绝食腥荤香辣
Severing from Food:
Fish, Meat, Fragrances and Spices
One begins to put effort into the practice of stillness; proficiency comes at a later stage.
At first one must sever from certain foods namely fish, meat fragrant and spicy products These include dispersing vegetables such as chives, onions, garlic, chillies, leeks and ginger, and other pungent-acrid foods as well as food products that have are carrying blood such as meat and fish.
This is because animal products are chiefly sinking in nature and have a downward action due to their flavor. Furthermore they are unclean and turbid and carry a great energetic field, namely that of the animal inevitably leading to a coarse post-heaven Qi, i.e. a heavy breath. It will be difficult to meet the requirement of regulating the breath to the attributes of thin, even and long. The blood has attached the life-factor of the dead animal; it embodies the biological field of the animal which is incompatible with one’s own body. Therefore the macromolecules are hard to break down for the digestive tract.
The other aspect at play is the equality of all living entities. In Daoism all life-forms are respected and valued. Therefore one of the five basic and foundational precepts in Daoism is to not kill life.
It is hard to obtain a life-form in this world. When one eats meat a foreign energetic field enter one’s body and influences one’s own field.
Fragrant and pungent-spicy products are utilized as medicinal substances under different circumstances as they disperse outwards and upwards. In Chinese medicine terms they release and effuse the exterior, i.e. driving out pathologies through the skin via their stimulating effect. Their nature chiefly is light and floating and those foods inevitably lead to the dispersion of post-heaven Qi as well as preventing the accumulation of Qi. This is deemed counter-productive as one’s objective is exactly to gather Qi in the lower Cinnabar Field.
Another aspect is the discomfort these substances cause in the stomach and intestines.
One must know the reasons for the existence of those principles and rules of food avoidances.
Fish, meat, fragrant and pungent-spicy foods are forbidden and one must display special perseverance in a pure vegetarian plain and bland diet.
Furthermore food should not be too oily, too salty and it should not have too much stimulus, in order to eradicate all former flavour preferences and in order to lose the die-hard old habits.
One must let go of one’s food desires.
If one eats a bowl of noodles but adds a ton of condiments, how can one let go of dietary cravings?
“Do not eat past fullness! Eating more than one’s fill injures one’s spirit.
Furthermore it impairs the Spleen and Stomach.
Do not starve yourself! Taking fasting too far injures one’s Qi.
The diet must be harmonized and moderate,
half full – half hungry,
regulate yourself well.
When hungry one should increase meals,
so the hunger can then be contained.
This phase is -the Dao of the Diet-.
The future is for the cultivation of the truth.
It is unacceptable not knowing about this.
Cultivators of stillness and internal alchemists must know this principle.
People who want to elevate and sublimate themselves
must be aware of this.
People who want to unify with higher self
must be conscious about this.
People who want to connect with higher self and higher dimensions
must be familiar with this notion.
People who want to merge with the higher realms
must fully comprehend this prerequisite.
People who want to awaken to the Dao
must adhere strictly to these regulations and food taboos.”
Annotation:
This content therefore originates from Shang Yang Zi’s research, advanced studies and cultivation. He physically verified it step by step.