Daoism Series 33:
華山十二睡功總訣
Mount Hua’s Transmissions of the Twelve Sleeping Gong Comprehensive Instructions
by Chen Xiyi陳希夷 (Chen Tuan)
The subsequent two poems originate from the late sixteenth century collection ‘The Marrow of the Crimson Phoenix’ by Ming Dynasty literatus Zhou Lujing. It consists of a compilation of texts from the Tang Song, Yuan and Ming dynasty, including works on ‘nourishing life’, i.e. longevity such as the Five Animal Frolics and the Eight-Section Brocades exercises. Each poem is accompanied by a diagram, and the poems are preceded by an instructory text:
麻衣真人和調真炁
3. The Hemp-Clad Realized One Regulates His Original Qi
調和真炁五朝元，心息相依念不偏。二物長居於戊己，虎龍盤結大丹圓。
By regulating the true qi, the five will gather at the court of the primordial; as the heart-mind and breath are interdependent, one’s thought will not be deviated. As these two objects reside permanently in wuji, the tiger and dragon coil and bind the great elixir consummation.
胡東隣運化陰陽
4.Hu Donglin Circulates and Transforms Yin and Yang
法天象地謂之體，負陰抱陽謂之用。天地為立基，陰陽運化機。這箇棙子，料得幾人知。
That which moulds from the heavens and takes image from the earth, it is called structure. That which carries yin and embraces yang, it is called function. While the heavens and earth establish the foundation, the yin and yang will keep this transformative mechanism in motion. For this pivotal point, I could only guess how many people are aware of this?
Post-Scriptum: The full article will be published as part of a book, entitled ‘The 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 Feb 2021, and the editing process is in fulll swing with only one chatper and appendix remaining.
