Middle Yellow Eight Pillars Canon 太上灵宝净明中黄八柱经

This text is also among the scriptures of the Jingming school from the Song and Yuan dynasties, and is included in the Taiping Section of the The Daozang.

Divided into nine chapters, the scripture expounds the Dao of recognizing and abiding by the Middle Yellow, and establishing the Eight Pillars to nourish life and rectify one's nature. The so-called "Zhonghuang (Middle Yellow)" — Zhong refers to its position, and Huang to its color, namely the exact center of the directions of the Five Elements. Those who practice the Middle Yellow Dao take "upholding uprightness as the foundation". Applied to the human body, the spleen resides in the middle position of the five zang-organs and is named the Huangting (Yellow Court), where the True Person abides; to recognize and abide by this is to attain longevity equal to heaven. Applied to nature cultivation, it takes abiding in the One and rectifying one's nature as the foundation: casting away deluded nature and attaining upright nature, for "to accord with the true and upright is to be named having upright nature".

Middle Yellow Eight Pillars Canon

To cultivate the body with the Middle Yellow Dao, one must also establish the Eight Pillars. The so-called "Eight Pillars" refer to emptying the four orifices, blocking the two openings, and opening the two cavities. This means: let the eyes see no frivolous sights, so the divine light glimmers bright; let the ears hear no frivolous sounds, so the harmonious qi resonates deep; let the mouth partake of no reckless food, so the spiritual spring remains clear; let the nose smell no reckless scents, so the true fragrance lingers sweet — this is called "emptying the four orifices". Renounce sensual pleasures, so the front opening does not leak essence; renounce excessive eating, so the back opening does not leak Qi — this is called "blocking the two openings". Open the crown of the head, so qi can enter and exit; open the upper jaw, so essence fluid circulates unimpeded — this is called "opening the two cavities".

The scripture states that the human body is the abode of the spirit, and there is no better way to ensure the eternal existence of this abode than to erect the pillars. To practice the Middle Yellow and establish the Eight Pillars brings peace to the body and stability to the nature, thus attaining the principles of heaven and earth.