Retention

[Shepherd]

26 Male, Dallas TX

 

I have, within the last 9 months discovered benefits with semen retention. As with many aspects of my life there seems to be more than a physical explanation as to how I have gotten where I am. My seeking on how to retain has brought me to this web site many times, there are no other men around me that even appreciate retention or especially the transmutation (which I am seeking so VIGOROUSLY) that I practice. Through reading online, in book stores I have read parts of books on Taoism and retention techniques. The retention techniques work, I have tried them. But, what I am seeking is to know how to transmute that energy instead of release it or suppress it. I want to harness the energy not get rid of it. It seems as though my self control and discipline is only getting me so far. Like I am suppressing it until it fights back and I loose.

 

Truth is that I failed tonight, again. I cant even put my words together right. I am getting tired of failing and I really really would appreciate wisdom, knowledge, help. Thank you for your time and the knowledge you have already shared.

 

 

Shepherd

[Maddie]

Hey Shepherd

 

First of all your 26, so don't think that if you release now and then that you have "failed" anything. As one who also practices retention its important in keeping the principles of the Tao that nothing is to be "forced" or done against nature. Sometimes our body tells us its time to release, and we should listen, for there is a reason.

 

With that being said, to answer your question. The key to transmuting the sexual fluids into jing, jing into chi, and chi into shen is time spent sitting in meditation. The more you meditate, the more this transformation takes place. First begin by simply doing lower dan tien breathing. As you breath into your dan tien, and keep your focus there, the transformation of jing to chi begins. After your dan tien is full, then begin by doing the MCO. The process of doing the MCO reverses the polarity of the jing at your perineum which is yang to yin by bringing that jing chi up to your crown which is yin. Then once you bring the chi back down again and store it in your dan tien what was very yang jing chi, is now a more yin version. Think of it like turning a magnet around and reversing the polarity which thus neutralizes the charges.

 

Now as Drew Hemphel stated in the past, if it is possible for you to do so, when you sit, sit in full lotus because that position further increases the yin/yang polarity balance, expediting the conversion of jing into chi. If this is too difficult then try half lotus. Hope that answered your question.

 

26 Male, Dallas TX

 

I have, within the last 9 months discovered benefits with semen retention. As with many aspects of my life there seems to be more than a physical explanation as to how I have gotten where I am. My seeking on how to retain has brought me to this web site many times, there are no other men around me that even appreciate retention or especially the transmutation (which I am seeking so VIGOROUSLY) that I practice. Through reading online, in book stores I have read parts of books on Taoism and retention techniques. The retention techniques work, I have tried them. But, what I am seeking is to know how to transmute that energy instead of release it or suppress it. I want to harness the energy not get rid of it. It seems as though my self control and discipline is only getting me so far. Like I am suppressing it until it fights back and I loose.

 

Truth is that I failed tonight, again. I cant even put my words together right. I am getting tired of failing and I really really would appreciate wisdom, knowledge, help. Thank you for your time and the knowledge you have already shared.

 

 

Shepherd

[Shepherd]

Hey Shepherd

 

First of all your 26, so don't think that if you release now and then that you have "failed" anything. As one who also practices retention its important in keeping the principles of the Tao that nothing is to be "forced" or done against nature. Sometimes our body tells us its time to release, and we should listen, for there is a reason.

 

With that being said, to answer your question. The key to transmuting the sexual fluids into jing, jing into chi, and chi into shen is time spent sitting in meditation. The more you meditate, the more this transformation takes place. First begin by simply doing lower dan tien breathing. As you breath into your dan tien, and keep your focus there, the transformation of jing to chi begins. After your dan tien is full, then begin by doing the MCO. The process of doing the MCO reverses the polarity of the jing at your perineum which is yang to yin by bringing that jing chi up to your crown which is yin. Then once you bring the chi back down again and store it in your dan tien what was very yang jing chi, is now a more yin version. Think of it like turning a magnet around and reversing the polarity which thus neutralizes the charges.

 

Now as Drew Hemphel stated in the past, if it is possible for you to do so, when you sit, sit in full lotus because that position further increases the yin/yang polarity balance, expediting the conversion of jing into chi. If this is too difficult then try half lotus. Hope that answered your question.

[Mal]

Ever seen this site? http://www.alchemicaltaoism.com/

 

specifically http://www.precisiondocs.com/~altaoism/HLIntro.htm

 

Healing Love

Overview, Introduction, Essays

 

 

Most of principle concepts in this section apply to both women and men; the section is a worth while read for anyone. However, most of the techniques are oriented from the man's point of view.

