Commentary on the Five Kitchens Scripture 老子说五厨经注

Composed by Yin Yin, a Taoist Priest during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

In one volume, it is included in the Jade Commentaries Category of the The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.

Commentary on the Five Kitchens Scripture

The original scripture is in the form of five-character rhymed verses, and its earliest extant citation appears in Sima Chengzhen’s Treatise on the Essential Meaning of Qi Ingestion.

The scripture discusses the cultivation and nourishment of the vital Qi of the five directions. Yin Yin explained the title of the scripture as follows: "To cultivate and preserve the unified Qi and harmonize the supreme peace, then the five zang-organs will be full, and the five spirits will be tranquil and upright. When the five zang-organs are full, one will be well-nourished; when the five spirits are tranquil, cravings and desires will be eliminated. This scripture is what the five zang-organs rely on for sustenance, just as one seeks food in a kitchen—hence the name The Five Kitchens." The annotations regard the cultivation of the vital Qi of the five directions as the essential method for physical cultivation and health preservation, and take sitting forgetting and intuitive illumination as the approach for spiritual cultivation and mental tranquility.