Chapter 13: Bigu Health Preservation

I. Benefits of Bigu

Bigu offers numerous benefits: It eliminates various diseases including cancer, expels toxins and waste, clears clogged debris and toxins from blood vessels, improves blood circulation, renews fresh blood, extracts essential nutrients from decomposed cellular tissues, renders the skin radiant and rosy, preserves youthful appearance, enhances skin beauty, promotes health and longevity, enables reverse aging, and revitalizes life. It ensures smooth energy channels, makes the body supple, facilitates easy lotus position sitting, enhances meditation effectiveness, accelerates samadhi attainment, brings physical and mental joy, reduces the mental root's craving and dependence on food, diminishes afflictions, sharpens the mind, activates thinking, develops wisdom, and increases concentration and insight.

Food constitutes coarse four great elements, containing impurities and toxins that increase the burden and workload on internal organs, causing wear and shortening lifespan. During bigu, energy (qi) predominates—qi being subtle four great elements primarily composed of the wind element—which elevates the body toward lightness and agility. Immortals and celestial beings sustain themselves on qi, achieving such bodily lightness that they attain supernatural foot power enabling flight. Meditation during bigu proves exceptionally effective; practitioners may become reluctant to rise from sitting. Utilizing this time for concentration practice is optimal, as the body remains supple, legs easily maintain the lotus posture, the mind readily quiets with fewer wandering thoughts, and mental clarity prevails. With well-circulating energy channels reaching all parts, the body's microcirculation and metabolism improve.

II. Preparation Period for Bigu

Semi-bigu typically lasts about three days (adjustable), primarily acclimating the body and mental root to reduced or absent food intake. Only when the stomach is empty during formal bigu will cellular tissues rapidly decompose and metabolize, expelling toxins and waste while providing high-nutrient substances. On the first day of semi-bigu, consume only one bowl of millet porridge to 70% fullness or half-fullness. On the second day, have one bowl of millet porridge in slightly reduced quantity, reaching 60% fullness. On the third day, consume half a bowl of millet porridge, achieving 40-50% fullness. Formal bigu then commences with water consumption only—drink ample water to accelerate cellular decomposition, metabolism, and toxin/waste elimination.

III. Formal Bigu

If employed, schedule semi-bigu for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, beginning formal bigu on Friday. Saturday (day two of bigu) may bring noticeable hunger as the stomach adjusts. Remain home to conserve energy, avoiding social contact. Day three may still involve mild hunger (less than day two); continue resting at home without engagements. By day four, adaptation typically occurs as more energy releases from decomposed cellular tissues, resulting in heightened vitality and mental agility. This applies to individuals without severe illnesses. Those with extremely high or low blood sugar should avoid bigu—no one can be held responsible for potential issues unless under medical supervision. Severe heart or stomach conditions also contraindicate bigu. Generally, severe medical conditions preclude participation in group meditation sessions due to liability concerns.

Three to four days of bigu initiate gastric disease regulation. Longer durations enable more comprehensive organ regulation, improved visceral metabolism, greater blood renewal, enhanced health, rejuvenation, and refined skin texture—surpassing cosmetic results without side effects.

During formal bigu with complete food abstinence, cellular decomposition activates only when the stomach is empty, expelling toxins/waste while yielding high-nutrient substances for absorption—far superior to ordinary nutrition. For first-time practitioners, three to seven days suffices; exceeding three days yields noticeable effects, while shorter periods prove ineffective. From day four to seven, the stomach adapts to emptiness with diminished hunger—only cravings may persist. Resisting cravings and avoiding food exposure generally ensures success.

Core to bigu is visualization mastery. Visualize sunlight illuminating your body and entering the stomach to alleviate hunger. Further visualize Buddha-light shining upon your body and afflicted areas, easing physical hunger while inducing gastric comfort, bodily lightness, and ease. Inhale fresh air containing four great elemental nutrients (primarily oxygen). At night, visualize moonlight to absorb lunar energy. Light energy and qi—both subtle four great elements—benefit the body more than food (coarse four great elements). Celestial beings consuming subtle elements achieve flight-capable lightness, while humans eating coarse elements remain earthbound. Second dhyana celestials descending to earth consume earthly substances, losing their ability to fly and return. Buddhist practitioners should prioritize qi as sustenance—when qi saturates, food cravings cease, enabling health and vitality. Mountain immortals subsist on qi and other subtle elements, attaining longevity spanning millennia. Skilled meditators with perfected samadhi achieve similar longevity—those mastering the fourth dhyana may live for millennia or a kalpa.

Formal bigu lasts three to seven days—seven days remains manageable. Practicing two or three times annually sufficiently regulates the body. Subsequent attempts become easier than the first, where cravings outweigh hunger and overcoming the mental root's food attachment proves challenging. Increased saliva production allows swallowing it as nourishment—superior to ordinary food. Holding fruit pits in the mouth stimulates saliva flow; swallowing it provides adequate nutrition and energy. Saliva surpasses bird's nest in nutritional value.

IV. Resuming Diet

After seven days of bigu, resume eating—a critical phase determining whether the body achieves renewal and rebirth.

Resume with millet porridge for easy absorption and digestion, thereby regulating the spleen and stomach. Post-bigu, the stomach resembles an infant's—consume easily digestible liquids only. Avoid cold, hard, dry foods and milk. Prevent overeating—this is the optimal stomach-nourishing period. For the first three days, consume only millet porridge in small, frequent meals to avoid gastric strain. After day four, add well-cooked leafy vegetables, or steamed yam, carrot, or potato mashed with honey.

Seven days post-resumption, introduce other easily digestible foods. After ten days, replenish qi with decoctions of red ginseng, longan, jujube, and wolfberry. Continue supplementation for at least one week (longer permissible). Avoid sour, spicy, or salty flavors that irritate the gastrointestinal tract. Post-recovery, the stomach develops new habits—seize this opportunity to cultivate healthy dietary patterns, correct poor habits, and voluntarily adjust food quantities and taste preferences.

V. Precautions

Some group bigu practitioners consume fruits or spend thousands on enzymes—such attempts typically fail. Certain qigong-assisted bigu programs charge 20,000–30,000 yuan. Our method costs nothing, requires no special consumables or caretakers. Consuming even small amounts of food reduces cellular decomposition, toxin expulsion, and nutrient release—counterproductive.

During bigu, prioritize meditation for mental cultivation. Minimize or avoid contact with negative individuals or situations that provoke emotional disturbance. Conserve energy by speaking little or not at all. If unbearable hunger strikes, drink minimal honey water or hold a small crystal sugar—though complete abstinence remains ideal. First-time practitioners struggle most with cravings rather than hunger—cravings prove harder to overcome than hunger. Ensure ample water intake during bigu to accelerate detoxification, waste expulsion, and disease elimination.

Weight typically decreases by 1–2 jin daily (averaging 1.5 jin) during bigu. With proper dietary resumption and gastric regulation, weight normalizes. After day four of resumed eating, minimal salt may be introduced; waiting seven days is optimal.