《雲笈七籤》Vol. 56

Before chaos—the state in which Heaven and Earth were undivided and the myriad things had not yet taken shape—there was a vast emptiness and stillness. At the beginning of chaos, the Qi of Great Harmony was already present within it. It was quiet and boundless, with no direction of movement and no inclination to one side or another. The Three Ones joined to form the Origin; the Six Ones joined to form Qi. Neither had yet taken shape. This deep, obscure state is called “Great Change.”

When primordial Qi had not yet appeared in visible form, the stage in which it gradually took shape was called “Great Beginning.” When primordial Qi first stirred, it was called “Great Origin.” When the first signs of form and Qi began to emerge, this was also called “Great Simplicity.” When form and Qi acquired substance, this was called “Supreme Ultimate” (Taiji). As substance changed, Qi arose, though Qi had not yet separated from form. When form solidified into an embryo-like shape, like an egg, with Qi full and the body complete, this was called “Great Unity.”

Primordial Qi first became clear and rose to form Heaven; later, it became turbid and descended to form Earth. From this arose the Dao of vast, empty stillness. The Dao has no source from which it was born: it is the foundation of nature itself, beyond what words can explain. We can therefore understand that “nature” is both the parent of the Dao and the root of Qi.

The root of nature is one; the root of the Great Dao is one; the root of primordial Qi is also one. This “One” is the true, primal, pure Yang Qi. It is fused with the Great Void, of one mind with the Great Dao, and of the same nature as nature itself. Thus it has neither beginning nor end, and no body or visible form. Clear and turbid Qi are blended together in the state before chaos takes shape, so its full extent and limits cannot be recorded.

When primordial Qi became vast and indistinct and began to stir into life, Heaven and Earth separated, and Qian and Kun—Heaven and Earth—were established. Yin Qi opened, Yang responded, and primordial Qi spread throughout. From this, the harmonized Qi of Yin and Yang came to be, and with it, humanity.

The first being born was Pangu. After Pangu died, his body transformed into the myriad things: his Qi became wind and clouds, and his voice became thunder. His left eye became the sun, his right eye the moon. His limbs and body became the four bounds and the Five Sacred Peaks. His blood became rivers, his sinews the earth’s veins, and his flesh the fields. His hair and beard became the stars; his skin and body hair became grasses and trees; his teeth and bones became metals and stones; his marrow became pearls and jade; and his sweat became rain and dew.

The various worms in Pangu’s body were transformed by the influence of the wind’s Qi into the common people. Because people were born from Heaven, they were called “the people of Heaven” (cangsheng). Because their hair was black, they were called “black heads” (qianshou), also known as “black folk” (qianli). Those of lower status were called “blue heads” (cangtou). Today, people sometimes call themselves “black-headed worms”; some also call themselves “lei worms.” It is said that after Pangu and before the Three Sovereigns, people went naked. Only in the era of the Three Kings did they begin to cut and make clothing…

At first, people made nests by tying together grass and dug holes in the ground for shelter. They lived on the fruits of plants and the flesh of birds and beasts. They drank animal blood, ate raw meat, and wore fur. Ignorant and unselfconscious, they felt no distress. Later, people began roasting millet and pork over fire, making hollow vessels for wine from clay, and using bundles of grass as beaters and earthen drums. The use of fire brought convenience, and weaving silk and hemp also benefited daily life. People then smelted metal to make tools, fired clay to make pottery, built tall palaces with multiple gates, and patrolled at night, striking wooden clappers. They made doors and windows, built kitchens, and used fire to roast, boil, stew, and broil food. These practices sustained the living, provided for the burial of the dead, and served as rites for sacrificing to spirits and gods.

From the Great Nonbeing and the earliest antiquity down to the present age, events have been too numerous to record one by one. More than four thousand years have passed from the time of Fuxi to today. Through the changes of life and death, people gradually formed social relationships and ethical bonds: ruler and subject, father and son, as well as rise and decline, gain and loss, advance and retreat, success and failure. Earlier Confucian scholars recorded these matters, and later Confucians took up their accounts. Their subject is so extensive and complex that it cannot be discussed in full here.

After Heaven and Earth first emerged from primordial chaos, human beings arose from Pangu’s remains. His remains dispersed and transformed into the celestial lines and terrestrial divisions, the patterns of the heavens and features of the earth, the Five Stars and Two Luminaries, the ecliptic and equator, the Five Sacred Peaks and the rivers, and the alternation of day and night, light and darkness. Heaven and Earth thereby gave life to and nourished the myriad things. There are three hundred and sixty kinds among the feathered, and as many among the scaled and armored, making eighteen hundred kinds in all. Humans belong among them as the foremost of the “spleen creatures.” Humans and all other things receive the same original Qi and come into being from it. Among all the things that grow and are nurtured, humans receive the most exalted Qi.

I am fortunate to be among the myriad things, and fortunate as well to be counted among the “Three Powers”—Heaven, Earth, and humanity. I have studied widely the teachings of various schools and read the classics of past and present. I have examined original Qi in detail and traced the source of the myriad things; I have turned my mind toward nature and sought the subtle principles of the Great Dao. I have gathered profound teachings and recorded them in the scriptures of the perfected, to pass on to discerning people of later generations. When those who understand the Dao encounter these teachings, they must cherish life and practice and cultivate diligently, day after day and at every moment. Even when their hair has turned white and they dwell and practice like cranes, they should not wait until regret is beyond remedy. Those who share this aspiration, receive these teachings with care and keep them always as something precious.

A discussion: Original Qi had no name from the beginning; only the myriad things that it brings into being have names. Original Qi embraces all things together, but once they are formed, they take on different shapes. Because the Qi that embraces all things has no distinct form, it is called “One Qi” or “Original Qi.” The myriad things each take shape in their own way and acquire countless names, by which people distinguish their outward appearances. Thus the Daode Jing says: “The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the named is the mother of the myriad things.” By observing constantly with a mind free of desire, one can grasp the subtle essence of things; by observing constantly with a mind that has desire, one can see the boundaries that things display. “Boundary” refers to what is outward; “subtlety” refers to what is inward and hidden. The inward is the foundation, and the outward is the beginning. The beginning may be called the father, and the subtlety may be called the mother: this is the Dao. Names can be used to speak of things. “Nonbeing” and “being” emerge together from the Dao, though they have different names.

What is one and the same is called the Dao (the Way); what is distinct yet profound is called the Mysterious. The Mysterious within the Mysterious is the gateway through which the many wonders arise.

It is also said: There is something undivided and complete that existed before Heaven and Earth took shape. Silent and vast, it stands alone and endures without change; it moves in cycles without ceasing and can serve as the foundation of all things under Heaven. I do not know its name, so I provisionally call it the Dao.

The Dao arises from nature. Once the Great Dao has taken shape, it gives rise to Yin-Yang; Yin-Yang gives rise to Heaven and Earth, Heaven and Earth give rise to father and mother, and father and mother give rise to our bodies. Human nature, form, and lifespan all receive their endowment from primordial Qi (the vital energy that forms the foundation of all things). Nature and temperament come from the same Qi, but lifespans differ according to each kind. Nature cannot be separated from primordial Qi; life takes shape through the transformations of different kinds.

For this reason, the Dao, De (Virtue/Power), benevolence, righteousness, and ritual propriety can never be absent, even for a moment. Anything that can be left behind is not truly the Dao, De, benevolence, righteousness, or ritual propriety. The Dao is expressed as trustworthiness, so it occupies the center and corresponds to the Yellow Emperor; De is expressed as wisdom, so it occupies the north and corresponds to the Black Emperor; benevolence is expressed as care for others, so it occupies the east and corresponds to the Azure Emperor; righteousness is expressed as what is fitting, so it occupies the west and corresponds to the White Emperor; ritual propriety is expressed as standards of conduct, so it occupies the south and corresponds to the Red Emperor.

What the Three Sovereigns taught is called the Great Dao; what the Five Emperors taught is called the Constant Dao. Both come from the same source, though their names differ. Primordial Qi is originally one, yet it can transform and give rise to the myriad things. All things must receive this One in order to come into being; once they lose it, they immediately move toward death. Therefore, the One must not be lost.

Here, the One refers to the Great One (the source from which things have yet to differentiate). The Great One differentiates into Heaven and Earth, which are called the Two Forms. The Two Forms then divide further, establishing the Three Powers: Heaven, Earth, and humanity, with human beings taking shape through this process. In the human realm, the four seasons then emerge; from the four seasons come the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); from the Five Phases come the six Lü (the six yang pitches among the twelve pitches used in ancient China); from the six Lü come the Seven Regulators (the movements of the heavenly bodies and the affairs of state associated with them); from the Seven Regulators come the eight winds; and from the eight winds come the nine Qi. The numbers from one to nine are yang numbers; those from two to eight are yin numbers. Nine times nine makes eighty-one, the ultimate number of nine among the yang numbers; eight times eight makes sixty-four, the ultimate number of eight among the yin numbers.

