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Water is clear, while fire is turbid; this is the distinction between wisdom and foolishness. Water remains still, so the Shen (Spirit) is stored within; fire is restless, so the Shen dissipates and perishes; this is the difference between preservation and loss of life.

Therefore, when one's nature is tranquil, the heart is like still water; when emotions are stirred, the heart is like a fleeing ape, distracted and rushing outward, leaving very little essence remaining within. When very little essence remains within, one forgets immediately after speaking, without waiting for the day to end; even if one tries to recall later, it feels as distant as mountains and rivers. Only at midnight, after the rooster crows and during the residual state following physical restraint (symbolized by the cattle pen), does the spiritual clarity return, allowing one to clearly remember everything done, said, and recited during the day. From this perspective, although medicines possess the merit of calming the heart and nourishing blood, they are certainly not as effective as self-cultivation and preservation.

The Seven Emotions and Five Zhi (Emotional Spirits), once activated, transform into Fire, all of which can disturb my tranquil Shen; as for Phlegm obstruction and Blood stagnation, there is no need to mention them further. If one suffers from deficient and short Spirit, with a vague Heart that cannot remain steady for a moment, unless it is forgetfulness due to old age, how could it be that Heaven has snatched away their Hun (Ethereal Soul), repeatedly subjecting them to restraint, such that the Night Qi (Yin energy accumulated at night) is insufficient to be preserved? This is what Mencius lamented regarding the trees on Mount Niu.

Excessive thinking consumes and scatters Heart Blood, making one unable to bear mental effort; every time one recalls the past, Heart Fire arises, like a lamp running out of oil where the flame suddenly flares up before extinguishing. Only by cleansing thoughts, concentrating the spirit, and practicing convergence for a long time can it slightly subside. Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) [see Blood disorders]; add Zhu Li (Bamboo Sap) if there is Phlegm. For those with Phlegm confusing the Heart orifices, use Dao Tan Tang (Guide Out Phlegm Decoction) [see Phlegm disorders] taken with Shou Xing Wan (Longevity Star Pill) [see Mania and Epilepsy]. For those with deficient Spirit, use Ren Shen Yang Rong Tang (Ginseng Nourishing Vigor Decoction) [see Deficiency and Damage disorders]. For those who study diligently or engage in exhausting administrative work, use An Shen Ding Zhi Wan (Calm Spirit and Stabilize Will Pill). For those with non-interaction between Heart and Kidney, use Zhu Que Wan (Vermilion Bird Pill) or Kong Sheng Zhen Zhong Dan (Confucius' Pillow Treasure Elixir). Formula: Shi Chang Pu (Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii) 1 qian, Fu Ling (Poria), Fu Shen (Poria with Hostwood), and Ren Shen (Radix Ginseng) each 5 qian, Yuan Zhi (Radix Polygalae) 7 qian; grind into powder and take as described above. Shang Lu Hua (Flos Verbasculi Officinalis) dried in shade for 100 days, ground into powder, taken in the evening in a dose of one fang cun bi. Wang Ren stated: Mr. Zheng Jinxi once said that human memory resides in the brain. Whenever a person sees an object externally, a shadow/image must remain in the brain. Children's brains are not yet full, and the elderly's brains gradually empty, hence both tend to forget gradually. I ponder that whenever ordinary people recall past events, they close their eyes and look upward to think; this is precisely the meaning of concentrating the spirit in the brain. Examining this theory, it is very sound. The brain is the Sea of Marrow, belonging to the Essence of the Kidney. Below it is the Kidney, above it is the Brain; when deficient, both are deficient. Thus, this condition being Kidney deficiency is indeed credible. The *I Ching* says: "Wisdom stores the past." Wisdom corresponds to Water in the Five Elements and belongs to the Kidney; due to Kidney deficiency, it cannot store memories.