep yourself occupied with some activity from morning until night, continuing when you feel at ease. Once you feel very tired, rest; after resting, resume. This resembles daoyin (health cultivation through bodily movement and regulated breathing). Flowing water does not readily become foul, and door hinges do not readily decay, because they are often in motion. After eating your fill, do not sit or lie down; take a walk or do some light activity to aid digestion. Otherwise, food may stagnate and remain undigested, potentially causing numbness and cramping in the limbs, a dull complexion, and wrinkled, shriveled skin, while also shortening your life.

Huangfu Long asked the Daoist practitioner Green Ox for methods of health cultivation. Green Ox’s surname was Feng and his courtesy name was Junda; his methods could be put into practice. In essence, the body should be kept in frequent motion, and eating should often be restrained. Do not overexert yourself, but do not eat so little that you harm your body. Eat less rich, fatty food; moderate salty and sour flavors; reduce anxious thoughts; restrain joy and anger; avoid rushing about in pursuit of things; and be cautious in sexual activity. Emperor Wu of Han once followed this advice and saw results.

Peng Zu said: Even without knowing the techniques of health cultivation, a person who takes proper care of the body can generally live to 120. Falling short of that age is always due to some form of harm. With a little understanding of the Dao of health cultivation, one’s lifespan can reach 240; with the appropriate use of medicines as well, it is said to reach 480. Ji Kang also said that with a proper grasp of the Dao of health cultivation, one might live a thousand years at the upper end, or a hundred at the lower end.

Peng Zu said that the method for prolonging life is simply to avoid harming the body.

Peng Zu said: The way to preserve one’s life is simply to avoid harming the body. Keeping warm in winter and cool in summer, and living in step with the changing seasons, helps the body remain comfortable. Clothes and bedding that are too heavy overburden the body and make it more prone to wind-cold ailments. Food that is too rich, frequent eating of salted and cured meats, and drinking or eating to excess until one is uncomfortably full can lead to disorders caused by stagnation. Indulging in sensual pleasures and having many wives and concubines may weaken the body. Becoming absorbed in sorrowful music, delighting the heart with pleasing sounds, may cause one to neglect important duties and lose oneself in the pleasure. Riding horses for pleasure and hunting in the countryside may lead to reckless and arrogant conduct. Being intent only on victory, swallowing up the weak, and seizing gains amid disorder may bring ruin through arrogance and ease. Even sages sometimes go against the principles of nourishing life. The various methods used to nourish life are like water and fire: what matters is using them in proper measure. Once they exceed their bounds, they can become harmful.

Peng Zu said: If people do not understand the way of nourishing life, taking medicine for a long time may itself harm the body, leaving Qi and blood depleted, the inner organs weak, and the marrow and brain insufficiently nourished. Illness has already taken root inside the body before it is struck by external influences; wind-cold, alcohol, and sexual excess are merely triggers. If the body is truly strong within, how could external evils so easily cause illness?

An immortal said: Nothing is more blameworthy than sexual excess, nothing more harmful than greed, and nothing more grievous than slander. These three are like vehicles that bring misfortune: at a small scale they harm oneself, and at a greater scale they endanger one’s family. If you wish to live longer and suffer fewer illnesses, you must give up practices that deplete Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). Excessive loss of Jing shortens life. Do not let the body become too hot, lest you deplete the marrow; do not expose it to excessive cold, lest you injure the muscles. Do not cough or spit frequently, lest you exhaust the body’s fluids. Do not suddenly shout, lest you startle the hun and po souls. Do not weep for too long, lest sorrow and grief weigh down the spirit. Do not give in to anger, lest the heart-mind become unsettled; nor should you worry excessively or let your will grow confused. Those who can follow these principles may prolong their lives.

Miscellaneous Prohibitions and Taboos, Averting Misfortune and Seeking Good Fortune: This section concerns various prohibitions and taboos, ways to avert calamity, and prayers for good fortune.

Staring at things for too long damages Blood and Qi; lying down for too long damages original Qi; standing for too long damages the bones; walking for too long damages the sinews and channels; and sitting for too long damages the muscles. Excessive deliberation harms the body, as do grief, resentment, and sorrow. Excessive joy harms the body, as does anger that lingers and cannot be calmed. Eagerly pursuing what one desires, worrying over what troubles one, and losing balance between cold and heat all harm the body. So too does a failure of Yin-Yang Qi to harmonize and unite.

In all sexual union, one should follow methods such as Daoyin for nourishing the body and mind. To avoid the various things that harm the body and understand the art of harmonizing Yin and Yang is the Way of longevity.

Great joy causes Qi to surge and scatter; great sorrow causes Qi to become blocked. Using up Jing and Qi leaves a person weak and depleted; sleeping too much damages eyesight; allowing saliva to accumulate without swallowing it causes vexation; and indulging in rich foods can lead to diarrhea. People know only how to crave the many flavors, but do not know that original Qi, too, can be gathered in. The sages knew that excess in the Five Flavors is harmful, so they did not overeat. Knowing that original Qi can be cultivated and gathered, they kept their mouths closed and did not speak excessively, allowing Jing and Qi to remain calm and settled.

If saliva is not swallowed, the Qi Sea—the place in the body regarded as where Qi gathers—receives no nourishment. When the Qi Sea is not moistened, bodily fluids become depleted. Thus, cultivating and gathering original Qi, and drinking the Sweet Spring—that is, the sweet-tasting spring water, also a name for the bodily fluids prized in health cultivation—are the foundations of long life.

Bathing at irregular times is inauspicious, as is a husband and wife bathing together. One should not have sexual intercourse just after bathing, after drinking and eating one’s fill, or when deeply exhausted from returning from a long journey. Otherwise, one may easily fall ill, so particular caution is advised.

Men should not sleep with their heads facing north, as this may unsettle the spirit and make them prone to sorrow and forgetfulness. Do not tiptoe to peer into a well; this has long been regarded as a grave taboo. If a wall stands within ten paces, do not sit or lie along its base, lest exposure to wind bring on illnesses such as epilepsy. Do not stare at the sun or moon for a long time, as this may damage the eyes or even cause blindness. Do not take off your clothes after sweating heavily, as this may lead to wind illness and even paralysis of one side of the body.

After bathing, do not go out with your head uncovered into the wind, lest exposure bring on a severe wind illness. After getting chilled, do not immediately lean your face close to a fire to warm it, as this may cause epilepsy, dizziness, and headache. Do not sit on the edge of a bed with your legs dangling; over time, this may lead to poor circulation, heaviness in the feet, and lower back pain. When your feet are sweating, do not put them in water, lest you develop bone impediment—a condition involving numbness and pain in the joints, tendons, and bones—or “dun illness,” the name used in the original text. Holding in urine for a long time chills the channels and network vessels and may also cause cold impediment, numbness and pain brought on by cold.

After sweating from eating hot food, do not immediately expose yourself to the wind, lest you develop headache, dry eyes, and drowsiness. Do not sing or chant when you are about to sleep, and do not speak loudly after waking, lest you deplete your original Qi. If a bird flies into a person of its own accord, do not eat it. Birds with their mouths open, or with sores beneath their feathers, should also not be eaten. Washing your hair with hot rice-rinsing water and then rinsing it with cold water may cause wind illness of the head. Do not place a brazier beside your head while sleeping, lest your spirit become unsettled.

In winter, keep the feet warm and the head cool. In spring and autumn, let both the head and feet be somewhat cool. The ancients regarded this as a suitable, regular practice for nourishing life. Eating immediately after crying may cause Qi illness. Do not cover your head while sleeping at night. Women should not sit with their feet tucked beneath them beside the stove; both practices were considered grave taboos.

Do not spit far, as this may injure the lungs and cause heaviness in the arms, back pain, and coughing. When someone is having a nightmare, do not shine a light on them, approach them, or call out sharply. Instead, gently wake them with a quiet voice in the dark; the ancients considered this the proper way. Do not sleep with your mouth open, as over time this may cause thirst and an abnormal complexion. In the morning, do not wash your eyes or face with cold water, lest your eyes become dry and watery or your vision be damaged. After becoming overheated on the road, do not wash your face with river water, as this may cause “bird,” the name of an illness given in the original text.

When perspiration has just subsided after a seasonal epidemic illness, do not drink cold water, lest it injure the heart and abdomen and prevent the illness from resolving. Do not smell the stench of a corpse on an empty stomach, as the odor entering the nose may make you ill. Before going to see a corpse, drink wine or chew garlic; the ancients believed this could ward off corpse-related illness.

Do not let children point at the moon, or sores will appear behind their ears. These sores are called “moon-meeting sores.” The original text then says to pound false-nettle powder and apply it, and mentions causing swelling in a woman who has given birth; the precise meaning of this sentence is unclear. Do not sleep with your arm trapped beneath your body, lest your spirit become unsettled.

When sleeping, in spring and summer the head should face east, and in autumn and winter it should face west; this benefits the body. Men should urinate sitting down when hungry and standing up after eating their fill. It is said that this helps prevent illness. When sleeping, it is best to lie on one’s side with the knees bent, which benefits one’s vitality; while lying down, turn over from time to time. Keep talking and laughter to a minimum, and do not shout or make a commotion.

In spring, it is best to go to bed early and rise early. In summer and autumn, go to bed somewhat later and rise early; in winter, go to bed early and rise late. All of this is beneficial. Although one should rise early, do not get up before the cock crows; and although one should rise late, do not stay in bed past sunrise. In winter, Heaven and Earth withdraw and store their energies, and Yang energy lies hidden. People should avoid working until they sweat, lest Yang energy escape and harm the body.

