典藏书目

Su Shi once said: "The things that harm life are not just one, but those who indulge in lust will surely die." How profound this statement is! Scholars and officials, having attained high salaries and positions, further seek to please their hearts and minds. Thus, they sought the arts of the bedroom from Tao Zhongwen. At that time, Tao was still a low-ranking official; he practiced it and found it effective. He then passed this method on to Zhang Juzheng (Zhang Jiangling), who soon rose to prominence. A man surnamed Tan used this method for twenty years, but one night, after cohabiting with a prostitute, he failed [in his practice]. He was just over sixty years old at the time and felt he would not survive. He advised Zhang Juzheng to be cautious. However, Zhang continued to use Tan's methods incessantly, becoming increasingly emaciated and withered day by day, ultimately dying before reaching the age of seventy (the lower longevity). Even great figures of the generation like Tan and Zhang could perish due to excessive desire, demonstrating how easily one can be intoxicated by beauty. Unless one can detach oneself from the selfishness of emotions and desires, and possess firm perseverance, how can one avoid being harmed?

Indeed, people find it most difficult to sever ties with emotional and sexual desires. In Song Dynasty Li Guang's *Collection of Li Zhuangjian*, there is a record of a guest offering warming tonics claiming they could strengthen the primal yang. Li Guang wrote a poem in response, secretly sighing that such practices only cause futile damage. The lifespan of a hundred years is set; north and south climates vary with heat and cold. Look at the fields, where elders are often healthy and strong. Playing with grandchildren under thatched eaves, driving cattle and sheep on spring ridges. They never knew what elixirs were, only rejoicing in the fragrance of sorghum wine. I, exiled for ten years, heard daily of nobles passing away. Golden pills stayed in the mouth, subtle medicines remained nearby. True essence leaked away day by day, filth remained in empty intestines. Suddenly, the Four Elements separated, unable to take even one thing with them. Singing throats turned to mournful sounds, dance clothes replaced by mourning garments. Furnaces left behind arrowhead sand, chests contained deer horn frost. Foolish indeed was this foolish man, seeking remedies endlessly. I have an otherworldly method, also like an immortality formula. To ward off cold, cloth and silk are needed; to satisfy hunger, rice and millet suffice. A pot of wine by the bed, a zither on the knees. When inspiration strikes, wave hands; when guests arrive, raise cups. Clean inkstones facing clear pools, copy books beside bright windows. Daily life thus, and days and months seem long. Ginseng and Poria have mild properties, supporting decline is unforgettable. Relying on drugs to indulge in sex and music is like raising jackals and wild wolves. This principle is very clear, are my words absurd? Write this as a motto for the desk, merely to critique the blindness of the world. Reading this reveals pure cultivation, explaining why he lived long in miasmic regions without losing his spirit, achieving high longevity. If scholars could guard their bodies like Mr. Li, who would not be healthy, strong, and fortunate? Mr. Li also wrote to Xiao Dechao: "Zhang Quanzhen searched Kuaiji for beautiful women, consuming Cinnabar, Deer Antler Velvet, and Aconite Root as if eating fish and meat, merely indulging in lust. Thinking he enjoyed glory and advantage, now he is a withered bone, what advantage is there? At this point, even Shakyamuni and the Great Bodhisattvas could not save him, how tragic! This should serve as a wake-up call for those drowned in private passions." Health experts have taboo dates for sexual intercourse, which people often consider pedantic and ignore. Little do they know that young adults often die suddenly from illness, sometimes due to this. As for auspicious wedding dates, they often do not avoid the Equinoxes and Solstices. Youth indulging in desire secretly violate the harmony of Yin and Yang, potentially laying hidden roots for disease; this cannot be ignored.