The One contains the five Qi (the five kinds of energy that form all things), and thus can encompass all things together; it also transforms and gives rise to all things, so each thing is different. Although the One differentiates into three and then into the myriad things, the myriad things still cannot be separated from this single Qi, even for a moment. The five Qi take different forms of nature and temperament according to the life allotted to each. When people pursue external things, their minds change; influenced by prevailing ways and customs, they change without end, far beyond ten thousand variations. Hence it is said that wandering hun and po souls undergo transformations. For example, an old man from Wudu turned into a woman, and the grandmother of the Jiang family turned into a softshell turtle; the Heitai clan …

A pig turned into a human, and Kuai Wu’an turned into a tiger: these are examples of wandering souls taking on different forms.

All things contain five kinds of Qi. Gentle Qi transforms into water, whose number is “one”; warm Qi transforms into fire, whose number is “two”; yielding Qi transforms into wood, whose number is “three”; forceful Qi transforms into metal, whose number is “four”; and wind Qi transforms into earth, whose number is “five.” Before the Five Qi have appeared, the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things—have not yet separated, and Yin and Yang have not yet been established. This is called “Chaos,” or “Primordial Unity” or the “Primordial Mass,” like a perfectly round egg. The Five Qi are blended into one. When “one” divides, primordial Qi separates into five kinds of Qi. Qi takes on visible forms, which is why they are called “images of Qi.”

Zhang Heng’s “Lingxian” and “Armillary Sphere” say: the root of Heaven, which covers all things, and Earth, which bears all things, does not precede primordial Qi. When primordial Qi divided, it formed the various celestial phenomena. The ancient sage-kings measured the Way of Heaven and established the courses of the celestial bodies, seeking the origins of all things. They first took the rounded heavens as their model, and from this devised accurate astronomical instruments and measurements. Only afterward could the principles for governing the realm be established, and the motions of the celestial bodies be examined. This is the foundation for ordering Heaven and Earth and arranging the myriad things.

The sage has no private desires, yet thoughts arise in response to things. Thoughts arise through external things, and they also fade because of them. The key lies in the mind and the eyes. Every hidden mechanism between Heaven and Earth—the success and failure, rise and fall, gain and loss, coming and going of things—is connected to the human mind and eyes. Death belongs to Yin; life belongs to Yang. If one does not know the ways of nourishing life between Yin and Yang, or understand the methods of cultivation, one will often wander along the road between life and death. Mozi grieved at seeing white silk being dyed, and Yang Zhu wept before a crossroads; this is precisely the point.

Before the “Great Simplicity,” Heaven and Earth were deep, still, and silent, beyond description in images. Within was emptiness; without was nonbeing. This state endured for a long time and was called “Minghong,” the source of the Dao. Once the foundation had been established, the “Great Simplicity” appeared: it began to stir, yet showed no signs. The one Qi had a single color, undivided in Chaos, which is why it is said, “There was something formed in unity.” Though Qi had already taken shape, its specific form could not yet be seen, nor could the speed of its changes be measured. This state endured for a long time and was called “Panghong,” the trunk of the Dao.

Afterward, primordial Qi divided, hardness and softness began to differ, Yin and Yang joined, and clear and turbid Qi each settled into their proper places. Heaven formed on the outside, while Earth settled within. Heaven belongs to Yang and symbolizes the trunk of the Dao. It takes formed things as its substance, rounded like a compass, covering and revolving, and thereby begins to generate and transform the myriad things. Earth belongs to Yin and symbolizes the source of the Dao. It takes nameless Qi as its substance, square like a carpenter’s square.

All things are born from stillness, and in the end return to death. This is what is called “Heaven’s completion and Earth’s leveling.” Once Heaven and Earth have begun to move, they set all things into motion; through stillness and stability, they also nurture and transform them. Accumulated Qi (vital energy) condenses into Jing (essence), which in due time gives rise to every kind of living being. This is called the “Heavenly Origin,” and is also the fundamental substance of the Dao (the Way).

In Heaven are the celestial patterns; on Earth are physical forms. Heaven has nine levels, and Earth has nine regions. In Heaven are the sun, moon, and stars; on Earth are mountains and rivers. All things have forms that can be observed and measures that can be taken. Their natures and dispositions differ, yet they respond to and connect with one another, naturally giving rise to life in an unbroken succession beyond counting. The principles and framework governing the movements of Heaven and Earth are outlined below.

The four directions and the eight extremities mark the boundaries of the land. Earth’s diameter is two hundred million, three hundred and twenty-five thousand, five hundred and seventeen li. Its north-south span is one thousand li less than this figure, while its east-west span is one thousand li greater. The distance from the ground to the zenith is about half the height of the “Human Pole”; the depth from the ground to Earth’s center is the same. In other words, according to this calculation, the distance between Heaven and Earth is one hundred million, ten thousand, two hundred and eighteen and a half li. The combined total in these four directions is the great number called “Primordial Chaos.”

The Way of Heaven moves to the left, opposite to the direction in which things move on Earth. Thus, the Qi of Heaven swells on the left and contracts on the right. Heaven belongs to Yang, so it revolves in motion; Earth belongs to Yin, so it remains still and bears all things. Through movement, Heaven generates breath and radiates light; through stillness, Earth spreads the force of life and reveals the signs of the four seasons. When Heaven moves in accordance with its proper course, its light does not fall into disorder, the seasons turn in their appointed order, and cold and heat remain in balance. When Earth follows the principle of stillness and support, its forms remain sound, all things flourish, and life and death each follow their proper sequence. In this way, living beings take shape, and Heaven and Earth move according to a smooth and harmonious order.

Nothing is greater than Heaven, nothing thicker than Earth, nothing more abundant than water, and nothing emptier than soil. Wood is the most flourishing; Metal is the hardest; Fire comes closest to nothingness; the sun and moon are the brightest; and “Dark Void” is the dimmest. However bright the sun and moon may be, they grow dim when they encounter Dark Void, even seeming to undergo an eclipse. How much more so is this true of the human world?

On Earth are mountains and peaks, river valleys, wells and springs, rivers, caves, lakes, ponds, marshes, and ravines, which vent and receive the Qi of the land. In Heaven are three hundred and forty-eight constellations and stars. They are formed from Heaven’s condensed vital essence, clear and crystalline, taking shape as stars. The substance of the stars arises from Earth, while their essence condenses from Heaven. They are scattered across the sky, each in its proper place; this is called “Hanging Images,” the celestial patterns suspended in Heaven. Some also write it as “Mysterious Images”; both forms are acceptable.

The sun and moon travel a circuit of seven hundred li and one thirty-sixth; within this, the width of the terrestrial realm is two hundred li and one thirty-second. The sun is the root of the essence of Yang Qi. Essence gathers and takes shape, and that shape transforms into a bird: the Golden Rooster and the Fire Bird, both said to have three legs. This shows that they belong to the Yang category, whose number is odd. The moon is the root of the essence of Yin Qi. Essence gathers and takes shape, and that shape transforms into beasts: the Jade Rabbit and the toad, both with four legs. This shows that they belong to the Yin category, whose number is even. Thus odd and even numbers, and the Qi of Yin and Yang, each follow their proper order, allowing the sun and moon to remain bright. This is truly because they are born from primordial Qi—the original Qi between Heaven and Earth.

Human beings are born by receiving the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. At first, the father’s Jing and Qi combine with the mother’s blood; Yin and Yang meet, and above and below come into harmony. The parents give of their spirit and deplete their Qi, caring nothing for themselves. Only then does the child’s disposition descend along with it, and life begin. During the ten months of pregnancy—everyone spends ten months in the womb, as explained at the end of this volume—the fetus gradually grows. A note says that although pregnancy is conventionally said to last ten months, in fact after conception one must pass through thirty-eight “la” (each la is seven days, with a change occurring every seven days, for thirty-eight changes) before leaving the womb and seeking birth.

The four days around birth unfold differently for different people. The kind and wise seem to dwell in a royal palace, enjoying every comfort; their birth is easy and smooth, as if they had descended from Heaven. Mother and child are safe and free of pain, their relatives rejoice, and the neighbors come to offer congratulations. The cruel and perverse seem instead to be trapped in prison and subjected to every hardship. Mother and child struggle in pain; their relatives are anxious, and the neighbors are alarmed. Since the number of days from conception is fixed for people in this world, and good and evil each have their signs, how can children act rebelliously and commit the Five Rebellions—grave offenses against ethical order?

Nowadays, when a child reaches thirty days old, the family congratulates one another in a custom called “completing the month.” This practice comes from the circumstances described here. At this point, the child’s breath is full, the body has matured, and all the vital spirits are present. It is like Heaven and Earth taking their separate places and forming the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity, along with the myriad things. The body models Earth and follows the Dao of Heaven, bearing Yin and embracing Yang. As when a melon ripens and falls from its stem, the baby and mother respond to one another with a single breath, and birth is complete. Thus the child comes into the world as a red infant.

A perfected person, one who has succeeded in cultivating the Dao, holds De in the heart, is quiet and unworldly, preserves their nature, remains single-minded in emptiness, and is still and Wuwei (non-action). The body joins with emptiness, and the mind and spirit settle into embryonic breathing, a Daoist cultivation practice of regulating the breath and concentrating the spirit. Hence it is said that a person of profound De resembles a red infant. The infant’s heart and the perfected person’s heart are connected: De protects within, and divine spirits give shelter without, just as a loving mother protects her baby.

