9

THE IMMORTAL BREATHING OR THE SELF-WINDING WHEEL OF THE LAW

THE SHUTTING (HO) and opening (p’i) process of immortal breathing causes postnatal vital breath to rise from the heels up to the channel of control through which it soars to the brain, thence going down in the channel of function to the trunk (i.e. the mortal gate). These continual ascents and descents will in time vibrate prenatal true vitality in the lower tan t’ien which will first ascend in the channel of control to the brain to push postnatal vital breath there down in the channel of function to the trunk, and will then descend in the channel of function to the base of the penis to drive postnatal vital breath up in the channel of control to the brain.

In the last chapter we explained the method of freezing spirit which is so called because it consists of first gathering prenatal true vitality in the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao in the centre of the brain) and then driving it into the lower tan t’ien (under the navel). When doing it the eyes should turn inward to look into the latter centre until the heart and intellect are disengaged from the duality of the self and others and unite in the state of indistinctness until exhalation becomes subtle while inhalation continues unbroken, harmonic and restful. In time the lower tan t’ien centre (under the navel) vibrates extending its field of activity from the heart to the lower belly. After a long time this vibration will stop and be replaced by stillness, with the result that all inner (vital) breaths stop leaving the body whereas all outer ones continue to enter it; this reveals the restoration of foetal breath (see below) and the return (of prenatal vitality) to its source which is ‘a cavity within a cavity’; thus the state of profound serenity is attained.

Figure 7 The heel and trunk channels. 1 the heel channel (tung chung) from the heels to the brain. 2 the trunk channel (tung ti) from the lower abdomen to the brain.

This profound foetal breathing, now fully restored, neither gathers nor scatters and is disconnected from (the duality of) the self and others; its serenity is lasting, being neither within nor without, neither stillness nor disturbance, and free from vibration; thus it unites the sun with the moon, and joins up the positive and negative principles. It puts an end to the state of confusion and causes the practiser to enter the (immortal) foetus to clear away all postnatal conditions.

This foetal breathing depends neither on breathing through the nostrils or mouth nor on retaining the breath in the lower tan t’ien. Outsiders and heretics use the nostrils or mouth to breathe only fresh air, a process which bears no relation to the production of the elixir of immortality in the cultivation of both (essential) nature and (eternal) life.

Postnatal vital breath is ‘inhaled’ through the heels and ‘exhaled’ through the trunk for the purpose of vibrating prenatal true vitality in the lower tan t’ien (under the navel). So an in-breath from the heels to lift postnatal breath in the channel of control is followed by an out-breath from the trunk to lower it in the channel of function, and, as time passes, these continued ascents and descents will set in motion prenatal true vitality in the lower tan t’ien centre, which will then automatically rise in the channel of control to the brain causing postnatal vital breath there to sink in the channel of function to the mortal gate. When prenatal true vitality drops in the channel of function to the mortal gate, it forces postnatal vital breath there to go up in the channel of control to the brain. These are four movements of postnatal vital breath and prenatal true vitality without the breathing of outer air through the nostrils or mouth coming into play. If these ascents and descents are caused by air breathed in and out by the nostrils or mouth they have nothing to do with the immortal breathing which operates of itself independently of the practiser’s will.

The circulation of prenatal vitality is to produce the bright pearl, and the method consists of using postnatal (vital) breath to blow and stir the lower tan t’ien cavity (under the navel) where both prenatal vitality and postnatal vital breath drive each other up and down as already described.

When so regulating the postnatal (vital) breath the practiser should concentrate on the cavity of vitality (the lower tan t’ien under the navel) in order to transmute prenatal vitality into a bright pearl. Walking, standing, rising and reclining (in the performance of daily work) are all appropriate times for turning the wheel of the law, the purpose of which is to sublimate prenatal vitality in order to nurture eternal life. This prenatal vitality should move in unison with postnatal (vital) breath in unbroken continuity; this is the self-winding wheel of the law which is the macrocosm.

