The meditation bed inside Miaohua Rock

In Miaohua Rock, there still exists a Dan bed from the Yuan Dynasty, which is the only one preserved on Wudang Mountain where ancient hermits practiced their Taoist arts. It is extremely precious. The shape of the Dan bed is very similar to today's chairs, only longer. People can lie down or sit on it. In ancient times, Taoists had many methods of cultivation, among which lying down exercises and sitting exercises were one. The main purpose was to "sit and forget to calm the mind, nourish and harmonize the nature of the mind", and thereby achieve "longevity and long-term vision". The classic text "Zhuangzi: The Great Master" has a key point of cultivation called "sitting and forgetting", which means to relax the body and sit still, allowing the mind to abandon the concrete thinking about things, "forgetting" and returning to the boundless state, thereby being in harmony with the boundless state of heaven and understanding the origin of the universe. This was a common way of cultivation for ancient Taoist practitioners. The sitting and lying sleep practice created by the ancient Taoist scholar Chen Tuan on Wudang Mountain is unique. He said that the "sleep of the supreme person" is different from the common secular sleep methods. Ordinary people have many desires. Even if they snore loudly when they fall asleep, they actually have no moment of peace. When a person sleeps, the golden breath and jade liquid are stored, the true qi flows through the dantian, and the divine water circulates within the five inner regions. By sleeping and nourishing internally, one can cultivate oneself through sleep, oblivious to the passage of time, and eventually achieve the goal of longevity. From this perspective, the elixir beds on Miaohua Rock are dual-purpose for both sitting and lying down. They are not only practical tools but also rich in knowledge.