Infants take wholeness and harmony as their nature; sages take complete De as their nature. An infant has no thoughts of making distinctions or calculations, and no wish to harm anything outside himself. Because body and mind are in harmony, when he clenches his fist, his hand naturally grips firmly.

“Though the bones are weak and the sinews soft, the grip is firm” means that although an infant’s bones are weak and his sinews soft, he can still clench his hand tightly. “Not yet knowing the union of female and male, yet the organ rises” means that although he does not yet understand sexual union, his genitals can become erect. This is a sign that Jing and Qi are abundant. “He cries all day without becoming hoarse” means that although he cries out all day, his voice does not grow hoarse; this is a sign that harmonious Qi is abundant.

A firm grip comes from abundant, vigorous primordial Qi: even though the bones are weak and the sinews soft, the infant still has strength. He does not understand the union of Yin and Yang, but the source of Qi within him is already active; this is because his Jing and Qi are pure. Yin is called “female,” and Yang “male.” “Rises” refers to an erection; “the source of Qi and life” means the root of primordial Qi.

An infant has no sexual desire or thoughts of distinguishing and identifying things. Even when his genitals become erect, he is not drawn along by external desire, so there is no concern that his Jing and Qi will leak away. “Ditches, channels, and outflows” is a metaphor for Jing and Qi draining away like water through channels and outlets. The infant’s true Jing and primordial Qi circulate freely and naturally, without constraint, simply following their own course. This is therefore called “Jing at its fullest.”

An infant can cry all day without his voice growing hoarse because his purity and harmony have reached their utmost. This is therefore called “harmony at its fullest.” “Hoarse” refers to a voice that has become rough and damaged. The infant’s primordial Qi is abundant, his true Jing secure, and his body and mind replete with harmony; his voice is therefore not depleted or damaged.

The Shangqing Dongzhen Pin says: At birth, a person receives the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth, from which spirit and form take shape. The person also receives the Qi of the Primordial One, from which fluids and Jing and Qi arise. When the Qi of Heaven diminishes, spirit disperses; when the Qi of Earth diminishes, the body becomes ill; when primordial Qi diminishes, life ebbs away.

The “Way of the Emperor One’s Returning Wind” is a method of cultivation that guides the movement of primordial Qi. It makes primordial Qi flow counter to its usual course through the hundred channels, nourishing the Niwan (a key site of cultivation in the head) above and strengthening primordial Qi below. When the brain is full, Shen is secure; when Shen is complete, Qi is abundant; when Qi is abundant, the body is sound. With a sound body, all its parts can work in harmony, and external malign influences disperse. When primordial Qi is full, the marrow solidifies into bone, and the intestines and viscera grow strong and become sinews. Jing, Shen, and Qi are pure and abundant, and remain joined to the body; thus one can attain long life.

Qin Shaoqi explains in his commentary on the Huangdi Nanjing: Men are born in Yin, which belongs to Wood and Yang; women are born in Shen, which belongs to Metal and Yin. Primordial Qi begins at the Zi position, the starting point of human life. A man moves thirty steps to the left from Zi, while a woman moves twenty steps to the right. When both reach the Si position, they become husband and wife, and conception begins there. The man then…

The woman proceeds ten positions to the right from the Si position, reaching the Shen position. Si and Shen together make ten positions. During this period, the moon absorbs lunar Qi; once its Qi is full, its form becomes complete and round. The Yin and Shen positions correspond respectively to the places associated with the birth of women and men.

Proceeding thirty positions to the left from the Yin position brings one to the Wei position. Wei is called “Lesser Auspiciousness”; it is where a man’s annual position—the position determined by calculating his age—falls. Proceeding twenty positions to the right from the Shen position brings one to the Chou position. Chou is called “Greater Auspiciousness”; it is where a woman’s annual position falls. Only then may a man take a wife and a woman marry. If this method is followed over time, original Qi will no longer be depleted and Jing and Qi will not dissipate, making long life attainable.

The original Qi of Heaven and Earth arises from the Zi position. Zi belongs to Water, which corresponds to the Kan trigram and governs the north. The north, in turn, corresponds to the area around Mount Heng and Jizhou. A person’s original Qi is likewise in accord with Heaven and Earth, arising in the kidneys. Human original Qi abides in the subtle realm of natural stillness and has a pure, empty, mysterious, and wondrous essence. Mysterious beyond mystery, wondrous beyond wonder: this is the “gateway to all mysteries,” the path by which original Qi reaches the mysterious.

Mysterious Qi is called Shen; the numinous wonder of Shen is called the Dao. The Dao generates the natural essence, and so enables long life. The root of life lies in original Qi. The kidneys are the dwelling of Shen: without a dwelling, Shen cannot be at peace; without Shen, how can the dwelling be healthy? When the dwelling is secure, Shen can live there in peace, and the body can pass from the ordinary to the sacred, while Shen naturally becomes numinous. Shen cherishes life, but if its dwelling is insecure, it cannot rest there. The body then becomes like an abandoned, empty house and ultimately moves toward death.

If a person understands how to use their own subtle capacities and diligently cultivates and advances, keeping the heart clear and the outer self still, and cutting off all forms of defilement, they can strengthen and secure the “nourishing chamber” within the body—the dwelling that settles Shen and Qi—and let the spirit and soul live there in peace. Shen and the spirits (qi) constantly protect the body, while body and Shen care for one another. When the body attains the Dao, Shen attains it too; when the body becomes immortal, Shen becomes immortal too. Body and Shen depend on one another and endure without end.

Original Qi is the source of the Qi of life; it is the moving Qi between the kidneys. It is the foundation of the five zang and six fu organs, the source of the twelve channels, the gateway of breathing, and the origin of the Three Burners (upper, middle, and lower). It is also called the “spirit that guards against evil.” The sages used trees as a metaphor: this Qi is a person’s root. Once the root is severed, the organs and sinews are like branches and leaves deprived of nourishment from the roots. When the roots decay, the branches and leaves wither; the same principle applies here.

Question: What is meant by “the moving Qi between the kidneys”?

Answer: The right kidney…

This section first explains the relationship between the Gate of Life, Original Qi, and the body’s vital activity, then describes the locations and functions of the Three Burners and the three Dantians.

The Qi of the Gate of Life—the vital center that sustains life—stirs between the two sides of the Gate of Life. “Between” suggests a central position, while “stirring” suggests the beginning of growth. The Gate of Life is where Original Qi, the fundamental Qi of life, gathers and is held; it is also where the spirit resides. Within it is the spirit of true Jing, which is skilled at guarding the Gate of Life. When this guarding is done well, pathogenic Qi cannot enter recklessly; hence it is called “the spirit that guards against evil.” If the spirit fails to guard it, pathogenic Qi can take advantage of the weakness and enter. Once it does, a person’s life and vitality are in danger.

People can preserve their lives because Original Qi belongs to Yang and enables Qi and blood to nourish the body, while the blood vessels belong to Yin and provide protection. The continuous circulation of nutritive Qi and defensive Qi—the Qi responsible for nourishing and protecting the body—sustains life. These are also called the flourishing Qi channels, like trees growing thick and lush. They nourish and protect the organs, allowing Shen Qi to circulate and life to continue.

Another account holds that clear Qi is nutritive and turbid Qi is defensive: nutritive Qi moves within the vessels, while defensive Qi moves outside them. By day they circulate throughout the body; at night they move within the organs. A day is reckoned as one hundred ke, and the nutritive and defensive Qi make fifty circuits. At dawn they gather at the cun, guan, and chi positions on both wrists, where Yin and Yang Qi connect and circulate ceaselessly like a ring. As long as this circulation continues, a person lives; when it stops, the person dies. One should therefore nourish, cherish, and protect the body, so that nutritive and defensive Qi keep circulating and Shen Qi does not run dry. In this way, life can be prolonged.

After primordial chaos divided, the Qi of the Three Origins—Heaven, Earth, and Water—gave rise to human beings and nourished the myriad things. Following the same principle, the human body has the Three Burners and three Dantians, which preserve the physical form and generate Shen Qi. The Three Burners are divided into three regions, but do not correspond to fixed organs. They reside within the body and each governs different functions.

The Upper Burner takes Heaven as its model and is called the Upper Dantian. Its region extends from above the entrance of the stomach, including the heart and the area above the diaphragm, up to the Niwan, the Upper Dantian in the head. The Upper Dantian receives the Yang Qi of the Heavenly Origin and is governed by the Shanzhong, the center of the chest. The Shanzhong point lies in the chest and warms and nourishes the area between the skin and muscles, like mist and dew moistening all things.

The Middle Burner takes Earth as its model and is called the Middle Dantian. Its region extends from below the heart, at the diaphragm, to the navel. The Middle Dantian receives the Yin Qi of the Earthly Origin and is governed by the stomach. The point associated with the stomach lies below the heart. It is responsible for ripening grains, digesting fluids, and transforming the essence of food and drink in the stomach into blood, which nourishes the organs and body, like the Earth’s Qi rising as vapor to nurture all things.