After washing your hair or bathing, do not expose yourself to the wind or tie up your hair right away. Do not sleep while your hair is still wet, as this may lead to head chills, dizziness and chest congestion, hair loss, facial swelling, toothache, or deafness. Do not wear damp clothes or garments soaked with sweat for a long time, either, as this can easily cause sores or wind-related illness.

Laojun said: On the first day of the first lunar month, face northeast in the courtyard and bow twice, then recite this prayer: “I, so-and-so, year after year receive the grace of the Great Dao. Mysterious Gate of Great Clarity, may you take back the years of my life from the past year.” Men and women should each recite it three times. Performing this practice regularly can prolong life. (The Mysterious Woman’s method for purifying the spirit and Huainan’s custom of making offerings to the Stove God are both practices intended to bring one into accord with the true spirits and to preserve and nourish life.)

The secret teachings in the Immortals’ Scripture say that one should often visualize in the mind a mass of Qi the size of an egg, red within and yellow without. It can drive away evil influences and prolong life. To ward off malevolent spirits and the myriad ghosts, often visualize yourself transformed into a ball of fire as large as the Dipper, blazing with light. Then evil spirits will not dare to intrude, and you will also be able to enter places where epidemics are spreading. At night, while sleeping, often visualize red Qi outside your body and white Qi within, covering your whole body, to ward off evil influences and ghostly apparitions.

The Lord Lao said: Those who seek the Dao must not commit the “Five Reversals” or the “Six Omens of Misfortune.” Doing so will bring calamity.

The “Five Reversals” are these: facing west while relieving oneself is the first reversal; facing north is the second; facing the sun is the third; facing the moon is the fourth; and looking up at the sky and stars is the fifth.

The “Six Omens of Misfortune” are these: getting up at night naked is the first; rising in the morning in a fit of anger is the second; insulting the kitchen stove is the third; stretching one’s feet toward a fire is the fourth; behaving improperly during sexual intercourse with one’s spouse is the fifth; and resenting or becoming angry with one’s teacher is the sixth.

When people get up in the morning, they should make a habit of saying auspicious and kind words, and Heaven will bestow blessings. Repeatedly saying “What can be done?” or singing or whistling is called “inviting calamity.” Take care not to sing while lying in bed, for this is inauspicious. Lying face down as soon as one gets into bed is also inauspicious; leaning over the bed to eat or drink is inauspicious; and striking plates with a spoon or chopsticks is inauspicious.

The spirit who governs hidden misdeeds stands to a person’s left. If someone secretly does evil, the spirit in charge of hidden offenses reports it to Heaven, which then examines the person’s Hun and Po souls. The spirit who governs killing and punishment stands to a person’s right. If someone speaks wickedly, the spirit in charge of punishment reports it to the Spirit in Charge of Destiny (who governs a person’s lifespan, fortune, and misfortune), and that spirit records the offense. When the accumulated offenses reach their limit, punishment is imposed. The spirits in charge of hidden offenses and punishment both monitor people’s words. Speaking often invites wrongdoing, so how can one afford to be careless?

The tongue is a weapon of the body; words can give rise to both good deeds and evil acts. For this reason, Daoists especially warn against speaking wickedly.

Drinking “Jade Spring”—the Daoist term for saliva—is said to prolong life and dispel every illness. Throughout a day and night, one should rinse the mouth and produce saliva seven times: at cockcrow, at dawn, at midday, in the afternoon, at dusk, at midnight, and in the early morning. Each time, wait until the mouth is full of saliva, then swallow it; this is said to prolong life.

Blood and Qi, the teeth and bones, the nails, and the sinews and vessels all have their time of decline. Frequently combing the hair, even a thousand strokes at a time, will keep it from turning white. Tapping the teeth morning and evening makes them less likely to decay. Avoid trimming the nails too often, and the sinews and vessels are less likely to weaken. People often want to look in a mirror in order to observe and care for their physical form, allowing form and spirit to support one another. If one looks only to boast of one’s appearance and indulge in one’s own beauty, it would be better not to look.

One may choose such dates as the first day of the first month, the second day of the second month, the third day of the third month, the eighth day of the fourth month, the first day of the fifth month, the twenty-seventh day of the sixth month, the eleventh day of the seventh month, the eighth day of the eighth month, the twenty-first day of the ninth month, the fourteenth day of the tenth month, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and the thirtieth day of the twelfth month. Pick goji leaves, boil them into a broth, and bathe in it. The scripture says this will give the complexion a healthy glow and make one less prone to illness and aging. When a lunar eclipse occurs, one should find a way to aid and protect those affected. Dispelling calamities for others and saving people’s lives is a good deed that shares in Heaven’s work. Heaven does not delight in killing, and sages follow the Dao of Heaven. To understand that the Dao of Heaven abhors the taking of life is to help Heaven and Earth nurture the myriad beings, and so bring blessings upon oneself. Good dreams may be spoken of; bad dreams should be kept silent. The scripture says this helps prolong life and nourish one’s nature.

Healing Illness through Qi Ingestion

The Yuan Yang Jing says: “Often inhale through the nose and hold the Qi in the mouth. Move it about as if rinsing the mouth, filling the spaces between the tongue, lips, and teeth with Qi, then swallow it. Swallowing it a thousand times in a day and night brings excellent results. One should eat less. Eating too much causes Qi to become disordered and the channels throughout the body to become blocked. When the channels are blocked, Qi cannot circulate; when the circulation of Qi and fluids is impaired, illness arises.”

The Xuan Shi says: “The will commands Qi, and Qi nourishes the body.”

The Xuanshi says: “The will directs Qi, while Qi nourishes the body. Doing good helps life endure, while doing evil harms the body.” The method for practicing Qi circulation—that is, regulating the breath to care for the body—is to eat sparingly and in moderation, move the body appropriately, and bring the breath into harmony. Focus the mind and hold to one’s intention; keep inner and outer states calm, and draw in both upper and lower parts of the body. Then Shen and Qi can circulate throughout the body, and the body itself will feel balanced and at ease. When Qi is abundant and the Gate of Origin (Guanyuan, a point in the lower abdomen and also a place where the body’s original Qi gathers) is full, many harmful influences will leave of their own accord.

Peng Zu says: “Practice breath retention and regulation regularly, from early morning until noon. Then kneel and sit, rub the eyes, massage the body, moisten the lips with the tongue and swallow the saliva. Circulate Qi several dozen times, and only then get up to move about, talk, and laugh.” If you occasionally feel tired or unwell, use daoyin (bodily movements coordinated with the breath) and breath retention to tend to the affected area. During practice, visualize Qi flowing through the head and face, the nine apertures (the openings of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and so on), the five organs, the limbs, and even the tips of the hair. Imagine it moving like clouds within the body, starting at the nose and mouth and reaching the tips of the fingers. When the breath is calm and the spirit settled, there is no need for acupuncture, medicine, or moxibustion. In practicing Qi to ease various ailments, you can direct your attention to the place that feels unwell.

When your head hurts, focus on the head; when your feet hurt, focus on your feet. Let the harmonized breath flow there and continue for a while; the pain will then subside on its own. If seasonal influences leave you chilled, you can retain the breath to bring on a sweat. Once sweat covers the body, the chill will ease. Circulating and retaining Qi are important ways to care for the body, but first you should understand their principles. During practice, keep the body open and empty; do not eat until overly full. If Qi stagnates and cannot flow freely, sores or joint discomfort may result, just as a spring cannot flow when it is blocked. Circulating Qi after eating raw fish, raw vegetables, or fatty meat, or while unable to release anger, joy, worry, or distress, may cause Qi to surge upward. Beginners should practice Qi circulation gradually.

Liu An says: “Breathe in living Qi and breathe out dead Qi, and you can live for a long time.” “Living Qi” here means the air inhaled through the nose. People who cannot devote themselves to absorbing Qi can practice throughout the day, breathing slowly and smoothly, inhaling only through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. This is what is called “expelling the old and taking in the new.”

The Jing on Nourishing Qi says that the Dao is Qi. By nourishing Qi, one can attain the Dao; having attained the Dao, one can endure for a long time. Shen is Jing. By nourishing Jing, one’s awareness becomes clear; when awareness is clear, one can live long. Jing is like water flowing through the blood vessels, and it is also the numinous force that protects the bones. When Jing and Qi are exhausted, the bones wither; when the bones wither, the person dies. Therefore, those who cultivate the Dao must cherish Jing and Qi.

The period from midnight to noon is called “living Qi”; the period from after noon until midnight is called “dead Qi.” During the time of living Qi, lie on your back, close your eyes, and clasp your hands firmly—as an infant does, with the four fingers pressing down on the thumbs. Hold your breath without breathing, silently count to two hundred, then exhale through the mouth. Gradually increase the length of time you hold your breath. This practice enables body and spirit to be whole and the five internal organs to be settled. If you can hold your breath while counting to two hundred and fifty, this is called “the radiance of the Flower Canopy,” a state in which the Qi mechanism is abundant and clear. Upon reaching this state, your hearing and sight will grow sharper, your whole body will be free of illness, and malign Qi will be unable to intrude.

