辟谷: Abstention from Grains (part 5)

辟谷
Abstention from Grains (part 5)
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余数见断穀人三年二年者多，皆身轻色好，堪风寒暑湿，大都无肥者耳。虽未见数十岁不食者，然人绝穀不过十许日皆死，而此等已积载而自若，亦何疑於不可大久乎？若令诸绝穀者专羸，极常虑之，恐不可久耳。而问诸为之者，无不初时少气力，而後稍丁健，月胜一月，岁胜一岁，正尔，可久无嫌也。夫长生得道者，莫不皆由服药吞气，而达之者而不妄也。夫服药断穀者，略无不先极也。但用符水及单服气者，皆作四十日中疲瘦，过此乃健耳。郑君云：本性饮酒不多，昔在铜山中，绝穀二年许，饮酒数斗不醉。以此推之，是为不食更令人耐毒，耐毒则是难病之候也。
葛洪《抱朴子》

I have seen several times people who have cut themselves off from grains for two or three years. All of them had a light body with good complexion. They were able to endure wind, cold, summer-heat, and dampness. The majority of them were not fat. Although I have not seen anyone who has not eaten for more than tens of years, yet, [ordinary] people who sever themselves from grains all die after about ten-odd days For this group of people [who cut off from grains for two or three years] have already accumulated years [of practice] and [looked] calm and composed. How could it be doubted that they could not last even much longer?
When those who sever themselves from grains become especially emaciated, if they are extremely or constantly concerned about it, then I fear that they could not endure it for long. Furthermore, asking those who practice [severing from grains], at the beginning, everyone without exception had lesser strength or vigour; later on, they gradually felt more robust and healthier. They got better month by month, and year by year, exactly like that. They could endure it for long without any complaint.
For those with long life and attainment of the Dao, without exception, they have all [achieved it] by ingestion of medicine and the swallowing of Qi; furthermore, those who have accomplished it are not presumptuous. For those who ingest medicine and cut themselves off grains, in brief, without exception, they are all extremely exhausted at the beginning. But for the ones employing talisman waters and singly ingesting Qi, they all become weary and slim over forty days; however, they become healthy afterwards.
Teacher Zheng said:

From my original Inner Nature, I [could] not drink a lot of alcohol. In the past, within the Mount Copper, I severed from grains for over two years. After which, I drank several Dou of alcohol without getting drunk. From this I inferred, that due to not eating, people become even more capable of resisting poisons; thus, such resistance to poisons is an indicator that one does not get sick easily.

Ge Hong in ‘Master of Embracing Simplicity’

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Post-Scriptum: This translation will be published in full as part of a book called “Arts of Daoism” about meditation, stillness cultivation, abstention from grains [bi gu辟谷], sleeping gong [shui gong睡功], dreams, vegetarianism and diet in Daoism, formulae for fasting and meditation incense, including several chapters from the alchemical classic The Essentials of the Shortcut to the Great Achievement [da cheng jie yao 大成捷要]. It will be a mixture of anecdotal and oral transmissions from my teacher Li Shi Fu and translations of a number of chapters from ancient texts.