(Translated from Russian, original Chinese-to-Russian translation by D.A. Artemiev.)
Lü Dongbin asked his teacher Zhongli Quan: "Why is Great Dao difficult to understand and realize?"
Zhongli Quan answered: "Because false methods of minor schools are considered efficient and widely spread among the laity; they are passed from one to another and until death the true awareness does not come; they subsequently become customary and discredit the Great Dao.
These are such methods as:
1. Fasting.
2. Starvation.
3. Gathering of qi.
4. Saliva swallowing.
5. Sexual abstinence.
6. Forgoing tastes.
7. Chan meditation.
8. Silence.
9. Awareness.
10. The Art of the inner chambers.
11. Inhaling much, exhaling little.
12. Maintaining purity.
13. Quieting (thoughts stopping).
14. Avoiding fatigue.
15. Opening of the heads crown.
16. Puckering genitals into ones body.
17. Symptoms disappearance.
18. Canons reading and recitation.
19. Outer alchemy.
20. Breathe restraining.
21. Dao Yin practices.
22. Tu Na gymnastics.
23. Gathering and replenishing.
24. Charity and donations.
25. Sacrifices.
26. Giving help.
27. Retreating into mountains.
28. Innate wisdom (analytical mind).
29. Immobility.
30. Formal maintaining of the teaching lineage.
Its not possible to fully recite all the minor schools and inconsistent methods. To the extent that (they):
Gather essence of sun and moon and accumulate Qi of Heaven and Earth.
Think endlessly, hoping to produce cinnabar.
Bend the body, exhausting it, trying to break free.
Inhale a lot, but exhale a little, in attempt to cure diseases, considering it a true embryonic breathing.
Halt thinking and forget the words, that correspond to nurturing the nature of xing, but this just points to cultivation of the true of qi contained in the Great Fundamental.
Practice the art of inner chambers, but this is just a lower cultivation method of the fate - ming.
Immobilize the body like a withered tree, and make the mind calm like cold ash - and this is a small art of spirit concentration.
What to do if in antiquity and today the men cultivating the Dao were trying hard and constantly care (only about it), but since the saliva was believed to be the cure, how was it possible to carry out the creation?
Thickening qi as the elixir is it possible to achieve its conservation? Considering liver to be a dragon, lungs to be a tiger how is it possible to unite them? Assuming Kan to be lead, and Li to be mercury is it possible to prolong the life? Based on the year seasons sought to cultivate yellow sprout.
Not letting intention to dissipate, coveted to find a Great cure.
Comparing years and matching months wasted days and got confused over time.
Without understanding Wu Xing basics how could they perceive the creation of three principles?
Acquired only a superficial and fooled the descendants. This led for the Great Dao to become disregarded over the time; (they) rose and become a custom of heresy and false teaching. In this way the original meaning of the ancient Masters was lost.
Exactly because of Dao were listening empty jabber and superficial teachings; pointed followers, who understood nothing, to them as secret methods of practice; passed each other forms of instruction and interpretations, but in due time decent into the netherworld, causing the hearts of men to numb with fear!
Under no circumstances wanted to cultivate and fulfill the Great Dao, outshone their contemporaries, only cared about the happiness and avoidance of failures, did not believe in innermost secrets and only multiplied the wealth and neglected their fate, thus heading to turn into devils (ghost)!