When circulating Qi, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, slowly and gently. This is called “long breathing.” There is only one kind of inhalation, but there are six kinds of exhalation: blowing, calling, sighing, laughing, hissing, and panting. Each is a different method of exhaling. Ordinary breathing already consists of one inhalation and one exhalation. To exhale using the long breathing method, choose according to your physical condition: use “blowing” when you feel cold and “calling” when you feel warm. These methods can be used as needed to regulate the body. The scripture says that “blowing” removes heat, “calling” removes wind, “sighing” relieves distress, “laughing” brings Qi downward, “hissing” disperses stagnation, and “panting” eases fatigue. When people are extremely tired, they often make greater use of sighing and panting. In Daoist Qi practice, however, these two kinds of exhalation are generally not used much, since they are special applications of long breathing.

Both men and women can use this method, which has been transmitted through the scriptures of the immortals. Before practicing Qi circulation, first remove the hairs inside the nostrils; this is said to clear the passage through which the spirits communicate. When the wind is fierce or the weather is extremely cold or hot, do not take in external Qi.

The “Treatise on the Illnesses of the Bright Physician” says that illness often arises from five kinds of strain. Accumulating over time, these five strains first damage the heart and kidneys. When pathogenic Qi invades the heart and kidneys, the other organs become ill as well. The five strains are strain of the will, strain of thought, strain of the heart, strain of worry, and physical fatigue. Strain of the will means excessive depletion of the mind and willpower. When the wind is fierce or the weather extremely cold or hot, one should not force the circulation of Qi or regulate the breath.

The five strains can lead to six forms of extreme depletion: depletion of Qi, blood, sinews, bones, Jing, and marrow. These six forms of depletion can in turn cause the seven injuries, which then develop into the seven pains. People with these conditions often have an excess of pathogenic Qi and a deficiency of healthy Qi. Their emotions may fluctuate unpredictably, shifting from joy to anger or sorrow. They lose their appetite, their muscles fail to develop, their complexion grows dull, and their hair turns white and withered. In severe cases, they may also suffer what the ancients called “great wind with one-sided paralysis” (a severe wind disorder causing partial paralysis), contracted sinews and vessels, stiffness in the limbs, restricted and painful joints, emaciation and shortness of breath, and pain in the lower back and legs. The scripture attributes these conditions to marrying too young, excessive depletion of Jing through sexual activity, deficiencies of Qi and blood, and extreme overexertion.

Most illnesses are associated with the Five Zang organs, so one must know how to assess a condition. Anyone who does not know how to assess it should not attempt treatment on their own. The scripture goes on to describe a method of nourishing the Five Zang through breath regulation. For heart disease, one may exhale with either of the two sounds “hu” or “xi.” For lung disease, when the chest and diaphragm feel distended and full, one exhales with the sound “xu.” For spleen disease, if one feels as though wind is moving through the body, with itchy skin, bodily pain, and restlessness, one exhales with the sound “xi.” For liver disease, if the eyes hurt and one feels sorrowful and unhappy, one exhales with the sound “he.” This method of regulating Qi involves breathing in through the nose, breathing out through the mouth, and making the corresponding sounds in sequence to regulate the breath. One should practise with reverence and focused attention. The scripture calls this an important method for nourishing the body, dispelling illness, and extending life.

The Daoyin Jing says: Before getting up in the morning, gently tap the upper and lower teeth together fourteen times. Close the eyes and clench the hands in a “firm grasp”: bend the thumbs into the palms and press them near the roots of the little fingers. Fill the mouth with saliva and swallow it in three portions. Then hold the breath until it feels impossible to continue, and slowly breathe out. Repeat this for three rounds.

Next, rise and bend forward as if crouching like a wolf, then turn the head to look around like an owl. Rock the body from side to side without stopping. After reaching the limit of the movement, repeat for three rounds. Then get out of bed, maintain the firm grasp, and hold the breath while stamping the heels three times. Raise and press down the hands in alternation, still holding the breath, until reaching the limit; repeat for three rounds. Next, cross the hands behind the neck and turn the neck from side to side to its limit, then repeat for three rounds. After that, straighten the legs and cross the hands. Continue holding the breath, stamp the heels three times, and raise and press down the hands in alternation. Repeat three times after reaching the limit. Then cross the hands behind the neck again and turn the neck from side to side for three rounds. Finally, straighten the legs, cross the hands, and stretch them forward, then draw them back. Repeat for three rounds after reaching the limit. Perform all these movements morning and evening; the more consistently one can practice them, the better.

At daybreak, rub the palms together until they are warm, then place them over the eyes three times to warm them. Next, press the eyes with the fingers four times; this is said to help keep the vision clear.

The scripture also says that the firm grasp restrains the “Soul Gate” and “Spirit Storehouse,” keeping the hun-soul and po-soul settled within the body. This is a method for securing Jing, brightening the eyes, extending life, and stabilizing the po-soul. If one can maintain the firm grasp throughout the day, evil influences and every kind of poison will be unable to enter. Another account holds that prolonged practice of the firm grasp can even make the eyes unable to open; still another says it can prevent encounters with demonic apparitions.

The Inner Explanation says that a person’s vital essence and Qi, saliva, tears, nasal mucus, sweat, and urine all deplete them, though to varying degrees.

A person should try to avoid spitting out saliva. When fluid gathers in the mouth, rinse with it first and then swallow it. One may also keep a date pit in the mouth to encourage the flow of saliva and, in this way, preserve vital essence and Qi. The instruction is to swallow the saliva, not the date pit. Each morning, tap the teeth thirty-six times; three hundred times is better, it is said, and may help keep the teeth strong and free from pain. Then move the tongue around to gather saliva in the mouth. Once the mouth is full, swallow it. Repeat this three times.

Next, rub the fingers until warm and press them over the eyes twenty-eight times; this is said to help keep the eyes bright. Each morning after rising, cover the ears with both hands and rub them up and down until they feel warm. Do this fourteen times; it is said to help preserve hearing. Then tap the teeth and swallow the saliva three times. Draw in the nose and hold the breath, then reach the right hand over the head and pull the left ear fourteen times. Switch hands and pull the right ear fourteen times. This is said to promote longevity and preserve hearing.

Next, use both hands to pull the hair at the temples upward fourteen times; this is said to keep Qi and blood flowing and help prevent the hair from turning white. Another method is to rub the hands together until warm, then stroke the face from top to bottom. This is said to dispel harmful influences and give the complexion a healthy glow. After warming the hands, rub the whole body from top to bottom. This is called “dry bathing,” a health practice in which the body is rubbed with the hands. It is said to ward off wind and cold and seasonal febrile illnesses, ease headaches, and help dispel various ailments. Before going to bed, one may also often rub the whole body with both hands. This, too, is called “dry bathing” and is said to ward off harmful wind.

Sit cross-legged with your back straight. Support your head with your left hand and tilt your head backward. Reach upward as far as you can with your right hand, allowing your body and arm to vibrate three times. Then support your head with your right hand and vibrate three times. This can dispel drowsiness and relieve the oppressive feeling in the chest.

Before sunrise, sit upright facing south. Place both hands against your cheeks and vibrate as strongly as you can three times to give your complexion a healthy glow.

After getting up in the morning, before washing or combing your hair, sit upright. Clasp your right hand with your left and place them against your left cheek. Rub the cheek back and forth three times, until it feels warm. Then clasp your left hand with your right, place them against your right cheek, and rub back and forth three times in the same way. Next, push both hands straight forward as far as you can three times. Then cross your hands in front of your chest and push your elbows forward three times.

Next, straighten your left arm and bend your right arm, taking the posture of drawing a bow strong enough to bear the weight of a hu and five dou of grain. Pull as hard as you can, then switch arms and take the posture of drawing the bow with your right hand. Then brace your right hand on the ground and raise your left hand overhead, stretching as far as you can; switch sides. Repeat the bow-drawing posture once on each side. Then bend both arms and thrust them forward, three sets of seven times—that is, twenty-one times. Finally, bend your left arm as far behind your back as you can and clench your fist three times; do the same with your right arm. These movements help regulate Qi associated with strain in the back, shoulders, arms, and elbows. They are more effective when practiced regularly.

After completing these movements in the morning, prop a long walking stick under your armpit. Let your left foot hang over the edge of the bed, then slowly stretch your body and pull your left foot as far as you can, five sets of seven times—that is, thirty-five times. Repeat with your right foot. This method helps relieve pain and chest tightness caused by beriberi, as well as coldness in the lower back and kidneys, cold-damp obstruction, and cold knees.

Do this stretching exercise three times each morning and evening for better results. Do not eat until overly full or hold in your urine while exercising. You need not lean on a cane; simply move the corresponding parts of the body. Your feet may remain off the ground, and you may hold on to something for support.

Comb your hair each morning and evening, one thousand strokes each time. This can dispel head wind—a general term for ailments causing discomfort in the head—and help keep your hair from turning white. For better results, after combing, rub salt crystals and raw sesame oil over the crown of your head. If you have “Divine Clarity Balm,” a kind of salve or hair care product, rubbing it in is even better.

Each morning before washing, tap your teeth together 160 times. When saliva gathers in your mouth, swallow it. Then rinse your mouth with clean water and rub your teeth with salt powder. Next, hold a little mildly sour, clear rice rinse water—the clear liquid used for rinsing the mouth—in your mouth and rinse thoroughly. Wash your eyes with salt water, then wash your face with cold water, taking care not to let the water enter your eyes. The book says this practice can make the teeth strong and clean, keep the eyes bright and free from watering, and prevent the teeth from becoming loose. When washing your face in the morning, after rinsing your mouth, swallow one or two mouthfuls of cold water. This is said to clear the mind, refresh the chest, and dispel heat in the chest.