 

And, though there is a great deal here about dual-cultivation, much of it can be easily adapted towards promoting harmony on a celibate path - if that's the way that you're traveling.

 

Levels of Intent, Difficulty, Accomplishment

If you are simply into longer (or only occasionally esoterically enhanced) love-making sessions, or retaining essence over the course of several sessions - no problem. Given that you're in good health to begin with, learning some of the basics of dual cultivation can give you what you're looking for, without much difficulty.

 

However, if you are on a serious spiritual path, and you've included long term (more than a month) semen retention as part of that path... This is a much more difficult task. Hugely more difficult than short term retention. It requires a genuine comprehensive approach to cultivation, attention to harmonious integration of the energy, and - often - some real digging for techniques that work for you (beyond what you'll learn in most basic books, including Mantak Chia's).

 

Healthy Perspective?

Actually, I think that long term semen retention is askew of a primary healthy goal - but is close enough to the truth to be attractive. Let me explain.

 

It's like this. First, you are convinced that saving sexual energy is a good thing - and with that belief you generate some dedication. Next, you learn how to engage in (one, or several rounds of) sex and yet abstain from ejaculation. So, you store more male sexual energy, and you grow in polarity as more is saved... Inevitably, a strong polarity will express, you'll ejaculate, perhaps against your beliefs and will. And you reap the pleasure of orgasm, the depletion of ejaculation, and the psychological trauma of uncontrollably doing something against your will. Then, you follow your spiritually involved beliefs, you work to improve: you save sexual energy... and the cycle repeats. This sort of cycle can be frustrating in the short term, and over the course of years can cause serious harm.

 

So, what's a better way?

A multi-part answer:

 

1. Focus on Balance and Harmony

Don't obsess on long term retention. Pay much more attention to balance and harmony. (That'll get you there faster, anyhow.) Really, all these lofty goals: semen retention indefinitely, enlightenment, immortality... On their own they can be counter-productive, but if you focus on balance and harmony you make progress towards them more quickly, with more stability, and with much less wear and tear.

 

Its not about how much you can save, its about how much you can harmoniously integrate. In other words, with semen retention specifically, aspire toward, and respect harmony. If you include balance in your practice and your body is at the point where long term retention is in balance, great. And if you are at a place where your body really wants to express through ejaculation at some point, do that. Then use the times between ejaculations to harmoniously integrate energy through the various practices (microcosmic, five elements, etc.) to the best of your ability. Semen retention past a certain point can be detrimental for someone, just as - on the other side - ejaculating too often can be detrimental. And the scale of things varies for each person. Just work on your practices, focus on harmony, and let things evolve.

 

Actually, learning to harmonize & stabilize during the intervals when you're not having sex is a much more productive goal. The unaroused practices provide the foundation for everything else.

 

But, how does one harmonize sexual energy?

 

Experience shows that the Microcosmic Orbit doesn't cut it, neither does Fusion of the Five Elements. (Not that those practices aren't important, they are. And not that they don't help some, they do, as I've noted below. They're very important in their own right. But they fall far short of a sufficient answer, in this regard.) 'Fire and Water' and 'Exchange' techniques are central to maintaining balance.

 

2. Fire and Water

Sexual energy is part of the "water" element, in Taoism. If you save it, you'll need to balance it with an opposite alchemical agent - otherwise it'll create an increasingly difficult situation. (Build up enough of a polar imbalance, and you will have trouble.) The primary complementary energy that can be found in your own body is "fire", heart energy. (There are other energetic complements, also mentioned in the essays below.) An effective technique for mixing water and fire is crucial if you intend to save sexual energy.

 

Unfortunately, the Healing Tao system doesn't teach an effective water and fire technique until "Lesser Kan & Li". It's not taught live at Workshops, only at Retreats. There are no books on it, though it is available on cassette. Also, there are quite a number of prerequisites for learning the HT's Kan and Li practices - as well as some cautions for keeping it as a later practice (see the Kan & Li section, on this website). As a result, many people take up the strategy of saving sexual energy on a dedicated basis - but without the requisite tools for harmonizing that energy, resulting in considerable anguish.

 

Quite a dilemma. Several of the essays below address this issue and provide appropriate solution techniques. "S.Biel's Fire and Water technique" is preferred; it's safe and profound. The Kan & Li section of this website goes into this topic.

