Taoist Alchemy

[Lucky7Strikes]

This link was originally posted on the Kunlun forum by DFTF. It's not Kunlun!! .

 

If you have read through Taoist Yoga by Charles Luk, you might have found it confusing. Well, at least I thought it was repetitive and all over the place. This guy sums up the process nicely though...yet it is still his own interpretation. There are two parts where the second part is by some guy who mainly studied Kundalini yoga. Enjoy!

 

Edit:

 

HAHA oops! I realized someone has posted this already like...yesterday. Apologies.

 

Towards a new interpretation of Taoist Alchemy

 

By Bryn Orr

 

 

Taoist alchemy is a meditational practice which aims at

increasing the practitioners sensitivity and control over the subtle

energy (chi) fields both within the body's internal environment

and external surroundings. Classical descriptions of this type of

practice state that when a high level of proficiency is gained

(through long-term daily practice) the practitioner will begin to

experience intense, ecstatic states and to awaken latent

extrasensory perceptions and other 'psychic' phenomenon.

 

 

There are a number of different approaches and beliefs

regarding the practice of Taoist alchemy, just as there are a

number of different schools of Taoism eg. Mao-shan p'ai,

Complete Reality (Ch'uan-chen tao), Spiritual Treasure Sect

(Ling-pao p'ai), etc. Despite using common nomenclature and

core concepts, such as 'Fusion of fire & water' (Kan/Li),

'Awakening the primordial treasure' (Yuan chi) and 'Return to the

source', the interpretation of these ideas vary considerably. For

example the work of Master Mantak Chia treats these concepts

as techniques of gathering and transforming energy into various

states using the physical body as an energetic laboratory 1. This

approach is a typical example of alchemy as practiced by the

Southern School or 'School of energetics'. The Complete Reality

school, however view these central tenets of alchemy as being

merely stages in the contemplation of our own mind, which in

turn leads to an understanding of the true nature of reality 2. To

further complicate matters, some sects treat the core concepts

as a series of techniques to be practiced in a precise order,

whilst others view the core concepts as a process that naturally

unfolds as a result of deep meditation, regardless of the

particular meditative technique used to achieve this state.

 

 

It is this last idea that the remainder of this article will concern

itself with.

 

The core concepts which I have referred to previously are

outlined in one Taoist chi kung text 3 in the following order:

 

 

1. The yuan chi is awakened in the lower Tan tien using

regulated breathing, mental concentration and by placing weight

underside (bringing centre of gravity to correspond with lower

Tan tien - hence the importance of standing postures and

developing the 'root' in T'ai Chi).

 

 

2. This yuan chi begins to ascend & descend between the lower

Tan tien and middle Tan tien or between the heart (fire - li) and

the kidneys (water - kan). This is referred to as 'the fusion of fire

& water'.

 

 

3. The yuan chi is then able to move above the heart & into the

head. It then flows up & down between the lower Tan tien & the

upper Tan tien. The upper Tan tien is known as the Ni-wan or

'mud pill' and is located in the centre of the brain. The Ni-wan is

composed of the Hypothalamus, pineal & pituitary glands.

 

 

This stage is referred to as 'the opening of the thrusting vessel'

or the zhong-gong direct flowing method 4. This central path of

the thrusting vessel flows from the perineum, through the centre

of the body or the spinal canal, up to the crown of the head. It

may correspond to the Shushumna meridian of Kriya yoga, an

Indian system with many parallels to Taoist alchemy.

 

 

4. The yuan chi begins to circulate through the microcosmic

orbit, which is an energy loop running up the posterior surface of

the spine and down through the anterior midline of the body into

the lower Tan tien. This can lead to spontaneous movements

and the production of the jade elixir. The jade elixir is the

production of saliva that tastes sweet or honey-like.

 

 

5. Next the green dragon and white tiger vessels are opened by

the yuan chi. These correlate to the left & right paths of the

thrusting vessel found in Mantak Chia's system 5 and also to the

Ida & Pingalla meridians mentioned in Kriya Yoga. It may be

these vessels that are accessed through deep needling of the

front points of the thrusting vessel (Stomach 30 and kidney

11-21) in acupuncture.

