《幻真先生服内元气诀》

To practice fuqi—cultivation carried out by regulating the breath and drawing in Qi (vital energy)—one should first choose a dry, clean, ventilated, and quiet place. The room need not be spacious, but one must avoid the assault of wind; incense should often be kept burning nearby, and nothing unclean should be allowed to approach.

The bed should be thick and soft, with its legs slightly raised. The Zhen’gao says, “If the bed is high, ghosts cannot blow upon one.” This means that ghosts and spirits are said to borrow the Qi of the earth to blow upon and disturb a person, so a bed three chi high is sufficient. The bedding should be at a comfortable temperature, a little warmer in winter being better. The pillow should be a little over two cun high, so that the head lies roughly level with the back.

Ordinarily, after midnight, when Yang Qi begins to arise, or upon first waking at the fifth watch, one should first breathe out the turbid Qi in the abdomen; nine times is enough. More precisely, one need not wait until the fifth watch. Whenever the weather is mild and harmonious and the abdomen is empty, one may practice.

First close the eyes and click the teeth thirty-six times, so as to rouse and settle the Shen (spirit) of the body. Then, with the fingers, press and rub the inner and outer corners of the eyes, while also pressing both sides of the nose, turning the ears, and then rubbing the face and the eyes. This is the “method of rising and resting of the Perfected” (a method of nourishment used by Daoist practitioners in their daily rising and resting). One may also, as the occasion allows, do some simple daoyin—bodily regulation coordinated with breath and movement—to loosen and extend the joints.

Next, press the tongue against the upper palate and wait until the saliva in the mouth gradually increases. When the mouth is full, swallow it, imagining that it enters the stomach and is received by the stomach spirit (in the Daoist conception of internal cultivation, the deity that governs the stomach). Three times is enough. The Jing (scripture/classic) calls this “rinsing and swallowing the numinous fluid”: the saliva nourishes the five viscera, so that the complexion appears lustrous.

Afterward, regulate the breath largely according to the steps above. Become still, so that the mind and Shen remain undisturbed like withered wood, and the body relaxes as if it were a garment that has been taken off. Turn the gaze inward, draw in the hearing, and clear away all distracting thoughts, and only then begin to regulate the Qi. At every step one should close the eyes and practice wogu—clenching the thumbs and enclosing them in the palms, so as to gather in Jing (essence) and Qi. Only when dispersing Qi does one open the fingers. The function of wogu is to seal the passes and orifices, prevent Jing and Qi from leaking away, and resist pathogenic Qi.

Beginners in fuqi, whose breath does not yet circulate freely, may at first forgo wogu. After practicing for a hundred days or half a year, if one feels the breath flowing freely and sweat appearing in the palms, one may begin to use wogu. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “Seal the three passes and guard them with wogu; rinse and swallow the golden liquor, and ingest the jade essence. Cultivating in this way, one can cease to eat, and the three worms within the body will also perish; with long practice, one naturally flourishes in health and ease.”

Each of the five viscera of the human body has its own proper Qi (vital energy). When sleeping at night, one should keep the breath sealed. Upon waking, if one wishes to ingest Qi, one must first allow the food left undigested overnight in the stomach to be digested, so that the Qi already present in the body can be expelled, and only then begin to regulate and ingest it.

The method is to close the eyes, clench both hands, lie on the back, press the two fists between the breasts, and bend the knees. Holding the breath, one at the same time raises the back and the buttocks, so that the Qi in the Sea of Qi (Qihai) surges and turns in circles from within outward; one then expels it by the “he” manner of exhalation, repeating this nine or eighteen times. This is called “scouring the Qi” (taoqi). Afterward, one regulates the Qi.

