《雲笈七籤》Vol. 62

Yunji Qiqian, Volume 62 (Part Two)

Various Masters’ Qi Methods

Preface to the Oral Transmission Methods of Old Wang of Taiqing

The oral formulas in this scroll were all transmitted by Old Wang Tuokong of the Yang household. At the time, no one knew how old Tuokong Old Wang was; people only saw him come and go freely, sometimes appearing and sometimes vanishing. Sometimes he would manifest death before people and then immediately appear elsewhere. Several times in the human world he shed his body and departed like a cicada molting its shell, so people of the time called him “Tuokong Old Wang.” He often went to the Yang household and called himself by the surname Wang, but no one knew where he came from.

Whenever he met someone with the aspiration to cultivate the Dao, he would transmit these teachings, saying: “If secret and wondrous methods are transmitted to unsuitable people, the transmitter will bring disaster upon himself.” The learning described in this scroll has a sequence of earlier and later stages; it is an oral formula transmitted to those with aspiration, not a method that beginners can practice directly. For learners, at the beginning one must also attend to the regulation of food and drink. Food and drink are mentioned repeatedly in the text because secret methods such as ingesting Qi (fuqi, cultivating through regulating the breath and drawing in Qi) especially require cooperation with fasting, so that the Qi of grains is completely cut off. If one can practice this method single-mindedly, one will understand that ascending into the immortal Dao is not far away.

On Obstructions and Knots

Ordinary people have three obstructions in the abdomen. The first is below the heart. Beginners who ingest Qi all feel fullness below the heart and in the stomach; if they eat somewhat less, then after practicing for a long time they will feel the Qi passing downward.

The second is below the “Shengzang” (the “living store”). When Qi reaches here, one feels fullness in the intestines; after long practice, one feels the Qi reach the navel.

The third is in the lower Dantian (the cultivation site in the lower abdomen). If one can firm one’s resolve and make this area unobstructed, only then does one begin to feel Qi circulating throughout the body. As Qi gradually circulates in the body and enters the “Jiu” (here referring to the Jiuwei, or “dove’s tail,” area at the front of the chest), if one feels Qi issuing outward from the Jiuwei area, it can be used to heal others.

Methods for Beginners

When first beginning to practice, one must make the body stable, stay in a quiet place, settle the breath, clarify the mind, and practice with focused attention and care. After long practice, even when Qi enters the intestines, one can continue while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, and one need not be troubled by wherever one happens to be.

When first ingesting Qi, during inhalation hold the breath for a short while until one feels somewhat congested or full; during exhalation, first breathe out about two-thirds, then pause and swallow the Qi. After swallowing, practice in this way again until one feels the Qi filling the intestines; then stop.

For beginners, the Qi has not yet entered the Dantian and is easily scattered and lost. One should find a way to make the Qi enter the Dantian; even if one does not continue ingesting Qi, the Qi will not scatter. The “four times” mentioned here refer to morning, evening, and the Zi hour,....

The wu hour is midday. If you feel fullness and pressure in the chest, simply chew a little licorice and cassia twig, and the fullness will disperse. When the Dantian (the internal-alchemical site in the lower abdomen) is not yet full, there will likewise be no fullness or pressure. When original Qi descends, there will naturally be a slight fullness and pressure. This method should be kept secret; do not casually transmit it to unsuitable people.

When first learning Qi ingestion (a Daoist health-cultivation term for swallowing and guiding breath by specific methods), practice four times a day and night: once in the morning and once in the evening; at midnight and midday practice only the supine posture. In the supine posture, use a low pillow, lie on your back, draw the legs up with the knees together, place the hands beside the ribs, and then swallow Qi ten times; the Qi will fill the Dantian. Pause a while; after swallowing, use intention to transport the Qi to Jiuzhong (as in the original; the precise location is unclear).

In the prone posture, press the abdomen flat against the bed, use intention to support the chest, keep the hands and feet together and stretched out against the bed, and then swallow Qi ten times. With each swallow, use intention to guide the breath downward along the spine and through the internal organs.

Prone and Supine Methods

When ingesting Qi each morning and evening, first practice the prone posture, then the supine posture. With each swallow of Qi, make a sound one swallow at a time; following the sound, use intention to send the Qi into the Dantian and guide it downward along the spine—also making the sound. If you can master this method of vocalization, ten swallows in each posture will suffice; if you cannot vocalize, even thirty or fifty swallows will not be enough. You must learn to vocalize; otherwise it is merely wasted effort.

When swallowing Qi, swallow from deep in the throat; do not swallow too shallowly, or it will cause coughing.

Between each swallow of Qi, leave an interval of ten breaths; an interval of five breaths is also acceptable. Pause, relax, and proceed calmly; there is no need to use deliberate force. If you swallow too shallowly, you may cough immediately.

When swallowing Qi, do not swallow saliva along with it; you should swallow dry. If saliva is produced in between, swallow it separately; swallowing saliva should also be coordinated with exhalation. If coordinated with inhalation, it is feared that wind will be generated and enter the body, so be sure to pay attention.

When first receiving instruction in the Qi-ingestion method, one must recite the invocation formula (a ritual blessing or incantation). After mastering it, there is no need to recite invocations when circulating Qi normally on your own; but when treating illness for others, you should recite invocations.

Other Methods of Qi Ingestion

Beyond the four daily practice sessions, if at other times you feel a lack of Qi in the abdomen or insufficient physical strength, you may swallow Qi as you wish, with no limit on the number of times.

When you first begin ingesting Qi, the Qi is not yet stable and often leaks downward from the internal organs. You should find a way to stabilize the Qi, prevent it from leaking downward, and use intention to disperse and guide it.

