Longevity and Wellbeing Manual 养性延命录

Compiled by Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty.

It consists of two volumes and is included in the Methods Category of the Dongshen Section of The Daozang.

Volume 32 of Cloudy Satchel of Seven Signatures also contains excerpts from this book.

Longevity and Wellbeing Manual

There is a preface at the beginning of the book, stating that the work collects the methods of cultivating one’s moral character, nourishing nature and prolonging life from ancient people. Ranging from the era of Shennong and the Yellow Emperor down to the Wei and Jin dynasties, it selects the essential methods and eliminates redundant contents, "divided into two volumes, with three chapters in each volume". The first chapter of the main text, Precepts and Instructions, collects maxims from various ancient schools and summarizes the essentials of Health Preservation and nature nourishing. The second chapter, Dietary Precepts, discusses the dietary taboos and recommendations. The third chapter, Miscellaneous Precepts and Prayers for Atonement, elaborates on the do’s and don’ts in daily words, deeds, daily routines and living habits. The fourth chapter, Regulating Qi for Treating Diseases, expounds the methods of regulating breath and guiding qi to prevent and cure diseases. The fifth chapter, Daoyin Exercises and Massage, talks about the health maintenance methods such as tooth tapping, saliva swallowing, massage and daoyin exercises. The sixth chapter, Benefits and Harms of Sexual Intercourse, discusses the techniques of sexual health and replenishing essence to nourish the brain. Generally speaking, the three chapters in the first volume focus on the health preservation precepts, while the three chapters in the second volume are about the health preservation and disease treatment methods. Integrating rich citations and presenting contents in a clear logical order, this book is a renowned work of Taoism on health preservation.