“The nose is the Gate of Heaven, the mouth is the Door of Earth”: the nose is used to draw Qi in and the mouth to send Qi out. These must not be reversed, or the breath will run contrary and fall into disorder, and illness may result. In exhalation and inhalation one must be especially careful, and one should not let oneself hear the sound of the breathing. One regulates the Qi five times, seven times, or at most nine times, until the breathing is even and gentle; this is called “regulating the Qi.” When this is finished, one swallows the Qi. When sleeping at night, one must keep the breath sealed and must not exhale through the mouth.

The Formula for Swallowing Qi

The oral formula says: the key to ingesting internal Qi (vital energy)—nourishing the Qi within the body by regulating the breath and swallowing Qi—lies in “swallowing Qi.” Ordinary people take the air swallowed from outside to be internal Qi, yet they cannot tell the two apart; how, then, can they be said truly to understand the ingestion of Qi? Those who practice drawing Qi in and sending Qi out should distinguish carefully and must not confuse them.

Human beings are all born endowed with the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth, and within the body there is likewise primordial Qi that circulates and regulates of itself. Whenever one swallows Qi or practices exhalation and inhalation, internal Qi responds in correspondence with external Qi. The Qi in the Sea of Qi rises with the exhalation until it reaches the throat. When the exhalation is nearly spent, one immediately closes the mouth and, in continuous succession, gulps and swallows the Qi, so that a deep, muffled sound arises in the throat. The current of Qi, like the sound of water, travels downward along the left side of the body in men and the right side in women, passing through the twenty-four joints of the body—that is, the joints throughout the body—and one clearly feels it trickle down like drops of water.

In this way, internal Qi and external Qi can answer one another and can also be clearly distinguished. Guide the Qi downward with the mind’s intention, and massage with the hands to help it enter the Sea of Qi as quickly as possible. The Sea of Qi lies three cun, or Chinese body-inches, below the navel, and is also called the lower Dantian (energy center). For those just beginning to ingest Qi, the upper Jiao—the working of Qi in the upper body—is not yet unobstructed; one may massage with the hands to help the Qi descend more quickly. Once the pathways of Qi are clear, massage may also be omitted.

After the mouth is closed, swallow Qi three times in succession and then stop. Swallowing Qi directly when the mouth is dry is called “clouds in motion”; when the mouth holds fluid and one swallows that fluid together with the Qi, it is called “rain bestowed.” Beginners in ingesting Qi, whose Qi has not yet moved freely, should pause to observe after each swallow and should not at once swallow three times in a row. Only after the breath has become unobstructed should one gradually increase the practice, until a slight effect appears. Only after a year of cultivation may one begin to let the Qi circulate smoothly; only after three years, when the work is complete, may one ingest Qi at will.

For those newly learning to ingest Qi, the pathways of Qi are not yet clear, and the Qi that has been swallowed may not yet have reached the Sea of Qi. At this stage, first swallow once each time as an observation: it is enough if one feels a deep, muffled sound in the throat and the Qi descends like flowing water until it reaches the Sea of Qi.

The Formula for Circulating Qi

If the pathways of Qi are not yet clear and the Qi that has been swallowed may not yet have reached the Sea of Qi, first swallow once as an observation. It is enough if one feels a deep, muffled sound in the throat and the Qi descends like flowing water until it reaches the Sea of Qi.

The Formula for Circulating Qi (vital energy)

The method states that the lower Dantian (energy center) lies near two acupoints at the small of the back. These communicate with the channels running through the spine and can reach upward to the Niwan (Muddy Pellet). The Niwan is the palace of the brain, the place of the fluids within the brain.

After each three mouthfuls of fluid are swallowed, one should at once visualize the lower Dantian, as if receiving the inner primordial Qi there, and then use intention to send it into those two acupoints. Next, imagine two streams of white Qi drawn upward along both sides of the spine, entering straight into the Niwan and warmly nourishing every part of the brain. Then imagine this Qi spreading through the hair, the face, the head and neck, both arms, and the fingers, and presently descending into the chest to reach the middle Dantian. The middle Dantian is the palace of the heart, where Shen (spirit) dwells. After the Qi has infused the five viscera, it continues downward along its course, returns to the lower Dantian, passes through the “Three Stars,” spreads through the knees, calves, and ankles, and finally arrives at the Yongquan point. Yongquan is the center of the sole.

