Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
(What follows is a folk legend.)
Among Taoists of the Tang dynasty, a mysterious Taoist method of nurturing life was handed down, called the “Rejuvenation Exercise.”
This method is said to have come from a Perfected recluse of the Zhongnan Mountains, and it could restore vitality to the aged, turning white hair black and making lost teeth grow again.
According to legend, during the Kaiyuan era there was a Taoist master in the city of Chang'an who was past sixty, his hair and beard all white, his steps faltering. Yet after practicing this method for a hundred days, black hair grew back, his face glowed, and he looked like a man in middle age.
The story spread throughout the capital, and even Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once summoned him to ask about its secret.
What is the mystery of this method? Why can one simple action on rising in the morning reverse the signs of aging? And what deeper connection does the wisdom of nurturing life within it have with Taoist cultivation?
In the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era (727), at Qinghua Temple in the east of Chang'an, there lived a Taoist master named Li Xuanzhen.
This master was sixty-three years old and had presided over the temple for more than twenty years. Time spares no one: Master Li's hair had long since turned gray, he had lost more than half his teeth, he needed a cane to walk, and he had to stop and rest several times just to climb a flight of steps.
The young acolytes of the temple said privately that Master Li probably did not have long to live.
That very spring, a cloud-roaming Taoist came to Qinghua Temple, lodging as a wandering Taoist (guadan).
This Taoist looked no more than about forty, yet claimed to be over seventy; his Taoist name was Qingxuzi. Li Xuanzhen did not believe him at first, until Qingxuzi showed him the ordination certificate from his early years, whose date was indeed more than seventy years past.
“Master, how have you kept your youthful looks?” Li Xuanzhen asked in amazement.
Qingxuzi smiled slightly: “This humble Taoist was not born this way. Thirty years ago, I was as old and frail as you are, Master. Later, in the Zhongnan Mountains, I met a Perfected recluse who taught me a ‘Rejuvenation Exercise.’ After practicing it for ten years, I came to look as I do today.”
Hearing this, Li Xuanzhen was overjoyed and at once knelt down and begged to be taught.
Seeing his sincerity, Qingxuzi said: “This method is not complicated; the key lies in perseverance. Each morning on rising, when yin and yang of heaven and earth are changing over, is the crucial moment for the flow of qi and blood in the body. You need do only one thing to mobilize the qi and blood of the whole body and clear the meridians. Over time, you will naturally return from old age to youth.”
“What is it?” Li Xuanzhen asked eagerly.
“Clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva,” Qingxuzi said slowly. “This method comes from the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting Jing) and is a fundamental method of Taoist life-nurturing. Every morning when you wake, first lie still for a moment; when your mind and spirit are settled, click your upper and lower teeth together thirty-six times, with moderate force, not too hard. After clicking the teeth, stir the tongue in the mouth; when the mouth is full of saliva, swallow it in three gulps, imagining it flowing like sweet dew into the elixir field (dantian).”
Li Xuanzhen listened carefully but was somewhat puzzled: “Is it that simple?”
Qingxuzi said seriously: “The Great Tao is utterly simple; often the simpler a method is, the more profound the principles of heaven and earth it contains. The Tao Te Ching says: ‘The Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to the ten thousand things.’ Clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva seems simple, but in fact it secretly accords with the workings of creation in heaven and earth.”
“The teeth are the surplus of the bones, and the kidneys govern the bones. Clicking the teeth stirs the kidney qi and makes the kidney water rise. Saliva is produced by the spleen and stomach and belongs to Earth. When Earth is moistened by Water, it can generate and transform all things. When kidney water is ample, the marrow is full; when the marrow is full, the hair is black and the teeth firm. This is the root of rejuvenation,” Qingxuzi continued.
Li Xuanzhen only half understood, but decided to give it a try.
The next morning, just as the sky was growing light, Li Xuanzhen woke. Following Qingxuzi's instructions, he first lay still for a moment, evened his breathing, and once his mind and spirit had settled, began gently clicking his teeth.
At first, since his teeth were already loose, clicking them was somewhat painful. Qingxuzi told him this was normal: as long as he kept at it, his teeth would actually grow firmer and firmer.
After clicking his teeth thirty-six times, Li Xuanzhen stirred his tongue in his mouth, and sure enough, saliva soon appeared. He swallowed it in three gulps and felt a cool qi flow from his throat all the way down to his abdomen—an indescribable comfort.
And so Li Xuanzhen kept up this practice every morning.
For the first ten days or so, there was no obvious change. Li Xuanzhen began to waver, but remembering that Qingxuzi had said to persevere for a hundred days, he gritted his teeth and carried on.
By the thirtieth day, Li Xuanzhen found that his teeth seemed less loose, and clicking them no longer hurt.
