《孫真人備急千金要方》Vol. 83

When you wake in the morning, do not wash your face with your eyes still closed. This may make your eyes dry and irritated, or even cause blindness and continual tearing. At dawn, speak auspicious words and avoid inauspicious ones. If you hear bad news, spit three times toward the direction it came from; it is said that this can ward off calamity.

Do not become angry, scold, or shout loudly. Do not sigh or sing words such as “What can be done?” All of these are said to invite misfortune. Do not sit with your knees drawn up and your arms crossed over them, and do not let your hair cover your face; these are considered inauspicious postures. Do not point your feet toward a fire, and do not curse at the stove. Whether walking, standing, or sitting, it is considered auspicious to have the sun behind you. Do not sit facing north for a long time, as this is said to invite ill fortune.

When leaving home, often visualize the Kui and Gang stars of the Northern Dipper—the stars that symbolize direction—above your head. This is said to bring good fortune in whichever direction you travel. If you are going to battle, visualize the Dipper’s handle pointing ahead, and you will be able to defeat the enemy. Do not face north when putting on your hat and belt; this is considered inauspicious. Do not spit toward the northwest, lest you offend the spirits represented by the Kui and Gang stars. Do not cough or spit far away, or you may damage your Lung Qi, making your hands and feet feel heavy and your back ache. When coughing or spitting, do not face northwest. Do not urinate or defecate in the northwest.

Do not kill turtles or snakes, and do not stare at the sun or moon with your eyes wide open, or you may go blind. When traveling or riding a horse, do not look back, or your Shen Qi may become dispersed. Do not walk on tiptoe like a ghost. Be cautious when passing a shrine, and do not enter casually. If you do enter, be respectful: do not raise your eyes and look around carelessly, but behave as you would in the presence of an elder. In this way, you may receive the protection of the spirits; otherwise, you will invite misfortune. Do not look back at the shrine as you leave.

If you suddenly see a dragon or snake, do not panic or stare at it. If you suddenly see a ghost or something strange, steady yourself, do not be startled, and recite: “See the strange without being startled, and the strange will undo itself.” The meaning is that if you see something uncanny without fear, it will be unable to cause trouble.

If you meet an exceptionally beautiful woman on the road or in a crowd, do not stare at her or become infatuated. The text says she may be a Chimei, a spirit of the mountains and forests in disguise, who can ensnare a person in infatuation. Be equally cautious in open country and in crowded places.

Some waters contain shashil, tiny aquatic creatures said in ancient times to harm people. Do not bathe there. If you must cross such water, follow closely behind a donkey or horse and hurry across; it is said you will come to no harm. Some places contain shuinu, poisonous aquatic creatures said to be able to shoot and injure people. They strike a person’s shadow and can cause death. Before crossing, first strike the water with something to scatter them, then cross quickly; you will not be injured.

If there is a hole in the mountain…

Collecting precious medicinal herbs is appropriate only in the third and ninth months. In the other months, the mountain’s Qi is blocked. If you hold your breath and have intercourse in the mountains, you may die.

Never look at a corpse on an empty stomach. If the corpse’s foul odor enters your nose, a white coating will form on your tongue, and your breath will often smell bad. If you must look at a corpse, drink wine first; it is said this can ward off poisonous vapors and baleful influences. When walking along a hot road, if you come across river water, do not wash your face with it, or dark spots may appear on your skin.

Nourishment through Sexual Practices, Chapter Eight

A treatise says: Before the age of forty, most people indulge their desires. After forty, they often suddenly feel their strength declining. Once their strength wanes, all kinds of illnesses follow in succession. If these are left untreated for a long time, they can reach a point where they cannot be remedied. Thus Pengzu said, “Using people to nourish people is truly in accord with the Way.” For this reason, once a person reaches forty, they should understand the arts of the bedroom—the methods of regulating sexual activity and cultivating health.

The arts of the bedroom are not actually complicated, but people often fail to follow them. If a person can have intercourse with ten people in one night while still conserving their Jing, they have mastered these arts. Combined with taking medicines throughout the four seasons, this will greatly increase strength and gradually enhance wisdom.