This is what is meant by distributing a single current of Qi through the whole body and regulating the body. It is also like thunder stirring, and wind and rain moistening the myriad things. Heaven has its springs, but without the shaking and surging of thunder it cannot moisten the myriad things. If the turbid and malign Qi within the body is not allowed to revolve and flow, a person will feel ill at ease. Since the body has fluids, one must rinse the mouth and swallow them; otherwise the fluids cannot irrigate and nourish the five viscera and give them radiance, and the aim of “returning Jing (essence) to replenish the brain” cannot be reached. The scripture further says that without passing through union, Jing cannot flow upward against its course, and that swallowing internal Qi likewise requires guidance and use through exhalation and inhalation. From this one can see that revolving and circulating Qi takes its model from the way Heaven and Earth move.

One should imagine that the turbid and malign Qi, deviant Qi, and stagnant blood congealed and lodged in the body are all scoured clean by upright Qi and expelled from the tips of the fingers and toes. This is called “dispersing Qi.” Once the Qi has dispersed, open the fingers; there is no need to keep the firm clasp. Doing this once is called “one passage.” After the passage, regulate the breath again. As the scripture says, the movements of the hands should be adjusted along with it; if those movements are still difficult, rouse the Qi and swallow the fluids as before. Holding the breath, drumming the Qi, and swallowing the fluids for thirty-six breaths is called “lesser attainment.”

If one has not yet completely given up food, one should still eat sparingly at this stage, keeping the abdomen as empty and clean as possible. Whether sitting or lying down, one may swallow the fluids whenever the abdomen is empty. Practiced in ten sessions over a day and a night, this naturally amounts to three hundred and sixty swallows. Long practice of swallowing Qi, accumulating three hundred and sixty swallows, is also called “lesser attainment”; reaching one thousand two hundred swallows is called “greater attainment,” also known as “great embryonic breathing.” A count of breath retention reaching one thousand two hundred breaths likewise counts as greater attainment.

The scripture points out, however, that even these degrees do not mean embryonic breathing has already been formed. If one cannot go further and refine the bodily form and transform its substance, then even if longevity is gained, one will be like a withered tree, lacking essence and Qi, and without radiance.

There are, in addition, methods such as refining Qi, retaining the breath, yielding Qi, and distributing Qi, recorded in detail elsewhere in the text, which practitioners may consult.

Instructions for Cultivating Qi (vital energy): When practicing the cultivation of Qi—nourishing the body through such methods as regulating the breath and swallowing Qi—whenever a little leisure arises, enter a quiet chamber, remove your clothing, let your hair hang loose, lie on your back, and stretch out both hands without clenching them into fists. After combing the hair smooth, let it fall upon the mat; then even the breathing and swallow the Qi.

After the Qi has been swallowed, hold the breath. When you truly can hold it no longer, quiet the mind, banish stray thoughts, and allow the Qi to course through the body so that the meridians become unobstructed. If the chest feels oppressed, expel the Qi; if the breathing becomes hurried, regulate it until it is even. Once the breath has grown steady, continue the practice. After ten such repetitions, stop.

For those who are only beginning to ingest Qi, if the Qi cannot yet move smoothly, use periods of leisure to increase slowly from one repetition to ten. Once the breath flows freely, gradually increase to twenty and up to fifty repetitions, so that the Qi circulates through the whole body. If the chest feels oppressed, expel the Qi; if the breathing becomes hurried, regulate it until it is even. When the breath is calm, practice again, and stop after ten repetitions. Those just beginning to ingest Qi should increase the number of repetitions step by step according to how the body adapts. When sweat appears over the entire body, the practice may be considered to have taken effect.

