Mechanism of Life Preservation 养命机关金丹真诀

The author is unknown.

Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Alchemical Arts Category of the The Dongxuan Section within the Taoist Canon (The Daozang).

Mechanism of Life Preservation

Divided into thirty-six sections, this text elaborates on the principles and methods of Internal Alchemy (Neidan). It details each step sequentially—from gathering the alchemical medicine and circulating energy to the refinement processes of the Great Returning Elixir, Spirit Elixir, and Purple Gold Elixir—while explaining relevant technical terms. The thirty-sixth and final section describes the methods and taboos for transmitting the "secret mechanism of cultivation and nourishment."