 

 

6. After the chi moving in the left and right mai (green

dragon/white tiger) are brought together this leads to sounds

(different from normal digestive sounds) being heard. This is the

'hiss of the dragon and the roar of the tiger.' Then the chi will

vibrate in an inner chamber of the lower Tan tien. This signifies

the formation of the golden foetus, an immortal spirit body which

is able to access energies & planes of existence other than that

occupied by our physical body. In the book 'Taoist Yoga' , this

stage is known as 'driving the primordial spirit into the lower Tan

tien' 6.

 

 

7. The energy of heaven and earth move through the thrusting

vessel and into the lower Tan tien, which provides energetic

nourishment for the golden foetus.

 

 

8. A golden light then appears to shine behind the eyes and the

practitioner has feelings of ecstasy, which is a confirmatory sign

that the latent abilities are awakened, immortality is gained and

the goal of alchemy has been reached. It is interesting to note

that 'The secret of the golden flower' also speaks of the golden

light behind the eyes as a sign of great progress in Taoist

meditation 7.

 

 

The work of researcher Itzhak Bentov, a long-term meditator and

author, is relevant to this discussion because despite being

primarily a study of the physiological effects of Kundalini yoga

and transcendental meditation, his work shows a greater

number of direct parallels to Taoist alchemy than it does to the

aforementioned systems. Bentov's work on the effects of

meditation, labelled the 'physio-kundalini' model, describes the

activation and entrainment of a number of bio-oscillators that

cause lasting changes to our physical, mental and energetic

functioning 8. These changes occur through daily meditational

practice, and from personal experience, regardless of the

meditative technique used.

 

 

As such, Bentov's work may go a long way towards helping

modern practitioners to understand what the ancient masters

were trying to explain when they wrote the often obscure

manuals on Taoist alchemy.

Bentov's physio-kundalini model outlines the following stages in

the meditative process:

 

 

1. During meditation the breathing becomes regular. This

regulated breathing controls the rhythm of the heart 9.

It is interesting to note that 'The secret of the golden flower' says

that the breath energy is the handle of the heart, thus inferring

that the heart rate cannot be influenced directly, only by altering

our breathing pattern 10. This stage correlates with the

awakening of the yuan chi at the lower Tan tien.

 

 

2. When the heart pumps this causes a pressure wave to travel

down the aorta. When this wave reaches the aortic bifurcation,

the part where the aorta splits in two to supply blood to both legs,

a portion of the pressure wave is reflected back towards the

heart. When this wave reaches the aortic valve (at the heart) it

causes the heart to beat again. This creates a standing wave

between the heart and aortic bifurcation, which in turn causes a

rhythmic up and down micro-motion throughout the body 11.

 

 

This stage of Bentov's model correlates almost exactly to the

Kan/Li cycle, if we consider that the aortic bifurcation is at

approximately the same location as the lower Tan tien. Bentov's

model has a wave travelling up and down between the heart and

aortic bifurcation, the Taoist text states that in the Kan/Li stage

energy flows between the seat of fire (the heart) and the seat of

water (lower Tan tien).

 

 

3. The micromotion of the body causes an up & down motion

within the cranial vault. This creates a gentle bumping of the

brain against the cranial vault. This interaction of the brain and

cranial vault creates acoustic (and possibly electrical) plane

waves, which in turn set up a resonant wave in the hollow,

fluid-filled ventricles inside the brain 12.

 

 

This idea of an energy which firstly moves between the lower

Tan tien & heart (or middle Tan tien) and then between the lower

Tan tien and the brain (upper Tan tien) is paralleled in the Taoist

practice of 'opening the thrusting vessel', mentioned above.

 

 

4. The movement of the fluid in the ventricles acts on the nerves

of the middle ear, causing inner sounds to be heard 13.

 

 

This offers a physiological explanation of the inner sounds

referred to, by Taoist mystics, as 'the hiss of the dragon and the

roar of the tiger'.

