《雲笈七籤》Vol. 33

Book of the Seven Lots from the Cloudy Satchel, juan 33: Miscellaneous Practices for Cultivation and Nurturing

Methods for Cultivation and Nurturing Kept at the Pillow

(Written by Sun Simiao, a hermit of Mount Taibai)

Many books record methods for cultivating life and nurturing the mind. Some of their contents are profound and hidden, leaving readers puzzled and hard to understand. Clarifying the spirit, turning inward to observe, seeking the mystery, and attaining the true Dao are even beyond the reach of those with limited insight. They require long reflection and persistent inquiry. Even if one gains some understanding, the methods will have no effect if one cannot hold to one’s resolve or put them into practice as intended.

This is because the affairs mentioned earlier, such as social dealings, are close at hand and hard to set aside, while methods for nurturing the body are distant and easy to neglect. People therefore fall in with worldly customs and give up the thought of practice. Ji Shuye—that is, Ji Kang, a health-cultivation master of the Wei and Jin periods—understood the Dao of cultivating life and gained much from it. He also wrote about it, but his account was incomplete. As a result, those who later aspired to this path read his work and felt intimidated.

The material I have compiled here all comes from important texts. Though the subject is secret, it is easy to understand and put into practice, and so fills gaps in the work of earlier authors. To learn these methods, one need not act against human desires and nature; they can be followed in everyday conduct. Nor need one give up what pleases the eyes and ears; one can follow them while seeing and hearing in daily life. Their essentials are concise and their benefits far-reaching: little effort brings great results.

I have examined and verified books of health-cultivation methods for a long time, and have searched extensively for teachings passed down in secret, leaving little unexamined. I have included nothing that is not exceptionally subtle and wondrous. Only what is trustworthy and proven effective appears at the beginning of the book, to benefit later generations broadly. If a method does not accord with reason, do not pass it on carelessly. Transmitting it to the wrong person may bring calamity upon three generations. The work consists of five chapters in a single juan. I hope those who share my aspirations will treasure it and put it into practice.

Prudence and Self-Restraint

The Dao of Heaven waxes and wanes, and worldly affairs are often fraught with difficulty. No one can pass safely through hardship while in danger and distress without exercising prudence and self-restraint. Thus, those who cultivate body and mind are not yet fit to discuss the Dao of cultivating life unless they understand how to be prudent and self-restrained. For this reason, the book begins with “Prudence and Self-Restraint.”

Even when secure, the sages do not forget danger; they take concern and vigilance as their foundation. If one acts without fear or caution, all manner of affairs will fall into ruin. A classic says, “If people do not fear authority, greater authority will descend upon them.” Therefore, if someone cultivating themselves does not know concern and vigilance, their friends will grow distant; if someone managing a household does not know concern and vigilance, their servants will treat them with contempt; if someone governing a state does not know concern and vigilance, neighboring states will invade; and if someone ruling the world does not know concern and vigilance, De (Virtue/Power) will depart from them. Therefore, concern…

“Worry and vigilance” are essential to maintaining life and death, moral order, survival and ruin, fortune and misfortune, and good and ill omens. If officials feel no worry or vigilance, they will find it hard to establish their reputation and standing. If farmers feel none, their crops will not grow well. If craftspeople feel none, they will pay no heed to rules and measures; if merchants feel none, their businesses will struggle to prosper. Children without reverence will not be deeply filial; fathers without reverence will not show their care; ministers without reverence will not achieve merit; and rulers without reverence will fail to bring stability to the state.

Those who cultivate their nature, if they lose their sense of worry and vigilance, will find their minds and spirits scattered, their bodies restless, their vitality dissipated, their Qi out of balance, their will wavering, and their thoughts clouded. As a result, someone who should have lived may die young; what should have succeeded may fail; and what should have brought good fortune may turn dangerous. Worry and vigilance, then, are like water and fire: they must never be forgotten, even for a moment. When a person has no sense of them at all, their children may become fierce enemies, and their wife or concubines may become adversaries.