 

Balancing heart and generative energy is part of the larger process of vertical integration.

 

3. Exchange

"It is exchanging your ching [sexual energy] with your lover that transforms it, and in the process gives you an experience of sex which is deeply shared as love." - Taoist Secrets of Love, Cultivating Male Sexual Energy, pg. 144

The exchange of sexual energy is the most obvious technique for healthy dual cultivation, yet it's commonly one of the most overlooked and underdeveloped. Over-emphasis on the topic of 'conservation' often leaves 'exchange' by the wayside, a reversal of the healthy learning sequence: Once you learn to balance and harmonize, conservation is joyful. Conserve without balance, and you'll only hurt yourself.

 

"Man needs the soft receptive energies a woman provides to achieve perfect balance. Similarly, woman needs the expanding male energies to attain her own higher harmony." - Healing Love through the Tao, Cultivating Female Sexual Energy, pg. 261

 

To get technical: Aroused female sexual energy and aroused male sexual energy are primary alchemical complements. They are the primary "medicines" for each other: they're strongly attracted and, when they mix, something wonderful happens. The silly thing is that, in the study of all this esoteric sexual stuff, people often lose track of that (go figure).

 

So, there are ways to exchange that promote balance and facilitate conservation of substance.

 

4. Comprehensive Approach

The Healing Tao system advises a comprehensive approach - yet sometimes people don't recognize it. Sometimes a person just picks up one of the books on sexuality, and neglects the surrounding practices. But the surrounding practices are what allow you to integrate the energy that you are saving. (This is sort of a stock message, I know, but it's true and is worth saying.) These practices include, but are not limited to:

 

Healing Tao practices

Six Healing Sounds

Microcosmic Orbit

Five Element practices

Iron Shirt 1, 2, 3

Kan and Li.

 

Other

Stillness meditation

A beginning level, and yet effective, fire and water technique

Stretching

Vigorous physical exercise

Virtuous work

A healthy social life.

 

Ironically, much of your success in a long term healing love venture depends on focusing on other practices.

 

It's Trunks site (he is a moderator here) lots of very useful links to the direction you are looking.

[Shepherd]

...trying to learn how to post...

 

First of all, thank you for responding. Your insight relieves some stress. I am hard on myself at times. My knowledge as of now started with the Gnostic point of view and now as a Yoga teacher in training. Both dont let any leeway or exception and that point of view might be adding to my frustration. As for the meditation, you have opened the door and I will seek and put into action the meditation techniques....I have been meditating only recently and cant get full lotus yet.

 

And by "forced" you mean intentional?

[Maddie]

No I don't mean intentional by forced because even natural things have intention behind them. What I mean is retaining beyond your ability to do so naturally and easily. Retention should not be difficult or miserable. If you feel like you have to use a lot of "willpower" to keep yourself retaining then that is "forced". If you are not sufficiently converting sexual fluids and hormones through meditation, then retention can become torture or even harmful. Also keep in mind that anything done to an extreme is not good either. Retaining beyond your natural ability to do so naturally is not good for you, and can foster stagnation, frustration, and damp heat. So a lot of the time from a TCM perspective when you feel a very strong urge to "not retain" its your body telling you to do so in order to avoid, or release stagnation, or damp heat, or toxins. So that is what I mean by "forced". ;-)

 

 

 

...trying to learn how to post...

 

First of all, thank you for responding. Your insight relieves some stress. I am hard on myself at times. My knowledge as of now started with the Gnostic point of view and now as a Yoga teacher in training. Both dont let any leeway or exception and that point of view might be adding to my frustration. As for the meditation, you have opened the door and I will seek and put into action the meditation techniques....I have been meditating only recently and cant get full lotus yet.

 

And by "forced" you mean intentional?

[Shepherd]

Ever seen this site? http://www.alchemicaltaoism.com/

 

specifically http://www.precisiondocs.com/~altaoism/HLIntro.htm

 

 

 

It's Trunks site (he is a moderator here) lots of very useful links to the direction you are looking.

 

 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

[Mal]

no worries. It will give you a great overview of techniques and perspectives available, from there you can explore the practices you are drawn to.

 

Many people here have tried many of these practices (and other systems) so you will usually get lots of feedback and experiences.

