Mr. Dongting was from Fenghu, Xiuning County, Anhui Province. Throughout his life, he maintained a pure heart and was fond of accumulating merit and practicing good deeds, never letting fame, success, or wealth weigh on his mind.
Now that he has passed away, it has come to this. My father replied, "Although the *Yinfu Jing* (Classic of the Hidden Talisman) and the *Daode Jing* (Classic of the Way and Its Virtue) have been handed down through generations, their language is ancient and obscure; students read them but fail to understand. Later, alchemical scriptures emerged one after another, with meanings half-hidden and half-revealed; students pondered them but could not penetrate their essence. This is not because the Dao cannot be practiced, but rather because the Dao has not been made clear."
Therefore, moved by great compassion, Mr. wrote the book *Xingming Yaozhi* (Essential Principles of Nature and Life). Upon its completion, he showed it to me, Zhao Shou, for reading. It is entirely about the Great Dao of the Pre-Heaven state and the study of body, mind, nature, and life. The secrets that sages, immortals, and Buddhas have transmitted heart-to-heart and mouth-to-ear since ancient times are all thoroughly elucidated here. Truly, it is the golden rule of the universe and a precious, extraordinary text within heaven and earth.
Gentlemen who sincerely seek cultivation and truth, if they have the affinity to encounter this book, can enter the inner chambers of learning, follow its methods in practice, penetrate layer by layer, and see verification at every stage. Only then will they realize how profound Mr.'s Dao is and how rich his virtue, and how all scholars of the world and future generations will benefit from his grace.
In the first month of winter in the Dinghai year of the Guangxu era [1887], your humble nephew Ke Zhaoping from Fuchuan bows respectfully to add this postscript.