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(b) The unrestricted circulation vital breath
Question: Will you please teach me how to get rid of numbness in the legs which annoys me when I sit in meditation?
Answer The (vital) breath circulates in the (network of) eight (main) psychic channels whose base is the mortal gate (sheng szu ch’iao at the root of the penis) which is linked to the brain above and the soles of the feet below.
The breath either accumulates or disperses solely because of this cavity.
If the blood circulates freely in the body and (vital) breath is strong, the positive principle (yang) grows causing the negative (yin) to decline;
the element of fire will develop in that of water and ‘flowers will blossom in the snow’.
The whole body will be rejuvenated through this cavity of mortality which is the centre that produces vitality and which ordinary men ignore in spite of its daily functioning.
If its duct is weakened a man’s weak voice will immediately betray its lack of support by vitality and become like that of a woman.
His heart will waver and he will act indecisively; he will be like a eunuch.
The cavity of mortality is the source of a man’s vigour:
it is not only a place where the alchemical agent (the generative force) is gathered but also the seat of courage which is instrumental to correct thinking, radiant mien, rejuvenation and robustness.
When the blood and (vital) breath circulate freely in the body all ailments vanish.
Therefore, each morning, after leaving your bed you should circulate this (vital) breath in all the eight psychic channels.
This consists of stopping breathing through the nose and mouth in order to concentrate on the cavity of mortality as the point of departure (in the following ten phases of breathing):
see macro'ing
Question You have spoken of the free circulation of (vital) breath in all eight psychic channels, but each time I wanted to sit longer my numb legs prevented me.
Will you please teach me how to stop this numbness?
Answer When you sit in meditation and feel the legs numb, this is because you are not accustomed to the posture. The numbness becomes unbearable because this posture exerts pressure on and blocks the blood vessels and psychic channels thereby obstructing the free circulation of blood and (vital) breath. If you want relief you should shut your mouth and stop breathing, raise the feet and knock the ground with the heels; then breathe in to lift the (vital) breath from the centres of the soles of the feet through the yin ch’iao channels (on the inner sides of the thighs) up to the lower tan t’ien centre (beneath the navel) and breathe out to drive it down through the yang ch’iao channels (on the outside ofthe legs) to the centres of the soles. Repeat this exercise a few times and the numbness will disappear.
(The outer alchemical agent is produced by means of fresh air breathed in and out to transmute the generative force into vitality.)
The human body is like a rootless tree and relies solely on the breath as root and branches.
A lifetime is just a dream, like an out breath which does not guarantee the in breath after it, and today does not insure the morrow.
If life is passed aimlessly with death ever coming unexpectedly, the bones of the body will disperse, the four elements (of metal, wood, water and fire) will scatter (see note 3 on page 31) and the deluded consciousness (or thought, see figure 4 on page 30) will transmigrate through another realm of existence without knowing what form it will take in another life.
So birth and death will alternate in endless aeons in which the subject will remain ignorant and will delight in laziness without a chance to awaken to Reality.
Now that you have heard about the precious teaching do not go away empty-handed.
(If you do not listen to it) you will not escape from illness and death when you grow old and will thus waste a lifetime in the human world.
As from today you should dwell in singleness of thought;
your eyes and ears should disengage from their objects;
regulate your diet;
reduce your sleep;
refrain from futile talk and jokes;
stop thinking and worrying;
cast away soft comfort and cease to discriminate between the handsome and the ugly so that you can be like the cicada feeding on dew to preserve its unsullied body and like the tortoise absorbing vitality from sunlight to enjoy long life.
You should gather (vital) breath in the morning and sublimate it in the evening;
if you do not so practise you will miss your good luck.
Therefore, alchemy consists ñrst in controlling the heart (the seat of fire) so that it cannot be stirred by the seven emotions (pleasure, anger, sorrow, joy, love, hate and desire) and upset by the five thieves;
the six sense organs are immobilised and the generative force cannot be easily aroused.
The thieves are: the eye, ear, nose, tongue and body.
When the eyes see a form the love of it steals the generative force;
when the ears hear a sound the desire for it stirs the generative force;
when the nose smells fragrance covetousness of it dissipates the generative force;
when the tongue tastes food fondness for it drains the generative force away;
and when the body feels touch, stupidity arises to injure the generative force.
If these thieves are allowed to injure the body day and night, what will remain of the generative force?
If it flows away spirit is bound to disperse and the body will perish.
A practiser should regard his body as a country and the generative force as its population.
Unstirred generative force ensures security for the population, and the fullness of spirit and (vital) breath increases the prosperity of the country.
Likewise in his quest for immortality he should iight hard with the enemy to achieve prenatal vitality.