『Dongui Bogam-Internal Bodily Elements(동의보감-내경편』 Ⅰ. Body(신형 身形)
Written By Jun Heo(許浚, 1539~1615), Translated by Namil Kim, Wung Seok Cha et al., Published by Ministry of Health & Welfare (Korea)
① It is said in the Book of Nurturing the Spirit (養性書): “Anyone who is trying to care for one’s health must not violate the prohibition of the day and month and live according to the seasons. The prohibition of the day is not overeating at dinner, the prohibition of the month is not getting drunk on the last day of the month, and the prohibition of the year is not travelling too far in winter, and the prohibition of the whole life is not having intercourse at night with the lights on.”
② It is also said: “Happiness and anger harm will, sadness harms nature, splendor harms virtue, and intercourse dries out the essence. These are the things one must keep in mind while learning Tao.”
③ It is said in the Teachings of the Perfected (眞誥): “Eyes are the mirrors of the body, and ears are the windows of the body. The more you look, the less clear the mirrors become; the more you hear, 36 DONGUIBOGAM PartⅠ_Internal Bodily Elements the easier the windows get blocked. The face is the garden of the mind, and hair is the flower of the brain; the face gets pale when the mind is gloomy, and the hair greys when the brain shrinks. Essence is the spirit of the human, and brightness is the treasure of the body. Too much work scatters essence and lessens brightness.”
④ It is said in the Baopuzi (抱朴子): “A person who takes good care of one’s own health always thinks less, does not dwell on one thought, let’s go of desires and worries, lessens one’s work, talk, laughter, joy, happiness, anger, and only likes and hates little. The secret of nurturing nature is based on these twelve. Too much thinking harms the mind, and dwelling on one thought scatters one’s will. Too much desire darkens the will, and too much work exhausts the body. Too much talk wastes qi, and too much laughter harms the five viscera. Too many worries shake the heart, and too much joy leads to overflowing thoughts. Too much happiness makes one jumbled and in disarray, and too much anger irritates all the vessels in the body. One is unable to distinguish logic due to delusions when one likes so many things; one becomes pale and unhappy when one hates so many things. The nutrient qi and defense qi will get lost and blood-qi will flow as it pleases if one does not get rid of these twelve; eventually the core of life will get lost.”
Living in Accordance with the Four Seasons 四時節宣 계절에 맞춰 사는 법
①It is said in the Book on Nourishing Life (養生書): “To benefit one’s own body, one must sleep late and wake up early in spring; sleep late at night and wake up early in summer and autumn; sleep early and wake up late in winter. Nevertheless, one must not wake up before the first crow of the rooster in the morning, and not wake up after the sun rises.”
② It also said: “As a wise person, the proper way is to let one’s head be cold in winter and head and legs be cold in spring and autumn.”
③ It is good to cleanse the body at the end of the month and wash the hair at the start of the month. One should not take a bath when too hungry or too full.”
④ When lying down, one must face east in spring and summer and west in autumn and winter. The head must not be facing north.
⑤ One must avoid all kinds of strong wind, heavy rain, thick fog, extreme heat or cold, and deep snow. Darkness after a sudden whirlwind, downpour, thunder or lightning is because all kinds of dragons and spirits pass by. One must go inside the room, lock the door, and calmly sit with the incense burning to avoid such incidents; if not, the person would get hurt.
⑥ It is said in the Song for Guarding Life (衛生歌): “The reason it is most difficult in summer to take care of one’s health is because yin hides inside the body and makes it cold. Medicine toxifying the kidneys is necessary; also, one must never eat cold food. If the heart is strong and kidneys are weak, what must be avoided? The most crucial thing to avoid is the leakage of essence qi. Keep the bedside quiet and clean, keep the mind calm, and keep the heart qi even. Ice water, vegetables, and fruits are not good for the body- it will cause diarrhea in autumn.”
⑦ Quxian said: “Summer is the time when the essence and spirit of the human become weak. In this season, the heart gets strong and kidneys get weak; the essence of the kidneys melts into Water. This eventually condenses in autumn and solidifies in winter, so it must be under care especially during summer. Therefore, everyone, regardless of age, must eat warm and hot food in summer. If not, it will lead to vomiting and diarrhea due to intestinal convulsion in autumn. A person who has a warm abdomen does not have any diseases, naturally, and has strong blood-qi.”