The Lower Burner takes Water as its model and is called the Lower Dantian. Its region extends below the navel and includes the bladder and the lower excretory openings. The Lower Dantian receives the Water Origin…

Yang Qi moves through the Sea of Qi, the energy center located one inch below the navel, and gathers at the Qi Street, the passageway where Qi and blood flow and meet. The Qi Street is the pathway along which Qi moves. The Three Burners—the upper, middle, and lower burners in traditional Chinese medicine—govern the movement of Qi, so Qi also gathers at the Qi Street. “Street” here means a great thoroughfare that reaches in every direction.

The lower burner governs the transmission of Qi and blood, allowing them to circulate through the channels. It also gathers Shen, replenishes Jing, and harmonizes the shifts between stillness and movement in Yin-Yang. This is like water flowing downhill: here, “dampness” refers to water’s tendency to descend. Water irrigates the land at the proper time; cloud vapor rises and, when it falls, becomes rain.

The Immortals’ Scripture says, “My life is in my own hands. By nourishing Jing and Qi and receiving primordial Qi, one can live without end.” It also says, “Do not overstrain the body or dissipate Jing and Qi. Let the mind and spirit return to quiet stillness, and you may attain long life.”

The foundation of life truly depends on this way of nourishing it. Even if one can regulate the breath and practice Daoyin, cultivate blessings and accumulate De, learn all kinds of methods, and even take elixirs of immortality, without knowing the way of primordial Qi, one is like a tree with luxuriant branches and leaves but no roots. How could it survive for long?

If one craves only the pleasures of nighttime entertainment, sensual delights, and desire, those enjoyments may seem abundant. But should one meet an early death and end up sleeping forever beneath the earth, the suffering would be too great. By contrast, if one persists in cultivation for many years, uses methods to extend life, follows the practices and dietary prohibitions of the Jade Scripture, grasps the essentials of primordial Qi, gathers in the hun and po, safeguards fetal breathing, and stops the dissipation of Jing and Qi, such a life may seem austere. Yet if one ultimately attains longevity and dwells for a long time in the celestial realms among the clouds, the blessing is profound.

Thus human life does have an end, while craving and desire are inherently without limit. To spend a finite life pursuing endless desires is truly to bring about one’s own destruction. Mud can muddy a river, but it cannot muddy the sea; wind can topple trees, but it cannot shake a high mountain. Craving and desire can unsettle petty people, but they cannot shake a noble person. Why? Because the noble person rests securely in their proper place, while the petty person is like a wanderer adrift.

Know that each person’s nature has its allotted measure, and that life is difficult to preserve for long. If no one points out the essentials of cultivating the Dao, transmits the instructions, reveals the heart’s inner core, or passes down the subtle methods, then even after many generations there may be people who never hear of the Dao in their entire lives.

So, what is the Dao? The Dao is primordial Qi. Primordial Qi concerns the ending and continuation of life. What is called “the completion of life” refers to methods of inner cultivation. Take the preservation and nourishment of the Dao as your guiding principle, and the refinement and transformation of Jing and Qi as your subtle practice. Let Qi flow and circulate, moving without …

When Qi is obstructed, flowing water does not turn foul, and the pivots of a door do not become worm-eaten. If one understands the mysterious Dao and men and women cultivate together, husband and wife can both become immortals. This is called the wondrous Dao. The Immortals’ Scripture says, “One Yin and one Yang are called the Dao; three origins joined in two are called the Elixir.” Reversing the flow of breath and using Jing to nourish the brain is called “returning Jing to transform it into Qi.” Each transformation brings a change and an increase. Each one can extend life by twelve years; nine transformations can add one hundred and eight years.

The Queen Mother of the West says, “Regulate the breath so that Qi returns to great harmony, hold fast to the natural Dao, and first make your own Qi abundant. Qi is the root of life. In the way called ‘change and benefit,’ ‘benefit’ means replenishing Jing and Qi, while ‘change’ means transforming the body. Those who can replenish Jing and Qi and transform the body will have their names entered in the registers of the Highest Immortals. Those who can do neither cannot escape the fate of death.

“Those who practice this Dao should constantly keep Lingbao in mind: ‘Ling’ means Shen, and ‘bao’ means Jing. Always cherish Qi and treasure Jing; clasp the hands firmly, close the mouth, regulate the breath, and swallow breath and saliva. Saliva transforms into Jing, Jing into Qi, and Qi into Shen; Shen in turn transforms into saliva, saliva again into Jing, Jing into Qi, and Qi into Shen. Repeating these seven returns and reversals, these nine transformations and changes, replenishes Jing and Qi and transforms the body.

“Here, ‘change’ does not mean death, but transformation of the living body: from old to young, from young to child, from child to infant, from infant to newborn, and finally into a perfected person. Cultivation reaching this stage is called ‘embryonic breathing,’ a state in which life is sustained by inner breath, as in the womb. With unremitting practice, Shen and Jing become abundant, primordial Qi grows strong, the brain and marrow become firm, and the bones are renewed.

“The Immortals’ Scripture says that within the Dao of Yin-Yang, vital fluids are most precious; guard them carefully, and you may live to an advanced age. It also says, ‘If you wish for long life, begin at the source from which life arises. Keep your daily routine measured, your advances and retreats well judged, your movements and stillness in accord with the proper measure, and your choices made with discernment. In this way you can extend life and cure illness.’

“The Immortals’ Scripture also says, ‘Only when gold is refined with gold can it be called true gold; only when people are regulated by the principles of humanity can they be called perfected people. People often lose the Dao themselves; the Dao does not lose people. People often turn away from life themselves; life does not leave people. Always nourish and protect the spirit, and do not lose the way of caring for life. Let the Dao remain with life for a long time, and let the spirit guard life; then body and spirit can both endure.’

“The Queen Mother says, ‘When people regulate Qi, it is like a dragon regulating water. Qi returns to nature, Shen to emptiness, and Jing to the Muddy Pellet, the Daoist term for a region in the brain. Water flows from its source on high: upward it joins the River of Heaven, downward it runs into the Yellow Springs, and sideways it spreads through the hundred rivers, until at last it returns to the four seas. Qi is like water, cycling back and forth…’”

The Qi of Heaven and Earth flows through the human body, circulating endlessly. If people can regulate it, they can bring the movement within themselves into harmony with Heaven and Earth and align it with the light of the sun and moon.

Ancient texts record that a person’s original Qi is nourishment for the hun and po. Hence the saying, “Zidan offers fine dishes”: Zidan refers to the elixir obtained through internal cultivation, while “offering fine dishes” means nourishing the hun and po with original Qi. This is to use original Qi to sustain the hun and po. Shen depends on Qi to endure, while the physical body is maintained by the five flavors of food. When Qi is clear, Shen is clear and alert; when Qi is turbid, Shen becomes ill. Therefore, in cultivating the breath, one should keep Qi pure and clear. This is what is meant by refining Shen and the hun, dispelling ghostly Qi, and subduing the po, so that both body and spirit become settled.

The hun descends from Heaven and is called Shen; the po originates in Earth and is called a ghost. Ghosts belong to Yin, while Shen belongs to Yang. Thus, by refining and nourishing the hun and Shen, and sustaining Shen through Qi, one can live long and avoid death, and the body can ascend to Heaven. But if one merely craves the five flavors and indulges in lustful excess, ghostly Qi will grow until death comes. The body perishes in the Earth; the hun flies up to Heaven, and the po sinks into deep springs. Once Water and Fire separate, each returns to its origin. In life, hun and po dwell together in one body; after death, they are far apart, one ascending and the other descending. This is the natural order. It is like a piece of wood burned in a fire: smoke rises and ash falls, as happens naturally.

The Scripture of the High Emperor of the Nine Sovereigns says: “Beneath the Original Blue, the moon and sun, each in two halves, rise together and join as one. They leave that place and enter the Jade Pool, then enter the Golden Chamber. It is as large as a pellet, yellow as an orange, and contains a delicious substance, sweet as honey. If you can obtain it, do not lose it.”

A commentary explains: “Jiaoli pears and huozhao dates” grow within the human body. They are as large as pellets, yellow as oranges, and very sweet, like honey. They are neither far away nor near, but lie within the chamber of the heart. The heart chamber is the abode of Shen, the dwelling of Qi, and the master of Jing. The Jade Pool is the saliva that forms in the mouth, beneath the tongue. When saliva joins with Shen and Qi, the “two halves join as one.”

The Taiping Proclamation records that Xu Youyou wrote to Wang Xizhi: “Jiaoli pears and huozhao dates are immortal medicines for ascending to Heaven. If you can cut away the thorns in your heart, relinquish the distinction between self and others, and dissolve thoughts of right and wrong, these two trees will grow within your heart. They can also flourish with leaves and branches, and blossom and bear fruit. If you can eat even one branch, you will be able to ride the radiant clouds and travel ten thousand li. This is the Yin Elixir, the elixir obtained through internal cultivation. If you can nurture your spirit, harmonize your original Qi, swallow saliva, and keep Jing and Qi secure within the body, then, just as a tree develops strong roots, luxuriant branches and leaves, blossoms, and fruit, it will give rise to a wondrous and extraordinary sweetness…” The original text breaks off here.

