Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 if you want to bring
order, peace, and prosperity to yourself
then use a light hand and be gentle with yourself
2 establish a routine and stick to it step through the nine palaces patterning yourself after nature
3 cultivate in the early morning hours stand like a tree accumulating power, strength, and virtue
4 master all your treasures under the heavens sit like a mountain puritying your mind and consciousness
5 fortify your talents
recline like a great river flowing throughout the land, towns, and countryside
6 collect your knowledge and wisdom crawl on your hands and knees penetrating deeply into the earth
awakening to your own endurance and potential learn to appreciate your limits and you will be
unlimited
7 release yourself to the tao way of life roll firmly within the great mystery absorbing the everlasting nourishment of living
8 create and play become clairsentient to the tao source of life
and you will become a boundless and everlasting
immortal
Chapter Fifty-nine is considered by Taoist Cultivators to be a comprehensive description of qigong exercises designed to harness the life-force energy of the bodymind. Mystic union with nature and the forces of the universe is experienced energetically, that is, in a field of qi that engulfs the Cultivator. Learning to channel and manipulate this energy at the very least leads to robust health, mental acumen, and physical longevity. Advanced Taoist Cultivators enter a belief system in which they viscerally experience the timeless energy of creation. When the Cultivator lives his life under the constant influence of this experience, he is said to be an Immortal, or Hsien.
[9 palaces graphic]
1 HAND: Approach all of these yogic activities in a relaxed and understated manner. Absolve yourself of the need to be successful in your Qigong endeavors.
The journey is more important than the destination.
2 HAND: Your Qigong practice should be part of a daily ritual that becomes the most important part of your day. The "nine palaces" refers to a ritualized stepping pattern. The Cultivator imagines that employing this mystic dance grants him greater access to Nature and the qi of the Universal. The Nine Palaces dance is usually performed out of doors in a beautiful natural setting.
3 HAND: Qigong practice should take place in the early morning hours when the qi and the air are fresh
and the bodymind is rested. Standing Like a Tree refers to the practice of standing meditation.
a. Assume a balanced and stable standing posture.
b. Imagine that you are drawing physical and spiritual sustenance from the earth.
4 HAND: Preserve and balance the energy, vitality, and spirit of the bodymind. Sit in meditation and imagine that you are like a mountain. In Taoist cosmology, mountains are expressions of vibrant earth energy that reach up to the heavens. They are, however, bound to the planet. Imagining yourself as a mountain clears your mental faculties and elevates your consciousness.
5 HAND: Engage in activity that is profoundly meaningful to you, such as art or music. "Reclin[ing] like a great river" refers to the practice of reclining Qigong.
a. Lay on your side in a relaxed fetal position, preferably near a riverbank.
b. Imagine that you are that river or another great body of water flowing across the land. You imagine that you are seeking the lowest resting point possible.
6 HAND: These are instructions for crawling qigong.
a. "Collect your knowledge and wisdom" by focusing on your lower dantien.
b. Mindfully crawl on your hands and knees while attempting to absorb the qi of the earth into the front of your torso.
c. Pretend that each time you place your hand or knee on the ground, it penetrates deeply into the planet.
d. Convince yourself that you are a vast and inexhaustible being that could traverse the entire globe in this manner.
7 HAND: These are instructions for rolling qigong.
a .Stretch out on the ground and deeply relax.
b. See yourself sinking into the earth's surface as if your molecules are melting into the ground.
c. Slowly roll back and forth upon the ground. Don't move too quickly, but you should feel slightly disoriented.
d. As you roll, imagine that you are slowly working your way deeper into the planet.
e. With every inhalation, absorb the energy of the earth deeply into your bodymind.
8 HAND: Engage in a creative pursuit, such as dance, art, painting, poetry, etc. As you do, actively try to sense and feel the Tao Source creating through you as you relinquish creative control to it. Following these procedures will, according to Taoist cultivation, turn you into an Immortal.