Synopsis

1. Introduction- the nature of male and female
The essential difference between the sexual nature of man and woman lies in the different nature of male and female orgasm.

When a man ejaculates, he ejects his semen-essence from his body.

When a woman reaches orgasm, she too 'ejaculates' all sorts of sexual secretions internally, but these are retained within her body.

For both men and women, sexual essence is an important storage battery for vital energy and a major source of resistance and immunity.

In conventional sexual relations, a man ejaculates every time he has intercourse, regardless of his own age or condition. This habit gradually robs him of his primary source of vitality and immunity, leaving him weak and vulnerable to disease and shortening his life span.

2. The way of Yin & Yang
The way of Yin and Yang is of paramount importance in the Taoist system of health and longevity. It is also one of the most ancient elements of Chinese thought on record.

In order to fully satisfy his partner in bed, as well as nurture rather than deplete his essence and energy, a man must learn to prolong the act as long, and resume it as often, as is necessary for his partner to experience complete satisfaction.

3. The four attainments
If the stalk does not attain sufficient elongation, the man's vital energy is too depleted for the act. If he attains elongation but little swelling, this means that his muscular energy is insufficient for the task. If he achieves swelling but not hardness, it means that his joints and tendons are too weak for the act. If the organ gets hard but not hot, then his spirit is insufficient for the act.

In order to prepare properly for sexual intercourse, you must first harmonize your muscles and bones with your energy and your spirit.

You must exercise self-discipline, follow the basic principles of Tao, and never waste your semen carelessly.

4. Ejaculation control
"A man may attain health and longevity if he practices an ejaculation frequency of twice monthly or 24 times in a year.

If at the same time he pays careful attention to proper diet and exercise he will have a long and healthy life"

[Sun Su-mo]

5. The relationship between ejaculation control, essence and energy
Insufficient secretion of androgens in males, for example, results in the loss of sexual drive and potency. Excessive androgen secretion in the female can cause such masculizing effects as beard growth and breast shrinkage.

Thus, a primary goal of Taoist sexual regimens is the enhancement of male and female hormone secretions in optimum balance.

Belatedly, Western science has also established intimate links between sexual stimulation and hormone production, and between hormone production and health.

In 1974, for example, the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany, conducted tests on the physiological effects of mildly erotic films on healthy males aged 21-34. After half an hour of viewing, 75 per cent of the subjects showed marked increases in testosterone levels in their blood, thereby establishing a clear connection between sexual excitement and hormone excretions.

Subsequent research revealed that men with high testosterone levels, high sperm count and dense, viscous semen were completely immune to many communicable diseases and were highly resistant to others, while those with low testosterone and sperm count and thin, watery semen had only partial immunity to diseases.

It is also well known to Western medical science that women have always enjoyed higher immunity and resistance to disease, recover more quickly from illness, and live longer lives than men.

6. Chinese sexual glossary
Western readers with a taste for florid imagery and an aesthetic attitude towards sex may well wish to adopt the English equivalents of these terms when discussing sex with their paramours.