Thus, the wisest person reveres the Dao; next, one reveres external things; after that, other people; and finally, oneself. Those who take care over their own cultivation will not be constrained by others; those who discipline themselves will not be controlled by the outside world. Take care over small matters, and great matters will hold no fear; guard against dangers close at hand, and you will not regret it when distant troubles arrive. Those who understand this principle may walk through water without being harmed by dragons or serpents, walk on land without being harmed by tigers or rhinoceroses, and live among people without being injured by slander or defamation. Truly understanding this, they can deal properly with all things.

Diseases that arise suddenly and lives cut short without warning are often caused by improper eating and drinking. The dangers of food and drink are harder to guard against than the desires for sensual pleasures: one can abstain from sensual pleasures for a year, but food and drink cannot be given up for even a day. Thus, food and drink bring great benefits, but can also cause deep harm. There are many kinds of food, and sometimes their properties and flavors conflict with one another or violate dietary taboos, allowing serious toxins to build up. In mild cases, illness develops over many years; in severe cases, a sudden affliction strikes, and death may come abruptly.

From the summer solstice until the autumn equinox, avoid rich, fatty foods such as oily cakes and thick soups. If these are also consumed with wine, fermented drinks, fruit, or melons, the foods may be incompatible. The effects may not be felt at the time, but after autumn arrives they may trigger various sudden bouts of diarrhea. This usually happens because people spend the entire summer seeking excessive coolness and eating without restraint. Some think the day an illness breaks out is when it began, not realizing that its cause often accumulated gradually long before. Those who wish to understand careful health cultivation must take precautions while a problem is still slight.

Those who cultivate their nature should: think less, worry less, desire less, exert themselves less, speak less, laugh less, grieve less, seek pleasure less, rejoice less, grow angry less, show fewer preferences, and feel less aversion. Put these ten…

“Lessening in Two Ways” is an important principle for nurturing life: think less, and the spirit is less likely to grow weary; worry less, and the mind is less likely to become scattered; desire less, and wisdom is less likely to be impaired; exert yourself less, and the body is less likely to become exhausted; speak less, and the breath is less likely to become disordered; laugh less excessively, and the internal organs are less likely to be harmed; grieve less, and the mind is less likely to be startled and afraid; indulge less in pleasure, and the mind is less likely to become unrestrained; avoid excessive joy, and you are less likely to forget things, make mistakes, or grow confused; become angry less often, and the Qi and blood in the channels and vessels are less likely to fall out of balance; indulge less in your favorite pursuits, and you will not become so absorbed that you neglect everything else; hate and resent less, and you will not grow haggard and lose your cheerfulness. If these twelve excesses are not curbed, they strike at the very roots of life. To be neither excessive nor deficient is to come close to the Dao (the Way).

Thus, those who withdraw from the world to cultivate the Dao suffer fewer illnesses, while those who travel far from home face more troubles. This is the difference between a simple life and a complicated one. For this reason, farmers live long, while those who enjoy rich, fatty foods often die young: the difference comes from the degree of indulgence and desire. Ordinary people contend for profit, while Daoist practitioners rarely engage in business for gain. It is impossible for most people to be entirely free of desire or to have nothing to do. But if they restrain selfishness and unruly impulses, settle body and mind, and think less, excessive desires will gradually subside.

Feng Jun da said: The body should be kept moving, and eating should always be moderate. Do not exercise to excess, and do not restrict food too severely. Regularly eat less rich, greasy food; moderate salty and sour flavors; reduce anxious thought; let go of excessive anger and joy; avoid rushing about in pursuit of things; and exercise restraint in sexual relations. In spring and summer, allow things to open and release appropriately; in autumn and winter, gather in and store away. Raw fish, uncooked meat, and other raw, cold, or fishy foods are often harmful to the body and should be given up early; this is greatly beneficial. Keep good thoughts in your heart, and do not scheme to deceive or commit wrongdoing. Such evil thoughts and deeds dishonor the spirits and shorten life.

Peng Zu said: Wearing clothes that are too thick and sleeping under bedding that is too warm leaves the body unable to withstand wind and cold, making illness more likely. Craving sweet foods, dried meat, and preserved meats, eating until overfull, and drinking to drunkenness can lead to illnesses such as hernia and internal accumulations. Indulging in beautiful women brings physical depletion; becoming absorbed in pleasing but licentious music makes people neglect their proper affairs. Riding at speed, sightseeing, and hunting in the open country can lead people into frenzy and reckless indulgence. Seeking victory, defeating one’s opponents, and taking advantage of disorder to annex the weak will ultimately bring ruin through arrogance and excess. These are all matters about which the sages warned people not to violate what is natural. How could we fail to reflect on them and use their teaching to encourage ourselves?

