Where essence exists, there is naturally life –
Outside you, calmness flourishes;
It collects inside you, thus acting as a primal spring.
Like a vast lake, it is harmonious and equable.
It thus becomes a fountainhead of Qi.
As long as the fountainhead does not dry up,
The four limbs are then strong.
When the spring is not used up,
The nine bodily openings are then open to the flow of Qi.
Then you can span the limits of heaven and earth,
And cover the four seas.
When the center is without doubt or desire,
The outside is without demonic disasters.
Those whose heart/mind is whole and complete in the center :
Their form is whole and complete on the outside,
They do not happen to meet heavenly disasters,
They do not encounter people who cause harm –
We call them sages.
From: Study of Inner Cultivation, by Anonymous, Translated by Bruce Linnell | Courtesy of Project Gutenberg