Supreme Embryonic Breath Scripture 太上养生胎息气经
Paul PengSupreme Embryonic Breath Scripture
The author of this text is uncredited.
Comprising one volume, it is included in the Methods Category of the The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.
Supreme Embryonic Breath Scripture
The text consists of four parts:
- Qi Cultivation Method: Discusses the internal cultivation practice of calming the mind, ceasing thoughts, and attracting harmonious Qi.
- Secret Method of Upper Purity Qi: Details the technique of "absorbing the Five Teeth"—i.e., inhaling and absorbing the primordial qi of the five directions to nourish the five zang organs.
- Upper Purity Method: Describes the practice of swallowing saliva and guiding qi.
- Tonification and Purgation Diagrams: Appears to be derived from Hu Yin’s Diagrams of Tonification and Purgation for the Five Zang Organs and Six Fu Organs in the Internal Scene of the Huangting Scripture.
Suspected to have been compiled by Taoist practitioners who favored internal cultivation techniques during the mid-to-late The Tang Dynasty, the text is a collection of existing works. Its methods of embryonic breathing and qi cultivation were indeed health-preserving practices prevalent in Taoism during the Six Dynasties, Sui, and Tang dynasties.
