Pillow Canon for Longevity 枕中经
Paul PengPillow Canon for Longevity
The author is unknown. As the text avoids the personal name of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Heng, it was presumably compiled during the Northern Song Dynasty.
It was recorded as a single scroll in the Secret Catalogue of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the existing version is included in the Zhengyi Section of the The Daozang.
Pillow Canon for Longevity
With only a few hundred characters in total, the text expounds on methods to restrain and nourish the soul, spirit and vitality, ward off ghosts and overcome misfortunes, as well as cure illnesses and prolong life. These practices primarily consist of reciting scriptures and incantations, Internal Alchemy-related mental contemplation of deities and inner vision, clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva.