When first ingesting Qi, your state of mind must be calm and open, free of doubt, fear, worry, and panic; if fear arises in the mind, the Qi will be difficult to move.

When practicing Qi ingestion, if the four limbs are harmonious and comfortable, one should feel joyful and content, not envy other things. As days pass, the mood will become increasingly cheerful.

During Qi ingestion, do not think about eating; keep the mind calm and free of distracting thoughts—this is appropriate. If you suddenly crave food, restrain yourself, but do not do so with resistance or agitation, for that will disturb the spirit. When thirsty, you may boil a Bili decoction (Bili is a plant that climbs and grows on rock walls; the text says its roots or fruit can be used), add a little ginger, bring to a boil once or twice, and drink a bowl to quench thirst. You may also drink ginger-honey decoction. If you can restrain your appetite, even when facing a table full of rich food all day, you will not be tempted.

As long as you do not miss the proper times for Qi ingestion, the Dantian (the area below the abdomen, where traditional health practices say Qi gathers) will remain full. Even when going out to attend to matters, do not interrupt the practice. After practicing for a long time and becoming accustomed to it, occasionally missing one or two sessions will do no harm.

Once Qi ingestion is mastered, even if you do not specifically practice it for a whole day, the Qi within the body will naturally be sufficient; its wonders are inexhaustible.

If Qi ingestion can keep the Dantian below the navel constantly full, then you may shout, read aloud, or talk with people all day without feeling a decrease in strength; walking about will not cause fatigue or slackness.

When first learning Qi ingestion, the Qi is not yet stable; do not overexert yourself, or you will damage your strength. You should often take short walks to let the Qi move downward—this is very beneficial.

After mastering Qi ingestion, if you wish to eat, you may do so as usual, and eating will not hinder the Qi. Even after a full meal, when you swallow Qi, sounds will still arise in the abdomen until the Qi descends below the navel. Once you reach this stage, it is fine to practice Qi movement while eating.

When first beginning Qi ingestion, if you wish to use Qi movement to expel all feces from the abdomen, you should temporarily refrain from eating; continuing for over twenty days is better. If you start eating right away, it will be difficult to achieve the desired effect.

During Qi ingestion, drinking a little wine each day is also acceptable. If you crave food, a small amount of ginger-honey will settle it, but do not take much. Ideally, you can avoid all kinds of food; if your intention is sincere, you will resonate with the divine and have nothing to fear.

During Qi ingestion, even if you feel discomfort in the body or chest, do not treat it as some other illness; with prolonged Qi practice, it will gradually dissipate.

When first starting Qi ingestion, the urine may be yellow or reddish; do not be alarmed—after long practice, its color will naturally return to normal.

When first learning Qi ingestion, do not eat fruit, to avoid abdominal discomfort and to prevent residue from accumulating and hindering the movement of Qi. At this time, keep the abdomen as empty and clean as possible so that Qi can flow freely.

As long as one can endure and persist in practice, one will gradually notice a difference in one’s mental state, and the four limbs will grow stronger day by day. After practicing for a long time, one will feel the spirit clear and the Qi refreshed, in a way that is difficult to describe. If one practices circulating Qi (xingqi—guiding the movement of Qi within the body) over the long term, the eyes seem able to discern good and evil; by observing a person’s exterior, one can understand their interior. If one devotes oneself to practice for twenty-one days, one can then see inwardly into one’s own stomach and intestines, clearly and distinctly, and remember them in the mind. Only through persistent practice can one gradually accomplish this at first; when practice becomes proficient, one may even clearly see inwardly the Five Viscera (the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys in traditional Chinese medicine), and the subtle wonder of this is hard to put into words. If one can firmly practice circulating Qi, the skin and flesh will not waste away, nor will the body become emaciated; if the method is improper, or the will is not firm, one may appear thin and weak.

In ordinary people, original Qi (yuanqi)—the fundamental Qi that sustains life activity—often scatters out through the mouth and nose. Now one should find a way to keep it from leaking outward and let the Dantian below the navel (the area below the navel where Qi is gathered in traditional cultivation) remain constantly full; in this way, one will not easily feel hungry. If spiritual awareness is clear, then even if one wishes to expel the Qi, one cannot.

Whenever one practices ingesting Qi (fuqi)—a cultivation method that uses breathing to nurture, absorb, and circulate Qi—if the Dantian becomes full and one feels blocked or oppressed, one should move the Qi so that it disperses through the four limbs and the crown of the head. The most important thing is not to let the Qi leave through the mouth and nose. If Qi is lost through the mouth and nose, then even eating many delicacies and drinking many beverages will only weaken the body, invite various diseases, and gradually lead toward death.

Ordinary people who drink wine and eat meat may appear strong for a time, but they easily develop various diseases; when they encounter miasma or gu poison, they are also easily harmed. If one can ingest Qi and practice over the long term, various poisons cannot harm one, and epidemic disease will not infect one. The only fear is that one cannot persist; if one can persist over the long term, one will naturally know its effects.

When first beginning to ingest Qi, one often feels Qi-stifled, and the Qi is also easily discharged from below. When one feels blocked, one should control it and not let the Qi be discharged; then use intention to guide the Qi to disperse, and the blockage will improve.

Right after practicing ingesting Qi, sometimes the Qi rushes upward, as if about to come out through the mouth. At this time one should swallow saliva and fluids to send the Qi down. When swallowing saliva, do not inhale at the same time, lest external Qi enter.

