Essentials of Longevity
Composed by Lin Ziran, a Taoist priest of the Song Dynasty.
Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Tai Xuan Section within the Taoist Canon (The Daozang).
A preface by the author, dated the Gengxu year of the Chunyou reign (1250 CE), is included at the beginning. He states that after reading the Scripture of Purity and Tranquility, he had a profound realization, so he left home to travel and seek teachings, eventually encountering Lord Lu from Xishu, who imparted the Dao of the Golden Elixir to him.
Essentials of Longevity
Divided into seven sections, the book cites the theories of Wei Boyang and Zhang Boduan to elaborate on the essentials of Internal Alchemy (Neidan). Roughly taking the innate primal Qi (Vital Energy) as the foundation of the Golden Elixir, it argues that all humans are born with this Qi, which connects with the Void Sovereign and is of the same essence as the Three Pure Ones. If one can be aware of every circumstance, embrace clarity to revert to one’s nature, then the spirit will be stabilized, essence consolidated, and Qi gathered—with the "Three Flowers" (essence, Qi, spirit) converging at the top of the head, transcendence will be attained instantly.
The cultivation practice begins with breathing in harmony with true Qi, taking the two eyes as the mechanism and upholding the "Xuan Yi" (Mysterious Unity) as the key. The principles of fire timing can only be known by oneself. Concentrate the true primal Qi so that it does not disperse: when dispersed, it becomes Qi; when gathered, it becomes fire; when transformed, it becomes water; when transmuted, it becomes gold.
Additionally, one must be benevolent, compassionate, and benefit all creatures, performing numerous good deeds—then true immortals will recommend, and the Supreme Emperor will bestow blessings. It also states that cultivation must align with the movements of the stars above and the ebb and flow of the tides below, gathering the Qi before heaven and earth divided and seizing the essence when the sun and moon converge.
Appended at the end of the work are Diagram of the Golden Elixir Aligned with Tide Cycles and one ci-poem, illustrating the law of the waxing and waning of tides within a month.
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