Hua Tuo of Qiao was skilled in the art of nourishing life. He taught these methods to his disciples Wu Pu of Guangling and Fan A of Pengcheng. Hua Tuo once said to Wu Pu, “The body should be exercised in moderation, but never to the point of exhaustion. Regular movement helps digest food and circulate the blood, making illness less likely—just as a door hinge that turns often is less likely to decay.”

Ancient immortals and a Han dynasty Daoist named Junqian practiced daoyin, a method of cultivating body and mind through stretching, bending, and movement. They imitated the motions of animals such as apes and owls, stretching the waist and moving the joints to strengthen the body and delay aging.

Hua Tuo devised a set of exercises called the Five Animal Frolics, imitating the movements of the tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird. They were used to nourish the body, move the limbs, and serve as a daily daoyin practice. When the body feels unwell, one can get up and perform one of the exercises, stopping after a light sweat. The body is then rubbed with powder; this is said to leave one feeling lighter and with a better appetite. Wu Pu practiced this method and, in his nineties, still had keen hearing and clear sight, strong teeth, and the same appetite as in his youth.

Tiger Frolic: Get down on all fours and lunge forward three times, then step backward twice. Stretch the waist fully, then suddenly arch back and look up at the sky. Turn around and continue moving on all fours, going forward and backward seven times each.

Deer Frolic: Get down on all fours, stretch the neck, and look back—three times to the left and twice to the right. Then extend and draw in the legs to each side, three times on one side and twice on the other.

Bear Frolic: Lie on your back and clasp both hands below the knees. Raise your head and tilt your body seven times to the left, then seven times to the right. Next, squat down and press your hands against the ground to either side.

Ape Frolic: Hang from an object, stretching and contracting the body, then extend and draw in the legs to each side, three times on one side and twice on the other. Next, hook your feet over an object and hang, seven times to each side. Hook both hands over an object and hang upside down, then press your head with your hands; do each seven times.

Bird Frolic: Stand with both hands raised. Lift one foot, stretch out your arms, raise your eyebrows, and exert your full strength; do this fourteen times on each side. Sit down and extend your legs. Hold your feet with your hands and press against your heels, seven times on each side. Then extend and draw in your arms, seven times each.

When practicing the Five Animal Frolics, adapt the movements to your strength and stop when you have worked up a light sweat. After sweating, you may rub your body with powder. The text says that regular practice helps digest food, build strength, reduce illness, and prolong life.

Another method for maintaining health is to sit down before a meal, cross your hands, and stretch your arms and legs to guide the channels and vessels—that is, to use bodily movement to regulate the flow of Qi and blood. This was considered more beneficial than drinking medicinal decoctions. Sit upright, tilt your head back, and exhale toward the sky; this can quickly ease discomfort from overeating or drinking alcohol. In summer, doing this can also make you feel cool.

The Pillowside Formulas for Nurturing Life was a book of health-preserving remedies written by Sun Simiao, a reclusive scholar of Mount Taibai. “Reclusive scholar” refers to someone who lived in seclusion and did not serve in government.

Many books record methods for nourishing life and cultivating one’s nature. Some of these methods are profound and hidden, and can easily confuse those who have yet to understand them. As for purifying the mind and spirit, turning one’s gaze inward, wandering through the wondrous realm, and attaining the true Dao, these are beyond the reach of those with shallow understanding.

People often wish to seek out such methods. Even when they have the chance to encounter them, they may fail to benefit because they cannot hold fast to their resolve or act in keeping with their own nature. This is indeed because harmful habits formed in the past are deeply rooted and hard to remove, while the path of caring for body and mind is long, and people are apt to stray from it. They therefore tend to fall in with ordinary worldly life and simply stop thinking about these matters.

Ji Shuye (Ji Kang, whose courtesy name was Shuye) grasped the essential principles and achieved much, but his account was not complete enough. As a result, later readers who aspired to nourish life could feel intimidated by it. The material I have now compiled consists of key points drawn from important texts. Though it touches on hidden matters, it is easy to understand and put into practice, and fills gaps in earlier accounts. Those who study these methods need not go against their natural desires; they can follow them in the course of daily life. Nor must they give up the pleasures of sight and hearing. They need only exercise restraint and pay close attention, and they can put these methods into practice. The principles are concise yet widely applicable; they require little effort but bring substantial results.

I have spent a long time examining and verifying books of methods for nourishing life, and have searched for esoteric teachings with scarcely anything left unexplored. I have included nothing that is not exceptionally subtle and wondrous; only material that has been tested and proven effective appears at the beginning of this book. I have selected what is beneficial and leave it for future generations. Methods that are not proper must never be spread casually. If they are passed on to the wrong people, the calamity may extend to three generations. The book is arranged in five chapters and brought together in one volume. May those who share my aspirations cherish and practice these teachings.

Prudence

The Dao of Heaven has its times of fullness and decline, and worldly affairs are often beset by hardship. When facing danger and difficulty, one cannot hope to overcome them and succeed without acting with care. Thus, anyone cultivating body and mind who does not understand how to be prudent and guard oneself is not yet qualified to speak of the Dao of nourishing life. For this reason, the author placed “Prudence” at the beginning of the book.

When sages live in peace, they do not forget danger; they keep concern and reverence in their hearts at all times. If people act without restraint, many things will go wrong. The Jing (classic) says, “If people do not fear authority, true power will descend upon them.” Thus, if one cultivates oneself without concern or caution, friends will grow distant; if one manages a household without concern or caution, servants will become disrespectful; if one governs a state without concern or caution, neighboring states will invade; and if one governs the world without concern or caution, De (Virtue/Power) will depart.

Concern and caution bear on life and death. They are the foundation of ritual teachings, the cause of survival or ruin, the source of fortune and calamity, and the beginning of good or ill outcomes. Therefore, if officials lack concern and caution, they cannot establish their reputations; if farmers lack them, their crops will not flourish; if artisans lack them, they will not follow proper standards; if merchants lack them, their businesses will not grow. If children lack concern and caution, their filial respect will be shallow; if fathers lack them, their affection will not show; if ministers lack them, they cannot establish meritorious achievements; and if rulers lack them, their states will not be at peace.

When those who cultivate their nature lose their sense of concern and caution, their minds become disordered, their bodies restless, their spirits scattered, and their Qi (vital energy) unsettled. Their resolve wavers and their minds grow clouded. What could have survived instead perishes; what could have been accomplished instead fails; what should have brought good fortune instead turns perilous. Concern and caution are like water and fire: they must never be forgotten, even for a moment. Without them, one’s sons and younger kin may become formidable foes, and one’s wives and concubines may turn against one.

The wisest revere the Dao (the Way); those next in wisdom revere external things; those after them revere other people; and those last revere themselves. Those who remain alert to their own conduct will not be constrained by others; those who discipline themselves will not be controlled by the outside world. Those who take care over small matters need not fear great ones; those who prepare in good time will have no cause to regret later calamities. With this understanding, one can travel by water without being harmed by dragons, and by land without being harmed by tigers, fierce beasts, or rhinoceroses. In one’s dealings with others, one will also avoid slander and injury. Those who truly understand this principle can handle every matter well.

Recurring illnesses and premature death without apparent cause are mostly the result of improper eating. The harm caused by food can even exceed the effects of sights and sounds. One can abstain from sights and sounds for years, but food cannot be given up for even a single day. It therefore brings great benefit, but its harms can also run deep. Foods with different flavors may sometimes conflict in their properties. When dietary prohibitions are also ignored, they can build up into toxins that are difficult to dispel. In mild cases, illness develops only after several years of accumulation; in severe cases, calamity strikes soon.

From the summer solstice until the autumn equinox, avoid rich, greasy foods such as oily pastries and meat stews. These foods do not go well with wine, drinks, or melons and fruits. Sometimes they cause no immediate discomfort, but when the weather shifts in autumn, sudden diarrhea or other symptoms may occur. This often happens because people overindulge in cooling foods and drinks during summer and eat without restraint. Some assume that the day symptoms appear is the day the illness began, not realizing that its causes have been accumulating gradually for a long time. Those who wish to learn prudent ways of preserving life should take care to avoid a problem as soon as its first signs appear.

Those who cultivate their nature—that is, nurture body and mind and preserve life—should think less, worry less, desire less, labor less, speak less, laugh less, grieve less, seek pleasure less, rejoice less, grow angry less, indulge preferences less, and harbor aversions less. These “Twelve Less” are an important rule for preserving life.

Thinking too much exhausts the spirit; worrying too much scatters the will; desiring too much harms wisdom; taking on too much makes the body weary; speaking too much dissipates the breath and disrupts its flow; laughing too much injures the internal organs; grieving too much unsettles the mind and spirit; seeking pleasure too eagerly makes the mind indulgent; excessive joy easily leads to carelessness and confusion; intense anger throws the body's network of channels out of balance; strong preferences fix a person on one side and make it difficult to understand things fully; and too many aversions leave a person haggard and joyless. If these “Twelve More” are not kept in check, they become sources of harm to life. Whether having more or less, one should avoid excess; this is to draw near to the Dao (the fundamental principle by which all things move).

