The general cause of all that deprives the body of health and leaves the mind and spirit uneasy all day is nothing other than anxiety over gain and loss. Human energy is limited and should be apportioned appropriately: follow an eight-eight-eight schedule—eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, and eight hours of rest. If this normal routine can be maintained, there is no reason for frequent illness.

Now, because of physical or financial circumstances, one may have no interest in one’s eight hours of work, or the work may be so stressful and arduous that those eight hours feel like more than twelve. The mind then becomes difficult to sustain; by day one worries excessively, by night one has many startling dreams, insomnia begins, appetite declines, constipation and excessive liver fire arise, and the lung qi fails to circulate. Thus various illnesses develop, while the body’s vital qi is depleted day by day. Therefore, to restore health, one must first make one’s thinking normal and one’s mind and spirit peaceful and unified. Then the qi and blood throughout the body can naturally function soundly and fully. This is the original intention of qigong therapy.

Qi and blood can naturally circulate, but one must not deliberately try to make them circulate. One should remove whatever obstructs them, allowing them to develop naturally. The obstruction is precisely the mischief caused by one’s own deluded and inverted thoughts. Therefore, in the method of quiet sitting, one first sets aside the body and suspends activity for an hour. The sitting posture will be explained separately. Once one is sitting steadily, one regulates the qi so that the breathing is even, and then regulates the mind. This, however, is no simple matter.

To regulate the mind, one must first know the mind—know what it is. Only when the mind has a master can one use mind to govern mind. If one can use mind to govern mind, deluded thoughts will naturally cease.

Once people have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, they have their instruments. The eye encounters form, the ear encounters sound, and so forth, thereby giving rise to an image. One then repeatedly discriminates over that image, setting image upon image and delusion upon delusion. This is called the discriminating mind—that is, the deluded mind. On its beneficial side, the progress of all human affairs in the universe has been built upon its activity.

On its harmful side, all afflictions and confused inversions, as well as every kind of evil deed that harms others without benefiting oneself, are also created by it. Therefore, the foremost thing for a person in this world is self-awareness. Those who are truly awakened certainly do not greedily, angrily, and confusedly act recklessly; nor do they lapse into passive annihilationism, becoming cold-blooded creatures who regard social undertakings as having nothing to do with them. In the end, this only harms themselves.

As for the deluded mind’s effect upon the body, on its beneficial side it can harmonize qi and blood, prolonging life and extending one’s years. On its harmful side, the mind can generate fire and the liver can stir wind. Fire overcomes metal, and the lungs are thereby injured. Thus those who overwork the mind have a deficient heart and excessive liver fire. Liver wood overcomes earth, so the spleen and stomach suffer, digestion is poor, nutrition is inadequate, and sleep at night is unsettled.

Earth in turn overcomes water, and so kidney water becomes greatly depleted. When water is insufficient, fire becomes still more exuberant. Since heart and kidneys are interconnected, the heart qi grows still weaker, and lung disease develops. The internal organs are mutually connected: when one moves, all move; when one is ill, all are ill. What disturbs them is the deluded mind. Therefore, treating illness lies in settling the mind; settling the mind lies in ceasing delusion; ceasing delusion lies in realizing the mind; realizing the mind is self-awareness. The benefit to health lies in quiet sitting.

Quiet sitting is a method for stilling the mind. When the mind is still, the spirit is at peace; when the spirit is at peace, qi is sufficient; when qi is sufficient, the blood is abundant. When qi and blood flow freely, illness may be dispelled, deficiencies replenished, and what is already sufficient increased. Present illness may be removed and future illness prevented; this is its lesser benefit. Moreover, when the mind is still, the spirit is clear; when the spirit is clear, one is quick-witted. The still person’s mind has many subtleties: one observes circumstances and discerns symptoms with exceptional agility; once one’s understanding of principle is correct, one can foresee matters more fully; in turmoil one is unalarmed, and before circumstances one is undeluded. One can comprehend everything and naturally avoids the faults of subjective bias. Great capacity and great functioning are thereby opened.

There are various theories concerning the mind. Confucians speak of rectifying the mind; Daoists speak of purifying the mind; Song Confucians sought to place the mind within the bodily cavity. Guan Zhong said to preserve inwardly through stillness and outwardly through reverence. Mencius spoke of recovering the lost mind—but how is it to be recovered? If one says that mind is used to recover mind, then the mind has already gone astray; who, then, is to recover it?

If it has not gone astray, it is right before one’s eyes, so why make this additional effort? And once the mind has been recovered, where, pray, should it be placed? The mind is unlike a material object that can come and go; it is only a matter of concealment and manifestation. In truth, it is merely an illusory image. Yet methods such as letting the mind go, recovering the mind, controlling the mind, and gathering in the mind are all products of the illusory mind—illusion added to illusion, ever multiplying—and are not ultimate.

To know the mind’s true aspect, one must understand that there are two kinds of mind: true mind and deluded mind. For example, the true mind is like water and the deluded mind like waves. Waves move because of the wind; when the wind stops, the waves cease, while the water itself does not move. One need not rigidly divide water and waves into two, but neither may one cling to them as one.

Yet foolish people rigidly divide them into two, while the wise know them as one. Ultimately, however, they are neither one nor two. And to speak of neither one nor two is still the activity of the illusory mind, not the true mind. Let us provisionally call the mind before it moves the true mind: it is lucidly clear, silent, and free of thought; this is the mind of no-mind. Once it has moved, the six consciousnesses discriminate and bustle about, establishing many views and opinions. This is the discriminating mind; it is the deluded mind.

