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I very hesitantly open the Jing topic again, but defiantly NOT to get in the gory graphic details of how to supposedly retain it, work with it, and define it as precious bodily fluids and what not which is why this belongs in the general discussion as opposed to the Grotto areas. I feel that there is a lot of confusion, misunderstanding, and frustration regarding this topic which could be alleviated with some rather simple clarification. So to begin with I'll put this out there immediately Jing is NOT semen or sperm. Jing is not a physical substance. Jing or essence is an energetic substance. Granted of the various energetic substances it is one of the grossest and most dense but it is still energetic. It isn't my goal to just repeat what the texts books say about Jing. Anyone can do that with a simple google search. What I want to do is combine what the text books teach with what I have observed in practice as a TCM practitioner and personally as a cultivator. So what IS Jing. Jing might be compared to what Plato meant as the ideal form, or the essence of something. As with a lot of terms in TCM a one to one literal translation or correspondence into Western vernacular is difficult. So I will attempt to give several examples of various manifestations of how Jing expresses itself in the world. Being that Jing is also known as essence and essence is defined by Webster as: "the basic nature of a thing; the quality or qualities that make a things what it is". Being that it is the fundamental nature of a thing, then when it comes to human beings for example there are several ways this can translate and some ways in which there is no real adequate translation. One of the first and most basic areas in the domain of Jing are genetics which more specifically relates to the "pre-natal" Jing, or the Jing that one inherits from their parents. Someone with a large amount of Jing generally has a healthy constitution and tends towards the intelligent side. On the other hand those with congenital deformities, defects, and a generally weak constitution are said to have less or deficient Jing. It is this basic relation to the genetic code and the more animalistic side of the physical body which makes celibacy difficult, it is the nature of Jing to not want to conserve itself. The animalistic programing of our genetics, of our Jing is to perpetuate the species above almost everything else other than raw immediate physical survival. Since it is in the nature of Jing to reproduce this is why the issue of celibacy is difficult. It goes against the code of and in Jing. We are literally accumulating more of the stuff that drives us to consume Jing. Transcending this urge and pattern is in the domain of Shen not Jing which brings us to the catch 22 of conserving enough Jing for enough time to build Shen to the level of breaking the cycle, but until then it is not an easy thing to do. In so much as it has a relation to genetics then naturally it has a link to the areas of genetics that pertain to the perpetuation of the species, i.e. reproduction and all things related. This is where its connection to sperm enters the picture. Jing is used to create sperm, but is no more the sperm or the semen than the factory that makes the car is the car. The Jing would more accurately correspond so the design schematics for the car than the car itself. If then Jing is not sperm then why is there the connection between semen retention and Jing conservation? I'm going to assume that this association arose from a misunderstanding of the activities that actually do increase Jing consumption which do have an association with semen, which is PLEASURE. It is not the creation of semen that consumes Jing at an accelerated rate, but the use of Jing in the orgasmic experience. It is when there is an orgasm that Jing is consumed at an accelerated rate. This is not just limited to orgasm of course. The accelerated consumption of Jing is facilitated by various activities that are associated with highly pleasurable states that involve the body, such as hard core drug use. This is why heroin and meth addicts age at a rapidly accelerated rate. From a TCM perspective the drugs in and of themselves don't create the please of the high as much as the Jing release. Also things that artificially temporarily boost energy when energy is otherwise expended consume Jing at an accelerated rate such as lots of caffeine or energy drinks. Granted Jing is used at a lesser rate all the time in the process of living and when ones Jing supply gets lower aging sets in and when it is consumed entirely death occurs. This being the case if one were to use techniques where orgasm is achieved but semen is retained there is no Jing conservation in this as the orgasmic process IS what consumes the Jing at an accelerated rate. On the other hand Jing conservation does have its uses for sure. Since Jing is the grossest of the three treasures of Jing, Qi, and Shen it provides a foundation and starting place to increase and develop the others. This is why we eat food. We consume the Jing of the food we eat and our digestive systems extract the food Jing. When it is combined with the air Jing from our Lungs in the San Jiao (triple burner) then the combined food and air Jing are refined into Qi. So simply eating and drinking are one of the basic methods to convert Jing into Qi. As long as the qi supply is fairly plentiful less of our pre-natal Jing is required to be converted into Qi and thus it is conserved. So if you want to conserve your Jing, eat well, breath fresh air, get lots of rest, you know all the stuff your doctor and mother tell you to do. What then is the story behind semen retention, celibacy, and Jing conversion? Is it all just bunk or is there any truth behind it all? It does have a place, and this is why so many of the major cultivation movements have celibacy as a requirement. When one is no longer consuming Jing at an accelerated rate through activities like orgasm then it has a chance to accumulate to the point where the body can use it for other purposes and the excess can be utilized to be converted into qi. What then is the advantage of having more qi then? Once the qi has increased it begins to flow through the channels in larger amounts which has the effects of opening blockages and accumulating in greater quantity. When the qi reaches a sufficient quantity it then can be converted into Shen. I have glossed over some of the details in this part of the process, but that was beyond the scope of the topic being written about. To summarize, semen is not Jing. Retaining semen while reaching orgasm with not conserve Jing. Jing is conserved by avoiding Jing consuming activities that are often associated with elevated levels of physical pleasure. Once Jing is retained qi increases. Once qi increases Shen increases.