The art of "harvesting" (sexual alchemy) is heretical. Sun Simiao's *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold* details the arts of the bedroom, stating that one can master twelve women without ejaculation. Yet, the heart must move; moreover, during intercourse, fire flares with desire. Even without ejaculation, true essence is inevitably consumed. How can this extend life? Furthermore, prescriptions for treating impotence using Silkworm Moths, Cnidium Fruit, and Prepared Aconite Root, shown to others, will likely lead to false heat drugs being used to indulge lust, causing endless harm. Could someone like Sun Simiao, who saves beings and preserves life, bear to say such things? Men who delay deflowering have stronger and more solid vitality. Those raising children fear early awakening of knowledge, which depletes innocence and often harms the body. When children begin schooling, it is crucial to carefully select companions, preventing association with bad influences. My cousin studied at a relative's house as a youth. Among six students in the same class, the eldest, a Shen family son, led the boys into obscene acts. Years later, three boys died of tuberculosis, and my cousin fell critically ill. Similarly, handsome servants and young maids should not be allowed close contact. Young Master Chen of Changzhou hemoptysis shortly after marriage. His mother, fearing he would drown in romantic indulgence, had him live in the study, attended by an old slave and a young boy. The old slave loved wine and slept soundly at night, so the young master engaged in homosexual acts with the boy, worsening his condition. By the time his mother found out, the disease was entrenched, leading to his death. This is knowing one part but not the other; can we not take this as a warning? (I once saw that Shen family son; he failed multiple imperial examinations, died destitute in his forties, likely retribution for his轻薄 conduct.)

People in middle age often seek ways to prolong life. Some advocate celibacy; others advocate taking tonic foods. I believe lifespan is determined by fate and cannot be forced. If one must strive fully, then celibacy and avoiding excessive thought are equally important, with celibacy being particularly crucial. Regarding tonic foods, one must assess suitability for one's constitution and carefully distinguish herbs. One should not trust ready-made formulas blindly, lest bias leads to harm.

Lu Ziyao's *Commentary on the Treatise on Cold Damage* states: "People do not see wind, dragons do not see stones, fish do not see water, ghosts do not see earth; similarly, those pursuing official rank do not see the harm." I added: "People do not see wind, dragons do not see stones, fish do not see water, ghosts do not see earth; similarly, those fond of lust do not see disease." Generally, if one is not intoxicated by wealth and sex, one has understood half of the way to preserve life.

Withholding semen during intercourse, obstructing it midway, often causes illness. Internally, this leads to strangury and turbid urine; externally, it causes buboes. Patients often do not know the cause, and doctors rarely discern the reason. Improper medication leads to many deaths; how can one not be cautious?

*Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of the Grand Doctor of the Granary* records 24 cases diagnosed by Chunyu Yi. Seven were caused by internal factors (sexual misconduct), and four were fatal. One case resulted from drinking and sexual activity; another from anger during intercourse; a third from labor after contracting an internal injury. Those who value health should recognize these and take caution.

Swallowing breath improperly can cause harm. Swallowing saliva is easier and very beneficial. Sit upright with eyes closed during leisure time, circulate the tongue around the mouth thirty-six times. Once saliva is abundant, swallow it in three portions. (Make a sound in the throat while swallowing.) Direct the intention to the Dantian. Practicing this method for a long time can greatly dispel illness and prolong life. My cousin Zhou Liyuan (Zhou Tuyu) suffered rectal bleeding in middle age. Mistakenly taking hot medicines, he developed a chronic ailment, becoming emaciated with weak legs, unhealed for ten years. Later, he abandoned herbal medicine and practiced only this method. After one year, all ailments healed, and his body returned to robust health.

Lang Ersong of Hangzhou suffered from critical tuberculosis at thirteen. Hearing of a Daoist priest with high cultivation in a certain nunnery, he went to seek treatment. The priest taught him the Eight Section Brocade exercises, saying it could cure illness and prolong life. He followed this, and after three months, the illness vanished as if lost.

Zhang Jingyue praised his father, Mr. Shoufeng, who swallowed breath every morning at the fifth watch (5-7 AM), inducing belching to lift and expel it. He performed this vomiting method once or twice a month, remaining undamaged for over forty years. Mr. Shoufeng achieved longevity through vomiting because his constitution was strong or he had phlegm-fluid retention, allowing the vomiting to push out accumulated filth. Others should not lightly imitate this.