These methods, however, are not written to encourage unrestrained pleasure or the pursuit of momentary gratification. Their purpose is to restrain desire and support health. Nor are they meant to strengthen the body so that one can indulge in women and satisfy one’s lust; they are meant to nourish the body and dispel illness. This is the essential principle of health cultivation through sexual practices. Those who take supplements for the bedroom before the age of forty are, on the contrary, hastening the arrival of misfortune, and must be cautious. Those who have not yet reached forty should not discuss these matters. Taking supplements while desire remains unchecked will deplete the body even faster. In less than half a year, the Jing and marrow may be exhausted, bringing death closer. Young people in particular must be cautious.

After the age of forty, if a person can conserve their Jing and nourish their original Qi without depleting it, they can avoid premature aging. Taking mica, a mineral used in Daoist and traditional medicine, can then treat illness and prolong life. After forty, do not take purgatives; it is better to take tonics regularly.

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor attained the Dao and became an immortal through intercourse with twelve hundred women. Ordinary people, by contrast, can lose their lives through just one woman. The difference between knowing and not knowing, between understanding the art of health cultivation and being ignorant of it, is truly immense. Those who understand this art do not engage in excessive intercourse with women.

When choosing a woman, she need not be especially beautiful. It is enough that she is relatively young, has not yet given birth or nursed a child, and has a full figure. If one can afford it, one may choose a woman with fine hair, clearly defined black and white in her eyes, a supple body, soft bones, smooth skin, a gentle, well-modulated voice, and limbs whose joints are all…

If one wishes to have somewhat more flesh without making the frame appear too large, then when observing a person’s build and armpits, one should not see conspicuously long hair. If there is hair, it should be soft and fine, not overly coarse or stiff. According to the original text, disheveled hair, a poor complexion, a thick and short neck, a prominent Adam’s apple, a coarse, booming voice, a large mouth and high nose, yellow teeth, a dull gaze, hair growing on the chin, large, prominent joints, yellow hair with a thin body, faint but dense and coarse body hair, or hair growing against its natural direction are all unfavorable signs of appearance and are thought likely to shorten one’s life.

During sexual intercourse, do not rush into union when the body is not yet aroused and Yang energy is weak. First regulate the breath slowly, allowing the mind to settle and the feelings between partners to harmonize; begin only after some time has passed. Wait until the other person’s Yin energy stirs you and your body gradually becomes aroused before joining. Movements should be gentle, without hurried advances and retreats; when desire rises, stop at the proper moment. Avoid violent thrusting and contorted positions, which may injure the five organs, deplete Jing and Qi, and bring on illness. The original text also says that moderate, careful restraint in the frequency of intercourse can reduce illness and extend life, even bringing one close to becoming an immortal. There is no need to adhere rigidly to counts such as “nine, one, three, and five.”

The text next discusses what it calls “gathering Qi,” a cultivation idea in which one takes in a partner’s Qi through sexual intercourse. After deep penetration, remain still. When the breath rises and the face grows warm, bring your mouths together, inhale the other person’s Qi, and swallow it. Then one may move slowly in and out, stopping as soon as desire stirs. Slow the breath, close the eyes, and lie on one’s back; then practice Daoyin, a health-preserving method of regulating the breath and moving the body, to restore strength before having intercourse with another person. The text claims that changing partners frequently brings greater benefit, whereas intercourse over a long period with the same person yields less.

The original text uses the saying “the Yang organ is like fire, the Yin household like water; water can overcome fire” to explain the mutual restraint between Yin and Yang. It holds that intercourse continued for too long allows Yin to exceed Yang, thereby damaging Yang energy; the gains cannot make up for the losses. It also claims that intercourse with twelve women without releasing Jing can delay aging and preserve one’s appearance, while intercourse with ninety-three women, always preserving one’s Jing and Qi, can bring life lasting ten thousand years. Finally, it warns that a lack of Jing and Qi causes illness, and their exhaustion brings death, so one must give the matter careful thought and exercise restraint.

In the early years of the Zhenguan era, an old man in his seventies came to see the author. He said that in recent days his Yang energy had grown increasingly vigorous. He felt that his Qi and blood had already declined and could not understand why this change was happening, so he asked whether it was a good or bad sign. The author replied that it was a very inauspicious omen. Had he never heard of an oil lamp? Just before its oil runs out, the flame often first grows dim. The original text uses this image to suggest that a person near the end of life may experience a brief, abnormal surge of vigor.