Beginners at ingesting Qi sometimes feel distension and fullness in the stomach and intestines because there is too much Qi; the abdomen churns and rumbles, and one feels unsettled. At this time one should repeatedly use intention to guide the Qi and prompt the accumulated feces in the intestines to be discharged; once the belly is empty, one will become settled. One should repeatedly clear out the feces and keep the belly empty and unobstructed, for then the Qi retained in the body will easily become stable. If the feces have not yet been discharged and the abdomen still churns and feels unsettled, one may also allow one or two bowel movements to make the body more comfortable. Even if Qi is lost because of this, afterward one should continue swallowing Qi to replenish it: for each discharge, replenish once; if there are two, three, or four discharges, one should replenish accordingly by the same number. In short, the key is to keep the Qi in the Dantian sufficient.

When ingesting Qi, after the Qi has circulated throughout the whole body, there is no need to hold the breath, nor is there any need to deliberately visualize; simply, as usual, use intention to guide the Qi…

When you feel hungry, first endure it a while; afterward it will naturally settle. When thirsty, drink water, honey syrup, or Xueli (a plant name; the original does not explain its specific preparation) as you wish. Drinking does no harm. If you feel Qi rushing upward, swallow it down; those able to swallow Qi may also swallow saliva and send it down. Whenever you feel fullness and oppression in the chest and Qi rushing upward from the heart-chest region, handle it in the same way.

For anyone practicing Qi-ingestion (fuqi, a Daoist cultivation method of regulating the body through breathing), it is suitable to take three liang of Sichuan pepper each day. Each time take one ge (an ancient unit of capacity) of Sichuan pepper, clean it, remove the seeds and stems, and take it with wine, water, Xueli drink, or vegetable juice to make it descend. This benefits Qi and can also propel foul matter in the intestines to be expelled. This is what is called the “Four Secrets of Mount Meng” (a secret method referred to in the original).

Methods for Identifying the Number of Turns in the Intestines

When swallowing Qi while lying face up, send the Qi into the zichang and then move it to Jiuzhong (a term in the original; the body part indicated is unclear); when swallowing Qi while bending forward, move the Qi so that it comes out from the shucang (a term in the original; what it specifically refers to is unclear). People have shucang and shengcang. Only after Qi has circulated for one month does it begin to enter the coiled intestines, where it makes faint sounds and turns around the intestines.

It is said that people whose intestines have more coils and turns are of superior grade. A sage’s intestines have twelve turns; those with fewer than twelve, or with ten, nine, seven, five, three, or two turns, are classified as “base people.” People with thick and short intestines are clever but lack wisdom; thickness corresponds to cleverness, length to wisdom. Long intestines are to be preferred; if the intestines are short and also narrow, they do not belong to this category.

Those with long intestines easily retain Qi firmly; those with short intestines do not easily retain Qi firmly.

When first practicing Qi-ingestion, if the intestines churn and make sounds, you should lie on your right side on the bed, support your head with the right hand, and with the left hand pull the left foot so that the left leg is bent; keep the body straight and the right leg also extended. Swallow Qi, causing it to enter the right leg and then come out from the intestines. Afterward you can practice Qi circulation for long periods. Each time Qi moves downward, if it makes a sound, the sound will travel around the coils; you can note for yourself the number of bends it has passed. If the sound flows faintly and indistinctly, it indicates that Qi is moving smoothly.

In people’s intestines there are also four edges and nodal divisions, twenty-four in all. When practicing Qi circulation over a long time, each time Qi moves downward you will feel it pass through one nodal division, and you can note the number of passages yourself.

Original Qi and external Qi are not mixed together. If you swallow raw Qi (shengqi), after a short while it will leak out below and cannot remain in the intestines.

A worthy person’s large intestine has twelve segments and small intestine has twenty-four segments; a superior person’s large intestine has nine segments and a middling person’s large intestine has seven segments. Whenever Qi passes through a segment, you can be aware of it; when it reaches a segment, you must move Qi to make it pass through. When washing the intestines, drink more liquid.

Ten Matters of Qi-Ingestion

In all, Qi-ingestion comprises ten matters. As it is said, “The heart is Shen-Qi, the liver is forbidden Qi…”.

The lungs govern killing Qi, the spleen governs Dao Qi, and the kidneys govern original Qi (yuan Qi); these forms of Qi (vital energy) are further divided into Yang Qi and Yin Qi.

Harmonious Qi, external ingestion of Qi, and internal ingestion of Qi are together called the “Ten Matters.” What is usually called swallowing Qi today is only the single item of internal ingestion of Qi. As for external ingestion of Qi: for example, if someone elsewhere has a swollen, painful left foot, the practitioner performs a prohibition and guides external Qi into his own left foot; it is said that the other person then immediately recovers. This is the so-called “remote prohibition method” (yaojinfa). From this, the mystery involved is difficult to explain.

Whenever one circulates Qi, if the corresponding sensations arise: when Qi is guided to the head, the head becomes hot; when Qi is guided to the feet, the same applies. If one first circulates Yang Qi, the feet feel cold and only afterward begin to grow hot. Why is this? Because Yang Qi drives Yin Qi out, so this change occurs. If one first circulates Yin Qi, then Yang Qi is first expelled from the feet; the feet become hot as if on fire, and only afterward feel cold. The same can be inferred for other parts of the body. If one can guide Qi into the head, one may avoid emaciation of the face.

The above are nine items.

The rules for practicing ingestion of Qi must first be understood, and their essentials grasped; after long practice, one will naturally gain something. After the food in the abdomen has been completely digested, in no more than about twenty-one days one can grasp the key points. If one practices while also eating, progress seems somewhat slower. The grain Qi in the abdomen should be exhausted only after forty days, and possibly later; after a bowel movement, one can observe for oneself. If pus, blood, or black or yellow matter is discharged, it indicates that the grain Qi has been completely eliminated. If such matter has not yet been discharged, the Qi cannot circulate throughout the whole body.

