Various Phenomena of fasting (Part One

Fa Hong's discussion on fasting can be divided into three aspects. The first is the reason for promoting fasting, the second is the duration of fasting, and the third is the method of fasting. Although the reasons for promoting fasting are mainly "reasons", they also include methods, totaling eight points. 1. Health preservation techniques such as fasting to cultivate qi, breathing in qi, swallowing saliva, and guiding exercises can all stimulate or facilitate fasting. Some contemporary health preservation experts have passed down guiding exercises as their fasting practice. 2. When the inner strength of the Dan Dao - fasting - is very profound, one can start fasting. In the Daoist school of alchemy, it is said that "when qi is full, one loses the desire to eat." For instance, Chen Tuan and Xie Ziran both practiced fasting for internal cultivation. 3. In the biographies of immortal figures throughout history, it is recorded that someone was able to fast after meeting, talking to, or simply having a strange dream with an enlightened immortal. For instance, in the Tang Dynasty, Wu Yuanzhao dreamed that a divine figure asked her to "cultivate deliberately without the need for grains and cereals" and taught her the Lingbao Great Cave Technique. From then on, she began to fast and could even cure people. There was a Grand Commandant named Han Zidian who also noticed that when Wu Yuanzhao fell asleep and entered a state of meditation, a wisp of green gas would emerge from the end of her nose, turning into a baby about an inch long, with a color like glass, circling around her waist and disappearing in a short while. Wu Yuanzhao could also see through others' internal organs and treat their diseases. Sometimes, when others invited her to go far away for medical treatment, she would refrain from eating food. On the way, if a servant got hungry, she would take out two peaches, blow on them and let them eat. Then she could walk dozens of miles without feeling hungry or tired. Wu Yuanzhao blew a breath on the peach, and the servant ate it without feeling hungry. This is called "Jia Te". 4. When a real person gives you food, you can fast by eating it. For instance, Wang Fengxian of the Tang Dynasty was given some rare and precious fruits by someone. After eating them, she immediately stopped eating. When He Xianggu first met Lu Dongbin, Lu Fen gave her a peach. After she ate it, she stopped eating. During the Tang Dynasty, Master Liu, upon encountering the extraordinary person Zhang Gongbi, began to practice fasting. Only with a connection to immortality can one have such an encounter. 5. When a real person gives you an external elixir, you will be able to fast immediately after taking it. In modern times, Ji Zhicang, a true man, met his master on Kongtong Mountain in Longdong. His master gave him elixirs. After taking them, he could fast from food and also cure diseases. Standing on the ice, he can melt it into hot water, which shows the sufficiency of true Yang. When treating people, he just takes a step and the illness is cured. He is known as the "Barefoot Immortal". Sometimes, the elixir and the object are indistinguishable; the elixir is the object, and the object is the elixir. Wang Fengxian, for instance, fasted from food by eating the fruit bestowed by a real person, and this fruit was also called elixir. The master who served the immortal said to her, "Eating the fruits of a hundred grains will harm your true qi, and eating the fruits of plants will shorten your life. You should practice fasting to nourish your true qi." At first, Wang Fengxian only ate some fruits while fasting. But after hearing the words of a true man, he stopped eating all kinds of grains and fruits such as pears and peaches. And her skin became increasingly as plump and white as ice jade, with bright eyes and an extraordinary appearance. She looked like a fairy. This means that her entire body and temperament have changed. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Pu Bao Hao Dao met a strange person who gave him a pill of elixir when he was eighteen years old. The "Annals of Songjiang Prefecture" records: This medicine glows brightly. "When taken, one feels the heat surging in the abdomen, and thus does not feel cold, heat, hunger or thirst." Moreover, it acquires supernatural powers. This is the qi transformation effect of external elixirs. 6. Fasting caused by taking elixirs, traditional Chinese medicines, certain fruits, vegetables, flowers and grass, some of which are even administered by real people. For instance, Xu Xichun of the Song Dynasty met the Taoist priest Tieguan at the Wufeng Courtyard in the south of Shaowu City. The "Comprehensive Reference to the Continuation of Literature" records that the priest "claimed his surname was CAI and he lived in Wuyi. He left him with Wuhua grass, which was sweet and delicious. From then on, he no longer ate grains and only drank clear spring water." Thus, Xu Gong secluded himself for the rest of his life. The alchemist Xianmenzi of the Qin and Han dynasties achieved the great Way through taking medicine. In the "Inner Chapter of Baopuzi: Immortal Medicine", it is recorded: "Xianmenzi took Schisandra chinensis for sixteen years. Her complexion was like that of a jade maiden, not touching water or burning fire." When I lived in the Zhongnan Mountains, there were many Schisandra trees in front of the Huanglong Cave. When I ate the mature ones, my mouth would be filled with sweet saliva and they could nourish the kidney water. 