For this reason, people who live quietly in seclusion and have few affairs tend to suffer fewer illnesses, while those who travel about and bustle in the world face more troubles. This is due to the difference between simple and complicated ways of life. Farmers often live long, while those who enjoy rich, refined foods are more likely to die young; this, too, shows the difference created by the degree of one's appetites and desires. People of the world busy themselves competing for profit, while those who cultivate the Dao rarely pursue such gains. Still, ordinary people cannot be entirely without desires or free from all affairs. They need only restrain selfish motives and restless thoughts, settle body and mind, and reduce their thinking; then their desires and scattered thoughts will gradually quiet down.

Those who work in the fields often live long, while those who indulge in rich and fatty foods tend to die young. This is the result of having more or fewer desires. For this reason, ordinary people compete to pursue profit, while Daoist practitioners seldom devote themselves to such concerns. Ordinary people cannot be without desires or remain idle. But if they restrain selfish motives and delusive thoughts, keep themselves upright, and reduce their worries, their desires will gradually subside.

Feng Jun’da said: The body should be kept in regular motion, and food intake should be restrained. Do not exercise to excess, but do not eat so little that you harm your body. Eat plain foods often, eat fewer rich and fatty foods, and limit salty and sour flavors. Reduce your worries, rein in joy and anger, avoid rushing about in pursuit of things, and be prudent in matters of sexual activity. In spring and summer, some release is appropriate; in autumn and winter, one should draw inward and build reserves. Sashimi, raw meat, and all kinds of fishy or cold foods are mostly harmful to health and should be given up as soon as possible; this is more beneficial. Keep kind thoughts in your heart, and do not scheme to deceive or do evil. Such thoughts can gravely damage the spirit and shorten one’s life.

Peng Zu said: If your clothes are too thick and your bedding too warm, your body will no longer withstand cold and hardship, and you will instead become prone to wind-cold illnesses. Frequent consumption of sweet, greasy foods and dried or cured meats, drinking too much alcohol, and overeating can lead to ailments such as hernias and internal accumulations. Craving beautiful, alluring people can weaken the body. Becoming absorbed in sorrowful, captivating music can confuse the mind and foster indulgence in pleasure. Riding at a gallop, roaming for pleasure, and hunting in the open fields can make a person wild and unrestrained. Single-mindedly seeking gain and victory, and taking advantage of disorder to swallow up the weak, can ultimately lead to ruin through arrogance and ease. These are all things the sages warned people not to do, for they violate the natural order. How could we fail to consider them seriously and use these principles to urge ourselves onward?

The methods for cultivating health are these: do not walk, sit, listen, or look for long periods. Do not force yourself to eat or drink, and do not worry, brood, or grieve. Eat when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty. Walking a few hundred paces after a meal is very beneficial to the body. Do not eat at night; if you do, walk about five li, as this is thought to prevent illness and harm. During the day and in the evening, do some tasks and stay active, but do not exhaust yourself. Nor should you be too idle and do nothing. As an old saying goes, “Running water does not turn foul, and a door hinge is not eaten by worms,” because both remain in motion.

The Xiang’er (a set of Daoist instructional writings) says: Do not argue with others over right and wrong, or you will shorten your life. When you feel unwell, you can repeatedly extend your tongue and swallow your saliva; you can also swallow more of the fluid in your mouth. The text says this will bring a quick recovery. When a Daoist practitioner falls ill, they should close their eyes and turn their attention inward, kindle a fire in the mind, then use it to burn the whole body, continuing until they imagine the body has been consumed. At the same time, they should keep their spirit in a faint, indistinct state; the text says the illness will then be cured. If a particular spot hurts, imagine fire burning that spot. This is said to be a secret method that works.

Taboos in the Immortals’ Scriptures

The jiayin day is considered a day when corpse ghosts vie to cause trouble and the spirit is polluted. On this day, one should not sit with, speak to, or meet one’s spouse. Instead, one should remain pure, bathe without sleeping afterward, and stay alert.

While taking medicine, one should avoid garlic, pomegranate, pig liver, and dog meat. Do not face north when taking medicine; this is considered a grave taboo. On the hai and zi days (two days in the traditional sexagenary calendar), one must not spit, as this is thought to diminish one’s lifespan.

When entering the mountains, stop a hundred paces before reaching them, walk back a hundred paces, then turn around and climb. The text says that this will keep mountain spirits from daring to attack. Those seeking immortality must avoid seeing corpses. In addition, on the first day of the third month, one must not stay with a woman.

Ten Failings to Avoid on the Path to Immortality

Those who cultivate the immortal path should avoid ten things. First, do not be greedy for sexual pleasure. Second, do not commit sinister or cruel acts. Third, do not drink to the point of intoxication. Fourth, do not be filthy, careless, or neglect cleanliness. Fifth, do not eat meat associated with the birth destiny of your father. Sixth, do not eat meat associated with your own birth destiny. Seventh, do not eat any meat. Eighth, do not eat the Five Pungent Plants raw—usually scallions, garlic, Chinese chives, shallots, and asafoetida, along with other sharply pungent plants. Ninth, do not kill insects or other living beings. Tenth, do not face north when relieving yourself, or tilt your head back to gaze at the sun, moon, and stars, known as the “Three Luminaries.”

Ten Precepts of the Immortal Path

On the Eight Seasonal Nodes—the solar terms of the four beginnings, two equinoxes, and two solstices—do not impose harsh punishments. On the last day of the month and the first day of the month, do not become angry. On Six Jia days—the days marked by “Jia” in the sixty-day cycle—do not eat animals with scales or shells. On the third day of the third month, do not eat meat from the five viscera, and do not kill insects or other living beings.

There is another set of ten precepts: On the Eight Seasonal Nodes, do not impose harsh punishments; on the last and first days of the month, do not become angry; on Six Jia days, do not eat animals with scales or shells; on the third day of the third month, do not eat animal viscera or the tender hearts of plants; on the eighth day of the fourth month, do not cut down trees; on the fifth day of the fifth month, do not cause people or animals to bleed; on the sixth day of the sixth month, do not disturb the earth; on the fourth day of the eighth month, do not buy or sell things attached to the feet; on the ninth day of the ninth month, do not move beds or mats; and on the Eight Seasonal Nodes, do not mingle with others.

Miscellaneous Taboos for Learning the Immortal Path

If someone venerates the Six Heavens—the six heavenly deities of Daoist belief—or makes offerings to demonic spirits among the mountains and rivers, do not live in that person’s house or eat food they have prepared.

All these prohibitions are major precepts observed jointly by Heaven and humanity. Violating them may cause the Three Souls—the spiritual aspects of a person—to become hostile toward one another, and the Seven Po—the souls associated with the body’s vital functions—to fall into confusion and conflict. It may also bring the displeasure of the embryo spirit or cause the Three Officials—the Daoist deities of Heaven, Earth, and Water—to descend and mete out punishment. Those who can observe these precepts may become fit to cultivate immortality; those who fail to observe them and break the prohibitions will suffer harm.

The inner refinement of the Yin Elixir, the regulation of bedroom arts, the use of the “seven-nine” method of gathering essence through breathing, and the male-female method of “returning the Elixir through six-one” may bring one the reputation of an immortal, but they still cannot compare with the Highest Clarity (Shangqing), the exalted realm revered in Daoism. Even though these practices also belong to the Way of cultivation and transformation, the Supreme One does not regard them as a lofty attainment. Without upholding the Supreme Dao, how can one glimpse the gateway to the mysterious?

Do not approach women who are menstruating or pregnant. At suitable times, rinse and swallow the sweet dew of the Flower Pool—the saliva in the mouth—so that you may remain at ease and content, dwell alone in quiet, and preserve your true nature. In caring for life, the ancients placed particular importance on keeping body and mind at ease. Without understanding the secret arts, how can you find contentment? Do not hold infants; this is a grave prohibition among immortals.

Those who aspire to study the inner teachings, nourish the spirit, and seek immortality should bathe often, keeping body and mind clean so as to welcome and receive numinous Qi. Those who study the Dao must be cautious and discreet in all things. To divulge a single word or deed is to forfeit one count of life; one count is equivalent to three days of lifespan.

When swallowing saliva, one should often close the eyes and turn one’s gaze inward. Those who study the Dao should live in a separate room, apart from others, wear clean clothes, and burn incense.

When writing Fulu (talismans and registers), face north, and do not use the brush or inkstone for any other purpose.

If you suddenly hear weeping, shouting, thunder, or the sound of drums in your ears, or smell foulness or blood in your nose, these are ill omens. At once, burn incense, bathe, observe purification, and devote yourself to keeping the Three Yuan Emperors—deities revered in Daoism—under your protection, praying for their aid. Also perform good deeds in secret, doing what others cannot or will not do. Only then will you find peace.

Joy and anger injure the heart and will; grief and pleasure damage one’s nature; wealth and honor cloud one’s De; indulgence exhausts one’s essence and Qi. These are all grave prohibitions for those who study the Dao, and are forbidden in the cultivation of immortals.

Those who cultivate the true Dao should not be stirred by desire, nor harbor thoughts of men and women. If thoughts of sexual desire remain in the heart, one cannot resonate with the true Dao; the numinous maidens and exalted beings will not appear.

Those who cultivate the true Dao should not be swayed by passions or thoughts of sexual desire. If such desires remain in the heart, the true Qi will not respond, and the numinous Goddess of the Highest Veneration—a goddess or revered deity in Daoism—will not descend. The exchange of Yin Qi obstructs the attainment of the supreme Dao. I have often regretted this, but fortunately I was able to correct my conduct in time. The true Dao cannot be obtained through forceful demands, and teachings of importance should not be heard casually and then forgotten; they must be treated with care.