The various transformations within the seed refer to its body and spirit. Yin and Yang refer to the sun and moon, while rain, gentle breezes, and dew nourish and water it. When the breath circulates in harmony, its branches and leaves flourish. When the mind and nature are clear and the heart is joyful, it blossoms. By guarding Jing and Qi and preserving embryonic breathing, it bears fruit. When the body’s fluids flow freely, it has a sweet taste.

The ancient immortals solemnly vowed to pass this method on orally to later generations. Now that it is being taught openly in writing, it should be entrusted to those who are destined to receive it. Daolin says that this method is also called the “Jade Nectar and Golden Elixir method.” “Jade Nectar and Golden Elixir” refers to refining and nourishing the fluids in the mouth. Another account divides the body’s fluids into six kinds: Jing, tears, saliva, nasal mucus, sweat, and urine. All arise from the single Qi and are distributed throughout the five viscera and six bowels, the nine orifices, and the limbs.

Those who understand this method can conserve Jing and Qi in daily life and avoid depleting them even by the end of the year. The phrase “engaging in intercourse many times without loss” means that even during sexual relations, one does not lose Jing and Qi. In this way, one can become an immortal who cultivates in solitude. In ordinary life, if one can go all day without spitting, keeping the saliva in the mouth and swallowing it, Jing and Qi will remain intact, the body’s fluids will not be lost, and the face will have a healthy glow.

The Jie Jie of Laozi says: “When saliva fills the mouth, it is called the Spring of Nectar; when it gathers and flows, it is called the Flower Pond; when it spreads out, it is called bodily fluid; when it descends, it is called sweet dew.” Rinsing the mouth and swallowing the fluids nourishes the five viscera and the body, opens the channels throughout the body, and nourishes the spirit. It strengthens the joints of the limbs and the hair, helping one preserve youth for a long time. This is what is called “Golden Elixir”: it can protect the spirit and replenish the primordial Qi.

If pure jade is transformed into nectar and refined gold into elixir, their substance becomes soft rather than hard, their color as clear and bright as ice and snow, and their fragrance surpasses that of perfumes. Drinking one cup can bring long life, equal in duration to Heaven itself. This is what is called the “External Golden Elixir”; it can stabilize the body and strengthen the viscera and bowels.

One should also regularly avoid sweating without cause. Sweat is regarded as a sign of the spirit and Qi. When primordial Qi is in harmony, a light sweat after activity is appropriate, but one should not face a cold wind. If one overexerts oneself and depletes Jing and Qi, sweating profusely and without pause, the spirit and body will become utterly exhausted. Therefore, relax the body and walk at an easy pace; do not overwork, and do not sit or lie down until completely tired. Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, one should adjust one’s movements calmly and combine them with Daoyin exercises and massage. This helps one rise and sit with ease and vigor, and keeps the spirit at ease.

One should also pay attention to urination and defecation: do not forcibly hold them in or suppress the urge, and do not discharge them improperly. Difficulty passing stool, excessive chill, or overly loose and frequent stools can all damage primordial Qi and endanger life, bringing calamity swiftly. Knowing when to advance and when to withdraw, and preserving oneself, is precisely the way of the sages. The so-called sages and ordinary people...

Everyone cherishes their life, and the wise and foolish alike treasure their bodies.

Thus, the sages use Dao and De, benevolence and righteousness, humility, kindness, respect, and frugality, as well as signs in the heavens and principles of human affairs, to reveal auspicious portents in advance for exemplary people to understand. They also use ritual and music, military campaigns, laws and punishments, and warnings from spirits and deities, divination, dreams, and waking visions to caution ordinary people.

The essentials of nourishing life are to first restrain one’s outward conduct, then carefully tend to what is within. Only when both the inner and outer have settled into stillness has one truly entered the state of Wuwei (non-action). To seek Wuwei, one must first avoid harm: keep away from suspicion, petty people, and improper gain; act with care; be cautious in speech and eating; take care when among noisy crowds; and do not assert oneself through conflict. Reflect often on your own faults, correct them when you find them, and turn toward good deeds. If you can also understand astronomy, geography, human affairs, spirits and deities, timing, and methods of divination and calculation, you can match the sages in achievement and share in the virtue of Heaven.

Among these methods, the most important are to cultivate the spirit and refine true Qi—the body’s pure vital energy—so as to extend life and cure illness. Externally, one dispels evil; internally, one purifies the mind and body, thereby preventing harm from disturbing one’s cultivation of De.

The Treatise on Dao and De says: “Of the greatest and most central symbols, none surpasses Dao and De. Next in greatness is the spirit; next in breadth is Great Harmony, the state in which Yin and Yang are in balance and all things are at peace. After that come Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, and the achievements of the sages. Dao and De can be spoken of, but their source cannot be fully exhausted; the spirit can bring things into being, but cannot be wholly revealed; Great Harmony can be experienced, but cannot be completely altered or controlled. The Way of Heaven can be followed, but cannot be entirely expressed; Yin and Yang can be put to use, but cannot be possessed; the achievements of the sages can be observed, but cannot be fully captured in words. We therefore know that the Dao that can be spoken is not the Dao of nature, and what can be explained is not the pure essence.”

Those who practice Wuwei and enter the true Dao should first nourish the Qi of the Dao within the body and nurture primordial Qi in the organs. Then they should draw support from medicines and from all kinds of good deeds. In this way, they can heal every illness from within and bring all the spirits to peace from without. The inner Qi returns to its source, and invading harmful Qi naturally withdraws. Thus calamities are dispelled outwardly, while the spirit and De are cultivated inwardly. With inner and outer supporting one another, the body and life are preserved. Is this not a good thing?

Laozi said: “When your work is done and your name established, withdraw into seclusion. This is the Way of Heaven.” He also said: “When the work is complete, the people all say, ‘We did it naturally, ourselves.’” He further said: “When you embody De in yourself, your De is genuine; when you embody it in the world, your De is wide-reaching.” He also said: “Use yourself to observe yourself; use the world to observe the world.” How do I know what is happening in the world? By this principle. As for instructing the Son of Heaven, one should take conformity with the Way of Heaven as the rule for action; when instructing the feudal lords, then…

When a state carries out religious and political affairs or deploys its army, it must not act arbitrarily. People are taught not to flaunt sharp weapons. In conducting themselves in the world, they should soften their edges and adapt to their surroundings (“blend with the light and become one with the dust”). Those who leave home to cultivate the Dao should understand the relationship between the Dao and the secular world.

People are taught to cultivate their nature until they reach the state of “the valley spirit never dies”—the Dao’s empty, still essence continues without end. To cultivate the body and preserve life, they should be skilled at nourishing life and prolonging their years. In cultivating the self, they should bring their spirit and primordial Qi—the vital energy at the root of life—to completeness. In cultivating the heart-mind, they should empty themselves and hold fast to the Dao. To see things clearly, they should remain well-intentioned and help all beings. To understand the retribution that follows unseen deeds, they are told that the spirits do not harm people without cause. “Few matters, but principles far-reaching” means that even when there are few matters, the principles they contain reach deeply. These methods are passed down by people, but whether one grasps them depends on the individual.

Those who truly obtain these essentials will have strong bones and joints and a radiant complexion. Though old, they will appear young; they will neither decline nor decay, but remain in the world for a long time. Cold and heat, wind and damp cannot harm them; ghosts, spirits, and strange beings dare not invade them. Weapons and insects cannot injure them, and worry, sorrow, joy, and anger cannot wear them down. They regularly use the Six Classics to teach the world, while practitioners transmit methods of cultivation. This is what it means to have truly grasped the essentials of attaining the Dao.

The Perfected One said: The sages know that primordial Qi arises at Zi, the Rat position among the twelve earthly branches; it is born in the kidneys, conceived at Si, the Snake position, and formed as a fetus at Wu, the Horse position. It is then stored in the heart and nourished in the Fire position. At Wei, the Goat position associated with Earth, it continues to be nurtured; at Shen, the Monkey position associated with Metal, it begins to flourish. At You, the Rooster position, it is bathed; at Xu, the Dog position, it reaches the cap-and-sash stage. At Hai, the Pig position, it enters office and attains prominence; at Zi, the Rat position associated with Water, it reaches the peak of imperial power. At Chou, the Ox position associated with Earth, it declines; at Yin, the Tiger position associated with Wood, it falls ill; at Mao, the Rabbit position associated with Zhen, it dies; and at Chen, the Dragon position associated with Xun, it enters the tomb. Here, “tomb” means burial and storage; returning means coming to an end. Primordial Qi begins with Water and ultimately returns to Wind, where it is stored in Earth. This is called “returning the hun soul.” Xun represents Wind, and Chen belongs to Earth; water flows down and gathers at Chen, which is why the southeastern terrain is described as low and sunken, with water flowing toward Xun. Liezi says that at the edge of the sea there is a great chasm called the Tail Drain, where vast waters pour out. Human primordial Qi likewise has a place where it dissipates, like the Tail Drain, so water is used here as a comparison.