The way to nurture one’s nature is this: do not walk, sit, listen, or look for too long; do not force yourself to eat or drink. Do not brood or worry, and do not endure hunger or thirst for too long. Eat when hungry and drink when thirsty. Walking a few hundred steps after a meal greatly benefits the body. Do not eat at night; if you do, walk about five li afterward. This can reduce illness and use up the food accumulated during the day. In daily activities, continued movement is better than remaining still for a long time, but do not work yourself to exhaustion or idle away your time. As the saying goes, “Running water does not grow foul, and a door hinge is not eaten by worms,” because they keep flowing and turning.

The Xiang’er says: Do not argue with others over who is right and wrong. This helps reduce the factors that shorten one’s life. If the body feels unsettled and symptoms appear—such as a stiff tongue, a blocked throat, coughing, or an uncontrollable flow of saliva—close your eyes and turn your attention inward. Let fire arise in your heart, and imagine it spreading throughout your body until the whole body seems to have burned away. Then visualize yourself, allowing your spirit to appear and disappear faintly; the illness will be cured. If a particular part of the body hurts, visualize fire burning that spot. This is a secret and effective method.

Prohibitions in the Immortals’ Scriptures

The day jiayin is said to be when corpse spirits disturb the mind, making people restless and impure. Do not sit, talk, or meet with your spouse on this day. Cleanse and bathe, do not sleep, and remain alert.

When taking medicine, avoid garlic, pomegranates, pork liver, and dog meat, and do not face north. On hai and zi days, do not spit; this is said to diminish one’s lifespan.

When entering the mountains, stop a hundred paces before reaching them, retreat another hundred paces, then climb backward, stepping in reverse. It is said that mountain spirits will then dare not attack you. Those seeking immortality must avoid seeing corpses. Another prohibition states that on the first day of the third month, one must not stay with a woman.

Ten Prohibitions of the Immortal Way

First, do not indulge in lust. Second, do not secretly harm others or treat them cruelly. Third, do not get drunk. Fourth, do not be filthy or neglectful; keep yourself clean. Fifth, do not eat the meat of an animal corresponding to your father’s birth sign. Sixth, do not eat the meat of an animal corresponding to your own birth sign. Seventh, do not eat any meat. Eighth, do not eat the raw Five Pungent Plants. Ninth, do not kill insects or other living beings. Tenth, do not face north when relieving yourself, and do not gaze up at the sun, moon, or stars.

Ten Precepts of the Immortal Way

Do not carry out punishments on the eight seasonal nodes: the beginnings and midpoints of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Do not become angry on the dark and new moon days, the last and first days of each month. On liujia days, do not eat animals with scales or shells. On the third day of the third month, do not eat animal organs or the tender shoots 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 witness bloodshed. On the sixth day of the sixth month, do not disturb the earth. On the fourth day of the eighth month, do not buy items attached to the feet. On the ninth day of the ninth month, do not lay out a bed mat. On the eight seasonal nodes, do not mingle with others.

Miscellaneous Prohibitions for Those Who Study the Way of the Immortals

If the household enshrines the “Six Heavens” or makes offerings to demonic spirits of the mountains and rivers, do not live in that room or eat food offered to those spirits.

These prohibitions are called the great precepts shared by Heaven and humanity. The scripture says that violating them may cause the Three Souls to envy one another and the Seven Po to contend with one another. It may also incur the hatred of the fetal spirit and bring harm to the Three Palaces.

Cultivation can establish the foundation for becoming an immortal. Refusing to cultivate and breaking the prohibitions will bring harm.

Methods such as internal Yin elixirs, bedroom arts, the “seven-nine” approach to drawing in Jing, and breathing practices, as well as the Six-One Returning Elixir and male-female methods, may also earn their practitioners the title of “immortal.” But the Shangqing tradition does not consider their virtue comparable to that of the true Way of the immortals. Even if these methods can bring about certain transformations, the Supreme One still does not regard them as the highest path. If you cannot spread the Supreme Way, how can you glimpse the gateway to the mysterious?

