Passages and Cavities

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Inner Alchemy
Terms of Inner Alchemy
Mind , Spiritual Nature and Bodily Life
Essential Matter , Vital Breath and Spirit
Great Reversion Elixir
Small Reversion Elixir
Integrated Cultivation of Spiritual Nature and Bodily Life
Three Flowers Condensing onto the Head
Transporting through the Three Vehicles
Meeting of the Three Parts
Refining the Mind through the Nine Cauldrons
Intercourse of Dragon and Tiger
Refinement of Essential Matter into Vital Breath
Refinement of Vital Breath into Spirit
Refinement of Spirit Back to Emptiness

Refinement of Emptiness into Dao
Reversing Kan with Li
Centering Merits When Yin And Yang Join
The Five Vital Breaths Oriented to the Origin
Rebirth from the Original Fetus and Bones
Basic Cultivation
Self-Refinement
Harmonizing the Breath
Obtaining the Elixir Drug
Collecting Elixir Drugs
Fire Phases
To Increase Fire
To Reduce Fire
To Nourish in Warmth
Bathing
Unfixed Zi Phase
River Chariot
Mysterious Pearls
Passages and Cavities
Cosmic Orbit
Feminine Alchemy
Cutting the Red Dragon
Refining the Form through the Supreme Yin
Body of Original Chastity

"Passages and Cavities" ( 關竅 guanqiao ) are terms used in Daoist medicine and Inner Alchemy ( 內丹 neidan ). They refer to the joints and cavities through which the inner breaths circulate. Chapter 57 "Techniques of the Vital Breath ( 氣 qi ) of Various Schools: on Gymnastics ( 導引 daoyin ) " in the Seven Slips of a Cloudy Satchel ( 雲笈七簽 yunji qiqian ) discusses the "flourishing Vital Breath". It says that this breath can "circulate body fluid and blood, strengthen bones and muscles, and sharpen passages and cavities". Daoists believe that the Essential Matter ( 精 jing ) can be refined into Vital Breath, and the latter in turn gets through passes. According to the theory of body channels of traditional medicine, along the Ren and Du channels, many acupuncture points are distributed as well as many passes. In Inner Alchemy cultivation, the mind guides the inner Vital Breath to get through these passes, which leads to a circulation in the whole body. Only when the three major passes, namely Weilu, Jiaji and Yuzhen are passed, can the Cosmic Orbit ( 周天 zhoutian ) skills be possibly attained. Therefore, to pass the passages and cavities is a very important step.