Scripture of Inner Daily Practice 太上老君内日用妙经
Paul PengScripture of Inner Daily Practice
The author is unknown, and it presumably dates back to the Song Dynasty.
Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Benwen Category of the Dongshen Section within The Daozang.
Scripture of Inner Daily Practice
This scripture expounds the method of Internal Alchemy (Neidan) cultivation. It states that there are seven treasures within the human body: "Essence is mercury, blood is gold, Qi (Vital Energy) is fine jade, marrow is crystal, brain is spiritual cinnabar, kidneys are bright jade artifacts, and the heart is coral. These seven treasures, when retained in the body without dispersion, can be refined into the supreme medicine, enabling all spirits to ascend to immortality."
The scripture teaches practitioners to maintain inner concentration wholeheartedly, regulate breathing in a gentle and continuous manner, gather the true Five Elements (Wu Xing) energy to form the "daogui" (a small quantity of elixir, metaphor for the refined essence), and unite spirit with Qi to cultivate the Nine-Cycle Supreme Elixir.
