辯正論 6.143

6.143

君子曰。原道所先以氣為體。何以明之。案養生服氣經云。道者氣也。保氣則得道。得道則長存。神者精也。保精則神明。神明則長生。精者血脈之川流。守骨之靈府。精去則骨枯。骨枯則死矣。故莊周云。吹呴呼吸吐故納新。彭祖修之以得壽考。校此而言。能養和氣以致長生。謂得道也。

The noble gentleman said: 'Investigating what precedes the Dao, it takes qi as its substance. How is this known? According to the Yangsheng fuqi jing: "The Dao is qi. Preserving qi, one attains the Dao; attaining the Dao, one endures long. Spirit is essence. Preserving essence, the spirit is luminous; when the spirit is luminous, there is long life. Essence is the river flow of the blood vessels, the spiritual mansion that preserves the bones. When essence departs, the bones dry up; when the bones dry up, one dies." Thus Zhuang Zhou said: "Blowing and breathing, exhaling the old and inhaling the new—Pengzu cultivated this to attain longevity." Comparing these statements, to be able to nourish the harmonious qi so as to bring about long life is what is called attaining the Dao.'