The Relationship Between Qi Cultivation and the Dao

Nurturing Qi is nurturing the Way. When Qi is abundant, the mind abides in stillness. When the mind is still, wisdom arises and afflictions subside, making it easier to perceive the Way. Nurturing Qi involves two aspects: first, replenishment, and second, protection, avoiding unnecessary expenditure. Preventing leakage is paramount, because replenishing Qi while simultaneously expending or leaking it renders the replenishment meaningless, potentially leading to erroneous supplementation and the emergence of illness obstacles.

In what aspects is Qi within the human body prone to leakage? Firstly, defecation and urination involve the leakage of Qi, consuming Liver Qi, Lung Qi, Spleen Qi, Stomach Qi, etc. If these Qi are insufficient, defecation and urination become difficult. Frequent defecation and urination lead to greater Qi leakage; physically weak individuals often feel debilitated after these acts. Therefore, the Buddha instructed disciples to know moderation in eating and drinking, to eat once a day at noon, and to refrain from eating after noon. This avoids: firstly, depleting merit and virtue; secondly, wasting time for cultivation; thirdly, fostering greed; and fourthly, preventing frequent defecation and urination. Thus, the Buddha's precepts possess scientific rationale and also aid in cultivating the Way.

The second most significant leakage of Qi comes from sexual desire, which also consumes a great deal of the body's Qi. Those with frequent sexual desire generally have poor physical constitution. Emperors in the past often needed to regularly consume tonics, yet the replenishment could not keep up with the leakage. Excessive consumption of tonics also harms the body, ultimately leading to physical depletion and premature death. Only emperors with restraint had the possibility of longevity, though they were few. The Buddha established the precept requiring the cessation of sexual desire because it is the root of birth-and-death transmigration. Without sexual desire and lust, one transcends the Realm of Desire. In the Shurangama Sutra, the Buddha said: "Practicing the Way with a lustful mind is like steaming sand to make rice; it will ultimately not succeed, because sand is not the substance of rice. Practicing the Way with a lustful mind constitutes demonic conduct; one will ultimately not attain the Way." Therefore, the Buddha established the precept to cease sexual desire. Those who single-mindedly vow to attain the Way, for the sake of their own liberation, should also consciously subdue the affliction of sexual desire.

The third major cause of Qi leakage is speech. Speaking consumes Dantian Qi. When the mental faculty (Manas) generates the thought to speak, Dantian Qi is activated. This Qi ascends through the channels and chakras, passes through the throat chakra to the root of the tongue, where consciousness and body-consciousness arise, and speech is produced. During this process, Qi from various internal organs is expelled along with the speech. Therefore, those deficient in Qi speak weakly or may even be unable to produce sound. Some feel weak and exhausted after speaking too much. Those who speak excessively every day consume too much Qi; such individuals generally lack meditative concentration, and even if they attain it, they will lose it. Therefore, Buddhist disciples cultivating the Way generally prefer silence, speaking only when necessary. This practice serves two purposes: gathering Qi and preventing mental distraction.

The fourth major cause of Qi consumption is unfettered, scattered thinking—excessive mental activity leading to internal mental exhaustion. When Qi is completely depleted, meditative concentration becomes difficult to arise, and if it does arise, it easily dissipates. "Opening the mouth scatters the spirit and Qi; moving the intention chills the fire element." When one speaks, the Qi within the body disperses and vanishes. As soon as the mental faculty (Manas) generates a thought, the internal fire cultivated within the body dissipates. Once the warmth sign disappears, the body becomes cold. Thoughts also consume energy. Those who are physically very weak may find it impossible to concentrate, their minds potentially going blank. Those who overthink easily become fatigued and hungry. Those who frequently engage their minds tend to have deficient Spleen Qi and also get hungry easily. As energy dissipates, meditative concentration also vanishes.

The above are the primary channels through which the body leaks and consumes Qi. All nine orifices are prone to consuming Qi and blood. Prolonged use of vision scatters Liver Qi, leading to Liver blood deficiency. Prolonged listening scatters Kidney Qi, leading to Kidney decline. Prolonged smelling, tasting, and touching all cause the loss of Qi and blood, disrupting the continuity of meditative concentration. The pores on the body's surface can also emit energy. Prolonged bathing or excessively high water temperature can cause the loss of Qi and blood. To cultivate the Way well, worldly activities must be moderated and kept within bounds. Without greed for forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or mental objects, the Way becomes easier to attain.