– Based on Stephen Eskildsen’s translation of the text
The Zhonghuang Jing is a Taoist text of obscure origin and uncertain date. Its main text could date back to the fourth century or earlier. The lengthy commentary attached to the main text was written around 700 C.E. The text is of particular interest because it describes what may be the most strenuous of all Taoist fasting regiments.
The regimen, roughly outlines, is as follows: The adept quits eating solid foods immediately and also tries not to drink fluids. He frequently swallows air through his mouth and into his esophagus, which is supposed to suppress his hunger and furthermore nourish his body with the Primal Qi or Yuan Qi of the cosmos. By continuing this for many days, the adept purges the defiling Qi of ordinary foods (grain qi) from his body and also exterminates its internal demons. Once this has been accomplished, the body becomes the abode of sacred deities, and its latent divine qi can be activated. The adept is then ready to proceed to the practice of Womb breathing (taixi), which in this case denotes a rigorous technique of breath retention. The breath-holding activates the divine qi of the five viscera (the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys), which miraculously create an immortal body for the adept. The adept carries out visualizations during the womb breathing and sees himself ascend to the heavenly realms of the Great Ultimate (taiji) and the Great Sublimity (taiwei). In such a way, he gains a foretaste of the realms he hopes to someday inhabit.
The method of air swallowing (fuqi: imbibing qi) is described roughly as follows in the commentary portion of the Zhonghuang Jing’s first chapter. At springtime, during the third month of the lunar calendar, the adept sets up a meditation chamber equipped with a desk, bed, and incense burner. He burns incense constantly. At midnight, he begins his meditation. He lies on his back, closes his eyes, and relaxes his mind. After knocking his teeth together thirty-six times, he clenches both fists tightly around the thumbs and proceeds to swallow air. During the course of breathing, the adept does not exhale the air that he has inhaled into his lungs; rather, he holds it in his mouth and swallows it, sending it through his esophagus and into his stomach. This is continued until the stomach feels full. The swallowing of air can be repeated whenever he feels hungry. During this process, the mouth and throat will inevitable begin to feel dry. The adept is thus allowed to drink certain types of fluids to quench his thirst. A recipe is given in the text for a special soup that has sesame seeds, powdered tukahoe plant (fuling, pachyma cocos), and small amounts of milk and honey as its ingredients. This soup of which the adept may drink one or two cups when thirsty nurtures the qi and moistens the belly. Drinking this soup also is supposed to help keep the adept from thinking about food. Bt eventually he is supposed to sustain his fast without drinking fluids. As the adept continues his fast, his intestines gradually become purged of solid wastes. The adept is warned that his urine may begin to take on a yellowish-orange color, which is a sign of dehydration. He may feel constant agitation or depression. However, he is not to worry; if he perseveres, he will naturally get to understand the marvelous governing principles of nature. Although one can eliminate impurities from the body while drinking the aforementioned soups, higher insight can be attained only if one avoids both liquid and solid foods. As the fast is sustained for many days, the three elixir fields in the body begin to be filled up. After thirty days, the lower dantien becomes full, and the adept no longer experiences hunger. After sixty days, the middle elixir field located n the heart becomes full and qi permeates the entire body so the adept no longer feels fatigue and always feels light on his feet. After ninety days, the upper elixir field in the brain becomes full, and the adept begins to take on a visibly healthy and radiant appearance, while his mind is freed of confused thoughts. At this point, he gains insight into right and wrong. Spiritually, the adept now resides in the sacred realm and is able to initiate the respiration of his womb’s Immortal. After 100 days, he can see his five viscera. After 300 days, he can see any evil spirits in his environment and is invulnerable to their deception. After 1000 days, the adept’s name is recorded and his body enters into supreme Sublimity.
As already evident, the fasting regimen is extremely arduous and the adept must overcome many obstacles to succeed. The second chapter of the text describes the various problems and hindrances that can cause the fast to fail. The first problem addressed is the weakening of the body that occurs during the early stages of the fast. After the first couple of weeks of fasting, the body becomes free of solid wastes and the adept begins to feel exhausted and utterly weak. However, he is told not to fear for his wellbeing, nor doubt that the fast can succeed. The body feels weak because the primal qi has not yet reached the stomach. If the adept continues to imbibe air, the qi will penetrate and flow deeper into the body day by day. Eventually, when the lower elixir field is full, the adept will no longer experience hunger. At this point, because the qi has still not yet permeated the flesh and skin, the adept may still feel weak. He may also become thin and bear a sickly, yellowish complexion. However, the adept must not be scared since his strength will eventually be fully restored if he perseveres the fast. The adept is thus told, ‘Those who are scared by their weakness and thinness cannot cultivate.”
The next three problems addressed pertain to the malevolent beings in the body referred to as the Three Worms or Three Corpses. These demons dwell in the three elixir fields, and each works their own kind of mischief upon the adept. The upper worm, named Peng Ju, is white and blue in color. It causes the adept to long for delicious foods and become influenced by various other physical desires. The middle worm, named Peng Zhi, is white and yellow in color. It causes the adept to be greedy for wealth and easily moved toward joy or anger. The lower worm, named Peng Jiao, is white and black in color. It causes the adept to be fond of clothing, liquor, and sex. When the adept first begins to fast, the air he swallows does not permeate sufficiently and he is constantly subjected to the mischief of the three worms. This causes frequent moods of depression and anxiety. He also becomes easily tempted to indulge in sensual or culinary temptations. Quoting a certain Taishang shengxuan jing, the commentary explains that the fast is a process during which the three worms are successfully exterminated; the upper worm dies after thirty days, the middle worm dies after sixty days and the lower worm dies after ninety days. After 100 days, the adept’s body becomes healthy and strong, and his mind becomes pure. He is no longer in danger of falling prey to his desires.
The foods of the five flavors: acrid, sour, salty, sweet, and bitter – must be avoided completely if one is to produce miraculous qi from the five viscera and do away with all thoughts and desires. When the five viscera become full with air or primal qi, the qi of each organ will turn into an internal deity. The adept will reach a higher level of spirituality and insight where he is free of worries and understands the good and bad of the human world.