After the practice, settle the mind and regulate the breath, and remain lying down for a while; do not rise at once into the wind. This is regarded as an excellent method for slowing the onset of old age and adding to the span of life. Practice only, however, when the saliva in the mouth is clear and fresh and the mental state is sound. If the breath is muddled and disordered, or if one is weary and inclined to sleep, one should be cautious and refrain.

Practice should be frequent. When the four limbs feel vexed and ill at ease, one may practice as well. It is not necessary to practice every morning; it is enough to practice when the spirit is clear and refreshed, and one may continue for five days or for ten. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “A thousand calamities have already dispersed, and a hundred illnesses have already been cured; one need not fear the ferocity of tigers and wolves, and can also slow aging and prolong life.”

When practicing the Weiqijue—the Formula for Entrusting Qi (vital energy)—one should do so when the body’s breath is calm and the spirit is at ease. It may be practiced while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down: regulate the breath by following its natural course; one may stretch out and lie on a bed, or sit upright without moving. During practice, do not think deliberately, and do not let stray thoughts draw the mind away; remain quiet and deeply settled, let the mind be as vast and empty as the great void, and then regulate the breath. Each time one may practice ten breaths or twenty breaths, gradually becoming proficient. Let the breath move of itself, and do not forcibly control it with intention.

After a time, the breath should seem to disperse through the pores of the whole body and no longer be exhaled mainly through the mouth; even if breath still passes through the mouth, it will be far less than before. With further slow practice, if one can count to one thousand two hundred breaths or more, the effect is better still. Here “breath” means one cycle of exhalation and inhalation. The practice may likewise be done while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. With persistent practice, as the text of the formula says, the passes and orifices throughout the body can be opened, the complexion becomes moist and lustrous, and the breathing grows clear, gentle, and prolonged, as if one had just bathed. If the body is unwell, one may also practice, seeking a peaceful, harmonious breath and a clear, tranquil body and mind.

The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “Sitting upright in quiet watchfulness and according with what is natural, the hun and po souls can settle; when the mind is pure and clear, Shen (spirit) appears and communicates with me.”

The Formula for Breath Retention (Biqi Jue)

The formula says that if one happens to fall ill because the method of nurturing and regulation was improper, one should go as soon as possible into a quiet, secluded room, prepare according to the method of fuqi (ingesting Qi, vital energy), settle the hands and feet, and then even out the breath and swallow it. One thinks of the uncomfortable part of the body and concentrates attention there, as if using intention to drive the Qi to attack and treat the site of the illness. When the Qi has moved to its limit, one breathes it out. After exhaling, one swallows the Qi again and continues to attack and treat with intention in the same way as before. When the breath grows rapid, one stops, and continues only after the breath has settled. This is repeated from twenty to fifty times. If one feels that the ailing place has sweated and become moist and unobstructed, one may stop.

If the pain has not yet eased, one may practice many times each day at midnight, at the fifth watch (about three to five in the morning), or during the daytime, attacking and treating by means of intention. Whether the illness is in the head and face or in the hands and feet, any place in the body where there is pain may be treated by concentrating intention upon it. The formula holds that a person’s mind and intention can drive the Qi, and that this action surpasses what can be done by the hands, as if one had received the aid of Shen (spirit), with an effect beyond compare.

The Formula for Distributing Qi (Buqi Jue)

The formula says that whenever one wishes to distribute Qi to another person (using Qi to treat another person’s illness), one should first, according to the diseased place among the other person’s five viscera, select the Qi of the corresponding direction, and then distribute the Qi into the other person’s body. The patient is to face this direction, quiet the mind, clear away distracting thoughts, and receive the Qi that is distributed. After the Qi has been distributed, the patient swallows the breath. In this way one can expel the “ghost-bandits” (the scripture’s name for the evil Qi that causes disease) and cut off that evil Qi forever.

