典藏书目

Qi State Minister Chu Cheng said: For emaciated women, nourishing blood is essential, and it is appropriate to marry at the proper age; for weak men, maintaining physical fitness is key, and it is advisable to wait until one is robust before marrying. He further stated: If a man breaks his yang (sexual maturity) too early, it injures his essence and qi; if a woman breaks her yin (menstruation/sexual maturity) too early, it damages her blood vessels.

He also said: Engaging in sexual intercourse to forcibly unblock the essence before the essence has naturally circulated will result in deficiencies in the five marrow organs, leading to difficult-to-describe illnesses in later years. He added: For girls who have not yet undergone the capping ceremony (coming-of-age ritual), once their Tian Gui (menstrual fluid/reproductive essence) begins to flow, if they are already exposed to male influences, their yin qi may leak prematurely, causing injury before the body is fully developed.

He further noted: For unmarried men and women, accumulating excessive thoughts in the mind and overthinking abnormally often leads to severe depletion. In men, vitality and complexion decline first; in women, menstruation ceases first.

The Huangdi Neijing states: To achieve longevity, one must be extremely cautious regarding the urgency of sexual desire. Why should one act like a spirit altar of the dead by dying due to such indulgence?

Peng Zu said: The superior practitioner changes beds (reduces sexual frequency or alters environment to avoid temptation); the average practitioner changes quilts (maintains warmth to prevent pathogenic invasion). He also said: Changing quilts is inferior to changing beds; changing beds is inferior to changing rooms (removing oneself from tempting environments). Taking a thousand zhong of medicinal decoctions is inferior to sleeping alone in tranquility.

Laojun said: When desires arise from within the five zang organs, the hun (ethereal soul) becomes stable and the po (corporeal soul) calm, which constitutes life; when desires arise from the chest and diaphragm, causing essence to scatter and spirit to become confused, this constitutes death.

Peng Zu said: Beautiful colors and seductive appearances, along with households full of sexual pleasures, lead to the disaster of deficiency and damage. How can one achieve longevity under such circumstances?

The Yinfu Jing states: Licentious sounds and beautiful faces are axes and saws that break bones. People of the world who cannot hold the spiritual candle to illuminate hidden emotions, nor wield the sword of wisdom to cut off love and desire, will drift in the sea of birth and death, where harm arises from affection.

Quan Yuanqi said: Enjoying beauty without restraint consumes essence; using it lightly and without stopping causes essence to deteriorate. Sages cherish their essence and value their transmission, resulting in full marrow and strong bones.

Ancient texts state: In old age, when blood and qi are already weak, if one feels an exaggerated surge of yang function, one must be cautious and suppress it, never allowing the mind to run wild and exhaust effort. Each instance of not ejaculating extinguishes a fire; each time the fire is extinguished, oil is added. Failing to control and instead indulging in emotion is like a lamp about to go out while having its oil removed.

Zhuangzi said: Those with deep cravings have shallow heavenly mechanisms (innate vitality).

In the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Qin physician Yi He examined the illness of the Marquis of Jin and said: This is caused by approaching women excessively, not by ghosts, nor by food, but by confusion that loses the will. The Marquis asked: Should women not be approached at all? Yi He replied: They should be approached with moderation.

The Xuan Shu states: Yuan Qi (Original Qi) is the moving qi between the kidneys. The right kidney is the Mingmen (Gate of Life), the residence of spirit and essence. One must cherish and protect it so that Ying and Wei (nutritive and defensive qi) circulate continuously, spirit and qi do not deplete, and one can share the lifespan of heaven and earth.

The Yuanqi Lun states: The nature of craving is inherently endless. To pursue boundless cravings with finite life and destiny is to cause self-destruction of the spirit severely. The Xian Jing states: Do not labor your form, do not shake your essence; return the mind to quiet stillness, and you can achieve longevity. The Li Song states: The Dao treasures essence; preserving it requires secrecy. Giving it away generates others; keeping it within generates oneself. Even forming the "infant" (internal alchemy term) is not to be casually discarded, let alone wasting it empty. Unnoticed loss accumulates, leading to aging and falling life. The Xian Shu states: In the way of yin and yang, essence is the treasure. Guard it carefully, and you will age after heaven (naturally), rather than prematurely.

Ancient texts state: Sounds and colors agitate within, emotional attachments entangle, thoughts move in the heart, leading to daytime fantasies and nighttime dreams, chasing boundless desires. The hundred spirits grow weary and dissipate; the dwelling (body) collapses without its treasure. Indulging in extreme pleasure without self-preservation results in deficiency diseases. It is like a rotten tree breaking in the wind, or a crumbling cliff collapsing upon contact with water. If one can cherish and regulate emotions, one can attain long life.

Kidney yin internally connects to the ears, and the Bladder meridian emerges from the eyes. Blindness prevents seeing, deafness prevents hearing; these are the harms caused by sexual activity.

Human longevity or brevity depends on moderation. If cared for properly, one can live forever; if passions are indulged, life is as brief as morning dew.

Excessive desire damages essence. What humans can preserve is life; what is pitiable is the body; what is precious is essence. If liver essence is not secure, vision becomes dim and lightless; if lung essence does not interact, muscles waste away; if kidney essence is not secure, spirit and qi decrease; if spleen essence is not secure, teeth and hair fall out loosely. If true essence is scattered, diseases arise, and death follows.

The Song of the Immortals' Regret states: Alas! Alas! If the palace of Original Qi has no master. Once a point of yuan yang departs due to lustful jealousy, the hundred spirits send away the brilliance of essence. The Three Corpses rejoice, the Seven Souls anger; with blood failing and qi declining, what can supplement them? The Red Residence and Dantian belong to others; who owns the Jade Furnace and Cinnabar Stove? I advise the world: Do not cling to color/beauty. Clinging to beauty and greed for lust causes spirit to fail. Once spirit goes, the hundred spirits leave; once the hundred spirits leave, the person is unknown. Several times wanting to speak but unable to, nearing the underworld to leak heavenly secrets.