When the practiser reaches this stage, he should guard against any drain of the positive principle at night, for if he is careless the original generative force will disperse and thereby nullify all that has been achieved. I urge all serious students to pay particular attention to this.

If his effort slackens for a single day he will be disturbed by dreams at night and will thereby lose the prenatal generative force. He should know that all diligent practisers are free from dreams. The Tan Ching says: ‘The perfect man is free from dreams.’ This does not mean that he does not have dreams but he is free from bad ones. There are four categories of good men who are free from bad dreams: the perfect, the immortal, the saint and the sage.¹

Lustful and gluttonous worldly men can still practise (alchemy) which is really difficult for drowsy people. When a worldly man sees something attractive in his dream others near him see nothing. In his dream he may walk the streets, pick a beautiful flower, hear someone speak to him, make or lose money, and all these things are unreal. But when he dreams of involuntary emission he really experiences a discharge of generative fluid. Therefore, all dreams are unreal except that of emission which is followed by the discharge of the generative fluid.

If the practiser wants to overcome drowsiness in order to be free from dreams, he should use the method called ‘coiling up the body into five dragons’ which will stop his drowsiness and put an end to his dreams; as a result his nocturnal emissions will stop and he will no longer have to worry about the loss of this most precious thing that preserves life. He will then be able to sublimate generative force into the bright pearl.

To achieve this he should rely on the fourfold alchemical process of breathing: inhalation, exhalation, ascent and descent which produce the immortal breath which is independent of breathing through the nostrils or mouth.

The patriarch Wu Ch’ung Hsu said:

Who says that sublimation by fire cannot be taught

Since only silent circuits can plumb the depth sublime?

In days of old thousands of saintly men realised this by looking

Clearly into their breathing process to win immortality

By stoppage of respiration is meant the condition of serenity in which the practiser becomes unconscious, his breathing (almost) ceases and his pulses (all but) stop beating. This is called freezing spirit.

The first eight chapters of this book deal with the condition of minor serenity (hsiao ting ching) and the present chapter with the stoppage of (ordinary) breathing which implies major serenity (ta ting ching).

When the practiser first achieves the state of stillness he realises only minor serenity which lasts one day in which dullness and confusion cause him to be unconscious, like a dying man who is breathless. Then he will experience medium serenity lasting three successive days, and major serenity lasting seven successive days. This third stage should not be mistaken for death (by transformation) for it only reveals the return of spirit and vitality to the source, the revival of (eternal) life and the sublimation of the alchemical agent into a bright pearl.

The practiser now needs good care from his companions who should avoid disturbing his positive spirit in its serenity. On no account should he avail himself on this revival of (eternal) life to come out of the state of serenity. He should see to it that because of this still vitality his spirit will enter by itself the major serenity in which his prenatal immaculate vitality will spring from nothingness.

An ancient immortal said: ‘Men are subject to birth and death because they breathe in and out by the nostrils and mouth; if they (practically) cease breathing they will realise immortality.’ For if the practiser (almost) ceases to breathe he will achieve major serenity. When the breath remains (nearly) stationary, the (immortal) foetus will be as secure as a mountain and by continuing his practice he will achieve minor and major serenity; all phenomena will be absorbed into nothingness and with spirit frozen in this state by day and night, the bright pearl will form in this unperturbed nothingness. If this serenity is not achieved the immortal seed cannot be produced. The moment when he enters this serenity is likened to his approaching death that precedes the resurrection which is the main object of alchemy. As to how death is followed by resurrection, this concerns the method of producing the bright pearl.

When (essential) nature and (eternal) life unite in the confused state in the cavity of vitality (under the navel) the least carelessness on the part of the practiser may cause his failure to keep them together there; spirit will then leave this centre and the most precious thing will drain away at night. This is the most critical moment when he will either preserve or injure (eternal) life. And so he should be determined firmly to preserve this serenity at all costs by concentrating his spirit pointedly on this cavity, which is the most important thing at this stage of training.

An ancient immortal said: ‘The first stirring thought threw me into the sea of suffering; now the first subsiding thought (saves me by) sending me to the other shore (of liberation) for a single (stirring) thought causes the round of birth and death.’