Do not be intimate with women who are menstruating or pregnant. Keep body and mind clear, find contentment within yourself, and sleep alone to preserve your original nature. The ancients, too, paid attention to following their own inclinations in caring for their health. If you do not understand the secret arts, how can you be at ease? Do not hold infants: this is a grave prohibition in the cultivation of the immortals.

Those who resolve to study the inner teachings, nourish Shen, and seek immortality should bathe often, so that body and mind are purified and can attune to numinous Qi. Those who study the Dao should keep everything secret. To disclose even one word or one deed will diminish one’s allotted count by one. Here, “one count” is equivalent to three days.

Anyone who swallows saliva should keep their eyes closed and turn their attention inward. Students of the Dao should live in a separate room, apart from others; they should wear clean clothes and burn incense.

Whenever you write Fulu, face north, and do not use the same brush or inkstone for other purposes.

If you suddenly hear weeping, shouting, thunder, or drums in your ears, or smell foul or bloody odors, these are all ill omens. In such circumstances, burn incense, bathe, observe purification, and honor the Three Yuan Emperors, praying for their protection. Also do good deeds in secret: do good that others cannot do, and follow the righteous path that others refuse to take. Only then can you keep yourself safe.

Joy and anger damage the heart and mind; sorrow and pleasure harm one’s nature. Wealth and rank confuse De, while indulgence in desire exhausts Jing and Qi. These are all grave prohibitions for those who study the Dao, and things the methods of immortality reject.

Those who cultivate the true Dao should not be swayed by desire or harbor thoughts of romantic attachment between men and women. If the mind remains fixed on alchemical methods, bedroom arts, and similar ideas, the response of the true Dao will not appear, and the numinous maidens and exalted beings will not descend. If you join with Yin Qi, you will never be able to attain the Supreme Way. I have long regretted this, but fortunately I corrected my course in time. The true Dao cannot be obtained by force, and important oral instructions should not be treated lightly just because one happens to hear them. Be sure to proceed with care.

Guiding and Pulling

Frequently rub your face with both hands to make your complexion glow and prevent spots and wrinkles. If you keep this up for five years, your complexion will be like that of a young girl. Rub fourteen times each session. After lying down or getting up, first regulate your breathing, then sit upright. Cross your hands behind your neck and look upward toward the south, pressing your neck and hands against one another. Do this three or four times to harmonize Jing and Qi, promote the flow of the blood vessels, and prevent pathogenic wind from entering. With regular practice, you will fall ill less often. You should also bend and stretch your body, extending your limbs as fully as possible and pulling to the sides… (The original text ends here.)

Again, spread and loosen the body, and shake every joint throughout the body, three times at each place.

Each time you lie down or rise, first rub your hands on a thick cloth, then use your hands to wipe around the neck and the ears until you feel warmth. Next, massage the crown along the direction of the hair; after a while, rub the hands warm again and use them to massage the face and eyes. Done often, the eyes gradually grow clearer, and pathogenic qi is less likely to intrude.

When finished, swallow the saliva in the mouth thirty times to guide the fluids downward. You should also often knead both ears left and right, as many times as you like; this helps prevent deafness and nasal blockage.

As a rule, when morning yang is rising, swallow saliva fourteen times and knead any painful places on the body. Whenever you sit in quiet meditation, habitually close the eyes and look inward, visualizing the five viscera and six bowels; with long practice, they will seem to become gradually clear and distinct.

Often use the middle fingers to press the inner corners of the eyes near the bridge of the nose—the canthi—hold the breath, and knead; when the breath flows freely again, stop, then repeat. It is said that in this way one can see very far.

Often use the hands to knead the small points behind both eyebrows twenty-seven times—that is, three times nine. This is where the qi of the eyes passes. Then use the palms and fingers to rub the eyes and forehead, and rotate-knead both ears thirty times each; the count need not be rigid. When done, use the hands starting from the space between the brows to push upward against the grain along the forehead, passing the hairline, again three times nine. Practice this often, do not speak, and do not touch the “canopy” (here, the eyebrows). With long cultivation, one may attain the way and become an immortal.

