Why trouble with the Pill of
Immortality when one is wel-
comed to drink from the Jade
Fountain?
HSU-HSIAO-MU-CHI
During erotic kissing the couple exchange saliva. Taoism credits female saliva with life-giving properties. A Shunga print, school of Utamaro, Meiji, Japan, early nineteenth century.
Vishnu the Preserver 229
organism. Of the Three Peaks, this one should first receive the attention of the lover. The lower peak of woman is known as Purple Mushroom Peak, White Tiger's Cavern, or Mysterious Gate. The medi- cine that is produced from it is known as Moon Flower or White Metal, and ex- udes from her Palace of Yin, deep inside her womb. Its doorway is usually closed, but when a woman is aroused during love-making to such an extent that her cheeks become flushed and her voice catches in her throat, then this inner Doorway of hers is opened. When she reaches the climax of pleasure, the mois- ture exudes, flowing freely downward. If a man wishes to absorb this womanly secretion, he should withdraw his Weapon until it is only at the depth of a thumb tip. This has the effect of benefit- ing his Original Yang-force while at the same time nurturing and harmonizing his Inner Spirit.
The drinking of the Jade Fluid, the saliva produced by the mouth of a sexually excited woman, is frequently mentioned in Taoist treatises as "one of the best ways of strength- ening the Yang." Occult traditions through- out the world credit saliva with magical properties. It is used on talismans and for "ab- sent healing" as a way of making contact with a patient who is not present in person. Mod- ern radionics, a branch of homeopathy, uses saliva for diagnosis, and also as a "target" at which healing energies can be directed.
Western allopathic medicine has an in- complete understanding of the salivary glands and their secretions. The current theory states that "stimulation of the cerebral cortex and the hypothalamus evokes salivation." Inter- estingly enough, in Tantric love-rites, sub- stances such as camphor and incense are burned and placed near the female partner. Camphor and other related volatile odorif- erous substances have the effect of simulat- ing the cerebral cortex and thus evoking salivation in the Shakti. The quantity and composition of saliva vary considerably, depending on the type of stimulation producing it. Edible substances produce semi-fluid, enzyme-rich saliva, whereas inedible substances placed in the mouth stimulate very watery secretions. If an acid substance is eaten, the saliva becomes very rich in protein; milk causes profuse sali- vation, rich in organic material. Homeostatic saliva is usually acid, and when flowing freely, it becomes alkaline. The tonic properties of oral secretions are widely accepted by West- ern medicine, but the special nature of saliva produced by sexual stimulation is still rela- tively unknown to the Occident. The drinking of White Snow from the breasts of a woman is a mysterious concept to Westerners. The text clearly refers to it as a physical rather than a subtle secretion. It is made quite clear that White Snow is not the normal breast milk produced by a woman with child, but rather a secretion spontane- ously generated by sexual excitement. An early Taoist text refers to a man who lived to the age of one hundred and eighty by sucking the secretions from women's breasts. In India, one occasionally hears of Yogis producing milk-like breast secretions. Indian medical texts declare that "mother's milk is the best of all foods and can rejuve- nate an old person." Interestingly, there have been a number of cases of men spontaneously producing milk to feed a baby whose mother suddenly dies, illustrating that within man, woman lies latent. There are subtle connections between a woman's breasts and her uterus. When her breasts are sucked, the womb contracts, and this in turn affects glandular secretions. Tantric teachings declare that breast secre- tions are often activated by particular sounds, especially those similar to the first cry of a baby. A woman without child can certainly produce physical milk-like breast-essence
The man makes his semen
return and prevents any emission.
He absorbs the juices from the
woman's Precious Gateway, while
above he drinks her saliva. This
special practice is known as
Completing Nature; it endows
a person with good health and
long life.