The “Six Qi Formula” (Liuqi jue) concerns six methods of breath regulation: xu, he, si, chui, hu, and xi. The scripture holds that each sound of Qi (vital energy) corresponds to one of the viscera, while one of them corresponds to the Triple Burner (sanjiao)—a Chinese medical term summarizing such functions as the movement of Qi and the circulation of fluids in the body.

Si corresponds to the lungs, and the lungs communicate with the nose. In cases of imbalance between cold and heat, excessive fatigue, and the like, one may practice breath regulation with the sound “si.” The scripture also says that this method can regulate sores and scabies of the skin. If one suffers from such problems, one regulates them according to the corresponding method.

He corresponds to the heart, and the heart communicates with the tongue. A dry mouth and a rough tongue, obstructed breathing, or disturbance by pathogenic Qi may be regulated by breath practice with the sound “he.” If the heat is very intense, one opens the mouth wide and sounds “he”; if the heat is milder, one opens the mouth only slightly. The scripture also notes that one may concentrate the mind while regulating.

Hu corresponds to the spleen. The spleen lies in the middle of the body. In cases of slight fever, disharmony of the spleen and stomach, abdominal distension and fullness, or stifled and obstructed Qi, one may regulate these with breath practice on the sound “hu.”

Chui corresponds to the kidneys, and the kidneys communicate with the ears. If the lower back and abdomen feel cold, or if Yang Qi is weak, one may regulate this by breath practice with the sound “chui.”

Xi corresponds to the Triple Burner. When the functions of the Triple Burner are disordered, one may regulate them with the sound “xi.”

The scripture then says that, although the six sounds of Qi each have their own corresponding objects of regulation, imbalances of cold and heat, fatigue and depletion, and wind pathogen in the five viscera and the Triple Burner are all related to the heart. The heart corresponds to “he,” and therefore the sound “he” can regulate various illnesses; one need not necessarily use all six sounds of Qi.

Xu corresponds to the liver, and the liver communicates with the eyes. Redness and swelling of the eyes, dimness of vision, and dizziness may all be regulated by breath practice with the sound “xu.”

After a person eats various foods, the five flavors each return to the five viscera (wuzang), and every organ produces turbid Qi (vital energy). The six Qi and the Qi of the Triple Burner (Sanjiao) likewise all gather in the mouth. The various foul and turbid Qi mix together and become the turbid Qi of the mouth. Each time one wakes from sleep, one can feel an unpleasant breath issuing from the mouth. By observing this carefully, one can tell the condition of the body.

If the mouth is dry and bitter, the tongue feels rough, the cheeks lack fluid, or the throat is painful so that even saliva cannot be swallowed and one cannot eat, these are all signs that heat Qi is excessive. One should then open the mouth wide and exhale with the he breath, regulating the breath by means of he-exhalation, with each exhalation kept to a set rhythm. After ten or twenty such breaths, one taps the teeth—gently striking the upper and lower teeth together, also called “sounding the heavenly drum” (ming tiangu)—seven or nine times. One then stirs the fluid in the mouth with the tongue (here called the Flowery Pool, Huachi) and swallows it. The fluid is swallowed again and again until the heat Qi is felt to have subsided.

When cool, sweet fluid arises in the mouth, this shows that the heat Qi has withdrawn and the five viscera are cool and clear. If the fluid in the mouth is bland and tasteless, or if after too much he breathing one feels a hollow discomfort in the chest, food has no flavor, and one does not even wish to drink water, this is a sign of cold. One should then use the chui breath to warm the body, the method being the same as the warming method. When the taste in the mouth returns, the spirit (Shen) is settled, and the warmth is moderate, one stops.

The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “The clear water in the Jade Pool (Yuchi) irrigates the spiritual root (Linggen); if one can cultivate this with care, one may long endure.” It also says: “Rinse the mouth and swallow the spiritual fluid (Lingye), and calamities will not intrude.”