(It is also worth noting that the lateral ventricles resemble the

Indian description of the third eye chakra which is described as a

flower with two petals, one to the left and the other to the right of

the centre.)

 

 

5. The acoustic standing waves in the ventricles creates an up &

down movement in the corpus callosum (the bundle of nerves

connecting the two hemispheres of the brain). This is translated

into electrical energy within the brain tissue. The electrical activity

follows a circular path through the sensory cortex, which leads to

corresponding sensations in various parts of the body 14.

 

 

"It has been found by researchers that the 'energy sensation'

travels up the legs to the spine to the top of the head, then down

the face, through the throat, to a terminal point in the abdomen."

15

Whilst Bentov's research was primarily concerned with Kundalini

yoga, it is interesting to note that he found that the energy

sensations experienced by meditators follow a path that is very

similar to the microcosmic orbit of Taoist alchemy 16. This is a

stark contrast to the path of energy discussed in the classical

texts of Kundalini yoga which describe a path of energy starting

at the perineum, ascending the spine and ending at the crown of

the head 17.

 

 

6. Through regular meditation, the circuit through the sensory

cortex begins to polarise the grey matter in one specific direction.

This creates a permanent circuit in the brain and helps to

release stored stresses, which may account for the lasting

changes in physical and psychological functioning caused by

meditation. This circuit grows to include the pleasure centres in

the limbic system, the motor cortex (which controls the voluntary

muscle movement) and areas of the visual cortex. Effects of the

stimulation of these areas include feelings of bliss,

spontaneous bodily movements and sensations of being

surrounded by a brilliant light 18.

 

 

As we know from our earlier discussion of the stages of Taoist

alchemical meditation, the sensation of bliss and golden light

are both signs which confirm great progress towards the

meditators 'return to the source' or union with the Tao. Our Taoist

text also mentions that the establishment of the microcosmic

orbit can lead to spontaneous movement, in full agreement with

Bentov's research.

The idea of meditation establishing an electrical circuit in the

brain finds a number of parallels in the Taoist tradition. Mantak

Chia has a number of advanced alchemical formulas that draw

energy into the brain, these include the 'sealing of the five

senses' and 'congress of heaven & earth', which fuses the

energies of the pineal & pituitary gland in the cauldron of the

hypothalamus 19. The Mao Shan Taoist tradition has a practice

known as 'walking the nine chambers of the crystal palace

[upper Tan tien]' which involves visualising various deities within

different parts of the brain 20.

 

These nine chambers are the highest field of the elixir, chamber

of the mysterious elixir, chamber of the Jade Emperor, chamber

of the moving pearls, chamber of splendour, purple chamber,

chamber of the ultimate, cover of heaven and the chamber of

government. The third eye is also mentioned but is considered

as an opening rather than a chamber, as such it is called the

'Entrance of the spirit' 21. These chambers may be an analogy

used by Taoist mystics to convey the formation of the

aforementioned electrical circuit within the brain. The walking

through the chambers would represent movement of electrical

current or qi from one part of the brain to another.

 

 

 

In conclusion it can be seen that there is some merit to the idea

that Taoist alchemy may be a description of a natural process

which occurs through the practice of meditation, regardless of

the particular technique or tradition, and not merely a collection

of ancient visualisation techniques. This is not to say that the

ideas contained within this paper are the truth of the matter, but

rather that they should encourage further investigation into these

ancient arts, and comparison with contemporary research such

as that done by Itzhak Bentov and others. I welcome feedback on

this article and hope that it inspires the reader to re-examine the

wisdom of the ancients.

 

 

Bryn Orr lectures in Chinese Exercise Therapy at the Australian

College of Natural Medicine. Bryn is a Chi Kung (qigong)

practitioner and a Reiki/Seichim master who has published

numerous articles on Taoist Alchemy and energetics for

magazines such as Silvercord, Magick, Insight, Mystic

Revelations and The Pacific Journal of Oriental Medicine.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Lucky7Strikes

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Thank you 7Lucky for posting this.