From this we can understand that Earth can store Wind, and Wind can store Earth; Earth stores Water, and Water also stores Earth; Earth stores Fire, and Fire also stores Earth; Earth stores Wood, and Wood also stores Earth; Earth stores Metal, and Metal also stores Earth. Fire’s tomb is Xu Earth, Water’s tomb is Chen Earth, Wood’s tomb is Wei Earth, and Metal’s tomb is Chou Earth. Earth can store Wood, Metal, Water, and Fire, and Earth itself ultimately returns to Earth, so its tomb is also at Chen Earth. This is called returning to the root and restoring the origin.

The method of cultivating a return to the root and restoration of life is described by Laozi: “All things flourish and grow in profusion, yet in the end each returns to its own root. Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is a return to one’s original life. Returning to one’s original life is called constancy; knowing the constant Dao is called illumination.”

This means that understanding the principles of the constant Dao allows one to grasp the patterns that can be followed in things, and to see the path leading to an open and level state. Thus it is said: “Know brightness, yet hold to darkness, and you can become a model for all under Heaven.” One who understands the constant Dao can be broad in outlook; only with a broad outlook can one be impartial. Impartiality makes one fit to lead the people; leading the people makes one able to accord with Heaven. Accord with Heaven, and one accords with the Dao; accord with the Dao, and one can endure. This is what is called the impartial Way. The impartial Way of Heaven and Earth runs through all things and can contain everything. The Scripture of the Hidden Talisman (Yinfu Jing) says: “When the Three Robbers each fulfill their proper role, the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity—are brought to peace.” Thus, eating in accordance with the seasons harmonizes the body’s parts; acting at the right moment brings stability to the transformations of all things.

A perfected person says that one who understands this Dao will recognize true water, fire, lead, mercury, dragon, tiger, teeth, carriage, metal, stone, wood, earth, elixir, medicine, spirit, Qi, things, essence, guest, and host. These names are all terms of cultivation, referring to the different elements discerned and employed in practice. After understanding their true meanings, one must follow the master’s guidance and apply the master’s methods; follow the Dao and put it into practice; follow the techniques and use them; observe the methods and carry them out. One must keep practicing, tempering, washing away impurities, grinding and refining, and bringing things into harmony through熟練.

Immortals call “emptying the heart and filling the belly, hungering for Qi and thirsting for saliva” the “marvelous gate of eight words,” or the “true method of the One Origin.” These eight words are the essential instructions for cultivation. “Emptying the heart and filling the belly” means quieting the mind and making the belly full; “hungering for Qi and thirsting for saliva” means swallowing breath when hungry and swallowing saliva when thirsty. The instructions say: “Always keep the heart empty, still, and focused; do not even store up kind thoughts, much less a trace of defiled or evil thought. What is meant by stilling the heart and holding to the One is to remove desires and quiet confusion. Once the many impurities have been cleared away, all affairs are finished.”

One should always keep the belly full and pure: it should contain no dregs, only true essence and original Qi. Continue washing and cultivating, and the practice will naturally flower and bear fruit. When hungry, swallow Qi; when thirsty, swallow saliva. When neither hungry nor thirsty, regulate the breath through practice, letting it flow freely without stagnation or obstruction. In this way, body and mind become peaceful and at ease, and one no longer notices the vastness of Heaven and Earth or the movement of the sun and moon. The cultivator may even regard eight hundred and ten years as a single great cycle.

The method of cultivation consists in harmonizing spirit and breath so that they circulate without end, and in allowing this state to extend through the kidneys. The kidneys are called the Gate of Life, so this kind of cultivation is also called the “art of life.” When spirit and Qi do not run out, the body and its form can endure for a long time. Refine the bones and transform the form, roam and dwell in the court of the Emperor, and take one’s place among the perfected; through this, nourish original Qi. A verse from the scripture says: “The Dao treasures essence; this treasure should be guarded with care and secrecy. If bestowed on another, it can bring that person to life.”

If people can preserve themselves and prolong their lives, they may transcend the ordinary world for a long time and have their names entered among the ranks of the immortals. If their bodies and lives have already fallen into decline and their work remains unfinished, then even if they manage at last to form the shape of an infant, they still cannot be said to have succeeded. How much less can success be expected of those who abandon all these practices without even realizing it, until old age arrives and life comes to an end.

Between Heaven and Earth are the Yin-Yang energies, and primordial Qi—the fundamental energy that constitutes life—is the most precious thing in a person. Cherishing primordial Qi accords with the Dao, but be careful not to mistake ordinary precious things for primordial Qi. Those skilled in nourishing primordial Qi can steadily regulate and cultivate the breath, gradually returning Qi to its source. They can also continually restore Jing-Qi, bringing it to a state of harmony and purity. How could those who cultivate primordial Qi be compared with people who ingest a leaf, a flower, a blade of grass, a tree, the essence of lingzhi mushrooms or metals and stones, or such impure substances as sand and gravel?

Laozi says: Jing is the source of the blood vessels and the numinous spirit that guards the bones, so it should be valued as a treasure. Qi is the cloudlike energy that moves between the muscles and the true substance that strengthens the body, so it should be valued as life itself. The human body is like a state: Shen is its ruler, Jing its ministers, and Qi its people. When the people possess De, they deserve respect; when the ruler follows the Dao, the state can endure. Thus, those skilled in nourishing Qi and achieving results can transform Qi into Jing. If they nourish Jing with De, Jing can transform into Shen. If they nourish Shen in accord with the Dao, it can become a life within the body that endures without decline.

The Three-One Instructions says: Cultivate primordial Qi and the true Shen, and through practiced visualization and preservation of the Three Ones—the method of inner cultivation in Daoism that contemplates and maintains a unified presence within the body—Jing can transform into Shen, Shen into an infant, the infant into a perfected person, and the perfected person into a red child. The red child is the True One. The True One is the Imperial Lord, who can govern the whole body and command its thirty-six thousand spirits. When the Imperial Lord is present within the body, all thirty-six thousand spirits are present as well. Thus, the cultivator can travel with the whole body through the celestial court.

The Ten Stems Scripture of the Heavenly Elder says: In the Way of consuming Qi, Qi is the most precious thing. After one year of cultivation, Qi nourishes the skin; after two years, it harmonizes the joints; after three years, it strengthens the bones and joints; after four years, it fills the marrow of the bones and brain. “Filling” means becoming full. Heaven has four seasons, and the movement of Qi corresponds to a cycle of four years. When consuming Qi and maintaining the One, once cultivation has been completed for four years, Shen can communicate with the body. When the body can communicate with Shen, it is as bright as the sun: one can see without looking, hear without listening, arrive without walking, and know without seeing with one’s own eyes.

“ One body, a thousand Shen” means that when the body is unified and Shen reaches a thousand places, one may be called an immortal. “One body, ten thousand Shen” may be called an infant; “one body, eighteen thousand Shen,” a perfected person; and “one body, thirty-six thousand Shen,” a red child.

In this way, one becomes a true “Sovereign Lord,” living as long as the sun and moon and enduring as long as Heaven and Earth. The Dao is then complete.

Primordial Qi has one function and two functions. Yang Qi enables a person to fly freely, pay homage to the Great Clarity, and roam among the Five Sacred Peaks. By using Yin Qi, one can remain in the human world and live a long life, traveling between the sun and the caves. This means that Primordial Qi is originally one; Yin and Yang are its two forms. One gives rise to two, two gives rise to three, and three gives rise to the myriad things. Without Primordial Qi, and without the workings of Yin and Yang, the myriad things could not come into being, change, or grow.

Without Primordial Qi, Shen cannot manifest its numinous power; without Primordial Qi, the Dao cannot come into being. Primordial Qi cannot take visible form without Yin and Yang. Form depends on Qi, Qi depends on Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang depend on Jing, Jing depends on Shen, Shen depends on the Dao, the Dao depends on technique, technique depends on method, method depends on the mind, the mind depends on the One, the One depends on truth, and truth must reach the utmost. The “utmost” means the utmost nonbeing, emptiness, clarity, purity, subtlety, and brightness. Cultivation must proceed through these successive stages, passed down by those close to one another. Such teachings must be entrusted to the right person and never handed out indiscriminately.

Only learning the Dao counts as true learning. Studying various external matters is called scattered learning, or the heretical path. Learning the Dao means “inner study”: cultivating what is within the body and mind—namely, the Three Dantian, the Three Primordial Qi, and the One Elixir with its Three Shen. Qi is also divided into six forms: Yang Qi ultimately returns to nine, and Yin Qi to six. Yang nine and Yin six together make 960, the ultimate number of Heaven and Earth and the human limit. Reaching this state is called “returning to the Origin and going back to the Root.”

To reach the limit means that Primordial Qi is entirely concealed within the body and all breath moving in and out has ceased. Even the apertures that serve as passages for breathing no longer admit or release breath. This is called attaining the Dao, and is also called “the utmost nonbeing.” The True Scripture says that when cultivating Primordial Qi reaches the point where breathing ceases, one is freed from the registers and escapes corvée labor. One is no longer governed by the Great Yin, one of the rulers of the underworld; the Three Officials, the divine system overseeing Heaven, Earth, and Water, do not record one’s name; and the myriad spirits protect one in secret.