Once you understand the principle of restraint, desire will subside. You are now advanced in years, already in old age. You ought to conserve your Jing and Qi and restrain your desires, yet suddenly your passion has flared up. Is this not contrary to what is natural? I am privately worried for you. Please take good care of yourself. Forty days later, he fell ill and died. This was the result of failing to exercise caution. There are many such cases; I have mentioned only one as a warning to those who come after.

Those who are skilled in preserving life are always careful to exercise restraint as soon as they notice desire growing strong. They must not give their hearts free rein, exhaust their strength, and harm themselves. Each time you restrain yourself, it is like putting out a little fire and adding a little lamp oil. If you cannot restrain yourself and indulge your desires, draining your Jing and Qi, it is like drawing off the oil when the lamp is about to go out. How can you fail to take the greatest care?

When young, people often do not understand these principles. Even if they hear of them, they may not believe or follow them. By the time they understand in old age, it is often too late, and it is hard to restore a body already afflicted by illness. Still, even if you begin caring for yourself only in your later years, you can prolong your life. If you follow the Dao while still young and strong, you have an even greater hope of attaining immortality sooner.

Someone asked, “Should one abstain from sexual relations and guard one’s unity before the age of sixty? Is this a sound practice?” The reply was: “No. A man cannot do without a woman, nor a woman without a man. Without a partner, thoughts are easily disturbed; when the mind is disturbed, the spirit is depleted, and when the spirit is damaged, life is shortened. If you can keep your thoughts tranquil and upright, with nothing weighing on your mind, that is of course best and helps you live long. But such a condition is one in ten thousand. Forcibly suppressing and sealing off desire is hard to sustain and can easily lead to losing control. It may even cause involuntary seminal emission, cloudy urine, or what is called ‘ghost intercourse’—a term in traditional medicine for intercourse in dreams or related disorders. This causes even greater harm.”

The section on consuming foods and medicines appears in another volume.

Sexual relations, called “controlling women” in ancient times, should be avoided on Bing and Ding days, as well as on the first quarter, full moon, dark moon, and new moon. They should also be avoided during strong winds, heavy rain, dense fog, extreme cold or heat, thunder and lightning, when the sky is dark, when the Sun and Moon eclipse one another, during rainbows, earthquakes, and similar conditions. According to the original text, having sex at such times harms a person’s spirit and brings ill fortune to the body. It is especially damaging to men and may cause women to fall ill. If conception occurs at such a time, the child may be intellectually disabled, dull, unable to speak, deaf, have stiff or cramped limbs, limp, or be blind. The child may also be sickly or short-lived and, it was believed, lacking in filial piety and benevolence.

Sexual relations should also be avoided where the light of the Sun, Moon, stars, or fire shines, and inside temples or Buddhist monasteries; beside wells, stoves, or toilets; and near graves or coffins. The text says that those who follow these rules will receive blessings and accumulate virtue. Intelligent, worthy, and kind children will be born to them, with upright and harmonious temperaments and conduct. Their affairs will go smoothly, their family fortunes will steadily prosper, and auspicious signs will appear one after another. If they do not…

If one acts according to these methods, people of shallow fortune, ignorance, and vicious character may be born into the family. As they grow up, their parents’ temperaments and conduct may also become dangerous. Their undertakings will be hard to bring to success, the family’s fortunes will decline, and calamities will follow one after another. Even if the children are born and grow up, the family and the state may still fall into decline. The retribution of fortune and misfortune is as close as a shadow following the body or an echo answering a sound. This is an inevitable principle—how could one fail to consider it carefully?

The Huangdi’s Miscellaneous Prohibitions and Taboos says: If a person has just been angry and their Qi and blood have not yet settled, having sexual intercourse may cause yongju (abscesses between the skin and muscles). Intercourse while holding in urine is also unsuitable; it may lead to lin syndrome (difficulty and pain when urinating), pain in the penis, and a pale complexion. Having intercourse immediately after the exertion of a long journey may cause the “five forms of exhaustion and depletion” (physical decline from excessive exertion), and may also reduce the number of offspring. Intercourse while a woman’s menstruation has not yet ended may cause illness, including baiban (a condition involving loss of skin pigment). Mercury must not come into contact with the genitals, or the penis may atrophy. Deer fat and pig fat must also be kept away from the genitals, or they may cause impotence.

This is recorded in volume 83 of Sun the True Man’s Essential Prescriptions for Emergencies.