On New Year’s Eve, prepare pure food and drink, wine, roe deer meat, dried venison, and the like; set out the offerings in a place where no one is present, make four bows, and recite the invocation seven, fourteen, or twenty-one times. The invocation says:

“Wu ni po di, wu ni ju sha di, duo xie wu ni, gui po pi ... neng chi ... po sha he.”

Beneath “gui po pi” the phonetic gloss reads “pi, two qie”; another character in the invocation is missing from the original text. After the ritual, eat the offerings; whatever is not finished should be thrown into water flowing eastward.

Within fifteen days of circulating Qi, one may allow Qi to exit from the head and hands; after fifteen days, it exits from the soles of both feet. In ordinary Qi circulation, first exhale; Qi goes out with the exhalation, and when it has been completely expelled, hold the breath and cause the Qi to reach its utmost, not letting Qi enter again; then swallow the Qi. Those with strong constitutions will feel more Qi doing this; ordinary people will feel less. After about three or four times, one can sit or lie down without feeling hungry.

Lie on the right side against the bed, straighten the right foot, and curl up ...

With the left knee and left hand both grasping the right knee, do this four or five times in succession. When you feel that less force is needed, lie down with the left side of the body against the ground and continue as before for a while; then lie face up, grasp both knees with both hands, and then grasp each knee with the corresponding left or right hand, exerting a little force, with the rest of the procedure the same as before.

All these movements should be done with the pillow raised. If the purpose is to treat illness or the like, you may adjust according to your own condition. If you wish thereby to promote the expulsion of food, perform these movements together and take care to keep the body steady. When the breath reaches its limit, ordinarily observe the breath while lying face up; when you feel the breath is level with the positions of the heart and spleen, stop.

If after eating one’s fill one then practices ingesting Qi (vital energy)—a cultivation method of regulating the breath and swallowing Qi—the abdomen will become weak; if the belly bulges, it will feel distended and full. After roughly two or three times, lie down; decide the exact number yourself. Observe the breath; when the breath has gone out to its limit, hold the breath and do not inhale. After a while, the Qi will rush to the head, and the head will feel hotter; at this point panting will appear in the nose.

From the first to the fifteenth of each month, use the left side; from the sixteenth to the end of the month, use the right side. With this method, when you feel cold, use hot Qi, and cold cannot invade you; when you feel hot, use cold Qi, and heat cannot invade you. When you feel hot, use the warming method; when you feel cold, use the cooling method. If you practice the warming method but cannot achieve a sensation of heat, guide the inhalation; inhalation naturally becomes cool, and only when exhaling does it begin to produce heat. Push the inhaled breath to its limit and still cannot produce heat—this is our school’s own method.

The left side belongs to the Liver; Liver Qi manifests as green, so the left side should be coordinated with green Qi. The right side belongs to the Lungs; Lung Qi manifests as white, so the right side should be coordinated with white Qi. When Qi rises, the orifices close; when Qi descends, the orifices open. While the orifices are open, swallow the Qi; this will naturally cause the stool to be completely evacuated.

In ordinary Qi circulation, wait until the panting has exhaled the breath completely, then hold the breath and let the Qi become hot; do not inhale again, and then swallow the Qi. People with strong bodies may do more; three or four times is sufficient. When the breath has gone out to its limit, hold the breath and do not inhale. After a while, the Qi will rush to the head, heat will appear in various places, and afterward panting will appear in the nose.

The earlier mention that beginners ingest Qi and take various decoctions is because beginners’ Qi is unstable in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers; the three places where Qi is stored in Daoism), and often flows out in reverse or causes distension and fullness in both flanks; therefore medicine is used to regulate and disperse the breath. Some also believe that because beginners are physically weak, taking tonic medicine can assist cultivation of the Dao (the Way) or can increase strength.

However, while one may take it when beginning, in the long run it is always better not to take medicine. For example, an infant in the womb is peaceful and still—what medicine has it ever taken? Some say that cultivating the Dao requires taking medicine, but they have not yet grasped the deeper meaning. This matter must be carefully considered. In short, one should be like an infant…

Handle everything else in the same way. Do not let your mind go astray; be especially cautious, otherwise you will enter heterodox paths.

The invocations in the formula were added by later people; the ancient text does not contain them. Elder Wang’s reply was already detailed. Since I have come again to ask, if he were not someone who had attained the Dao, how could he have reached such a state? It is truly excellent, truly excellent. This can be called the way of unobstructed primordial Qi and deathlessness—what is there still to doubt?

With the qi of cold and heat, by applying qi methods one can obtain such effects. The key to practice lies in oral formulas, which cannot be transmitted through pen and ink. As for the “five penetrations” and abilities such as knowledge of others’ minds, so long as one practices continuously, the Three Corpses (in Daoism, spirits said to lodge in the human body and hinder cultivation) will naturally be removed. Once the Three Corpses are removed, how could the five penetrations be distant or difficult to attain? These principles can be comprehended within the mind.

In cultivation, contact with death qi and filth is taboo. The Huangting Neijing Jing says: “Mysterious Origin True One: when the hun and po are refined to the utmost, avoid death qi and all vile impurities.” To avoid these is best; if one truly cannot avoid them, then after contact, visualize in the mind one’s own fire qi rising from the crown of the head and burning throughout the whole body. Then take four liang of peach bark and one jin of bamboo leaves, boil them in water to make a decoction, and use it for bathing; this too can remove impurity. At the moment of first contact with filth, one should also hold the breath.