Circulating Qi (Xingqi)

Whoever wishes to seek immortality has mainly three approaches: nourishing essence and qi, guiding and circulating qi, and ingesting elixirs or medicinals. These three methods run from shallow to deep; without guidance from an accomplished person and without willing, hard practice, they are hard to master quickly. Methods for nourishing essence number in the hundreds; methods of ingestion run to about a thousand—all require diligent practice and cannot be forced to success overnight.

Circulating qi can be used to treat various illnesses, drive off plague, subdue snakes and wild beasts, and stop bleeding from sores; it can also help one remain underwater, resist hunger and thirst, and extend life. Its crux lies in embryonic breathing (taixi). Embryonic breathing means that breathing no longer depends on mouth and nose for taking in and giving out breath, as if one were still in the mother’s womb; it is said that when this state is reached, the Dao is fulfilled.

Those skilled at using qi blow toward water and the water flows backward; blow toward fire and the flames go out; blow toward tigers and leopards and they crouch and hide; blow toward a wound and the bleeding stops. It is said that when someone has been bitten by a venomous insect, even if the injured person cannot be seen, one may still blow toward him from afar while reciting incantations, at the same time concentrating one’s mind on one’s own hand.

Men should take from the left side, and women from the right. Even if they are a hundred li apart, both can recover. It is also said that in cases of poisoning or sudden illness, simply swallowing and absorbing the “Qi of Three Nines” can bring immediate improvement.

Yet most people are impatient by nature, and few can quiet themselves. That is why success in cultivating the Dao is so difficult.

All methods of circulating Qi should be practiced in a sealed room. Close the door, make the bed, and warm the mat; the pillow should be about two and a half inches high. Keep the body straight and lie on your back. Close your eyes and let the breath come naturally to a halt. Place a feather on the nose so that it does not move. After the time it takes for three hundred breaths, the ears should hear no sound, the eyes see nothing, and the mind hold no distracting thoughts. This can be achieved only through gradual practice.

If you circulate Qi after eating cold or raw foods, the five pungent foods, fish, or meat—or while feeling joy, anger, worry, grief, or resentment—it will not help you. Instead, it will worsen Qi disorders, causing Qi to surge upward and its movement to become disordered. If you cannot hold your breath at first, begin with short intervals: hold it for three, five, seven, or nine breaths, then release it and inhale. Being able to hold the breath for twelve counts marks an initial opening of the Qi. Being able to hold it for one hundred and twenty counts without releasing it means the Qi is flowing very freely. This is an important method for caring for the body.

Usually, hold the breath after midnight, when vital energy begins to stir, while silently counting in your mind. This keeps outside sounds from disturbing your hearing and throwing off the count. You can also keep count with your hand below. If you can count to one thousand, you are not far from becoming an immortal.

Whenever you exhale, exhale more and inhale less. Usually, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. In dense fog, strong winds, or severe cold, do not circulate Qi; simply hold your breath. This is the essential instruction.

Pengzu said: “The highest methods of the Dao are not complicated. Simply think of nothing, and the mind will not grow weary. Add Daoyin, circulating Qi, and fetal breathing—breathing as though you were a fetus in the womb—and you can indeed attain a lifespan of a thousand years. Take the great medicine of the Golden Elixir as well, and you may enjoy the full span of life, living forever without decay.”

During purification and fasting, you may visualize the sun and moon inside your mouth: visualize the sun by day and the moon at night. Imagine the sun as a red ring, emitting purple light with nine rays; imagine the moon as yellow, emitting white light with ten rays. Then visualize swallowing the saliva formed from the light of the sun and moon. Practice this often and in secret, without counting how many times.

In visualization, bring the sun and moon back to the Mingtang before you—the central area of the face in Daoist visualization—with the sun on the left and the moon on the right. Let their radiance join with the pupils of the eyes and their Qi mingle with your breath. This enables the cycles of transformation to proceed, generates Jing, and benefits the Hun and Shen. The Six Ding—the six Yin spirits of Daoist teaching—will come to serve you, and the celestial troops will guard you. This is the true method of the Dao.

If you feel afraid while walking or lying down at night, visualize the sun and moon returning to the Mingtang. Before long, all manner of harmful spirits will disperse of their own accord.