By the fiftieth day, he was delighted to discover signs of new teeth coming in where his teeth had fallen out.
By the seventieth day, Li Xuanzhen's vigor had clearly improved, and he no longer needed a cane to walk.
By the ninetieth day, the acolytes in the temple had all noticed the change in Master Li. At the roots of his hair, new black hair had begun to grow.
The news soon spread, and many people came to Qinghua Temple seeking the method of nurturing life.
Li Xuanzhen kept nothing to himself and taught the method of clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva to all who came to learn.
Some persevered and did see results; others practiced by fits and starts and naturally gained nothing.
On the hundredth day, Li Xuanzhen stood before a bronze mirror and could hardly believe his eyes at the man he saw.
A third of his hair had turned black, his complexion was ruddy, his eyes clear and bright, and he looked a good ten years younger.
Seeing the change in Li Xuanzhen, Qingxuzi nodded with satisfaction: “Master, you have good understanding. Having persevered for a hundred days, you are already seeing the first results. If you can continue practicing for three years, you will surely regain the looks of middle age.”
“Why does clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva have such miraculous effects?” Although Li Xuanzhen had experienced the results himself, he still wanted to know the reason.
Qingxuzi said: “The Scripture of the Yellow Court says: ‘The clear water of the Jade Pond irrigates the spiritual root.’ This Jade Pond refers to the saliva in the mouth. The ancients called saliva the ‘jade spring’ and ‘sweet dew,’ and considered it one of the most precious substances in the body. Human aging begins with insufficient kidney qi. The kidneys govern the bones, and the teeth are the surplus of the bones. Clicking the teeth stirs the kidney qi and makes the kidney water rise. When the kidney water rises, it can moisten the five zang organs and six fu organs.”
Qingxuzi went on: “Saliva is produced by the spleen and stomach, and the spleen and stomach are the root of later heaven. Swallowing saliva strengthens the spleen and stomach and enhances digestion and absorption. When the spleen and stomach are strong, qi and blood are ample; when qi and blood are ample, no illness arises.”
Why click the teeth thirty-six times? Qingxuzi said: “There is significance in the number thirty-six clicks as well. Thirty-six is the number of the Heavenly Ladle (Tiangang) stars, secretly according with the principles by which heaven and earth move. When the teeth are clicked, the upper and lower teeth strike each other and produce vibration; this vibration, conducted through the bones, stimulates the brain and makes the mind clear and the spirit refreshed.”
Why swallow the saliva in three gulps? Qingxuzi said: “Swallowing the saliva in three gulps corresponds to the Three Powers of heaven, earth, and humanity. The first gulp moistens the heart and lungs of the upper burner; the second moistens the spleen and stomach of the middle burner; the third moistens the liver and kidneys of the lower burner. In this way the qi and blood of the whole body are harmonized, and naturally one's years are extended.”
Li Xuanzhen listened raptly and asked again: “Why must this be done in the early morning?”
Qingxuzi explained: “Early morning is the time of day when yang qi is first born. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic (Huangdi Neijing) says: ‘Yang qi is like heaven and the sun; if it loses its place, life is cut short and does not flourish.’ In the early morning yang qi first rises; practicing at this time accords with the qi of heaven and earth, and one achieves twice the result with half the effort.”
“During sleep, qi and blood are gathered inward, and the internal organs rest and recuperate. On waking in the morning, qi and blood begin to move outward. Clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva at this time helps the qi and blood move smoothly, clears the meridians, and expels turbid qi from the body.”
“Taoism emphasizes the ‘unity of heaven and humanity’: the laws by which the human body operates are the same as those by which heaven and earth operate. Practicing in the early morning is following the Tao of heaven and earth, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to nurture oneself.”
Li Xuanzhen suddenly understood, and gained a deeper grasp of this method.
He kept on practicing, and by the second year, most of his hair had turned black, all his teeth had grown back, and he walked briskly as if flying, looking nothing like a man in his sixties.
Word of this reached the palace, and when Emperor Xuanzong heard of it, he specially summoned Li Xuanzhen.
“We hear that you, Master, possess the art of returning from old age to youth. Is it true?” Emperor Xuanzong asked.
Li Xuanzhen answered truthfully: “Your Majesty, what your servant practices is no art of the immortals, only a basic Taoist method of nurturing life. By clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva every morning and persevering for a hundred days, one can see results.”
Emperor Xuanzong was greatly interested and had Li Xuanzhen explain the method in detail.
Li Xuanzhen then explained to Emperor Xuanzong, point by point, the method that Qingxuzi had taught him.
After hearing it, Emperor Xuanzong ordered the method to be recorded and kept in the palace's secret archives. He himself began practicing it every morning and indeed felt his vigor greatly restored.
From then on, this “Rejuvenation Exercise” spread widely throughout the city of Chang'an.