After the practice of fuqi—a method of cultivation centered on tuna (exhaling and inhaling) and on swallowing primordial Qi (yuanqi, vital energy)—diet should be moderate and follow a proper order. Suitable foods are beneficial, while unsuitable foods do harm. What is harmful should be given up for the long term; what is beneficial may be eaten regularly.

Each morning one may take a small amount of plain rice gruel or sesame gruel, which is said to benefit the Qi of the spleen and to replenish the bodily fluids. At midday, plain wheat foods such as botuo (an ancient kind of dough sheet or noodle) and cakes are also very good, but they must not be eaten while hot, lest they disturb the upright Qi. Scallions and xie (an allium vegetable similar to the Chinese onion) may be cooked into a broth; rice is best when it is non-glutinous, and barley flour is likewise beneficial. Those who practice fuqi may suitably eat these things in all four seasons, though not necessarily every day; they may choose at any time according to their own needs. Venison made into baifu (dried meat) may be eaten, but not during a period of ritual abstinence. Dates, chestnuts, and a cake called zhuibing may also be eaten. One should eat with care and must never eat to excess. Overeating injures the heart and makes Qi difficult to circulate. Hot noodles and radish broth are especially to be avoided. Salty, sour, and pungent foods should also be reduced little by little. After every meal, one should he-exhale the turbid Qi of the food from the mouth, so as not to fall ill.

Practitioners of fuqi regard the intestines and stomach as relatively empty and pure, and therefore should not eat foods that are raw or cold, overly sour with vinegar, slick and greasy, sticky, stale and hard, spoiled, or hard to digest. If one occasionally eats such things, the corresponding part of the body may ache slightly, and this must be treated with caution. Soft foods are suitable. Before each meal, first swallow Qi several times and only then eat, so that food and drink are regulated by Qi; one may also swallow a few grains of raw pepper. After eating, swallow three more grains. This is said to aid digestion, draw Qi downward, open the sanjiao (the collective name of the upper, middle, and lower burners, the regions through which the body’s Qi circulates), harmonize the five viscera, expel turbid Qi, and disperse accumulated food. The Jing (scripture) says that long-term use helps one resist the Qi of cold, summer heat, and dampness, brightens the eyes, and promotes the growth of hair; the precise method is given separately in the Taiqing Jing (Scripture of Great Clarity). After taking it, if one feels the Qi moving downward, one should expel it promptly and not let it linger, lest it turn into illness.

On an empty stomach one may, according to one’s own condition, drink one or two cups of clear wine, warm in winter and cold in summer. This is said to help upright Qi drive off deviant Qi, but one must not drink much. Too much brings drunkenness and injures the Shen (spirit) and one’s lifespan. If social obligations make drinking unavoidable, one should take only a little, and slowly; afterward, open the mouth and exhale more than ten times, so as to expel the turbid Qi of the wine. If in ordinary times one drinks one or two sheng, this too should be taken slowly; it is said that in this way one neither becomes drunk nor interferes with eating.

The Qi of childbirth, of funerals and burials, of livestock, and of other filth and impurity should not come near the dwelling of one who practices fuqi, nor should one approach it, lest upright Qi be impaired. If one unexpectedly encounters such Qi, one should at once hold the breath, move to the windward side, close the eyes, and stride quickly away; afterward one may drink one or two cups of wine to restore oneself. If there is discomfort after Qi has entered the abdomen, regulate the breath, exhale the turbid Qi, then swallow fresh Qi, guide its movement with intention, and at the same time massage with the hands. After that, hold pepper in the mouth and drink a little wine, to help the Qi disperse. If this still brings no relief, do not force it down; simply let it be expelled. The scripture regards this as obstruction and stagnation of the Qi dynamic in the upper burner, and one should go on regulating the breath until balance returns. Greasy and pungent foods very easily injure upright Qi and should be especially restrained.

