Page 471 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

432 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

description of human physiology, relying heavily on the medical classic
*Huangdi neijing.
8. "On Healing Disease through Ingestion of Breath" CFuqi liaobing lun"
~Iit ~ ~ wg ~~Il). Diseases, resulting from bad energy circulation, hinder
progress. There are specific exercises to heal them: massages or gymnas-
tics cure functional or local, external problems, while the absorption of
energy heals diseases affecting the inner organs.
9. "On the Symptoms of Diseases" CBinghou lun" m {I* ;mll). For proper
practice even latent diseases must be eliminated. Methods are thus given
to diagnose harmful tendencies early on.

Altogether, the Fuqi jingyi lun gives a systematic explanation of various physi-
ological techniques, presenting them in a lucid and well-organized manner
that allows a clear understanding of medieval practices of physical cultivation.
Many practices, moreover, are either similar to medical techniques or have
survived as * qigong exercises to the present day.
LiviaKOHN

ID Engelhardt I987 (trans.); Engelhardt I989, 269-77

* Sima Chengzhen;jUqi; yangsheng; MEDITATION AND VISUALIZATION