Chiyang Daoren, Eastern Taoism
(What follows is a folk legend.)
Many high officials, nobles, and men of letters came to Li Xuanzhen for instruction. Li Xuanzhen was generous with his teaching: as long as someone sincerely sought to learn, he taught them everything he knew.
The great Tang poet Wang Wei also once learned this method from Li Xuanzhen. Wang Wei was already a believer in Buddhism and Taoism and had studied the arts of nurturing life extensively. After practicing clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva, he wrote a poem: “Rising at dawn I tap the Jade Pond; the saliva turns into a sweet spring. Three swallows return it to the elixir mansion; in a hundred days my face is renewed.”
This poem was later included in Taoist classics on nurturing life and was handed down through the ages.
Li Xuanzhen continued his practice at Qinghua Temple, and at seventy he looked no more than about forty. Many people called him “the Ageless Master.”
One day a young scholar came to Qinghua Temple and asked Li Xuanzhen: “Master, I hear you have practiced the Rejuvenation Exercise for many years. Could you tell me what the highest state of this method is?”
Li Xuanzhen laughed: “The highest state? There is no highest state. The essence of this method lies in perseverance and in following the naturalness of heaven and earth. The Tao Te Ching says: ‘Humanity follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows what is so of itself.’ The way of nurturing life is to follow natural laws, without forcing and without reckless action.”
“Clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva seems simple, but keeping it up every day is not easy. Many people start out full of enthusiasm and give up within a few days. Only those who truly persevere can experience its wonders.”
“This method not only strengthens the body; more importantly, it cultivates the nature of the mind. Each morning, when yin and yang of heaven and earth change over, practicing with a still mind settles the heart and spirit and dispels distracting thoughts. When the mind is still, the spirit is at peace; when the spirit is at peace, the qi flows smoothly; when the qi flows smoothly, no illness arises.”
The scholar listened and became thoughtful.
Li Xuanzhen continued: “Taoism emphasizes ‘dual cultivation of nature and life.’ Nature refers to the cultivation of the mind; life refers to the health of the body. Neither can be missing.”
“Many people focus only on exercising the body and neglect the cultivation of the mind. Then, even if the body is strong, the heart is full of vexation—what is the point of that?”
“On the surface, the method of clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva exercises the body, but in fact it also cultivates the nature of the mind. Each morning, doing this with full attention in quiet surroundings lets heart and spirit become one and reach the state in which both self and things are forgotten.”
“This state is what Taoism calls ‘emptiness and stillness.’ The Tao Te Ching says: ‘Attain the utmost emptiness; keep stillness steadfast.’ Only by reaching the state of emptiness and stillness can one truly experience the Tao of heaven and earth.”
The scholar listened raptly and asked again: “Master, besides clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva, does this method have any other secrets?”
Li Xuanzhen nodded: “Of course. Clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva is only the foundation. To reach a higher state, you need to combine it with other exercises.”
“For example, before clicking the teeth, you can first do ‘beating the heavenly drum.’ Cover your ears with your palms, place your fingers on the back of your head, and flick the middle finger with the index finger, making a thumping sound like beating a drum. This vibrates the brain and makes the mind clear and the spirit refreshed.”
“After clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva, you can do ‘dry face-washing.’ With both hands, gently massage the face from bottom to top and from the center outward; this promotes blood circulation in the face and gives a ruddy complexion.”
“You can also do the ‘hair-combing exercise.’ Using your fingers in place of a comb, comb from the forehead back to the back of the head; this clears the meridians of the head and prevents hair loss and graying.”
“Combined, these exercises work even better. But the most important thing is still perseverance.”
The scholar was deeply inspired and was about to ask more when Li Xuanzhen changed the subject: “However, although this method is simple, the principles within it are extremely profound. The true secret of clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva lies not in the action itself but in the laws of the movement of heaven and earth to which it corresponds.”
“There is a line in the Scripture of the Yellow Court that reveals the core secret of this method. The line is only twelve characters long, yet it contains the whole essence of Taoist life-nurturing. Generations of people cultivating the Tao have treasured this line and kept it secret.”
“What is this line? And how does it correspond to clicking the teeth and swallowing saliva? The mystery within it is the fundamental reason the Rejuvenation Exercise can reverse aging…”