The Queen Mother of the West taught Emperor Wu of the Han to consume lingzhi mushrooms for health and longevity.

Release date:

2023-06-18

It was the fifth day of the fourth month in the first year of the Yuanshuang era. Emperor Wu was conversing with Dongfang Shuo and Dong Zhongshu in the Chenghua Hall when suddenly a young woman dressed in green appeared, gracefully descending. She introduced herself as “Princess Wang Zideng, a celestial maiden of the Yung Palace,” and, by order of the Western Queen Mother, had come from Mount Kunlun to deliver a message to the emperor: “I have heard that you disdain the riches of the four seas, seek the Dao in pursuit of immortality, and even renounce your imperial throne—yet you persist in praying at the sacred mountains, laboring with such earnestness that one might well take you as a model. Henceforth, observe a period of pure abstinence, withdraw from all worldly affairs, and on the seventh day of the seventh month, the Queen Mother will make a brief visit.”
On the seventh day of the seventh month, Emperor Wu issued an edict to welcome the Queen Mother of the West: “Spread a purple silk carpet upon the ground, burn incense of a hundred fragrances, unfurl curtains of cloud‑brocade, light lamps of nine radiances, array jujubes from the Jade Gate, and pour forth wine of grapes.” The emperor, in full regalia, stood before the throne, respectfully awaiting her sacred arrival. As midnight approached, suddenly there arose in the clouds the simultaneous sound of flutes and drums, mingled with the clamor of voices and the neighing of horses; at last, the Queen Mother arrived, accompanied by her retinue of deities.
Finally, the Queen Mother instructed:
    If one wishes to cultivate the body, one must nurture the vital energy; as the Taixian Zhenjing teaches, this entails practicing the “Way of Benefit and Transformation.” “Benefit” means nourishing the essence; “transformation” means reshaping the form. Those who can both benefit and transform are inscribed in the register of the Highest Immortals; those who neither benefit nor transform remain bound to the perils of death. To practice the Way of Benefit and Transformation is to constantly contemplate the “Spirit Treasure”: “spirit” denotes the divine, while “treasure” signifies the essence. Simply cherish your essence, clench your fists, hold your breath, and swallow the fluid—transforming qi into blood, blood into essence, essence into spirit, spirit into fluid, and fluid into bone. Persevere without weariness, and your spirit and essence will brim with vitality. After one year, you will transform your qi; after two, your blood; after three, your essence; after four, your channels; after five, your marrow; after six, your bones; after seven, your sinews; after eight, your hair; and after nine, your form. When the form is transformed, change ensues; when change occurs, the Dao is attained; and when the Dao is attained, one becomes an immortal. Through the inhalation and exhalation of the six breaths, your mouth will be sweetly fragrant. If you desire to partake of the Lingzhi mushroom, retain its flavor, take a gentle breath, bow slightly, and swallow at your leisure, according to your heart’s inclination. Qi is like water—it can accomplish anything; it is the most supple of substances, penetrating even to the very depths of spirit and essence.
——“The Inner Records of Emperor Wu of Han”

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