In Buddhism, the term "Three Poisons" refers to greed, hatred, and stupidity. In Taoism, the term is "Three Corpse Spirits," but refers to the same thing. Today let us discuss the Taoist point of view.

The Three Corpse Spirits dwell within our bodies, acting as spies who report our every good and bad deed to the heavens. On the days of keng shen and jia dz (according to the Chinese stems and branches calendar system), they go up to the heavens to make their report. The Three Corpse Spirits are:

1. The Upper Corpse Spirit, called peng ju, abides in upper third of the human body (also known as the Upper Warmer). On the mornings of keng shen and jia dz, this Upper Corpse Spirit ascends to the heavens and reports on every single act you have carried out with the upper region of your body.
2. The Middle Corpse Spirit, called peng zhi, dwells in the middle section of the body (known as the Middle Warmer). At noontime on the days of keng shen and jia dz, this spirit ascends to the heavens and reports on all the deeds you have carried out with the middle region of your body.
3. The Lower Corpse Spirit, called peng xiao, lives in the lower region of the body (also known as the Lower Warmer). On the nights of keng shen and jia dz, this spirit ascends to the heavens and reports on all deeds you have carried out with the lower region of your body.
They tell absolutely everything, hiding nothing.

Correlating the Three Corpse Spirits with the Three Poisons of Buddhism, Greed abides in the Upper Warmer, Anger abides in the Middle Warmer, and Stupidity abides in the Lower Warmer. The Corpse Spirits can also be called Corpse Ghosts.

The Upper Corpse Spirit has a specific location. It lodges in the bone which slightly protrudes from the back of the cranium, the occipital protuberis, and it is called the yu jen guan. This spirit lodges at that gate, guarding it, and monitoring a person's brain waves. This is the first of the three big "gates" that a cultivator has to break through in order to have any success in his cultivation.

The Middle Corpse Spirit lodges in the middle of the spinal column, the jai ji guan. That's the second gate. The Lower Corpse Spirit lodges at the wei lu guan, the coccyx, at the very tip of the spinal column. That's where this spirit lives.

Those are the Three Gates and they are very hard to break through. Not only are there Three Gates, there are also Nine Worms, the nine gu (poisons), which dwell in different parts of our bodies. Why do people sometimes get hexed and become infected with gu poison (voodoo)? It is because within our own bodies we have these gu worms, and so if we are not careful, we can become infected by a poison from the outsides which conjoins with these worms inside.

What are these Nine Worms called? The first is called Crouching Worm (fu gu); the second is called Dragon Worm (lung gu); the third is White Worm (bai gu); the fourth Flesh Worm (rou gu); the fifth is Red Worm (chi gu); the sixth is Splitting Worm (ge gu); the seventh is Lung Worm (fei gu); the eighth is Stomach Worm (wei gu); and the ninth is Intestinal Worm (chang gu). Each of them lodges in a different part of the body, guarding the nine crevices.

Whereas the Three Gates mentioned earlier are large openings, these nine crevices are smaller cracks, like little holes. It is not at all easy to get through them, for the nine worms are constantly creating mischief and making it difficult for the cultivator to come to any success. Let's list their functions and locations.

1. Crouching Worm, so-named because it crouches, curls up like a ball and appears to be dormant. It sleeps by the occipital protuberis, the yu jen chiao.
2. Dragon Worm is shaped like a little dragon. It hides in the nape of the neck, the ligament that joins the head with the shoulder blades at the tian chu chiao.
3. White Worm abides in the taodao chiao, which is a section of the digestive tract where the solids separate from the liquids. This variety of worm is just the fatty tissues and lymph nodes in our body which are whitish in color.
4. Flesh Worm looks like a blob of flesh. It lives in the shen dao chiao, the pathway to the heart and monitors our spirit. This is the worm which is responsible for heart trouble.
5. Red Worm is scarlet colored. It dwells in the chia ji chiao, the spinal column.
6. Splitting Worm lives in the xuan shu chiao, the gateway to mystery. It also rules over a part of the digestive system.
7. Lung Worm lives in the ming meng chiao, the lifegate crevice, and rules over the lungs.
8. Stomach Worm live in the lung hu chiao, the dragon and tiger crevice, which is the seat of the reproductive organs.
9. Intestinal Worm lives in the wei lu chiao at the tip of the spinal column and presides over the large intestines.

Some of these worms are responsible for the maladies of the different organs. For example, the Lung Worm is responsible for lung diseases, the Stomach Worm is responsible for digestive problems, and the Intestinal Worm is responsible for intestinal disorders and so forth.

Above has been a brief and general explanation of the Three Corpse Spirits and the Nine Worms. They are undercover agents who specialize in sabotaging a cultivator's efforts, making it difficult for him to go towards the good. They constantly urge you not to cultivate but to go out to play. Most of us aren't even aware that right within our own bodies there are these really undesirable elements. Moreover, the Three Corpse Spirits and Nine Worms have impressive powers. They can transform into gold, silver, and valuable jewels, or beautiful physical forms that come and entice you in your dreams.

They can either make you happy and seduce you, or make you terribly afflicted and depressed. Therefore, when you have certain dreams do not be overjoyed, thinking them to be magical responses. They could very well be the Three Corpses and the Nine Worms playing tricks on you. Don't be cheated by them!