Daoism Series 34:
睡功法
The Method of Sleeping Gong
According to the Record of the Supreme Florescence [Chen] Xiyi [taihua xiyi ji 太华希夷记], five dragons taught this method of the Sleeping Dragon to Chen Tuan (c.920–989), who was also known as Master Fuyao,the Elder of the Inaudible and Invisible, and by his style name, Tu’nan – Diagram’s South This method earned him the title of ‘Sleeping Immortal’:
隱居武當山九室巖，辟穀鍊氣，二十餘年。或傳夜靜焚香讀《易》，有五老人至，尨眉皓髮，容貌古怪，常來聽誦，居日久，搏問之，老人對曰：吾儕即玆山日月池龍也，此間玄武據臨之地，華山是先生棲隱之所也。異日，希夷默坐，五龍忽詣，令先生閉目，凌空馭風，終宵至華山，置坐於盤石之上，開目視之，不見五老人去向。或云睡法即龍教也。龍善睡，故云。多閉門不出，獨坐至百餘日不起。
[Chen Xiyi] dwelled in seclusion in Nine Chambers Cliff in the Wudang Mountains, where he practiced abstention from grains and refined his qi for more than twenty years. Legend has it that in one quiet night, while [Chen Xiyi] lit the incense and was reading the Book of Change, five elders arrived. They had eyebrows with white and blacks strands and white hair, with a strange appearance. Thereupon, they often came by to listen to [Chen’s] recitation [of the scriptures]. With the passing of time dwelling there, [Chen] Tuan seized [a heart to] question them, the elders responded, ‘My companions and I are namely dragons of the Sun and Moon Pond of this mountain. This place is the ground which Xuanwu arrived to occupy. My elder, instead Mount Hua is your, place for dwelling and seclusion.’On one distinct day, [Chen] Xiyi sat silently, when five dragons suddenly visited. They commanded the Elder [Chen Xiyi] to shut his eyes, and rode [with him] on the winds high up in the sky. Over the night, they arrived on Mount Hua, and [Chen Xiyi] was placed to sit atop a large rock. When he opened his eyes, he did not see the five elders’ whereabouts. One could suppose that the sleeping method was namely instructed by the dragons, as dragons are adept at sleeping, that is the reason why [people said so]. Thereupon, [Chen Xiyi] often closed the doors and did not go out, solitarily sat by himself for more than one hundred days without getting up.
Post-Scriptum: This article will be published as part of a book, entitled ‘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. It is set to be released early this year around end of February, and a first draft has been already finalized.
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