The following post is collated from notes from several Internal Alchemy courses at Five Immortals Temple lectured and lead by the abbot Li Shifu [Xing De]. Any mistakes or misrepresentations are entirely my own:
辟谷
Abstention from Grains [part 3]
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Science claims that after seven to eight days without food and water, life comes to an abrupt halt. After the earthquake in Sichuan in China, an old lady was buried under stones and rubble in a mountainous area for twenty-one days with only a small dog that licked her mouth. Her water came from the dog’s saliva and she survived in the end. In India someone was inside the ground for one year, he came out still being alive [1]. These stories go starkly against science, while the human body remains a mystery. In another instance in 2008 in the Sichuan earthquake in the mountains an old granny was trapped under rocks, water flowing next to her. She stayed down there for forty-nine days until people found her. She drank the water but did not eat anything. At the special time we all have potential hidden powers [qian neng 潜能]. In the bible [Mat 4:4] it is also insinuated that there are ways to surpass beyond the reliance on food:
Living in society do not just rely on diet for sustenance and survival,
as you shut the door to a greater power.
But Jesus told him,
‘No! The Scriptures say,
People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
After fasting you should rest for a few days, before embarking on the process again for three days, repeatedly fasting with breaks in between. Even if you are crazy out of hunger, you are strong. Some followers of the Dao are not strong physically, but they have the capability to endure two weeks without food. Humans could eat for decades and without a doubt are never filled. And on the other hand, humans are unable to stop filling their mouths once and for all. Three meals a day are inevitable from the moment we are born to the moment we die.
Abstention from Grains [bi gu 辟谷] contains three types of fasting overall and they all fall under the same umbrella-term; Bi Gu [辟谷]. Firstly, there is the so-called Starvation Healing Method [ji e liao fa 饥饿疗法], secondly, the Substitution of Grain [dai gu 代谷] and, thirdly and lastly, the Entering of the Cave and Seclusion [ru dong bi guan 入洞闭关]. In society only the Starvation Healing Method and Substitution of Grain can be successfully applied and practiced.
Post-Scriptum: The full article on Abstention from Grains will appear in the appendix of Purple Cloud Press’ forthcoming publication of 《The 49 Barriers of Daoist Cultivation》 by Xing De, a manual for refining Inner Nature based on Liu Yiming’s 50 Barriers.
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[1] The story of Wang Youqiong, a 61-year-old caught in a landslide in the mountains, is a case in point. After her lower body was stuck under giant rocks, she survived on raindrops and the help of two dogs for eight days. They licked her face clean to provide her with much needed moisture on her parched lips. They also barked vigorously whenever they sensed human movement nearby. Eventually they were able to attract rescuers.