The scripture further says that after one year of fuqi the breath-Qi courses freely through; after two years it is full; and after three years the efficacy is complete and primordial Qi has condensed and grown firm. Even if one occasionally breaks a prohibition, harm does not easily follow. Swallowing Qi a thousand times a day is not considered excessive, and a return from old age to youth may gradually be reached in this way. The scripture describes the process thus: Qi is transformed into bodily fluids, fluids into blood, blood into Jing (essence), Jing into marrow, and marrow in turn into sinew. The first year of cultivation changes the Qi, the second year the blood, the third year the vessels, the fourth year the flesh, the fifth year the marrow, the sixth year the sinews, the seventh year the bones, the eighth year the hair, and the ninth year the bodily form. Thereafter the thirty-six thousand true spirits all transform within the body into immortal youths, who are called Zhenren (Perfected Persons).

So long as one cultivates diligently and without slackening, the joints will link through to one another and the five viscera will become firm. The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “By thousands and by hundreds they join of themselves; by ones and by tens they stand like layered mountains.” This means that inner Qi does not leak outward and outer Qi does not intrude; cold and heat cannot encroach, nor can blades and weapons wound the body. One may also rise aloft and undergo transformation, shining on as enduringly as the sun, moon, and stars.

This passage of the Xiuliang Jue speaks of gradually reducing one’s intake of food by means of fuqi, a method of cultivation that nourishes the body through breathing—that is, by taking in Qi (vital energy).

Anyone who wishes to practice xiuliang (stopping or reducing the intake of food) should cultivate diligently according to the methods set out above. After three years of practice, proper Qi circulates within the body, the marrow grows full, and the sinews and bones become strong; the hundred Shen (spirits) each rest securely in their proper places, and the Three Corpses (sanshi, the malign spirits within the body as spoken of in Daoism) withdraw. Little by little, one no longer wishes to smell the aromas of the five flavors (the tastes of the various foods) and often thinks of not eating. When one truly wishes to abstain from food, one may do so and will not find it difficult.

Whenever the abdomen feels empty, one should swallow Qi, taking the breath in and guiding it within. One need not be bound to morning or evening, nor keep to any fixed number of times or any set duration. As time passes, one naturally comes to know when adjustment is called for; nothing more need be said, and medicines are still less required. Generally speaking, those who take medicines often find it hard to devote themselves single-mindedly to the ingestion of Qi. Busy all day with the use of drugs, they find it difficult for the body to grow firm. This is regarded as a failure to grasp the essential point, and it is not the kind of concern to which cultivators of the highest order apply their minds.

The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “The quintessence of the hundred grains comes from the earth. The five flavors, though fair in outward appearance, carry a rank odor like that of malign spirits; foul smells disturb the bright Shen and cause the embryonic Qi to decline and suffer harm. How, in this way, could one reverse old age and return to youth? Why not, through the ingestion of Qi, draw in the Jing (essence) of Great Harmony? One may then live long without dying and enter the realm of Huangning (Yellow Tranquility).” What is said here is precisely this principle.

People in the world often indulge in desire, harming the body and shortening the lifespan; this has been so since ancient times. If one does not guard against it early, what use is regret when it is already too late?

Some begin to cherish life only at the point of death, think of doing good only after their karmic offenses are already fixed, and seek a physician and medicine only after illness has already taken form. It is like Heaven’s net already spread—how could there still be time to be saved? Therefore, cultivators of the Dao (the Way) who possess De (Virtue/Power) and insight do not wait until life’s end to cherish life, do not wait until karmic offenses are fixed before wishing to do good, and do not wait until disease has formed before seeking treatment. They take precautions before misfortune arises and regulate the body before illness takes shape; thus they leave the turmoil of the dusty world, gather in mind and Shen (spirit), and turn toward the great Dao.