If one can hold the breath and regulate breathing as when wading into deep water, one has already obtained the protection of Dao qi, and fish and dragons cannot harm you. When cultivators enter water without fear of flood dragons, this is what is meant; there is no need to rely on external forces. Nowadays people often see with their own eyes things shaped like ghosts and spirits. Once qi penetrates, the mind aligns with the right Dao, and ghosts and spirits cannot conceal their traces—this is a natural principle, nothing strange. Just stabilize and concentrate the mind, turn the gaze inward, do not grasp, and do not proclaim it; then naturally one can subdue all demonic obstacles. Whether one attains these states does not depend on one or two specific matters.

The methods of immortals are no different from what is described here. In cultivation one should concentrate the thoughts, stabilize the body, regulate the breath and calm the qi, making the breath long, fine, and slow; then spirit and qi naturally become stable. In this way one can be free of all illnesses and long preserve life without death. This is the method of stabilizing body and mind, advancing one’s Dao practice, and transcending the mundane world.

Shenxi Method (Spirit-Breath Method)

The so-called Shenxi method is to observe the inner mind and not follow external things; once a thought stirs, cultivation goes wrong. When one observes with the mind, qi naturally will not stagnate; when one employs the breath, the mind should not move rashly. These two practices, mind and qi, depend on each other, like lips and teeth. Why say they cannot correspond? One should think this over carefully and not harbor doubts.

If you wish to conceal your form and hide your traces, you should diligently practice this method, causing the body to shed its ordinary mortal form, refining and transforming the sinews and bones, and merging with emptiness. In this way, whatever you encounter you can respond to freely; even mountains, rivers, and stone walls cannot block you. This is an inevitable principle.

All the above oral instructions have a definite sequence of study. The content discussed here is not suitable for beginners; it is for those who have already entered the gate to practice. At the beginning of study, one must first attend to both diet and fuqi (Qi-ingestion); diet has been repeatedly mentioned above because the key to fuqi lies in gradually cutting off food so that grain Qi is completely eliminated. In this way, a person can rise and ascend to the heights, and will not be far from the immortal path.

Methods of Question and Answer on Fuqi (Qi-Ingestion)

Someone asked: If the heart and abdomen are uncomfortable, or one suffers from dysentery, what should be done when practicing fuqi?

Answer: As long as one can fast and ingest Qi, these illnesses will heal in no more than a few days.

Another asked: If there is discomfort in the heart and abdomen or illness, and one needs to stop dysentery, or wants to make the body cool or hot, can this be regulated by fuqi? I dare not conceal it—I truly do not yet understand—and I hope you will transmit all these methods to me.

Answer: The raw viscera are above the spleen, and the cooked viscera are below the spleen, near the spine. The terms “raw viscera” and “cooked viscera” are names used in this set of fuqi oral instructions for the positions of the internal organs in the body. Breath runs up and down along the spine and passes through the cooked viscera. When swallowing Qi, one should tilt the head back and visualize water being expelled upward and food being expelled downward; according to the oral instructions, the food viscus is on the right and the water viscus is on the left. After swallowing Qi over a long time, the Qi will naturally reach the place called “Jiu.” Here “Jiu” is a cultivation term used in the original text, and what it specifically refers to is unclear. Even if at that moment the swallowed Qi has not yet reached there, at the fifth watch each day there should still be some response, as the body naturally becomes alert when encountering an enemy.

When performing the “Cover” (fu) visualization, one should visualize Qi moving downward along the spine, and only use intention to sense the area of the abdomen near the spine, as if following a sound as it moves there; do not visualize Qi entering the cooked viscera, but let it go downward from the right side. Here “swallowing Qi” and “cover visualization” are both methods of breath and intention in fuqi cultivation.

If the swallowed Qi has already become full and cannot be controlled when it is discharged downward, there is no need to force yourself to hold it back; this is not a problem, nor will it cause abscesses to remain in the body.

As for visualizing Qi being expelled from the top of the head and the four limbs, after long practice one will naturally become aware of it; merely visualization is enough. When swallowing Qi, as long as the Qi in the Dantian (energy center) stirs and feels as if it is making a “peng peng” sound, that is sufficient; even if the chest has not yet become full, it is also acceptable. If one wants the chest to feel full, it is enough to swallow more Qi.

Someone asked: How can fuqi be made as natural as eating? Can beginners only practice this way at first, and after a long time be able to make it like eating? Will visualizing Qi circulating to the top of the head and the four limbs cause obstruction?

Answer: It will not cause obstruction. At the beginning, simply let the Qi circulate and allow it to arrive naturally; there is no need to deliberately use intention to guide Qi to some place. Once Qi has circulated throughout the whole body, it can stop; there is no need to manipulate it further. In daily activities, if you feel that the Qi is insufficient, swallow Qi again; there is no need to wait for a specific time.

After long-term practice of circulating Qi, only once the breath and Qi move smoothly should one begin to learn to use Qi to heal oneself or others. At the beginning, how can one achieve results? One may close the eyes and look inwardly into the intestines to observe whether the feces have been completely eliminated. Feces in the intestines are very difficult to purge completely; usually it takes more than twenty days of fasting.

At the very beginning of fasting, within the first three-seven (twenty-one) days, one should eat one or two additional meals of boiled vegetables to help expel accumulated feces. For each meal one may eat a bowl of alfalfa, mustard greens, ginger, manjing, songcai, or wujing. Boil the vegetables and take the broth; if it tastes too bitter, a small amount of oil or shortening may be added, and a little salt or sauce may also be used for flavor, but do not add rice, flour, or other staple foods. The purpose is to exhaust the grain Qi in the intestines. After eating vegetables for four or five days, one may drink only the vegetable broth; after a few more days, one should stop eating completely. Thereafter one may drink a small amount of wine as one pleases. Once the intestines are empty, drink one round of wine to cause the phlegm in the chest to be vomited out; this is considered very effective.