Daoyin

Frequently rub the whole face with both hands. This can give the complexion a healthy glow and prevent spots and wrinkles. With five years of practice, the complexion will become like that of a young woman. Rub the face fourteen times each session, then stop.

After rising, sit upright with a calm mind and steady breath. First cross your hands behind your neck and look south. At the same time, press your neck upward against your hands, repeating three or four times. This helps harmonize Jing and Qi and promote the flow of blood through the vessels, while making it harder for pathogenic wind Qi to enter. Then bend and stretch your body, extending your limbs as far as possible and leaning to each side to stretch. Move all the joints, repeating each movement three times.

After rising, you can also first put your hands inside a thick cloth and use it to rub all around your neck and behind your ears until they feel warm. Then rub along your hair and over the crown of your head for a while. Warm your hands by rubbing them together, then massage your face and eyes. Practiced over a long period, this can help keep the eyes bright and make it harder for harmful influences to intrude. When finished, swallow saliva thirty times: gather the saliva in your mouth and swallow it, until the body feels warm. Afterward, regularly press and rub both sides of the ears to help prevent deafness and nasal congestion.

When angry, or when the body’s Qi is vigorous, frequently swallow saliva fourteen times and press and rub any painful areas of the body. Whenever you sit down, you can close your eyes and turn your attention inward, picturing the forms of the five zang organs and six fu organs. With time, it is said, they will gradually become clear to your inner sight.

Frequently press with the middle finger at the inner corners of the eyes beside the bridge of the nose. These two corners are also known as the Jingming acupoints. Hold your breath while pressing, and stop once the breath flows freely again. Repeating this practice is said to enable you to see far into the distance.

Press the small points behind the eyebrows regularly; these are where the eyes receive their vital energy. Press them twenty-seven times, in three sets of nine. Then rub both eyes and the forehead with your palms and fingers, and rotate and massage both ears with your hands, thirty times each. There is no fixed time for doing these exercises. When you have finished, use your hands to rub the forehead upward twenty-seven times, in three sets of nine, starting between the eyebrows and moving up to the hairline.

Practice these exercises regularly, and do not discuss them with others. In time, you will become a high immortal. During cultivation, take care not to injure the “Canopy of Flowers,” which here refers to the eyebrows.

Guiding Qi (a method of regulating and circulating the breath)

There are three main methods for anyone seeking immortality: preserving Jing and Qi, regulating the breath, and taking medicinal substances. These methods also have stages, progressing from the shallow to the profound. Without guidance from an accomplished adept, and without diligent effort and hardship, they cannot be mastered quickly. There are, however, hundreds of recorded methods for preserving Jing and Qi, and roughly a thousand formulas for taking medicinal substances. Practicing any of them requires diligence; success cannot be forced.

Guiding Qi can therefore treat all kinds of illness, drive away epidemics, subdue snakes and wild beasts, stop wounds from bleeding, enable a person to live underwater, withstand hunger and thirst, and prolong life. The key to guiding Qi is “embryonic breathing”: breathing no longer depends on air entering and leaving through the mouth and nose, but becomes as though one were inside the womb. In this way, one can cultivate the Great Dao.

One skilled in using Qi (vital energy) can breathe toward water and make it flow backward; breathe toward fire and put out its flames; breathe toward tigers and leopards and make them crouch down and hide; or breathe toward wounds and bleeding places to stop the bleeding. It is said that when someone has been poisoned by a venomous creature, even if you cannot see that person, you can breathe onto your own hand from a distance and recite an incantation: men should use the left hand, women the right. Even if the person is a hundred li away, they can recover. If someone is suddenly poisoned or falls ill, swallowing “three nines”—here, “nine” should mean the breath taken over nine inhalations—can also bring quick relief. But people are often impatient and rarely able to quiet themselves, so success in cultivating the Dao is difficult.

To practice breath cultivation, shut the door of a private room, prepare a bed and warm the mat, and use a pillow about two and a half inches high. Lie on your back with your body straight, close your eyes, and hold your breath, keeping the Qi between your chest and diaphragm. Place a feather over your nostrils and breathe so gently that it does not move. Maintain this state for three hundred breaths, taking no notice of sounds outside, looking at nothing, and giving no thought to distractions. Then gradually resume breathing and awareness. If you practice Qi circulation after eating cold or raw foods, the Five Pungent Foods (such as scallions and garlic), or fish and meat, or while feeling joy, anger, worry, sorrow, or resentment, it will bring no benefit. Instead, it will worsen disorders of Qi, causing it to surge upward and flow unevenly.

If at first you cannot hold your breath for long, practice gradually: begin by holding it for three, five, seven, or nine breaths, then release it and inhale again. Being able to hold the breath for twelve counts is considered an initial level of attainment; being able to hold it for one hundred and twenty counts without releasing it is considered a high level of attainment. This is an important method for nourishing the body. As a regular practice, hold your breath after midnight, when the vital energy begins to stir, and count silently in your mind. This avoids counting aloud, which can make it hard to hear and cause you to lose count. You may also use your hand to help keep count. If you can count to one thousand, it is said that you are not far from becoming an immortal.

When exhaling Qi, let the breath out for longer than you draw it in: usually inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. If there is heavy fog, a harsh wind, or severe cold, do not circulate Qi; simply hold the breath and keep it contained. This is an essential instruction.

Peng Zu said: “The highest truths are not complicated. Simply do not let the mind chase after a stream of thoughts, and it will not become overburdened. Combine this with daoyin (health practices that regulate the body), circulating Qi (regulating the breath), and fetal breathing (a Daoist method for nourishing Qi through fine, prolonged breathing), and practice them diligently. It is said that one may live for a thousand years. Take the great Golden Elixir (a Daoist alchemical medicine), and one may then endure for the rest of one’s life.

“While fasting and keeping oneself pure, visualize the sun and moon inside the mouth: the sun by day and the moon by night. Picture each as a ring. The sun is red and emits nine rays of purple light; the moon is yellow and emits ten rays of white light. Imagine swallowing the liquid formed from the radiance of the sun and moon, and keep this practice private and prolonged.

“When visualizing and cultivating, return the sun and moon to the Hall of Light (Mingtang), the inner landscape between the eyebrows: the sun on the left and the moon on the right. Let their two images of light join with the pupils of the eyes and connect with the breath. In this way, the sun and moon’s movements can help generate Jing and Qi, regulate the hun and Shen, and bring the Six Ding (the six protective spirits in Daoist belief) to attend on either side, with celestial soldiers guarding you. This is what is called the true Dao.

“If fear arises while walking or lying down at night, visualize the sun and moon returning to the Hall of Light. In an instant, the hundred evils will disperse of their own accord. Those who live in the mountains should also practice this visualization regularly.

“At midnight on the fifth day of each month, visualize the sun in your heart, then let it enter through your mouth and illuminate your whole body, so that you merge with its radiance. At this moment, you should feel rosy clouds shining within your heart and abdomen. When finished, swallow saliva nine times. Practice in the same way on the fifteenth and twenty-fifth days. This will open and clear the joints and channels throughout the body and give the face a lustre like jade. Men should visualize and receive the image of the sun; women should visualize and receive the image of the moon. Do this every day without interruption. It is said to make a person perceptive and clear-minded, and to cause the Five Viscera to shine with radiance.

Guarding the One

Guarding the One means contemplating and keeping watch over the ‘One’ within the body. One inch inward from between the eyebrows is the Hall of Light; two inches inward is the Cavern Chamber; three inches inward is the Upper Dantian. The Middle Dantian is the heart; the Lower Dantian lies one inch and two fen below the navel. Each place has its corresponding colors of clothing and names, as described in the Huangting Jing. The male figure is nine fen tall, and the female figure is six fen tall.”

Long ago, the Yellow Emperor came to Mount Emei and met the Divine Man in the Jade Hall. The Yellow Emperor asked him about the Way of True Unity—the practice of holding to True Unity and concentrating the spirit within. The Divine Man said, “If you seek long life and flight to become an immortal, only the Way of the Golden Elixir will do. If you seek to preserve the body and slow aging, only the Way of True Unity will do.” For this reason, immortals place special value on True Unity. There are thousands of methods of visualization, but most serve only to protect the body. Their techniques are numerous and complicated, and can easily exhaust the practitioner. If you understand the Way of Guarding the One, there is no need to use the other methods.

The Immortal Master said: “Those who take the great medicine of the Golden Elixir need not yet have left the human world for the various evil forces to dare not approach them. Medicines refined from plants and trees, or the Eight Minerals—mineral substances used in Daoist alchemy—can at most cure illness and prolong life; they cannot ward off calamities from outside. At times, their users may still be harmed by ghosts, summoned without cause by Mount Tai—the deity or realm said to govern life and death—treated with contempt by mountain spirits, or harassed by demons. Only the Way of True Unity can make people fearless in the face of all these things. The method of Guarding the One is described in detail in the Scripture on the Divine Man’s Practice of Guarding the One.”

The Method of Preserving the Spirit and Refining Qi at Five Times and Seven Stages in the Great Clarity Tradition

The human body is the dwelling place of spirit and Qi. When spirit and Qi remain within, the body is healthy and strong; when they disperse, the body grows weak.