The Dao is Qi (vital energy); Qi is the master of mind and Shen, and Jing (essence) is the root of life. Only by treasuring Jing and valuing Qi can body and mind be preserved. The Huangting Jing (scripture/classic), a Daoist classic of nurturing life, says: “Within the heart one must guard with care, so that the spirit regains its youth; nurture the Jing and Qi within the body until they are firm and strong; hasten to secure Jing and Qi, and thereby sustain oneself.” The scripture also says: “If one wishes for long life, sexual activity must be carefully restrained. Why do what causes Shen and Qi to grieve? If the sea of Jing and Qi is breached, the waters of the hundred vessels will pour away; it is like leaves falling and the tree withering, its green lost never to return.”

Long life and enduring vision (living long while maintaining vitality) cannot be separated from cherishing Jing and Qi and nurturing primordial Qi. What is called the “way of inwardly governing the yin elixir” (a method of cultivating yin essence within the body) is often not understood by people of the world. Even if one concentrates on regulating the breath yet does not know how to restrain passion and desire, harm can hardly be avoided. Hence it is said: “It is people who lose the Dao themselves; it is not that the Dao abandons people. People are always drawing away from life; it is not that life departs from people.” The noble person who cultivates body and mind should understand this, and at all times preserve and examine the self.

What is called “Jing” (essence) is Qi (vital energy), and what is called Qi is the Dao (the Way). First knock the teeth thirty-six times, then turn the head once in a circle to the right, stretching and drawing in the neck like a turtle. When the Qi of embryonic breathing (taixi) rises to the throat, swallow it. Do this three times. Then close the mouth and move the tongue about inside and outside the mouth until saliva fills it, tilt the head back, and swallow. Tilting the head back is meant to send the fluids to the Niwan (the upper region of the head, as Daoism describes it); once swallowed, they can also nourish the five viscera. Laozi said: “Sweet, fine rain moistens the myriad things; the fluids produced by embryonic breathing moisten the five viscera.”

The scripture holds that by not sleeping day or night and cultivating without cease, one can become a Zhenren (True Person, one who has attained the Dao): at the higher level one may become an immortal, and at the lower level one may prolong one’s years and benefit one’s lifespan. Wherever the body has illness or pain, imagine the Qi being sent there, and it can be healed. True Qi drives out turbid Qi and circulates among the five viscera, surging upward and discharging downward; when one feels clear in Shen (spirit) and refreshed in Qi, the Qi naturally comes into harmony. The sage said: People live in the midst of Qi, and Qi also resides within the human body; people cannot be apart from Qi, nor can Qi be apart from people. People live by means of Qi, and when they lose Qi they die; the principle of life and death lies entirely in Qi. So long as one regulates and nourishes Qi well, death can be avoided.

Therefore, every day at midnight and at the fifth watch, stretch out both legs and clench both hands tightly (“wogu” is a hand gesture in Daoist daoyin, or guiding and stretching), with the arms extended about five cun from the body; the pillow should be no more than two cun high. Close the eyes and swallow Qi according to the method above. After combing and washing, drink a cup of warm wine; it is said that this can enhance embryonic breathing and moisten the six fu (the six hollow organs), guiding Qi through all the joints of the body. The scripture calls this a method secretly transmitted in former times by the immortals of Mount Emei, and says that there remain within it things that cannot be put into words.

Lord Lao (Laojun) said: Lingzhi and yuying (precious numinous medicines spoken of in Daoist scriptures) all lie within one’s own body; going to famous mountains and great marshes to gather herbs and take them is, on the contrary, to go against the Dao. My teaching is very simple: one need only follow it and practice. Rise early in the morning, stretch out both legs, and regulate the breath until it is even; cross both hands behind the head, pull the hands forward while the head presses back against them with force, and do this three times. Next, cross the hands and pull them forward, repeating this two or three times; then draw to the left and right twenty or thirty times. When this is finished, swallow the fluids twenty times. If the limbs feel uncomfortable, stir the saliva with the tongue and swallow another twenty or thirty times, using this to drive out illness and pain.

The scripture concludes by saying that this set of methods is worth ten thousand in gold and must not be transmitted to unsuitable people; if it is transmitted in haste, the misfortune will extend to three generations.