Gupo’s Essential Instructions on the Personal Practice of Ingesting Qi: Questions and Answers (Questions and answers when Gupo transmitted the essential instructions on ingesting Qi; this method is said to have been transmitted from the household of Li Ye, and Gupo was Li Ye’s grandaunt.)

Question: The text says that after eating one must completely eliminate the feces; if one wants to use Qi to move the bowels, how should one do it?

Answer: According to the teaching, the intestines have previously been washed clean and one has not eaten for a long time. If under special circumstances one must use Qi to move the bowels immediately after eating, one should know that the so-called shengzang (raw store) is above the spleen, and the shuzang (cooked store) is below the spleen. When swallowing Qi, let the Qi move downward from the shengzang, pass through the shuzang, and the feces can then be completely eliminated. If there is no need for the food to be transformed into feces, it should be expelled immediately; food expelled in this way will not change color. After the food has been expelled, one may drink a bowl of Xueli beverage (a type of drink) to wash the stomach and intestines, keeping the intestines constantly clean so that Qi moves easily.

Question: The text says that when it is not necessary to let Qi be exhaled through the mouth and nose, one should hold the Qi, without limiting the time; if Qi is exhaled from other parts of the body, what should be done?

Answer: The methods of holding Qi, internal breathing, and washing the stomach and intestines have already been briefly described above. As long as the grain Qi is exhausted and the intestines are empty, hold the Qi and make it warm within the body, and do not allow external Qi to enter. Breathing through the nose will still occur; after practicing the method of holding Qi for a long time, one will naturally understand it.

Question: How can blocked places be opened?

Answer: According to the teachings on ingesting Qi, if one wants Qi to move quickly and smoothly without obstruction, one must eat nothing at all, so that the swallowed Qi can enter the small intestine. After about a month, Qi begins to enter the coiled intestines. The more times the coiled intestines turn, the higher the level of attainment; sages can reach twelve turns, while those below have ten turns, nine turns, seven turns, five turns, or three turns, two turns…

This type of breathing-regulation method (a practice of cultivating through regulating the breath and guiding Qi) emphasizes following the natural momentum in moving Qi: when Qi should go upward, guide it upward; when it should go downward, guide it downward; and when it should go left or right, move it accordingly. The manner of moving Qi can be handled flexibly, but after long practice it will naturally become increasingly unobstructed. These subtle oral instructions are difficult to explain completely in writing.

Someone asks: I often feel that my eyes are dim, as if separated by several layers of gauze; but after leading Qi into the head and eyes, my vision becomes especially bright. What is this about?

Answer: The dimness before the eyes, like being separated by gauze, occurs because the movement of Qi is not yet sufficiently solid. One need only lead Qi into the head and then into the eyes, letting it pass through the chest and pour into the liver; the eyes will then become bright, and their radiance will differ from that of ordinary people.

Someone asks: Nowadays, by ingesting internal Qi (a cultivation method of absorbing Qi through the breath) and causing original Qi (the root Qi of the human body) to circulate within the body, Qi seems to pass through everywhere, and one does not feel hungry or thirsty; there are also people who can make internal Qi penetrate through on their own. This method cannot be explained hastily—why is that?

Answer: In practicing Qi-ingestion, one must let Qi circulate within the body. If one does not eat, the stagnant accumulations in the intestines are completely discharged, and Qi then moves easily. If one can patiently persist for a period of time, one will feel a change in one’s mental state, and the body will grow stronger day by day. After the intestines are clear, one can close the eyes and look inward, clearly seeing the respective locations of the five viscera. After that, one can settle the Shen and guard the intention, so that the Shen of the five viscera continuously protect the body.

It is said that people who practice Qi over the long term can discern good and evil from another person’s eyes and understand inner conditions from outward appearance; after long practice, they can even command the Shen of the five viscera to heal others. When the internal breath method (a cultivation method for making the breath subtle, deep, and long) has been practiced for a long time, one can maintain it for a relatively long period. If one also drinks wine, however, the internal breath is difficult to achieve. These profound points cannot be explained hastily.

Someone asks: If one directs intention and Qi toward an old affected area for three to five days in succession, will the illness definitely be cured?

Answer: The method of healing illness is this: if there is pain in the intestines or limbs, then according to the method of moving Qi, lead Qi to the affected area and imagine Qi concentrated in attacking the diseased site; the illness will then disperse. One must believe in one’s heart and not doubt. Someone, ever since beginning the practice of Qi-ingestion, has cured both jie illness (a type of periodic fever like malaria) and beriberi. When first using Qi to attack an illness, if five-colored pus-like substances are discharged, do not be afraid; this is the sign, as the books say, of pathogenic evil being expelled.

Someone asks: If one wants to gain weight, moving Qi can make one gain weight; if one wants to lose weight, how should one move Qi?

Answer: If one wants to lose weight, circulate original Qi and cause it to enter the head; the body will then become extremely thin and withered.

Again someone asks: To wear a single garment in winter and still not feel cold, how should one move Qi?

Answer: First circulate Yang Qi, and you will feel the feet become extremely cold; only afterward does heat begin. This is because Yang Qi has driven Yin Qi out from the feet…

When some people practice fuqi (consuming Qi—the Daoist health-cultivation methods of breathing and daoyin, or guiding-and-pulling exercises), they first feel chilly, then turn hot; this is Yang Qi arriving and gradually circulating through the whole body, making one feel warmly suffused, as if in spring.

Someone asks: Starting in the eighth and ninth months, when the drum sounds I begin to circulate Qi. In cold weather my face and neck itch unbearably, and when I scratch with my hand, hives-like red rashes immediately appear where I scratched; the feet and lower legs do the same. Why is this?