The body is where Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) reside. When Shen and Qi are well preserved, the body is healthy and strong; when they disperse, the body declines. To preserve the body, one must first settle Shen and Qi. Qi is the root of Shen: Shen depends on Qi to arise. When Shen and Qi are both complete, one can live long and never die.

To settle Shen, one must cultivate primordial Qi. Qi resides within the body, and Shen dwells securely in the Sea of Qi—the lower abdomen, where primordial Qi is stored and circulated. When the Sea of Qi is full, the heart is steady and Shen becomes calm. When Shen and Qi do not scatter, body and mind can become settled and clear. Once stillness reaches a certain depth, one can enter meditative absorption. In this way, the body is preserved and life prolonged; one remains in constant accord with the Dao (the Way) and naturally attains sagehood. When Qi reaches the realm of numinous awareness, Shen penetrates one’s nature and wisdom opens. Life continues, the body is preserved, and one unites with one’s true nature. Through sustained practice, one ultimately attains the Dao.

To refine Qi according to the practice instructions, those who wish to learn this method should first give up grain foods, settle the mind in the Sea of Qi, let Shen abide in the Dantian (the abdominal center where Qi is refined and Shen nurtured), gather in thoughts, and dispel distractions. Once the Sea of Qi is full, a sense of satiety arises naturally. Those who devote themselves to practice can achieve a minor accomplishment in a hundred days and a major one in three years.

At the beginning, one passes through five stages; afterward, seven signs become clear. At that point, one’s actions become numinous and transformative, and one can come and go freely; even across a thousand miles, departure and return present no hindrance. As long as primordial Qi does not disperse, the Sea of Qi will remain full and Shen will rest quietly in the Dantian. Body and mind can then remain stable for a long time, one’s appearance grow youthful again and complexion regain its luster. The body transforms and one becomes an immortal, able to appear and disappear freely, with numinous insight and many powers of transformation. This is called “transcending the world,” and also “being a perfected person.” One’s lifespan is equal to that of Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon.

This method does not depend on absorbing Qi or swallowing saliva. Practice need not involve deliberate hardship: eat when you wish, rest when you need to, and move about without hindrance. There is no need to adhere rigidly to the five times or seven signs; one need only enter a state of quiet, settled awareness like fetal breathing.

The Five Times

First time: The mind is more active than still. Thoughts range across many realms, preferences and rejections shift without consistency, and the mind repeatedly weighs and calculates, like a wild horse that cannot be brought to rest. This is the state of mind of ordinary people.

Second time: The mind is still only briefly, while thoughts remain active much of the time. Although scattered thoughts are gathered back into the mind, the mind and Shen still tend to wander and are difficult to control. One must keep gathering them in and urging oneself onward. This is the stage of beginning the Dao.

In the third stage, the mind and spirit are sometimes quiet and sometimes scattered. When quiet, they seem capable of gathering the thoughts, but cannot yet remain that way continuously. Quiet and scattered states occur about equally often. The practitioner must diligently apply attention and make adjustments before the state of mind can gradually become stable and familiar.

In the fourth stage, the mind is quiet most of the time, with less distraction, and gathering the thoughts becomes increasingly familiar. Whenever a thought arises, bring it back and focus on a single object. Even if focus is briefly lost, it can soon be restored.

In the fifth stage, the mind remains pure and quiet. Even when events stir it, it does not waver. This is because gathering the thoughts has become familiar, and the mind has grown firm and stable.

From this point on, the practitioner moves from manifest states into the “seven stages” (the seven states gradually attained through cultivation). They can now arise naturally, without deliberate effort. Practice grows steadily more proficient: whenever a thought arises, it can be gathered and focused on a single object, and even if focus is lost, it can be restored at once.

In the fifth stage, the mind remains pure and quiet. Even when events stir it, it does not waver. This is because gathering the thoughts has become familiar, and the mind has grown firm and stable.

From this point on, the practitioner enters the seven stages and can attain them naturally, without relying on deliberate effort.

◎ The Seven Stages

In the first stage, all former illnesses have disappeared. The body feels light and nimble, and the mood is cheerful. The mind and spirit settle within; the spirit is tranquil, the breath is even, and every part of the body is comfortable and in harmony. The senses, too, grow still. The mind is settled, holding fast to “embracing the One and guarding the center” (gathering the spirit and maintaining one’s inner foundation and state of balance). Joy increases day by day. This is called “attaining the Dao.”

In the second stage, one’s level of cultivation surpasses that of ordinary people. One’s appearance regains its youth, the body feels at ease, and the mind is peaceful, with a clear grasp of the subtle and wondrous. One moves to another commandery and chooses a suitable place to settle, while avoiding having old acquaintances among the neighbors.

In the third stage, one’s lifespan extends to a thousand years, and one is called an “immortal.” One can travel among famous mountains and fly freely. Blue youths attend and protect one, while jade maidens sing in praise. One soars through mists and rosy clouds, with feet borne aloft by multicolored clouds.

In the fourth stage, the body is refined into Qi, which circles the body and shines around it. One is called a “Realized Person.” One can determine one’s own life and death; light shines from the body itself, which remains bright day and night. One travels among the grotto-heavens and palace halls, with assembled immortals standing at one’s side.

In the fifth stage, Qi is refined into spirit, and one is called a “Spirit Person.” One’s transformations and powers are free and inexhaustible, with strength enough to shake Heaven and Earth, move mountains, and drain the seas.

In the sixth stage, spirit is refined and brought into union with form and appearance. This is called “the immortals standing in attendance.”

In the fifth stage, Qi is refined into spirit, and one is called a “Spirit Person.” One’s transformations and powers are free and inexhaustible, with strength enough to shake Heaven and Earth, move mountains, and drain the seas.

The sixth stage is called “refining the spirit and joining it with form,” in which the spirit and the body are brought into harmony. Those who reach this stage are called “Perfected Beings.” Their spirit has become wondrously responsive, and their outward form is no longer fixed. They can teach in whatever circumstances they encounter, taking on forms suited to the needs of each situation.

The seventh stage is to transcend the ordinary world, rising far beyond the level of ordinary people. The Great Dao, the Jade Emperor, and practitioners dwell together in the numinous realm; worthies and sages gather there to proclaim and explain the utterly true Dao. The workings of creation are wondrously accessible, and nothing lies beyond their insight. Only upon reaching this stage has one arrived at the source of the Dao. Every achievement of cultivation is complete; this is called “ultimate attainment.”

People today have practiced the Dao for only a short time and have not reached even a single stage. How could they possibly communicate with the spirits? They merely cling to deluded feelings and perceptions and preserve a turbid body. As the four seasons continue their course, the body grows old and its appearance fades; in the end, the body dissolves into nothingness. Yet they claim this is what it means to attain the Dao. How mistaken they are! This method of fetal breathing and settled contemplation is intended to preserve the spirit and stabilize the body. The Ancestral Master Zhenyuan transmitted this method to the present day. The art was first taught by a Perfected Being; its essential teachings are in the oral instructions, while books record only the written words. Only those of virtue and aspiration can encounter this method. Study it carefully and attend closely to its meaning, and you will surely gain something. Only the wise and discerning can encounter this sacred text.

Scroll Thirty-Four: “Miscellaneous Practices for Gathering and Cultivating, Part Three”

The “Scripture of the Great Clarity on Guiding and Nourishing Life” (Twelve Methods)

Chisongzi was the rain master in the age of Shennong. He could fly up and down with the wind, and was still alive in the age of Gaoxin. The art of guiding and stretching says: “Guiding and stretching can dispel all kinds of illness and prolong life.”

Rise in the morning, spread out a mat, and practice facing east. Continue until your breath reaches its limit, then stop. If you cannot continue until your breath reaches its limit, do five repetitions and stop. Practice every day; in time, you will naturally understand its benefits.

Frequently cross both hands above your head and pull your body downward until your hands touch the ground. At the same time, inhale five times and exhale five times, then stop. This can ease abdominal distension.

Then lie on your side, support yourself on the ground with your left elbow, and stretch as far as you can, covering your head with your left hand. Next, support yourself on the ground with your right elbow, stretch as far as you can, and cover your head with your right hand. Do five breaths on each side, then stop. This helps stretch the sinews and bones.

Place both hands above the right knee, near the waist and hip. Raise your head and hold the posture for five breaths, then relax. This guides the Qi in the waist. Next, place the right hand at the waist and the left hand on the knee. Stretch the right arm upward as far as possible. Then switch sides, placing the left hand at the waist and the right hand on the knee, and stretch the left arm upward as far as possible. Hold each posture for five breaths to guide the Qi in the chest and abdomen. Then repeat the posture with both hands above the right knee, raising the head and holding for five breaths to guide the waist Qi; repeat the alternating upward stretches to guide the Qi in the chest and abdomen.

Place the left hand at the waist and stretch the right arm upward as far as possible. Then switch hands and stretch the left arm upward as far as possible. Hold for five breaths to guide the Qi within the abdomen.

Cross your hands in front of your chest and sides, and continuously turn your head from side to side. Stop when you reach the limit of your range of motion. This guides the Qi of the face and ears and prevents harmful Qi from entering.

Brace both hands below the waist and sway your body from side to side. Stop when you reach the limit of your range of motion. This opens and clears the blood vessels.

Cross your hands and pull as far as possible from side to side. This guides the Qi in the shoulders.

Cross your hands above your head and sway from side to side, allowing your body to stretch naturally. This guides the Qi of the lungs and liver.

