Taoist alchemy of Qi movement

Qi movement is also known as refining Qi, eating Qi, and subduing Qi. One of the early Taoist cultivation methods. It refers to an internal health cultivation method that focuses on breathing and breathing, often supplemented by guidance and massage. Generally speaking, it can be divided into two categories: external breathing method and internal breathing method. The key point is to use my heart to make my energy, nourish my body, and attack my diseases, so as to prolong my life. Taoism attaches great importance to the role of Qi on the human body. Volume 42 of the "Taiping Jing" says:

? Gods move by Qi. Therefore, when people have Qi, they have God; When the Qi dies, the spirit will disappear. Therefore, if there is no God, one will die, and if there is no Qi, one will die. ?Volume 56 to 64 believes that: ?Yuan Qi, Yang, is responsible for birth and transformation naturally, and Yin is responsible for nourishing all things. ?① "Yunji Qizhuan" Volume 56 "Yuan Qi Lun" believes that: "Human beings and things are all endowed with one yuan of Qi to be born, and they are born and grown. The most noble and noble thing is the Qi of human beings." ?② From this, Taoism formed a complete set of Qi movement methods. This set of qi-moving methods is also the inheritance and development of the ancient alchemists' qi-moving methods. The existing stone inscription "Jade Pendant Inscription for Moving Qi" from the Warring States Period records the ancient alchemist's method of moving Qi. Guo Moruo translated it in today's commonly used words: "To move Qi, if it is deep, it will be stored, if it is stored, it will be extended, if it is extended, it will go down, and if it goes down, it will be steady." , When it is fixed, it is solid, when it is solid, it is sprouting, when it is sprouting, it grows, when it grows, it retreats, and when it retreats, it becomes heavenly. ?If you go with it, you will live, if you go against it, you will die. ? And pointed out:

?This is what the ancients called "Tao Yin", and what people today call qigong. ?③ "Zhuangzi: Deliberate Chapter": "Blow the 呴 breath, exhale the old and bring in the new. The bear's meridian and the bird's stretch are just for longevity." This is what people who are guided by the Tao, those who cultivate their physical appearance, and those who test Peng Zushou, like it. ? ④ It can be proved that during the Warring States Period, there was indeed a school of health-preserving experts who emphasized Qigong. Mr. Meng Wentong believed in "An Examination of Three Schools of Immortal Way in the Late Zhou Dynasty" that the ancient Immortal Way can be divided into three categories, namely, Xingqi, Yaoji, and Baojing. Among them, the Xingqi school represented by Wang Qiao and Chisong was the most prominent in ancient times. ?. ⑤The Taoist Qi movement is inherited from this school.

Volume 42 of the "Tai Ping Jing" mentions "Eating Qi" and believes: "Madam, if Heaven makes it harmonious and regulates Qi, it must first eat Qi; therefore, when a superior is about to enter the Tao, he should first not eat anything." And food intake is combined with vitality. ?⑥The so-called regulating qi and eating qi are the methods of moving qi in early Taoism. By the Jin Dynasty, Taoism had increasingly discussed the movement of qi. "Baopuzi Neipian Zhili" discusses the function of moving qi: Although taking medicine is the foundation of longevity, if it can also move qi, the benefit will be very rapid. If you cannot get medicine, but can move qi and fulfill its purpose. , also hundreds of years old. ?Those who practice good Qi will nourish themselves internally and eliminate evil externally? Wu Yue has a method of forbidden incantation, which is very clear and effective. Those who know it can enter a great epidemic and sleep with the sick without getting infected. ⑦ "Bao Pu Zi Nei Pian Shi Zhi" also said: "If you want to seek gods, you should only get the most important thing. The most important thing is the precious essence to move the qi. Taking a big medicine is enough." The qi movement may be able to cure all diseases. , or it can prevent plague, or it can suppress snakes and tigers, or it can stop sores and bleeding, or it can live in water, or it can walk on water, or it can ward off hunger and thirst, or it can prolong life. ?⑧The chapter "Relieving Stagnation" also talks about the specific methods of qi movement, the time for qi movement and precautions. It says: The key to moving Qi lies in fetal breath. ?Those who have received fetal breath and can breathe without breathing through the nose and mouth, as if they were in a fetus, have achieved enlightenment. When you first learn to move Qi, introduce the Qi into your nose and close it. Count the Yin with your heart to one hundred and twenty, then exhale it slightly through your mouth, and draw it in. You don’t want your ears to hear the sound of its going in and out. You always want to go in more and come out less. , put the feather on the nose and mouth, exhale and the feather does not move. Gradually, as you get used to it, the number of your mind will increase. Over time, it can reach a thousand?; To move Qi, you should use the time of vitality, not the time of death. ?There are twelve o'clock in a day and a night. From midnight to six o'clock in the day, there is vitality. From noon to six o'clock in the night, there is death. Eating too much food, including lettuce, fat and fresh food, can make people feel strong and have difficulty breathing. It is also forbidden to be jealous and angry. Too much jealousy and anger will lead to chaos. ⑨ From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was the most popular period of Taoist qigong techniques. Many famous qigong masters appeared and created many qi movement methods. "Yunji Qizhu" alone contains seven volumes of Qi methods from various schools before the Song Dynasty. Together with other Qi method books in "Tao Zang", the number is very large. Now I will briefly describe a few of them below to give you a clear picture:

(1) Tao Hongjing’s Six-Character Jue. Tao Hongjing's "Records of Nourishing Nature and Prolonging Life? Taking Qi to Treat Diseases" states: "Whenever the movement of qi is carried out, the qi is received through the nose, exhaled through the mouth, and introduced slowly, which is called long breath."

