《太上老君內日用妙經》

The Scripture of the Wondrous Daily Inner Practice of Taishang Laojun (Supreme Lord Lao) is a classic in which Taishang Laojun, a revered Daoist deity, expounds the wondrous application of daily inner cultivation. In daily practice, food and drink should be stable and regular; one closes the mouth and does not speak, sits quietly alone, does not give rise to a single thought, forgets all affairs, preserves and guards the spirit, and settles the mind. The upper and lower lips are joined and the teeth lightly touch; the eyes do not look at external objects, the ears do not listen to external sounds; with one mind one guards within, and the breath is regulated so that it is continuous and unbroken. The breath issues very softly and lightly, as if present and as if absent, without interruption; naturally the heart-fire descends and the kidney-water rises, sweet saliva is produced in the mouth, and the numinous true (the innate true spirit) becomes present in the body, so that one knows for oneself the path of long life.

Throughout the twelve double-hours of the day, one should constantly maintain clarity and stillness: when there is nothing in the Lingtai (the heart/mind), it is called clarity; when not a single thought arises, it is called stillness. The body is the dwelling of Qi (vital energy), and the mind is the residence of Shen (spirit). When intention moves, Shen moves; when Shen moves, Qi scatters. When intention stops, Shen stops; when Shen stops, Qi gathers. The true Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) congeals into daogui (an ancient medicine measure, a metaphor for the Neidan (internal alchemy) elixir), and naturally sounds arise in the body. While walking, pausing, sitting, or lying down, one constantly feels the body flowing like wind and the abdomen rumbling like thunder. The Qi of harmonious balance penetrates through, like sweet dew (amrita) poured over the crown, and one drinks the daogui oneself; the ears hear celestial sounds, a stringless melody sounding without being plucked, a drum sounding without being struck. Shen and Qi bind together, like a man becoming pregnant; one can observe inner realms, and Shen speaks by itself. This is the dwelling of emptiness and nothingness, where one dwells together with sages and perfected beings. Refined through nine cycles (repeated cooking and refining) and formed into the Great Elixir, Shen can go out and enter by itself, sharing the lifespan of heaven and earth and the radiance of sun and moon, transcending birth and death.

Each day, do not allow the practice to suffer loss; throughout the twelve double-hours, one should constantly maintain clarity and stillness. Qi is the mother of Shen, and Shen is the child of Qi; like a hen brooding over eggs, one must earnestly preserve Shen and nourish Qi, so that Shen and Qi are always inseparable. How wondrous, mystery upon mystery! In the human body there are seven treasures, whose function is like enriching the state and securing the people—namely, that Jing (essence), Qi, and blood are full. Jing is like quicksilver, blood like yellow gold, Qi like fine jade, marrow like crystal, brain like numinous cinnabar, kidneys like a rare treasure, and the heart like coral. When these seven treasures return to the body and do not disperse, they are refined into the great medicine, and all the ten thousand Shen ascend to immortality. The title of the scripture once again identifies it as The Scripture of the Wondrous Daily Inner Practice of the Supreme Lord Lao.