“Primordial Unity” refers to Qi. The Qi that pervades Heaven, Earth, and all things is called Primordial Unity Qi; it originally arises from wind. Wind has the greatest power, able to support Heaven and Earth, the Three Powers, and the Five Phases. None of them can exceed the power of wind. Wind and Qi are one in essence. Flowers bloom, willows leaf out, and plants bear fruit through the Qi of the four seasons and the winds of the eight directions. Cultivating the mind is the foundation of the Three Ones; refining Qi is the foundation of the Dao’s flourishing.

Mind and spirit depend on Original Qi just as a tree depends on its roots; the root, in turn, may be compared to the mind. Nurturing the mind and spirit is the same as nurturing Original Qi, and nurturing Original Qi is the same as nurturing the Dao. By holding fast to the Dao, one can govern the thirty-six thousand spirits throughout the body, bringing every function to stillness. Once the functions are settled, nothing is beyond one’s capacity. Reaching this state of being able to do anything, one can behold the “Supreme Elixir,” the highest Neidan attained through cultivation.

Those who ingest the Supreme Elixir can live as long as Heaven and Earth. What is the Supreme Elixir? It is the True Spirit, the True One Emperor, within the Dantian (energy center). Nurture the body so that it becomes the sovereign; let each spirit dwell in its proper place so that Original Qi does not dissipate. If the mind does not become immersed in wanton indulgence, Qi can follow its proper course, and the spirit is kept in check. In this way, the breath gradually reaches a state in which there is neither coming nor going. One who can attain fetal breathing—the fine, calm breathing of a fetus in the womb—will not suffer the decline and collapse of life. This means that the body remains intact, Original Qi stays settled, and the spirit moves naturally.

Luo Gongyuan’s “Song of the Three Cens” says: “When a tree withers, mound earth around it and tend it; when Yang Qi weakens, nourish it with Original Qi. To cultivate Original Qi, never go beyond the proper measure.” The commentary explains: Of all things in the world without perception, wood is the most insentient. Yet when a tree grows old and withers, mounding earth around it and tending it can restore its flourishing; grafting a young branch onto an old tree can also keep it growing. From this, we may infer that nourishing weakened Yang Qi with Original Qi is likewise appropriate. Nourish weakened Yang Qi with Original Qi and return Qi and fluids to the body, and a youthful complexion can be restored. How much more so when pure, abundant Qi has not yet dissipated: if someone who understands cultivation tends it, the effects will be greater still. Above all, one must never allow one’s own Original Qi to flow outward and disperse.

A perfected person says that, during cultivation, one should regularly clear the hairs from the nostrils so that the food residues and turbid Qi in the five viscera and six bowels can be expelled. One should also rinse the mouth and bathe the body, avoid drinking too much alcohol, and abstain from improper sexual relations. Before eating, first hold the food before the Hall of Brightness, the visualization point in front of the heart, and inwardly imagine offering it to the Three Dantians, the Nine True Ones, and the thirty-six thousand Spirit Lords, keeping the mind wholly focused throughout. Harmonize spirit and Qi, and attend closely to the beginning and movement of each breath, keeping every breath fine and steady.

Maintain this practice until Jing and Qi are stable; then one may learn “breath regulation,” the deliberate adjustment of breathing. To practice, first close the mouth and silently observe the breath. As Qi enters through the nose, inwardly reckon that this inhalation is divided into three parts, and let only one part pause. Once inhalation is complete, reckon that exhalation is also divided into three parts, and likewise let one part pause. Pause for one part on each inhalation and exhalation, without allowing the breath to cease. The essential point of breath regulation is to coordinate intention with nasal breathing: when intention regulates the breath, the breath naturally slows and pauses. If one lets the breath enter and leave without restraint, it will…

Breath also enters and leaves on its own. If you know how to regulate it, you will not let it come and go of itself. This shows that the regulation of breath lies with the person, not with the breath. Qi and Shen are both governed by the Dao. The Dao arises from the heart-mind, and the heart-mind is directed by intention. From this we can see that intention governs the Dao; one may also say that intention is Shen itself. Broadly speaking, Shen governs Qi, and intention is the key to this process.

In practice, stop exhaling through the nose and breathe out through the mouth. Even closing the mouth will feel difficult. Press the tongue against the teeth; if you feel somewhat stifled, gently release a little breath—about three parts—and retain one part, then close the mouth again as described above. Regulate the breath until the ears hear no sound, the eyes see nothing, and the heart-mind holds no thoughts. Repeat this practice. While the breath has not yet settled, release a little of it often. When intention judges that the breath has settled, regulate it by this method. If, over the course of a day, intention can regulate the breath until it is as natural as ordinary breathing, Qi will become stable and enduring. There will be no need to deliberately release or hold the breath. With diligent practice, it will naturally grow long and steady, no longer entering and leaving through the mouth and nose, but spreading naturally through the pores of the skin, as freely as wind and clouds moving between mountains and marshes.

The Scripture of the Immortals says: “When original Qi is harmonized and kept under restraint, and is constantly nurtured without being allowed to break off or run dry, it will naturally cease to enter and leave through the mouth and nose.” After a hundred days of practice, the ears and eyes will naturally cease to hear and see things in the outer world.

Those who practice must never eat all kinds of foods indiscriminately, or original Qi will scatter and it will be difficult to keep the heart-mind tranquil. If a person does not follow the teachings, but covets money, beauty, and sensual pleasure; envies others; freely consumes pungent and defiling foods; harbors ill will; shows no respect for the methods of the immortals; thinks only of theft; breaks promises and acts perversely; and becomes a vicious person, the Three Offices—the deities who oversee the affairs of Heaven, Earth, and Water—will record their offenses, and Beiyin, the underworld, will summon their soul. Before the person has even died, their spirit will have declined and their memory become confused. They will grow dazed and muddled, like someone foolish or drunk, and suffer sudden calamities that bring disaster upon their nine generations of ancestors. In the end, their body will perish and return to the Yellow Springs. All this comes from losing the Dao and failing the spirits.

A Perfected One said: “The Dao shows no partial affection, yet it can bring forth immense beneficence. Have you not seen what the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman says? ‘Heaven seems without kindness, yet gives rise to great kindness; Heaven is utterly impartial, yet its workings bring about the most just results.’ Among birds and beasts, life and death are governed by the breath. Life is the source of death, and death is also the source of life. Beneficence arises from calamity, and calamity also arises from beneficence. Thus Heaven and the Dao do not favor any one person, but extend to all things. When people encounter the myriad things, they naturally feel reverence and attribute their beneficence to Heaven and the Dao. The Dao does not boast of its achievements. It is utterly just and may also be called profoundly far-reaching. It shows no partiality toward the myriad things, treating them all alike, whether crooked or straight, great or small, noble or lowly.”

Those who walk with the Dao should let go of possessiveness with a tranquil heart and avoid clinging deliberately to whether things stay or depart. Thus, those who accord with the timing of Heaven survive, while those who go against Heaven’s intent meet with destruction. This giving of life and taking of life does not arise from self-interest or favoritism; it happens naturally, according to whether people and things move with or against the way. Hence it is said that the Dao has no private affections or favors.

Those who attain the Dao will in time transform even their enemies. Those who do not attain it, even if they are one’s parents, cannot ultimately be made to understand through words. Perhaps this is because whether each person has an affinity with the Dao was already entered in the heavenly registers; it cannot be changed by a chance encounter in a single day.

Life changes into death, and death in turn changes into life: life and death transform into one another in an endless cycle. This is the natural order. Those skilled in nourishing life do nothing that harms it; those unskilled in nourishing life do things that damage it. Follow the path of damaging life, and you move toward death; follow the path of nurturing life, and you preserve it.

The root from which all things come into being and undergo change is Qi (vital energy). When Qi acts to bring life, all things live; when it acts to bring death, all things die. Thus the key to governing all things lies in Qi: connection and response depend on Qi, not brute force. Qi arises from the Void, yet can regulate all that exists. Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the stars, clouds, and thunder all rely on the movement of Qi to keep from falling into disorder. The Dao is vast and boundless, without beginning or end. It rests in movement and delights in stillness: this is the natural course of Dao Qi.

To govern the Qi within oneself, the key in practice lies in the heart-mind; when one cannot govern it, that too is because of the heart-mind. Living amid the world, people are often drawn along by profit and fame. If one can avoid flattery and theft, refrain from harming things or disturbing harmony, and keep a heart devoted to nurturing all things, one comes close to benevolence. If one can avoid greed and contention, and refrain from clinging to right and wrong, one comes close to the Dao. This cultivation should be cherished and maintained both inwardly and outwardly. Then unseen spirits will record blessings on one’s behalf, keeping calamities at a distance and making sudden misfortune harder to inflict. One will resonate with Heaven, gain years in one’s allotted lifespan, and live longer. This is the starting point of the Great Dao.

When benefits are extended to people and things, this is called “benevolence”; when people and things are harmed or destroyed, this is called “harm.” Benevolence brings good fortune; harm brings calamity. Do not chase an image in the mirror, lest resonance give rise to confusion. In a state of delusion, frenzied and deranged spirits can unsettle the mind and spirit. Once these are disturbed, the hundred spirits within the body are thrown into turmoil in an instant, and the root is no longer guarded. This is something to take very seriously.

