longevity

A fascinating Zhihu post by 王不修 (Wang Buxiu) tells the story of an old book called “Wan Bao Quan” (万宝全), which describes a highly disciplined lifestyle supposedly capable of slowing aging and extending human lifespan.
What makes the story interesting is not only the strange rules about food, sleep, breathing, walking, and meditation, but the underlying philosophy behind the entire system.
🧬 The Foundation: Jing and Shen
According to the author's interpretation, human beings have two fundamental forms of energy:
🔹 Jing (Essence) — associated with the physical body: blood, vitality, strength, and other tangible aspects of life. In the book's framework, Jing determines how long the physical body can continue to exist.
🔹 Shen (Spirit) — associated with the mind, consciousness, and spiritual state. The book describes Shen as determining the longevity of the spiritual aspect of a person.
In simple terms:
Jing nourishes the body. Shen nourishes the mind. To live longer, you must preserve both.
But the more interesting idea is that both Jing and Shen are finite.
According to the book, when we are born, we possess a certain amount of innate Jing and Shen — sometimes described as “pre-heaven” or innate essence and spirit.
From childhood to adulthood, Jing and Shen develop and transform along with us. But after reaching maturity, the process supposedly changes direction:
Growth stops → depletion begins.
From this perspective, life is essentially a gradual process in which Jing and Shen are continuously consumed.
When they are completely depleted…
“Goodbye, my love.” 😅
So where does longevity come from?
Not from making Jing and Shen last forever — that would be impossible even within the book's own framework.
Instead, the goal is:
To slow down the rate at which Jing and Shen are depleted compared with an ordinary person.
That is the central principle behind the entire method.
🔥 Why are Jing and Shen depleted?
The book takes a surprisingly broad view of “consumption.”
According to its logic, almost everything we do consumes some amount of Jing or Shen.
Work → consumption.
Physical activity → consumption.
Breathing → consumption.
Thinking → consumption.
Strong emotions → consumption.
Desire and attachment → consumption.
Even ordinary activities that seem harmless are considered part of this ongoing depletion.
You look up at the sky → consumption.
You think too much → consumption.
You stay awake → consumption.
You sleep → the body is still functioning and consuming resources.
Therefore, the method is not really about “adding unlimited energy.”
It is more about:
Reducing unnecessary expenditure and using the body's and mind's resources as economically as possible.
That is why the book attempts to regulate almost every aspect of daily life.
🌱 Nourishing Jing — caring for the body
The “Jing” section focuses mainly on physical life:
Eat moderately — neither too much nor too little.
Choose fresh, seasonal foods.
Avoid excessive physical labor.
Do light activity after meals to aid digestion.
There is also a section called “Duan Yu” — restraining desire, including methods related to controlling sexual desire. The author considers this part rather strange and does not go into detail.
🧘 Nourishing Shen — calming the mind
If Jing belongs primarily to the body, Shen belongs to the mind.
So nourishing Shen is largely about reducing stimulation and bringing the mind into a state of stillness.
At dawn, the practitioner is instructed to find a quiet place outdoors, face the sun, focus on breathing, and empty the mind.
After breakfast, the daily routine becomes deliberately simple: sweeping, walking, reading, writing, and other light activities — while gradually reducing them.
For example, the book suggests reading fewer pages each day:
10 pages → 9 pages → 8 pages → …
until eventually you can spend the morning without needing to read or write at all, while remaining calm and mentally undisturbed.
The ultimate goal is an unusual state:
Do nothing. Think nothing. Yet remain fully aware of your surroundings.
It is not sleep.
It is not simply sitting there blankly.
According to the book, it is a subtle meditative state in which awareness remains, while the constant stream of thoughts becomes quiet.
And this is exactly where the author admits:
“I couldn't do it.” 😂
The author actually tried following the method for one entire day.
In the morning, he read half a magazine and then sat around until noon.
In the afternoon, he finished the other half and continued sitting until evening.
But he simply couldn't stop his mind from wandering.
At night, his mind felt strangely empty, yet he couldn't sleep.
Eventually, he gave up, picked up his phone, and scrolled for about three hours before finally becoming sleepy after 1 a.m.
And that was only the beginning.
The other half of the book reportedly contains detailed instructions on:
• How to walk, stand, sit, and breathe
• How many steps to take and how to coordinate breathing
• How to use the toilet without excessive straining
• How to sleep in a specific posture
• How to prepare certain foods
• How to enter the mysterious meditative state
Some of the recommended dishes also sound… absolutely terrible. 😂
The author concludes that he has no idea whether this method can actually extend human lifespan.
But if he had to live like this every single day:
“I guess I'd go crazy within three days.”
Still, he admits that the overall philosophy sounds surprisingly coherent within its own framework.
If someone eventually follows the method and actually demonstrates a longer lifespan, perhaps the author can claim that he contributed a tiny bit to humanity. 😄
🤔 But the comments raise an even more interesting question
One commenter argues that living for 100 years without meaning or happiness may be worse than living one meaningful year.
Another takes the opposite view — in a humorous way:
Maybe if you manage to survive another 20 years, humanity will finally cure cancer.
Then survive another 20 years → artificial organs become available.
Survive another 100 years → the cyberpunk era arrives.
Keep going → humanity becomes an interstellar civilization.
And perhaps, eventually, you make it to the age of “mechanical ascension”…
and become immortal. 😎
But there is one very practical problem:
Living longer still costs money. 😂
Cancer can be cured — but you can't afford the treatment.
Cyberpunk technology arrives — but you can't afford the cybernetic body.
Interstellar civilization begins — but you can't afford the spaceship ticket.
So perhaps the real question isn't:
“How can I live as long as possible?”
but rather:
“Do I want to extend my lifespan — or extend the number of years that are truly worth living?”
Maybe the ideal answer is simpler:
Live longer, yes — but live healthy, happy, and meaningfully.
📌 Original source: Zhihu — 王不修 (Wang Buxiu)
📌 Vietnamese translation: Quán Trà Lá
If reusing the original translation, please credit both the original source and the translator.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This is a summary and interpretation of a Zhihu article describing traditional/philosophical concepts such as Jing, Shen, innate essence, and spiritual cultivation. These concepts and the longevity methods described in the article should not be regarded as medical advice or as scientifically proven methods for extending human lifespan. Do not adopt extreme dietary restrictions, breathing practices, fasting, sexual restrictions, exercise routines, or lifestyle changes solely on the basis of this content.
#ImmortalCultivation #longevity #Jing #Shen #EasternPhilosophy #AncientWisdom #MindAndBody #Zhihu
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