Cross your hands in front of your chest and pull as far as possible from side to side. This dispels stagnant Qi from the skin.

Cross your hands and alternately raise each shoulder. This guides the Qi of the skin.

Stand upright and sway the sides of your body from side to side. This guides the Qi in the feet.

Mr. Ning’s Daoyin Health Practice (with Qi methods involving the qu, frog, tortoise, and softshell turtle)

Mr. Ning lived in the time of the Yellow Emperor and served as a pottery official, overseeing the making of ceramics. It is said that he could pile up firewood and set himself alight, rising and descending with the smoke and flames while his clothes remained unburned.

The Master said: If you wish to dispel illnesses of every kind and slow the aging process through daoyin and the circulation of Qi (vital energy), you should regularly focus your mind and keep it centered on “the One,” drawing your thoughts back to the Dantian (the place within the body where breath gathers). What enables people to live is the Elixir; the method of healing them is the Returning Elixir. When Jing (essence) and Qi are abundant, life can be prolonged. When they are depleted, the body may remain, but the person will die young.

Daoyin (using particular postures and movements to regulate the body and breath) can disperse harmful influences from the limbs and joints and preserve healthy Qi. If you practice diligently with focused and sincere attention, continuing through everyday movements and speech, by day and by night, you can strengthen your sinews and bones and improve many illnesses.

If you suddenly suffer a stroke and your condition is severe, your limbs and joints will not obey you, you may lose your hearing, feel dizzy, or have seizures; you may cough, suffer rebellious Qi and shortness of breath, or have pain in your lower back and spine. In each case, consult the illustrations and practice Qi circulation and daoyin at the site of the pain, using your intention to expel harmful influences and ease these symptoms. Circulating Qi replenishes the interior; daoyin treats the limbs. This is a way of following nature. Practice diligently, and you will be able to remain in harmony with Heaven and Earth.

Sit facing east. Hold your breath for one round and clench your hands. Then raise your hands and guide them outward to the left and right, and cover both ears with your hands. It is said this will keep your hair black and prevent it from turning white.

Sit facing east and hold your breath for two rounds. Moisten the middle fingers of both hands with saliva, rub them together fourteen times, then wipe your eyes. It is said this will brighten the eyes.

Sit facing east and hold your breath for three rounds. Pinch your nostrils with your fingers. It is said this will treat long-lasting nasal congestion and nasal polyps.

Sit facing east and hold your breath for four rounds, repeatedly tapping your upper and lower teeth together. Then bend forward, sit with your body turned to one side, and hold your breath for six rounds. It is said this will ease deafness and dizziness and clear the vision.

Sit facing east and hold your breath for three rounds. Pinch your nostrils with your fingers. It is said this will treat long-lasting nasal congestion and nasal polyps.

Sit facing east and hold your breath for four rounds, repeatedly tapping your upper and lower teeth together. Bend forward, sit with your body turned to one side, and hold your breath for six rounds. It is said this will ease deafness and dizziness. Then sit upright and hold your breath for seven rounds. It is said this will ease chest pain and coughing.

Clasp both knees with your hands and sit firmly upright on the ground. Hold your breath for eight rounds. It is said this will ease illnesses affecting the chest and extending up to the head, ears, eyes, throat, and nose.

Remove the pillow. Clasp both hands firmly, with the thumbs held in the palms and the other four fingers wrapped around them. Even out your breathing, stand upright, and breathe nine times in succession. Face east to let the breath flow freely up and down. Breathe in through the nose to help relieve weakness and exhaustion. Do not practise if you cannot regulate your breathing according to Yin-Yang principles, or when the fog is very dense.

The Toad’s Method of Guiding the Breath

Sit upright and gently swing your arms. Breathe twelve times in succession to relieve fatigue and water Qi, an ancient term for disorders involving the accumulation of fluids.

Lie on your left and right sides in turn, breathing twelve times on each side, to treat phlegm and fluid retention that will not disperse. If the fluid is on the right, lie on your right side; if it is on the left, lie on your left. If it still does not disperse, use the breath to expel it. Each day at sunrise, midday, and sunset, stand facing the sun and breathe nine times in succession to regulate water Qi.

Lie on your left and right sides in turn, breathing twelve times, to treat phlegm and fluid retention that will not disperse. If the fluid is on the right, lie on your right side; if it is on the left, lie on your left. If it still does not disperse, use the breath to expel it. Each day at sunrise, midday, and sunset, stand facing the sun and breathe nine times in succession. Tilt your head back to draw in the sun’s vital essence, then swallow it in nine portions; this is said to greatly replenish Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). To enter a fire, lower your arms and regulate your breathing without stopping; this will keep you from being harmed.

Another method is to squat facing south and reach both hands between your knees, curling your palms and the five toes of each foot inward. This loosens the lower back and buttocks and treats painful urination and involuntary urination.

Sit with your legs spread apart and your feet crossed. Place your hands between your feet, cross your hands, and pull as hard as you can. This can treat the leakage of Jing during sleep.

Cross your hands and pull them downward as far as you can. This opens the flow of Lung Qi and treats sudden shortness of breath and coughing.

Raise your right hand and extend your left hand as you sit. Then place your right foot over your left. This can relieve pain in the buttocks.

Raise both hands and clasp them behind your neck. Stretch as hard as you can to treat pain below the ribs.

Extend your left hand and grasp its thumb from below with your right hand, pulling as hard as you can. Then extend your right hand and grasp its thumb from below with your left hand, pulling as hard as you can. Both movements can relieve aching joints.

Bring your feet together and press your fingers against the five toes of both feet. This can relieve stiffness in the lower back that makes it impossible to bend; it is especially helpful when blood stasis has accumulated over a long period. Raise the five toes of both feet to relieve pain in the lower back and chest, as well as pain that prevents you from turning your head.

With the left hand below, grasp the right thumb and squeeze as tightly as possible. This can ease aching joints.

Bring the feet together and press the fingers of both hands against the toes. This can ease stiffness in the lower back and difficulty bending forward; it is especially effective when blood stasis has accumulated over a long period. Raise the toes to ease pain in the lower back or chest, as well as stiffness in the neck and difficulty turning the head to look behind.

Circle the right hand down from above the head, then use it to pull downward. This can ease neck stiffness and difficulty turning the head to look behind.

Sit on the ground and press the left hand against the body. Place the fingers of the right hand on the shoulder and pull backward while leaning the body to one side. This can ease discomfort in the lower back and knees, and difficulty urinating.

Qi Practices of Turtles and Tortoises

The Turtle and Tortoise Qi-Circulation Practice imitates their movements to regulate the breath and guide Qi. Cover the nose and mouth with clothing, then hold the breath nine times. Lie on your back and breathe gently in and out through the nose to ease nasal congestion. Next, brace both hands against the knees, raise the head, and inhale like a tortoise, guiding primordial Qi—the body’s fundamental energy—to the Dantian, the energy center below the navel. This practice is used to ease numbness and pain in the lower back and spine.

Press both nostrils firmly shut with the thumbs and hold the breath briefly. Then inhale, directing the Qi upward to the Niwan, a Daoist term for the crown of the head and the brain. Continue practicing until you feel tired. Clasp the hair firmly with the left hand and place the right hand behind the neck. The text says this allows Blood and Qi to flow along their respective channels, gathers the Qi of the Taiyang channel, and prevents Yin Qi from leaking outward, thereby harmonizing Yin-Yang.

Sit upright and cross both hands behind the back. This posture, called “binding with a belt,” is used to ease constipation, abdominal discomfort, and weakness and emaciation.

Sit on the ground, cross both hands, and reach down beneath the body. This can ease distension in the genital area.

Hold a rope with both hands and hang upside down, with the feet higher than the head. This is used to ease dizziness and wind-related fits, an ancient term for certain episodes of altered consciousness.

Hold the rope with both hands, turn the hands behind the back, and pull upward from where the rope hangs. This can ease difficulty concentrating and difficulty swallowing food.

Hold the rope overhead with one hand and grasp your foot with the other. This can ease long-standing hemorrhoids around the buttocks.

Sit on the ground with both legs extended. Cross the hands, grasp both feet, and stretch as far as possible. This can ease symptoms such as inability of the digestive system to receive food and vomiting.

Sit facing east, raise your head, and hold your breath. Repeat five times in succession. Then move your tongue around to gather saliva in your mouth. Once enough has collected, swallow it. It is said to relieve dry or bitter mouth.

When practicing “Goose-Walking Qi,” lower your head, support your body with your arms, and hold your breath. Repeat twelve times in succession. At the same time, use your intention to guide retained fluids and undigested food out of the body through the lower passage. It is said to stop diarrhea.

When practicing “Dragon-Walking Qi,” lower your head and look down, holding your breath. Repeat twelve times in succession. It is said to treat hives, scabies, ringworm, malignant sores, and fever, and to help with throat discomfort and difficulty swallowing. Have the patient lie on their back facing a bright place. Massage from the abdomen down to the feet, then grasp and pull the feet. Extend the arms downward twelve times, holding the breath twelve times each. It is said to relieve warmth and numbness in the feet, inability to walk, and pain in the lower back.

Cross your hands behind your neck. This is said to treat poisoning. If there is severe bloating in the abdomen, expel the gas.

Method for Absorbing the Moon’s Essence

To absorb the moon’s essence, face the moon when it first rises, at the full moon, and as it sets…