Answer: The appearance of hives-like rashes in autumn is upright Qi entering the skin and contending with the Qi transformed from food, drink, grain, and water; it may also be that yuan Qi is weak and the wind pathogen between skin and flesh has not yet been expelled. The old saying has it that when first beginning Qi practice one should drink pepper gruel, but here it is best not to drink it. Pepper gruel disturbs heart Qi, causes facial rashes, and is also not clean.

Someone asks: I have constantly swallowed Qi, and by midsummer my whole body breaks out in prickly-heat-like eruptions. Why is this?

Answer: The appearance of this kind of rash in summer is because the body’s fluids derived from the five grains, water, and liquids can breed it. But if one practices Qi on an empty stomach, so that inside and outside the body are empty and loose, how could this illness occur?

Someone asks: If I suddenly contract dysentery, what should I do?

Answer: Dysentery originally comes from food in the stomach and intestines. If one does not eat for a long time, how could there be dysentery? In unavoidable circumstances, after eating, if the food passes out immediately without any change in color, it will not become dysentery. If one eats while practicing Qi and mistakenly eats unsuitable things and contracts dysentery, one should stop eating and use Qi to expel it; then the dysentery will stop.

Someone asks: There is often one strand of Qi in the lower back moving upward and another moving downward. Beginning on the eleventh day of the second month in the eighteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, another strand of Qi has passed from the neck behind the head down to the feet, and another from the crown through the face also down to the feet. Why is this?

Answer: This is a sign that Qi is about to penetrate the meridians. The meridians are very difficult to open completely; if they can be penetrated, Qi will not stagnate.

Someone asks: How do talking, laughing, and weeping affect Qi?

Answer: Joy and anger deplete the hun, and sudden fright depletes the po; those who have attained the Dao do not do such things as weeping. However, as long as yuan Qi and Dantian Qi are sufficient, even reading scriptures all day will not cause fatigue.

Someone asks: Recently my face has often been swollen. What is the cause?

Answer: Facial swelling occurs because diet affects the lungs, phlegm-fluid rushes upward, and the Qi mechanism is blocked and unable to pass. In diet one should especially avoid coriander, rapeseed, Chinese chives, wild scallions, spinach, scallions, and garlic. These are all considered the essence of Wood; they can injure the spleen and stomach and disturb the Qi mechanism, and therefore should not be eaten.

Someone asked: “When summer heat rushes to the head and I feel a stuffiness inside it, how can this be eliminated?”

The answer: “This is caused by the Qi of the Dantian (energy center) being blocked and not circulating freely. One should quickly gather and move the Qi so that the meridians in front and behind become unobstructed; the illness will then naturally disappear.”

Someone asked: “From the tenth day of the tenth month until today, whenever I lie down at the first watch of the night, the Yuzhen (the back of the head) and the nape of my neck itch intensely. Why is this?”

The answer: “It is caused by a wind ailment, a disorder brought on by wind pathogen. So long as you persist in ingesting Qi, after a long time the wind pathogen will disperse and the illness will be cured.”

Someone asked: “When holding the breath to attack an illness, should one first swallow Qi ten times, wait until the small intestine rumbles and feels full, and only then hold the breath and move Qi to attack the illness? Is this correct? Or is there no need at all to swallow Qi, and one may simply hold the breath directly?”

The answer: “Those who practice Qi ingestion should ordinarily keep the Qi of the lower Dantian full; then they hold the breath, concentrate the Qi, and move it to the site of illness. It is not necessary to fix a set number of times for swallowing Qi or holding the breath.”

Someone asked: “In the depth of winter, when wind and snow are severe and the drum is just sounding to urge one to enter court, how should one swallow Qi to withstand the bitter cold and snow?”

The answer: “Simply use the harmonizing Qi, visualize it circulating through the whole body, and wind and snow will be unable to harm you.”

Someone asked: “After swallowing Qi, the small intestine rumbles. At such a time may one go to offer condolences at a funeral or visit the sick? May one weep and sob?”

The answer: “Offering condolences, visiting the sick, and also worry, anger, weeping, and sobbing are all things taboo to Daoists. If one truly cannot avoid going, one may immediately find a quiet room, sit calmly and settle the mind, and use original Qi to expel the bad Qi from the body. After it has been fully expelled, ingest original Qi according to the method so that the Qi becomes full. Once the Qi of the Dantian is full, then move Qi to the four limbs.”

Someone asked: “This year in the tenth month, I went north of Baqiao, to the northeast of Dang, and met a cold wind. At the time my eyes and face swelled; only after a night did the swelling subside. After the winter solstice in the eleventh month, I went to Dang in Yongchong Ward and caught cold; my eyes itched, and when I scratched them with my fingernail, both eyes immediately swelled. When this happens, how can one prevent the eyes from swelling?”

The answer: “Those who ingest Qi ought to live in the mountains and forests; only then is it easy for their cultivation to show results. How could it be that merely meeting the wind at Dang and catching a little cold should bring illness? This is because there was already a good deal of wind ailment in the head and face, and the Qi had not been fully expelled; the wind pathogen still remained in the skin, and so this happened. As soon as the upright Qi begins to circulate and enter the hair, and the old hair falls out and new hair grows, this illness will disappear. If the eyes swell severely, concentrate and move Qi to the liver; when the liver receives upright Qi, the eyes will become bright and will no longer swell or itch.”

“May I ask: after swallowing Qi (vital energy) five or ten times, I feel gurgling in my small intestine. After one practice session, I pat the small intestine for a long time, but the sound still does not stop. How can I make it settle for the whole night and stop making noise?”

Answer: “When you first practice Qi, if you practice only in the morning and evening or at the Zi and Wu hours, the strength of the Qi is often weak and difficult to sustain. Therefore you should persist in practice through all four seasons so that the breath and Qi can continue without interruption. As long as it is not disturbed by the Qi of food and drink, upright Qi (zheng Qi) can remain constantly present.”

