Armor

Ripe fruit, crisp greens, live grain,

Vital roots, tender meat, spring water.

Growing essence nourishes your own.

Essence alloyed with breath makes you flexible but hard.

The sage’s body is armored.

The sage is impervious to death.

Those who follow Tao speak of three treasures in the body: essence, breath, and  spirit. 

Essence is the biochemical aspect of your body, nurtured by the food you eat,  and regulated by the quality of your hormones.

Therefore, all your food should be  packed and glowing with energy. Eat food as close to its source as possible.

Pray  before you eat, for everything that you take, whether plant or animal, is living. You  must consume to survive, but when you die, acknowledge that you will become  food for others.

To build the breath, work and exercise diligently.

Build stamina and discipline  yourself. You will gain great flexibility combined with hardened flesh, and you will  be graceful. Immunity to minor physical traumas as well as many kinds of illness  will be yours.

The ultimate training of the spirit begins with the question of death.

The sages  see beyond dying.

Though they must die, they also know that nothing is lost because no one owns body or mind anyway. Those who follow Tao safeguard themselves and live their spirituality with a realistic appreciation of death.

The establishment of essence, breath, and spirit is like wearing armor; the travails of the  world mean nothing.