When living in the mountains, one should practice regularly: at midnight on the fifth day of each month, visualize the image of the sun in the heart. Then let the sun enter through the mouth and illuminate the whole body, so that one’s own being merges with its radiance. At that moment, one should feel rosy clouds shining between the heart and abdomen. After the visualization, 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 lend the face a lustre like jade. Men should take in the image of the sun, women the image of the moon, without missing a day. This can make a person perceptive and discerning, and bring the Five Viscera to life.

Guarding the One

“Guarding the One” means concentrating the mind on the spirits within the body. One inch inward from between the eyebrows is called the Hall of Light; two inches inward is the Cavern Chamber; three inches inward is the Upper Dantian. The Middle Dantian is the heart, and the Lower Dantian lies one cun and two fen below the navel. Each has its corresponding robe color and name (see the Huangting Jing). The spirits described there are nine fen tall in men and six fen tall in women.

Long ago, the Yellow Emperor went to Mount Emei and met the Lord of the People in the Jade Hall. He asked him about the way of the “True One.” The Lord of the People replied, “For long life and flight to immortality, only the art of the Golden Elixir will do. To preserve the body and delay aging, however, there is only the way of the True One.” For this reason, immortals prize guarding the One.

There are thousands upon thousands of methods of inner visualization for protecting oneself, but most are complicated and burdensome. If you understand the way of guarding the One, you need not use any of the others. A Daoist master said, “Take the great medicine of the Golden Elixir, and even before leaving the world, you will be beyond the reach of all evil spirits. Take minor medicines made from plants and trees, or nourish yourself with the Eight Minerals—mineral substances commonly used in Daoist alchemy—and at most you can cure illness and prolong life. Such methods cannot ward off calamities from outside. A person may still be harassed by countless ghosts, summoned by the Office of Mount Tai, slighted by mountain spirits, or harmed by strange entities. Only the way of the True One can free a person from fear of all this.” (For the specific method of guarding the One, see the Huangren Shouyi Jing.)

“Instructions on Preserving the Spirit and Refining Qi in Five Periods and Seven Stages of the Great Clarity”

The human body is the dwelling place of Shen and Qi. When Shen and Qi remain within, the body is healthy and strong; once they disperse, the body declines and dies. To preserve the body, one must first settle Shen and Qi: Qi is the mother of Shen, and Shen is the child of Qi. When Shen and Qi are complete, one can live forever without dying.

To settle Shen, one must refine and nourish primordial Qi. When Qi is present within the body, Shen dwells securely in the sea of Qi, the place where primordial Qi gathers within the body. When the sea of Qi is full, the heart becomes steady and Shen settles. When Shen and Qi do not disperse, body and mind become settled and quiet. When quietude reaches a state of stability, the body can be preserved and life prolonged. One then abides continually at the source of the Dao, naturally attains the realm of the sage, and has Qi communicate with the realm of the spirits.

Spiritual powers, wisdom, and life are all gathered within oneself. By nurturing oneself and bringing oneself into accord with one’s true nature—the innate nature one was born with—one can live as long as the sun and moon. This Daoist method ultimately rests on cultivating the breath. To learn it, one must first give up grain foods and settle the mind and spirit: preserve the spirit in the Sea of Qi, the Daoist term for the gathering place of breath in the lower abdomen, and focus the mind in the Dantian (energy center), the abdominal site where essence and Qi are refined. In this way, thoughts become calm and clear. Once the Sea of Qi and the mind and spirit are both settled, a sense of fullness will arise naturally.

Those who devote themselves to this practice can achieve modest results in a hundred days and great results in three years. After first passing through the “Five Stages” and then attaining the “Seven Signs,” they can perceive the transformations of spirits and come and go freely. Even across a thousand miles, their journeys are unobstructed. As long as Qi (vital energy) does not disperse, the Sea of Qi will be full, and the spirit and Qi in the Dantian will remain settled; body and mind will be firmly sustained over time. One can then naturally restore one’s appearance, preserve youth, transform the body, and become an immortal; appear and disappear at will, attain spiritual understanding, and undergo endless transformations. This is called “transcending the world,” and such a person is called a “Perfected One,” able to live as long as Heaven and Earth and as long as the sun and moon.

This method requires neither absorbing Qi nor swallowing saliva, and the practice is not arduous. Eat when hungry and rest when you wish; you are free and unobstructed. The “Five Stages and Seven Signs” refer to entering “the contemplation of fetal stillness,” a meditative practice in which one becomes as quiet and settled as a fetus.