“May I ask: when I want to secure the Qi and prevent it from leaking out, should I hold it closed by force? Or should I gradually practice securing the Qi? After forcing it, there is slight pain in the small intestine; what should I do?”

Answer: “When first practicing Qi, it is very difficult to secure it; the Qi often leaks from the ‘familiar stores’ (the organs within the body that have already become familiar with and accustomed to its circulation). Simply use intention to guard it, and do not let the Qi leak out frequently. The slight pain in the small intestine is caused by taking in too much Qi during practice, which generates wind Qi and causes it to enter the abdomen. Whenever you feel slight pain, let some Qi out; then supplement it with new Qi, and it will improve.”

“May I ask: for several years I have often felt itching on my back. At the beginning of the eleventh month this year, the itching on my back stopped by itself and shifted instead to itching on both buttocks, the feet, and the calves. Why is this?”

Answer: “This is a sign that upright Qi has just entered the back and is driving wind pathogens downward. After the wind pathogens are driven to both buttocks, they will continue to be expelled downward until fully cleared; once they are cleared, the illness will heal by itself.”

“May I ask: after the winter solstice, whenever I lie down just after nightfall, I feel Qi gently moving downward from the top of my head to my feet. After midnight, the waist and feet first grow warm, and then this Qi gradually rises again to the top of my head. What is the reason for this?”

Answer: “This is the original Qi (yuan Qi, the root Qi of the human body) just beginning to circulate. You may guide this Qi to circulate throughout the whole body; this is very good.”

“May I ask: sometimes the Qi in my nostrils rushes straight up to my head, and I also feel Qi moving in my face. What is happening?”

Answer: “Qi rushing straight to the head is a sign of reverse Qi flow. When Qi moves from the back toward the front, it is called forward flow; when it moves from the front toward the back, it is called reverse flow.”

“May I ask: when I lie down just after nightfall, lie on my back, and swallow Qi three or five times, both hands immediately grow hot, as if hot Qi is emerging. In a moment the whole body, from head and face down to the feet, becomes hot, and the hot Qi moves continuously, like the warm vapor rising from roof tiles and the ground after a spring rain. The buttocks, the bends and creases of the body, and the heels also grow hot; the hot Qi spreads throughout the body and finally seems to disperse outward from the nails of the big toes and the centers of the soles. My left hand also sweats. Why is this?”

Answer: “This is a manifestation of harmonious Qi (he Qi) just beginning to circulate through the meridians and move through the joints and nodal points. As days pass and you continue practicing, it will naturally become increasingly unobstructed. The mystery within this cannot be fully explained in words.”

Someone asked: “Sometimes the back of the head, continuous with the nape, feels cool, and Qi (vital energy) moves through the body, giving a very comfortable sensation. Why is this?”

Answer: “This is righteous Qi (zhengqi, the proper Qi spoken of in cultivation) moving between the heart and liver. If one feels affected by wind-cold, with symptoms such as nasal congestion, heat in the eyes, or cloudiness of the whites of the eyes, one can apply this Qi, and it is said that one will recover quickly. This method can also be used to treat jaundice, malaria, and the like caused by seasonal epidemics, with very good results.”

Someone asked: “Sometimes warm Qi moves about in the mouth; as soon as it circulates, it enters in front of the teeth, then passes behind the teeth, going past six or seven teeth and repeating more than thirty times, all circulating inside and outside the teeth. Why is this?”

Answer: “This is a sign that the Qi is about to enter the bones. Simply continue practicing firmly; do not be afraid, and do not stop because of it.”

Someone asked: “Sometimes Yuzhen (Jade Pillow, where the back of the head joins the nape), continuous with the nape, emits warm Qi in bursts. Why is this?”

Answer: “This is because there is too much food-and-drink Qi in the Dantian (energy center, the site of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation in the lower abdomen), which obstructs the circulation of righteous Qi. Once the grain in the abdomen is exhausted, the various cultivation methods will easily succeed, and one need not worry about hunger, thirst, weakness, and so on. This method is profound and wondrous; if one further combines it with miscellaneous arts such as healing others, leaping and ascending, and so on, then with long practice, all will ultimately succeed, without doubt.”

The Zhenren (Perfected Person) Elder Wang annotated after the Jing (scripture):

“The Dao (the Way) methods of Taishang (the honorific in Daoism for the highest deity or the supreme Dao) pervade all things, yet among those who study and cultivate, there is hardly one in ten who does not lose the method. If one does not apply effort, the body will decline, and the body left by one’s parents will ultimately be buried in the earth, with bones gnawed by insects and ants—how could this not cause grief?

One method and ten thousand methods are interconnected in principle; there is no need to leaf through various techniques, vainly consuming mind and spirit. As long as one applies effort over the long term, one will naturally reach a subtle and wondrous realm. The Dao method written on paper is like an infant still in the mother’s womb—how could it know to seek out various techniques? This was already explained in detail earlier, but I fear that those cultivating the Dao may still make mistakes and copy down various elixir formulas, so I remind them once again.

The key lies in diligently cultivating the body and single-mindedly maintaining the mind; the essential knack within is extremely subtle. This is the foundation of Taixi (embryonic breathing, the cultivation method that imitates a fetus breathing in the mother’s womb) and also the step by which beginners enter the gate. If someone reads this method but cannot perceive its secret essentials, then there is no way to attain the Dao. Therefore this passage on the essential knack has been appended at the end of the piece. This method must not be lightly transmitted to those who do not cultivate the Dao; otherwise it will surely invite disaster. Be sure to be cautious.”