If the practiser feels that his body is cold and breathes out cold air this is due to wrong practice without prior instruction from competent masters. This negative state comes from an interruption of the inner (vital) breath which stops giving support to spirit fixed in the cavity of vitality (below the navel) thereby cooling the inner fire in the lower tan t’ien and preventing the light of the elixir from manifesting. This negative state is also due to many other causes but the chief one is the cooling of the lower tan t’ien centre.

The Fa Chueh says: ‘To remedy this negative state requires concentration of true inner fire which is done by fixing spirit in the lower tan t’ien, the source of foetal breath, by drawing the pupils of the eyes close to each other in order to bring the cavity of vitality into focus and by using the bellows to bring quick fire into action; as a result of pointed concentration a mass of true inner fire will soar up causing spiritual light in the cauldron to illuminate the whole body the four elements of which (see here) are thereby sublimated. It will eliminate this malefic negative state and restore the brightness of the elixir in its cavity (under the navel).’

This cultivation of (essential) nature and (eternal) life requires constant attention and the slightest carelessness can obscure the inner light and cause the drain of the elixir with the result that all previous efforts will be sterile.

There are also meditators who (inadvertently) arouse the evil fire in the liver and kidneys which blurs their vision, and causes them to see double, their eyes to become astigmatic, the pupils to enlarge and the white to redden.

If the practiser wants to avoid stirring this evil fire which can drain away the ‘precious thing’ at night, he should know that the trouble is caused by unwholesome food and intoxicating drink, by perverse thoughts and desires, by hot baths which scatter the heat of the elixir and by (uncontrolled) fire that scorches the body. This has many causes but mainly results from not taking precautions against the misuse of fire during the training. The practiser may also feel hot in the heart which causes him to be parched with thirst and to eat and drink too much. If he fails to overcome this fire his ‘most precious thing’ will drain away at night.

The practiser should know how to remedy this defect. If it derives from fire in the liver and kidneys, he should practise the method taught in Chapter 5 to eliminate it. If it comes from fire in the heart or from unwholesome food and drink, he should, while sitting in meditation, imagine in front of him a black ball or a dark cloud the size of a fist which he should gather as taught in Chapter 7; he should make pointed concentration to take hold of the black object firmly, breathe in fresh air to drive it into the lower tan t’ien (under the navel) and breathe out slowly to expel the inner evil fire which will then vanish; he will then feel truly at ease.

There is no fixed number of inhalations to drive the dark object into the lower abdomen and of exhalations to expel the malefic fire, but they should be continued until the evil fire is completely extinguished. Henceforth the practiser will enjoy great comfort with enduring high spirits and no more drain of vitality.

Question You have spoken of the fourfold immortal breathing which is not through the nostrils and mouth but alchemical; if so through which channels should it enter and leave the body?

Answer If postnatal (vital) breath is harnessed to vibrations in the lower tan t’ien centre (under the navel) prenatal vitality will ascend while postnatal (vital) breath will descend, and vice versa; these alternating ascents and descents which make four movements up and down are not caused by breathing through the nostrils and mouth, but by postnatal inner breath which starts from the heels and the mortal gate (at the root of the penis); this is postnatal (vital) breath which while descending and ascending drives prenatal vitality up the channel of control (tu mo in the spine) to the brain and thence down through the channel of function (jen mo) to the cavity of mortality, that is ascent and descent of prenatal vitality in these two main channels.

Therefore, these four movements of prenatal vitality and postnatal (vital) breath are independent of breathing through the nostrils and mouth. If postnatal (vital) breath is not properly channelled in its ascent from the heels to the head and its descent thence to the mortal gate, it is far better not to practise this method. For if the nostrils and mouth are used to breathe air in and out at random in the practice of alchemy at this advanced stage, prenatal vitality will burst the psychic centre in the heart with the result that the practiser will become deranged, singing and dancing foolishly, talking nonsense, reciting strange poems, speaking of obscure things, and boasting that he has achieved supreme truth, without realising that all this comes from consciousness which stirs his heart (the house of fire) and dislodges his spirit from its original cavity (in the centre of the brain), thereby shaking his brain and nervous system and causing mental disorders; as a result he will cry or laugh, and feel sad or happy for no apparent cause. This is due to the vitality in the heart which stirs his spirit and makes him so restless that he is unfit for spiritual training. All this is caused by the wrong use of in and out breathing through the nostrils and mouth (in the practice of alchemy at this advanced stage).