7. Fasting due to feeling strange: Feeling strange refers to fasting due to encountering a strange person, or due to certain causes and conditions, or because of having a certain dream, or because of eating a certain food. For instance, in the Yuan Dynasty, Dan Shi Qu Liuxin, originally surnamed Fan, was a famous scenic spot. The "Annals of Laizhou Prefecture" states that he was "intelligent and fond of traveling since childhood. When he met a strange person, he was taught the art of fasting and guiding." Even when he grew up, he never ate or drank. His body was as light as a withered leaf. Wherever he went, a strange fragrance wafted over him. He called himself "Qu Liu Xin". This is encountering an extraordinary person. As mentioned earlier, Wu Yuanzhao dreamed that a divine figure told her to "not need grains and cereals, but to deliberately cultivate", and thus she began to fast. This was also a strange feeling. By the Song Dynasty, she was still cultivating on Mount Hua. This is the encounter with a certain seed that leads to the practice of fasting. For instance, the "General Annals of Jiangxi" records that Liu Yaoying "followed her father Hua to escape the chaos at Liuli Mountain in Shicheng. Because she ate a strange fruit, she died of it, her appearance changed instantly, and she passed away." 8. Fasting with external elixirs: Fasting after taking external elixirs. This external elixir can either be self-refined or administered by a real person. Just like Yuan Yangzi of the Jin Dynasty, after he refined the external elixir, he fazed and did not eat. Wei Boyang and Ge Hong were both proficient in external elixirs. After they took the external elixirs, they fazed and did not eat the mundane world. Liu Shang, a man of the Tang Dynasty, was fond of Taoism. When he met a Taoist who was bestowing a pill, he said, "After swallowing it, I immediately felt refreshed and no longer hungry." Fasting time: 1. Fasting before alchemy is mainly for eliminating pathogenic qi, strengthening the body, eliminating turbid Yin, and increasing Yang qi. It belongs to the "clearing the earth and leveling the foundation" practice in the way of alchemy. If your body is not pure, you cannot have a calm mind and a peaceful spirit. Of course, you will not be able to enter a state of tranquility and concentration. The contemporary immortal Qinglongshan Man has a formula that goes: "When the body is not yet clear, it is impossible to be still. One cannot stand for a long time or sit in a state of concentration." This pain and that itch, scratching the liver and the heart. Feeling agitated and restless, with all kinds of distractions. With such a impure body entering the path, one is sure to see the true nature of the mind. How could one transcend the mysterious and communicate with the spirit? Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a fasting session before officially refining elixirs. 2. Fasting in the middle of alchemy: At this time, it is usually one's own primordial spirit that regulates itself through fasting. Sometimes, as one's inner strength gradually deepens, they become so full of energy that they lose their appetite and thus practice fasting. In the middle of alchemy, there is often a process of fasting. One should go with the flow, start and end naturally, which is in line with spiritual cultivation. The senior of Qinglong Mountain said, "Human beings have form and substance as life, and substance without form as spirit." When the spirit refinement reaches a certain stage, it is natural to clear the impurities in the body. Therefore, in the practice of fasting, one should follow the principle of preserving the form and eliminating the essence. Once a certain degree of purification is reached, the primordial spirit is far beyond the life. The life should return to its natural state to avoid consuming the energy of the primordial spirit in gathering qi and replenishing the primordial spirit, and to prepare for the next step of re-adjusting in the life practice of the Great Pill. Therefore, the external five elements (nutritional food) are needed to nourish the internal five elements. The physical body cannot escape into the void. Those who rely on their parents for a long time are not filial sons; those who depend on their primordial spirit endlessly are not enlightened minds. It can be seen that after fasting at this time, there is still a process of resuming eating. One year, when I entered the mountains, I talked about fasting with my fellow traveler, Teacher Li. He said that he had fasting for 21 days and didn't want to eat anything. He only had a little watermelon occasionally and felt very happy. Of course, he must have fasted in summer and autumn, and then he naturally resumed eating. 3. After the elixir is truly refined into the Golden Elixir, one can eat whenever they want and practice whenever they want, living freely and without any hindrance. Moreover, there are some strange aspects: even after not eating for several months, there is no feeling of hunger in the abdomen, and one can eat dozens of bowls of noodles in one meal without feeling full. There have been quite a few immortal figures in the "Immortal Biographies" throughout history. Just like Yin Pengtou, the alchemist of the Ming Dynasty, was like this. In the "General Annals of Ji Fu", it is recorded that he often went into seclusion and lay still, for as long as over a month and as short as six days, fasting from food. One can also finish forty bowls of noodles or a load of melons in one meal, but still not feel full. He was originally a person during the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty and was already three hundred years old by the Ming Dynasty. From this, it can be seen how profound his inner strength is. For instance, Kong Anguo of the Han Dynasty was a descendant of Confucius and mastered both internal and external alchemy. In the "Biography of Immortals", it is said that he "hid in the mountains, and hundreds of his disciples followed him." Every time the broken grain enters the house, it returns to life after a year and a half, but it becomes less and less. If he does not enter the room, he will eat and drink as usual and be no different from the rest of the world. An Guo is a person of great respect. You Bao cherishes the essence of the Dao and refuses to pass it on lightly. As soon as he left the room, he ate and ate as usual, in a way that was in harmony with the public and did not want to shock the world.