(Note: The original says, “Primordial Qi is six cun in measure, three cun within and three cun without.” This means that Primordial Qi is divided into inner and outer parts, each measuring three cun; a person should preserve the “One” within.)

The Formula of Original Qi teaches that if the “cun” in a person’s body—a unit the ancients used to measure the body and lifespan—can be preserved to the measure of six cun, all the spirits will be complete within the body and life can be preserved for a long time. Every cun lost shortens one’s lifespan by thirty years.

Even if Heaven and Earth overturn and change, my life can still accord with nature. In the story of the Yellow Emperor searching for the Mysterious Pearl, Li Zhu, a legendary figure with exceptionally keen eyesight, searched with his eyes but did not find it. Wangxiang, whose name suggests a mind that does not cling to outward forms, understood it inwardly and eventually obtained the Mysterious Pearl. Here, the “Mysterious Pearl” refers to Original Qi. The essence of the Dao is originally empty and spontaneous. “Wuwei” means that the mind does not stir recklessly. When the mind does not grasp at things within, and external circumstances do not disturb it, both inner and outer worlds grow still. Shen then settles, and Qi comes into harmony. When Shen and Qi are settled and harmonious, Original Qi arrives of its own accord. With Original Qi abundant, the five organs become open and nourished, the hundred vessels circulate, and bodily fluids naturally rise in response. One then no longer craves the five flavors, and hunger and thirst disappear. When cultivation in the Three Fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, where Daoists say Qi gathers within the body—has matured, the body becomes full, Shen is securely stored, and the face becomes like a child’s, preserving youth for a long time.

Cultivating Original Qi can transform Qi into blood and blood into marrow. The scripture says: in the first year, Qi is renewed; in the second, blood; in the third, the vessels; in the fourth, the flesh; in the fifth, the marrow; in the sixth, the sinews; in the seventh, the bones; in the eighth, the hair; and in the ninth, the body’s form is transformed. After this, one may extend one’s life by tens of thousands of years and be called an “Immortal.” Nine years of cultivation refine Qi into bodily form; this is called becoming a “Perfected Person.” Refining bodily form back into Qi, and Qi into Shen, is called becoming a “Supreme Person.”

The Scripture of the Immortals says that Shen constantly cares for people, but people do not cherish Shen. Shen cares for people by using the human body to nurture the spirit. If a person commits violent and evil acts, the body is harmed and ruined; when the body is ruined, Shen departs. When Shen leaves the body, the person dies. Is this not cause for vigilance? The saying “Not knowing the constant, one acts recklessly and brings calamity” refers to acting without understanding the constant Dao.

The Yellow Emperor sought the Dao from the Sovereign Immortal, who transmitted Daoist teachings. The Sovereign Immortal asked what he had learned, and the Yellow Emperor listed twelve hundred things. The Sovereign Immortal told him these were only minor details. He then said that anyone seeking long life should understand the “Three Ones.” The “Three Ones” is the opening chapter of the Yellow Register of the August Sovereign. Understanding it can prevent ten thousand kinds of misfortune from coming to harm you.

The most important methods for long life are ingesting Original Qi, practicing embryonic breathing, protecting the body’s inner spiritual fluid, and cultivating such superior medicines as the Golden Elixir. Birds, beasts, and insects that hibernate through winter preserve their lives without eating; they do so by relying on their breathing as they await Original Qi. Once you have mastered the practice of regulating the breath, you can learn to swallow Qi: close the mouth and guide it with the mind, moving Qi with a gentle effort, as though swallowing food. When swallowing saliva or Qi, do so just as you would swallow food, and visualize it entering the kidneys.

Enter the Gate of Destiny (Mingmen), an acupoint in the lower back, and travel upward along the spine into the Palace of the Brain, where the vital spirit resides. Then send the breath downward until it reaches below the navel.

The Five Stars and the five internal organs are interconnected and correspond to one another inside and out. Each is governed and linked by its own Original Qi, the body’s inherent vital energy. Original Qi can circulate anywhere; there is nowhere it cannot reach. If an illness occurs somewhere inside or outside the body, one can visualize the five colors associated with Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, then focus the mind on the afflicted area according to the Five Phases’ cycles of generation and control. It is said that this can bring a swift recovery.

There is also a remarkable method. The six syllable practices—he, si, hu, chui, xu, and xi—are often discussed as a way to cultivate health through different sounds coordinated with breathing. Yet they are less effective against various illnesses than the two kinds of breath, cool and warm. Breathe calmly and slowly. After some time, hold the breath until it grows warm, then swallow it. This is called “warm breath” and can treat deficiency-cold. If, just after regulating the breath, you swallow it while it is still full, this is called “cool breath” and can treat deficiency-heat. In either case, adjust the practice according to the illness.

Sometimes, when you are ill, exhaling with a he sound ten to thirty times is enough to bring results. The poison of alcohol and food will also be expelled with the breath. If you can devote yourself to taking in and refining Original Qi, you must also concentrate on the One—the Daoist practice of gathering the spirit and keeping it unified—and pray for this purpose. Then you can shine as brightly as the sun and moon.

Heaven attains the One and becomes clear. Here, “Heaven” refers to the Mudball Palace in the head, which contains the Twin Fields Palace and the Purple Palace, also known as the Palace of the Brain. Within it are the three palaces of the Elixir Field, the Grotto Chamber, and the Bright Hall. They are the abode of the One Spirit of the upper region, whose names are Red Child, Lord of the Emperor, and Primordial First. By regularly visualizing these spirit names, you can sharpen your hearing and sight, clear the breath in your nose, and fill the brain with Qi.

Earth attains the One and becomes tranquil. Here, “Earth” refers to the Sea of Qi in the navel, where breath gathers below the navel. It too contains the three palaces of the Elixir Field, the Grotto Chamber, and the Bright Hall. They are the abode of the Three Ones of the lower region, whose names are Infant, Primordial Yang, and Profound Valley. By visualizing these spirit names over a long period, you will have abundant saliva in your mouth, a full abdomen, and a calm, undeluded mind, and you will naturally become attuned to the spirits.

The spirit attains the One and becomes numinous. Here, the spirit is governed by the heart. The heart is like an emperor, overseeing changes in the vital spirit and its responses. It is neither existent nor nonexistent, neither emptiness nor form; it can move from the coarse to the subtle, and from the ordinary to the sacred. The heart’s dwelling is called the Crimson Palace. It too contains the three palaces of the Elixir Field, the Grotto Chamber, and the Bright Hall, where the Three Ones reside. Their names are Perfected Person, Child Elixir, and Firm Light. By continually visualizing these spirit names, the Imperial One, the chief spirit who commands the others, will never leave your side, and body and mind will be at peace. Even if a blade is brought close, just think of the One, and the One Spirit will come to your aid and protect you from harm. This is no empty claim.

There are nine spirits in the three Elixir Fields. Each is about three inches tall, dressed in vermilion robes, wearing a vermilion crown and a vermilion headcloth…

During practice, sit before a golden couch or jade bed, facing a small table and a golden furnace. Often visualize and hold in mind the gods according to their forms.

The “One” is said to be nine fen tall in a man’s body and six fen tall in a woman’s body. Both should be held in mind.

The Original Mandate is the Original Qi. Human life cannot exist without Qi; without it, life cannot be sustained. Use the Dao to strengthen the Original Qi and methods to preserve life, and the body, spirit, and Qi can endure.

The gods within my life are the Three-One Gods in the three Dantian (energy centers)—the upper, middle, and lower. Their forms and shadows, radiant essence, and complexion, along with all thirty-six thousand gods, answer to the Emperor One. The Emperor One divides into two: Yang Qi transforms into the Original Dragon, and Yin Qi into the Jade Maiden.

A formula says: “Where Qi is, spirit arises. When spirit is present, Qi gathers; when spirit departs, Qi disperses.” If you can hold these spirits in mind and thereby guard the Original Qi, Qi too will transform into spirit, and spirit into Qi. At this stage of practice, when Qi gathers, it becomes forms and shadows, radiant essence, and complexion; when Qi disperses, it becomes clouds and mists, wind and rain. When Qi issues from the body, its transformations are manifold; when drawn back within, it returns to reality. Rising, it condenses into the Three Origins—the Qi of the upper, middle, and lower regions; descending, it brings forth the myriad things. In stillness, it works within me and becomes my body; in motion, it functions and becomes my spirit. How form and spirit respond to one another depends entirely on how they are used; how spirit and Qi transform depends entirely on what is held in mind.

The Scripture of the Three Origins says: the god of the Upper Origin is named Yuanzhong, the god of the Middle Origin is named Huandan, and the god of the Lower Origin is named Zi’an. These gods, too, should be held in focused contemplation, just as one holds in mind the Three-One and the Nine Gods. The same applies in every circumstance—whether entering or leaving, walking, standing, sitting, or rising. To hold them in mind with concentrated attention is subtle and profound: this is one of the Dao’s most secret methods.