In this event the practiser should seek instruction from competent masters who will explain to him that immortal breathing starts from the heels and the mortal gate without passing through the nostrils and mouth. After receiving instruction he should practise the fourfold movement of immortal breathing.

This macrocosmic technique should be practised at all times and in unbroken continuity. It is not true that it cannot be taught to others but it is true that it involves great risks for unguided people.

By way of illustration, when my immortal inhalation reaches my two heels it has actually gone from the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes) to the medulla oblongata² which is linked with the two psychic channels starting from the heels. As I inhale in this way my concentration also moves from that cavity to the medulla oblongata, pushing up postnatal (vital) breath from the heels into the heel pathway (tung chung) to the base of the spine, thence up the backbone to the back of the head before reaching the brain (ni wan). This shows the heels as the root of immortal inspiration.

When my immortal exhalation returns from the medulla oblongata to the original cavity of spirit (between and behind the eyes) which is linked with the mortal cavity (at the base of the penis) my concentration also moves from the medulla oblongata up to the cavity of spirit driving postnatal (vital) breath (which has reached the brain) into the trunk pathway (tung ti) to the original cavity of spirit, thence down (the jen mo channel) through the throat (and chest to the), chiang kung cavity (the solar plexus) and the lower tan t’ien centre before reaching the mortal gate. This shows that the mortal cavity is the root or immortal exhalation.

Postnatal (vital) breath will thus go up and down independently of ordinary breathing through the nostrils or mouth, and its constant ascent and descent will in time set prenatal vitality in motion so that when the former goes up the latter goes down and vice versa, which is macrocosmic functioning that will continue endlessly without a pause.

My master said: ‘When you are perfectly clear about this immortal breathing you will achieve immortality.’

Question You have said that lustful and gluttonous people can practise alchemy, that drowsy people are not fit to practise it and that the perfect man is free from dreams. What is the method of ‘coiling up the body into five dragons’ which can stop all dreams as well as nocturnal emission?

Answer Lust can be overcome during the six phases of alchemical sublimation which causes the genital organ to retract. Gluttony can be overcome by a vegetarian diet but the practiser should abstain from the five pungent roots (i.e. garlic, three kinds of onions and leeks) which are aphrodisiac and increase the production of generative fluid. But drowsiness is very difficult to overcome; hence the ancients devised a method of sitting continuously in meditation to stop sleeping. Worldly men in their dreams acquire or lose many things such as money or objects and when they wake up they find that it was all unreal; but when they dream of nocturnal emission it is always real. Since the loss of generative fluid is harmful, why do they not call on competent masters for instruction in order to cultivate (essential) nature and (eternal) life?

I have seen corrupt officials who after holding power and amassing a great fortune, could not carry anything away when they died; thus fame and wealth are like things seen in dreams.

But why does nocturnal emission occur (even) when there is no dream? When a man is awake, his consciousness is seated in his eyes, but when he sleeps at night, it is lodged in the lower abdomen. So when he sleeps his breathing disturbs all six senses and arouses the generative force which will drain away; hence his involuntary emission.

To prevent this loss of generative fluid the practiser should, while in bed at night, touch the palate with the tip of the tongue and drive spirit into the lower tan t’ien cavity (under the navel) in order to empty the heart (the house of fire) of all thoughts; he should then breathe in outer air which (in its vital form) will reach the lower tan t’ien where it will unite with vitality. This union of the elements of water (in the lower belly) and of fire (driven from its seat in the heart) will result in subtle, long breaths causing spirit to embrace vitality and vice versa. The practiser will enjoy a sleep which seems to be, yet is not really, deep, that is an automatic repose in which state how can there be nocturnal emission?