Accordingly: first, that which gathers and gives rise to things is mind—meaning that when the eye and form come together, an illusory image arises. Second, grasping at conditions is mind—meaning that form itself does not come to entice me; I myself grasp at it, thereby creating the discriminating mind. Zhu Xi said, “Do not be enticed by external things,” which seems to place blame on external things for enticing us; this is not a comprehensive account.

Third, fanciful imagining is mind: past habitual tendencies give rise to repeated fantasies, entering into the unreal and producing many ingenious views. Fourth, choosing and rejecting is mind: from individual distinctions arise views of dharmas and emotional views, right views and wrong views, even good views and evil views. Whenever one grasps at the idea that there is some principle to be found, that is the deluded mind. Even wishing to discard that deluded mind is itself the deluded mind. In short, seeking anything is delusion; yet seeking nothing is still delusion, for all are waves. What, then, is to be done?

What has been said above is still only principle, though it must be understood. If one wishes actually to accomplish the work of stilling the mind, one need only investigate at the gaps between thoughts.

Since people have minds, they cannot be without thoughts. Thoughts can only be stopped; they cannot be annihilated. After the previous thought has passed and before the next thought arrives, there is something lucidly clear, silent, and free of thought: this is the gap between thoughts. At precisely that time, not only does delusion cease, but there is no delusion to cease, no mind with which to mind, and no gap to be grasped.

Do not concern yourself with how long it lasts. Simply maintain continuous and seamless contemplation, repeatedly becoming keenly aware in this way. This is neither unknowing like wood or stone nor chaotic like monkeys. While sitting in meditation, stray thoughts suddenly arise and fall away; I simply ignore them. The moment they are ignored, they simultaneously cease, and one again arrives at the gap between thoughts. Let them arise and cease ten thousand times; I simply remain thus. Nor should one construct theories or calculate right and wrong. Sit for one hour each day without interruption. If sitting becomes settled, do not rejoice; if the mind is confused while sitting, do not be troubled. In time, the power of emptiness naturally grows stronger, and its benefits naturally become apparent.

I. Daily Living

(1) Go to sleep early, no later than ten o’clock. Whenever one crosses into eleven o’clock, it is the time when yang arises, associated with the kidneys. Insomnia at this time necessarily depletes kidney water. Since heart and kidneys are interconnected, when water is depleted, fire becomes exuberant, and the spirit is most easily harmed. (2) When sleeping, it is best to think of nothing at all. Regulate the breath through the nose evenly, quietly listening to it yourself as it passes from coarse to fine, and from fine to extremely subtle, until it ceases.

Regard this body as if it were no object, or as sugar dissolving in water and vanishing without a trace; one will naturally fall asleep. (3) If thoughts arise and one cannot settle, do not toss and turn on the pillow while worrying. This is most exhausting to the spirit. Get up and sit for a while before sleeping again.

(4) At noon—namely, from eleven in the morning until one in the afternoon—yin arises, and this period is associated with the heart. If one cannot sleep at this time, one may sit quietly for fifteen minutes and close the eyes to nourish the spirit; then the heart qi will be strengthened. Anyone with heart disease should take particular note. If one attends to these two periods every day, primordial qi will grow stronger day by day, and there will be no palpitations, diarrhea, or frequent urination.

(5) In summer, rise early; in winter, rise late. Those living in the north should guard against cold qi; those in provinces such as Guangdong and Guangxi should, when rising early, guard against falling ill from mountain mists and noxious vapors. Do not lie on your back to sleep after eating. If rising early during the yin hour, from three to five in the morning, one must especially avoid pent-up anger; otherwise, the lungs will certainly be damaged and the liver injured. Please take careful note.

II. Quiet Sitting

There are many methods of quiet sitting, including those of the Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist traditions, as well as distinctions between Esoteric Buddhism and the Chan school. Here, a simple, easy, and reliable method of quiet sitting is selected to lay a foundation.

(1) It can also treat illness, but one need not sit only because one is ill. Even those without illness should practice quiet sitting, to prevent illness, treat illness, and nurture recovery from illness; all three methods are thereby complete, and one may benefit from them throughout life. Quiet sitting is more difficult for those with work, because they lack time. Yet forty minutes each day should be available. On the surface, it may seem unurgent, but all human undertakings have spirit as their foundation, and the decline, flourishing, strength, and weakness of the spirit depend entirely on whether the mind and spirit are calm, settled, and undisturbed. The single word “disorder” is enough to obstruct all work.

(2) Health, longevity, and moral character are also connected with the character and health of one’s descendants; they further concern the improvement of the human race and social welfare. Is this not of great importance? People are now busy with production and value material things. Yet they do not realize that this physical body is itself material. It must first be maintained. Health is the foremost concern in human life and deserves special attention.

Qigong therapy is now widespread. I have never had experience in this field; each method has its strengths, and they are not wholly without effect. Yet among those who practice exercises for moving qi, some seek quick results and may easily take a wrong path. This cannot be blamed on the method itself, but it is not something that can be broadly transmitted, and it is difficult to exercise caution at the outset.

We should first speak of illness. There are two methods of treatment: one relies on external means, such as medicine, acupuncture, and massage; the other relies on one’s own strength, namely the method of quiet sitting. External means are suitable for acute illnesses; self-reliance is suitable for chronic illnesses. For illnesses that medicines and stones cannot cure, only the method of quiet sitting remains; its effect is steady and reliable. If the two methods are applied together, that is even better.