The Five Stages

In the first stage, the mind is full of distracting thoughts and rarely quiet. Thoughts follow one circumstance after another, wavering between choices; they are scattered and repeatedly turn things over, like a wild horse galloping off. This is the state of mind of an ordinary person.

In the second stage, the mind is quiet only briefly, while thoughts are active much of the time. One tries to gather one’s thoughts, but the mind easily scatters and is hard to control. Striving to rein it in and keep it in check marks the beginning of Daoist practice.

In the third stage, mental activity and stillness each take up about half the time. When the mind is quiet, it seems gathered, but cannot remain so for long; one moment it is still, the next it is scattered. Through diligent practice, the mind gradually becomes regulated and steady.

In the fourth stage, the mind is quiet much of the time and active only briefly. Gathering the mind becomes more familiar: when distracting thoughts arise, one can draw them back. Once focused on a single object, even if focus is briefly lost, it can soon be restored.

In the fifth stage, the mind remains wholly quiet. Even when something stirs it, it is unmoved. This is because gathering the mind has become familiar, and the state of mind is firm and stable.

From this point onward, even while dwelling in the manifest world, the practitioner can naturally enter the “Seven Signs.” Everything comes about of its own accord, without further reliance on deliberate effort.

The Seven Signs

In the first sign, longstanding illnesses disappear, the body feels light and agile, and the mood is cheerful. Turning inward in stillness, one’s spirit and Qi become calm; every part of the body feels comfortable and in harmony, while sensory desires quiet down. The mind is settled and deep; one holds to unity and keeps to the center. Joy grows day by day. This is called attaining the Dao.

In the second sign, one surpasses the limits of ordinary people, regains a youthful appearance, and feels comfortable in body and settled in mind. One can communicate with spirits and see far away. One may move elsewhere and choose a place to settle; neighbors should not be allowed to recognize one’s former acquaintances.

In the third sign, one’s lifespan extends to a thousand years, and one is called an immortal. One can travel among famous mountains and fly freely; young attendants serve, jade maidens sing, and one rises and moves among the mists and rosy clouds, borne aloft by clouds of many colors… (The original text ends here, unfinished.)

In the fourth stage, the body is refined into Qi. Qi surrounds the whole body and shines with light. This is called the “True Person.” One freely determines whether to remain or depart; one’s own light illuminates everything, shining constantly day and night. One roams through the various celestial grotto-heavens and palace halls, while a host of immortals stand in attendance.

In the fifth stage, Qi is refined into Shen. This is called the “Spirit Person.” Transformation becomes unobstructed and free, and spiritual powers are without limit: one can shake Heaven and Earth, move mountains, and overturn seas.

In the sixth stage, Shen is united with form, so that spirit and body become one. This is called the “Perfected Person.” Once spiritual powers have become wondrously subtle, one’s appearance is no longer fixed. One can adapt to different circumstances, transforming as needed and taking on the form suited to whatever appears.

In the seventh stage, one transcends the secular world and rises far beyond the ranks of ordinary people, dwelling with the Great Dao and the Jade Emperor in a numinous realm. The worthy and the sages gather there to proclaim and expound the most genuine Dao. One brings forth the transformations of the myriad things and understands their numinous workings; nothing is beyond one’s insight. Only upon reaching this stage has one arrived at the source of the Dao and completed every form of cultivation. This is called “Ultimate Fulfillment.”

People today have studied the Dao for only a short time. They are so dull that they have not even reached the first stage—how could they attain spiritual communion? They merely cling to ignorant thoughts and retain a polluted body. As the seasons turn, the body decays; in the end, they die and return to emptiness, yet claim to have attained the Dao. That is mistaken. This method of fetal breathing and settled contemplation—cultivating through fetal breathing while quietly observing and preserving the spirit—is meant to retain the spirit and stabilize the body. The ancestral masters passed down the Way of the True Origin from generation to generation; the earliest True Person handed down this method. Its essentials are transmitted orally, while the relevant writings are recorded in books. Only those with virtue and resolve can encounter this method. If they study it carefully and attend closely to its meaning, they will surely gain something. The wise and discerning have encountered this sacred text.