There is another method called ‘coiling up the body into five dragons’ which consists of ‘composing’ one’s head (i.e. putting it in a comfortable position); curving and reclining the body on either side, like the coiled length of a sleeping dragon or the curved body of a dog, bending one arm for a pillow while stretching the other to place a hand on the belly, and straightening one leg while bending the other. Even before the heart is immersed in sleep, the pupils of both eyes should be drawn close to each other for pointed concentration on the great emptiness so that in the condition of utter stillness the vital principle returns automatically to its source (under the navel), breathing continues normally and so is self-regulated, and the (vital) breath is brought under perfect control. This method of sleeping will banish all dreams and so prevent the generative fluid from draining away.

In case of random drowsiness without (first) cutting out impure breaths and stirring thoughts when one falls into deep sleep, the positive breath in the body will be completely submerged by its negative counterpart so that he will be like a dead man. This is because he does not know how to regulate his breathing.

Question In such a sleeping state can the practiser still breathe slowly to avoid drowsiness?

Answer He should slow down his breathing not only when he is in bed but also when sitting in meditation. Before so sitting he should loosen his clothes, breathe out impure and inhale fresh air in order to set his heart at rest. He should take the same mental attitude as when he sleeps, that is seeing and hearing nothing, close his mouth and touch the palate with the tip of the tongue, empty the mind of all thoughts, drive down the air breathed in and abstain from moving his limbs. He should then concentrate on spirit (between and behind the eyes) and drive it down into the cavity of vitality (under the navel) where spirit and vitality become inseparable, like slow fire kept in a stove. As time passes his spirit becomes stronger and he will even forget about sleeping; his vitality will be full and cause him to forget about eating; his generative force will be full freeing him from all sexual desires and causing his body to be strong and light; his heart will be pure and spiritual; his vitality will be genuine; his spirit will be perfect and divine; thus he will enter upon the path of immortality. This resting breath is far more advanced than the foetal breath.

Question You have said that the wheel of the law (the immortal breathing) is self-winding and that it does not turn if the practiser has not received authentic instruction from competent masters. Will you please tell my why?

Answer The wheel of the law is self-winding but since positive vitality cannot by itself leave its own cavity (under the navel) to rise and fall (in the microcosmic orbit), it should be driven by postnatal (vital) breath from the heels and mortal gate into the channels of control and function to go up to the head (heaven) and down to the lower abdomen (earth). The technique consists of using postnatal (vital) breath to set prenatal vitality in motion so that the wheel of the law can turn of itself.

When I was sixty, one day during my meditation I felt as if ants were running all over my body, and unexpectedly my lower tan t’ien centre (under the navel) became unusually hot and most relaxing overwhelming me with great joy. All of a sudden my penis stood up and my prenatal vitality vibrated causing my genital organ to retract. As I unconsciously refrained from loosening my grip on this vitality the latter was restrained by my genital organ as if to unite with it. At this stage vitality seemed to but actually did not drain away. Then positive vitality went down and veered to the base of the backbone to ascend slowly. Simultaneously the channels of control and function opened by themselves. I immediately practised immortal breathing through the heel and trunk pathways to turn the wheel of the law and the result achieved was so mysterious that it is beyond description.

If no indication is given to students, how can they practise and achieve this fourfold immortal breathing which is not by their nostrils or mouth? The question is whether or not they succeed in meeting competent masters, but who dares to divulge the great Tao which is so profound?

I have studied and practised alchemy until my seventy-third year and now undertake to reveal it in this book so that serious students can understand it properly within a short length of time.

¹Chih jen, the perfect man in whom moral virtues and learned accomplishments reach the highest point; chen jen, the immortal who is no longer ruled by what he sees, hears and feels; sheng jen, the saintly man who is divinely inspired and intuitively wise; and hsien jen, the sage, a man of excellent virtues.

²The widening top of the spinal cord which forms the lowest part of the brain and controls breathing, circulation, etc.