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Xing and ming

Nature and destiny: in inner alchemy, the original nature of mind and the vital life of the body, both to be cultivated.

Also: nature and destiny

Daoism and Chinese thought

Xing is one’s nature, ming one’s endowed life or destiny. Inner alchemy teaches the dual cultivation of nature and life: meditation on the mind’s original nature and the refinement of the body’s energies. Schools differ on which comes first.