古今求道者众,而得道者累世不一见。非道不可仰企也,由渡水不知津,登山不识径,欲臻
彼岸,跻绝顶难矣。是欲求其道,当先明其法。欲明其法,必先得其传。何也,图中庄严法相,固
显而易见,而其中之体势气数,吐纳呼吸,屈伸上下,升降顺逆,起止旋转,错综变换,导引
流,存想运定,与夫汤洗搓揉,采补捣炼诸法,差若毫厘,谬以千里。不经师传授,摹彷行之,
未必穴道针对,天骨开张,经络关窍,毫无阻滞,阴阳水火两无偏废也。师心自用,贻累勿怪。
既得其传,又遇高明。宜无常师,以补不逮。切忌一得自鸣,耻于请教,遂执一境以自封焉。
十二图式,是就人之行住坐卧,挨次运运,而定俯仰扬抑之法,愈进愈紧,规矩准绳,井
井有条,纤毫无紊。若不寻次第,卤莽造次,颠倒错乱,不惟无益,而反有损,行功者切忌之。
凡行功至百二十日后,便觉加餐健步,长气增神,发体壮力,添液生精,明目达聪,开胃醒脾,
强筋坚骨,皆初验
也。行持不懈,更有进境。总期自然,不可助长。至于调息轻重,呼吸长短,运力大小,导气缓急,
采药之多寡,相济之安勉,导引之迟速,动静之得失,出入之定移,不可蹴至。深者见深,浅者见浅。
功夫至此未可言传,神而明之,存乎其人。然自初觉至化境,功夫不外一志凝神,原始要终八字。
儒曰∶尽心知性。释曰∶明心见性。仙曰∶修真养性。胥是道也,舍是别求,中道而止,不专心致志,
安得上乘?!是必探取三昧,常守三宝,一贯三才,斯能脱胎换骨,伐毛洗髓。既志于道,又胡旋作旋辍
耶?至道难求,得之而废,半途止一篑,与求之弗得等耳,岂不惜哉!
Throughout history, many have sought the Dao, yet those who attain it are rarely seen across generations. This is not because the Dao is unattainable, but rather that one crosses water without knowing the ferry crossing or climbs a mountain without recognizing the path; thus, reaching the other shore or scaling the summit is extremely difficult. Therefore, to seek the Dao, one must first understand its methods; to understand the methods, one must first receive authentic transmission. Why? The solemn dharma images in the diagrams are obviously visible, but the body postures, qi dynamics, breathing techniques (Tu Na), flexion and extension, ascending and descending, smoothness and reversal, starting and stopping, rotation, intricate transformations, guiding flows (Dao Yin), visualization and mental operation, as well as methods such as herbal washing, rubbing, gathering and supplementing, pounding and refining—if there is a slight deviation, the error becomes vast. Without transmission from a master, merely imitating practice may not ensure accurate acupoint targeting, opening of the heavenly bone structure, unobstructed meridians and orifices, or balanced yin and yang (water and fire). Acting on subjective judgment leads to self-harm; do not blame others. Having received transmission and met a superior teacher, one should learn from multiple teachers to compensate for deficiencies. One must avoid boasting of minor insights, feeling ashamed to ask for advice, thereby sealing oneself off in a limited state.
The twelve diagrammatic forms are based on walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, practiced sequentially to establish methods of bending, extending, raising, and lowering. As practice advances, it becomes tighter; rules and standards are orderly, with no disarray. If one ignores the sequence, acting rashly and hastily, causing confusion and disorder, it brings not only no benefit but also harm. Practitioners must take this to heart.
After practicing for 120 days, one will feel increased appetite, steady steps, enhanced qi and spirit, strengthened physique, abundant fluids and essence, clear vision and hearing, improved digestion and spleen function, and strong tendons and bones; these are initial validations. Persistent practice leads to further progress. The overall goal is naturalness, avoiding forced growth. Regarding the lightness or heaviness of breath regulation, length or shortness of respiration, magnitude of force application, speed of qi guidance, quantity of herb gathering, ease or effort in mutual assistance, slowness or quickness of guiding movements, gains or losses in stillness and motion, stability or movement in entering and exiting—these cannot be rushed. Deep practitioners perceive depth, shallow practitioners perceive superficiality. At this stage of skill, verbal transmission is insufficient; spiritual illumination depends on the individual. However, from initial awareness to the realm of transformation, the practice revolves around eight characters: "Focus the mind and concentrate the spirit" (Zhi Ning Shen) and "Understand the origin and grasp the end" (Yuan Shi Yao Zhong). Confucianism says: "Exhaust the mind to know nature." Buddhism says: "Illuminate the mind to see nature." Daoism says: "Cultivate truth and nourish nature." All are the same Dao. Seeking elsewhere and stopping halfway, without wholehearted dedication, how can one reach the highest level?! One must probe into Samadhi, constantly guard the Three Treasures, and integrate Heaven, Earth, and Humanity (San Cai) to achieve shedding the mortal body and washing the marrow. Since one has vowed to pursue the Dao, why stop and start intermittently? The supreme Dao is hard to obtain; obtaining it and then abandoning it, stopping with just one basket of earth left unfinished, is equivalent to never having obtained it at all. Is this not regrettable!