There is one type of breathing in and six types of breathing out. The first one of receiving air is called inhalation, and the six of exhaling air are called blowing, exhaling, sighing, hesing, shushing and swallowing, all of which are called exhaling. A mortal's breath, one exhalation and one inhalation, originally has this number. When you want to use the method of exhaling for a long breath, you can blow when it is cold or exhale when it is warm, and you can use it to cure the disease.

Blow to remove heat, exhale to remove wind, exhale to remove annoyance, hush to dispel qi, hush to disperse stagnation, exhale to relieve extremes. Ordinary people who are in extreme condition tend to huff and puff a lot. Taoists promote qi and don’t want to huff and puff too much. People with heart disease have cold and heat in the body, and the two qi of exhalation and inhalation come out. In patients with lung disease, the chest and diaphragm are swollen and irritated. People with spleen disease will experience wind blowing up the body, itching, pain, and tightness, as well as irritation. People with liver disease have eye pain, sadness and unhappiness, and breathe out. ?This is the key to healing and longevity. ?This is a Taoist Qi movement method for the purpose of curing diseases, and there are many types.

(2) Turtle Qi method. The method described in Volume 34 of "Yunji Qizhu" is as follows: Use Nong to restore the mouth and nose, without resting, with nine channels open, lying down, breathing out slightly from the nose, the blockage will become more and more blocked, put your hands on your knees, and raise your head, like a turtle. Take the Qi and bring the vitality to the Dantian. ? Twist your nostrils with your thumb urgently without resting, causing the qi to flow upwards and into the brain of the mud ball, causing the blood qi to flow to its roots, closing the huge yang qi, and preventing the yin from overflowing. This is all beneficial to the path of yin and yang. ?This is to imitate the Qi movement of animals. In addition, there are shrimp and toad qi methods, wild geese and qi methods, and dragon qi methods.

(3) Conquer the vitality. Volume 58 of "Yunji Qizhuan" "Yin Zhenren's Yuanqi Technique" says: The vitality in the human body often comes out from the mouth and nose. If the order cannot be released now, it will fill the Dantian. When the Dantian is full, there is no hunger or thirst. If you are not hungry or thirsty, you will be a god. "The Method of Subduing Yuan Qi" in the same volume says: "To subdue Yuan Qi in the sea of ??Qi, the sea of ??Qi is the beginning of receiving Qi and the beginning of transmitting form, which is three inches below the navel."

The Qi Sea is connected with the kidneys and belongs to Guishui. Water returns to the sea, so it is called Qi Sea. Qi has water as its mother, and water is yin. Yin cannot be generated by itself, but must be matched with yang. The heart belongs to the southern Bingding fire and is the master of Shengyang. Knowing the sea of ??qi, guard it with your heart. When the yang comes down, the yin rises up, turning it into clouds and mist, steaming and fumigating all the bones and nine orifices, reaching everywhere. It can also be used as body fluids like sweet rain to moisten the grass and trees, and the healthy qi circulates. He hid his anger. ?Volume 60 of "Mr. Huan Zhen's method of taking internal vitality and qi movement?" says: ?Every time you swallow it three times, it will be quickly stored in the lower Dantian. The internal vitality gained will be sent to the two acupuncture points with your mind. Because you want to see two The white qi flows directly into the mud pills from both sides of the spine, fumigating the palaces. Think of the turbid and evil stagnation in the body, the stagnation of evil qi and blood stasis, being cleaned up by the righteous qi, and all coming out from the hands and toes, which is called dispersing qi. ?Once it is like this, it is a pass, and there is no disease. How about polyphony? As before, hold your breath while drumming until you reach thirty-six breaths. This is called Xiaocheng. ?When it reaches 1,200 swallows, it is called great success, and it is called great fetal breath. ?This is the Qi movement method combined with Cunsi. (4) Mozi’s Qi-closing method. "Yunji Qizhu" Volume 59 contains: "The only way to live forever is to move Qi."

The name of moving qi is refining qi, and the name is long breathing. The method: lie down straight, hold firm, rinse your mouth and swallow, for three days, let the breath flow, but take in the breath through the nose, and let out the breath through the mouth. When you first take five breaths, you can exhale after taking one breath. Try to stop the breath after each mouthful. If you swallow it, the air in your nose will return. When the air is in the nose, the air will rise, and when you exhale, the air will flow down. ?. ;