[tulku]

26 Male, Dallas TX

 

I have, within the last 9 months discovered benefits with semen retention. As with many aspects of my life there seems to be more than a physical explanation as to how I have gotten where I am. My seeking on how to retain has brought me to this web site many times, there are no other men around me that even appreciate retention or especially the transmutation (which I am seeking so VIGOROUSLY) that I practice. Through reading online, in book stores I have read parts of books on Taoism and retention techniques. The retention techniques work, I have tried them. But, what I am seeking is to know how to transmute that energy instead of release it or suppress it. I want to harness the energy not get rid of it. It seems as though my self control and discipline is only getting me so far. Like I am suppressing it until it fights back and I loose.

 

Truth is that I failed tonight, again. I cant even put my words together right. I am getting tired of failing and I really really would appreciate wisdom, knowledge, help. Thank you for your time and the knowledge you have already shared.

 

 

Shepherd

 

Change to a raw food diet. That will turn the corner for you. Virtually.

 

 

Food and sex are intrinsically linked for our hunter-gather brains.

 

The more you eat, the more sex-drive you have.

 

So to break the mental addictions on your body, you have to break the physical aspect of such addictions first.

 

Cut off the energy to the demon and the demon will starve to death.

 

Those vids will show you something much more if you look closely enough

Edited August 20, 2011 by tulku

[Maddie]

Ah I almost forgot to mention retention via dual cultivation (my preferred method lol). This is also an EXCELLENT way to practice retention, and balance your yin/yang energy. If your a guy, and you practice fluid retention during love making, and only exchange yin and yang, this will have a wonderful balancing effect. Just one night of this can last me weeks before I feel the need again (of course I can also choose to keep the interval much shorter should I want to).

 

Two things happen when doing this. One is the yang/yin jing chi transfer that takes place on an energetic level if you know how to use your intention to do this. The other is the fluid essence exchange that takes place through the skin. Both of these methods are excellent in allowing one to practice retention and balance their yin/yang polarity (its this polarity that causes people to want sex in the first place).

 

As an interesting aside if dual cultivation happens to be your method of choice. The more one practices solo cultivation, as in lots of time spent sitting in meditation doing dan tien breathing, the more attractive one becomes to women, thus increasing the likelihood of drawing a dual cultivation partner to yourself. One important aspect to attraction that modern psychology won't tell you is that aside from all the obvious social cues and rules, another huge part of attraction is on an energetic level. As a male the more yang chi (you are yang in relation to a woman's more yin chi) you have, the more attractive a woman is going to find you. I've noticed in my own experience that when I have been doing a lot of dan tien breathing at the same time I'm practicing retention, I get flirted with way more often, and attracting girls becomes way more easy with out trying very hard. On the other hand at times when for what ever reason I neglect my time in meditation, it seems that every where I go, and no matter what I do I don't do so well with the ladies. I find it amazing how much of a difference time spent in meditation verses the opposite makes in this realm.

[fiveelementtao]

Shepherd,

Be aware that what I am going to share is my opinion based on my experience. I was celibate for 6 1/2 years. So, if I donwplay retention it is not from a place of no experience. I understand why many people want to practice retention.

 

First let me echo that moderation is OK and you haven't failed or lost anything by just being human. It is still possible to practice retention by limiting your sexual stimulation. If your natural inclination is to release say, four times a week, try reducing it to two. You will still gain benefits from the practice even of you are releasing twice a week.

 

If you are limiting ejaculation for energetic reasons, that's great but IME, whatever benefits you receive are not always necessarily energetic ones. Often times, (and this was true for me) retention had greater emotional effects than physical ones. And just 'cause you feel some physical effect that you interpret as a benefit, it may not mean you are actually achieving anything on a long term energetic level. If you find a good energy practice and a good teacher you may not even need retention at all. I can't stress this enough.

 

IME, retention is far, far overrated.

IME, a good energy system is far preferable than any kind of retention. IME, if someone or any system say that you need to retain to make gains in their practice, then I would say, find a better practice. They are out there.

 

I am not saying that any retention is bad. But do not try to practice retention while stimulating yourself. If you want to avoid release, then abstain from any sexual stimulation. The techniques that teach one how to stimulate themselves sexually and then suggest that you then suppress the urge to release and then pretend to teach you how to move that stimulated semen up the spine or what have you is PURE NONSENSE. Once you stimulate the sexual fluids, They need to be released. if you do not release them, you will only heat up your system and cause damage to yourself. The unreleased, activated heated up semen stays in your body and rots. The physical sensations that people have of increased energy etc... Is only the temporary side effect of having heated up your system with excess yang energy. It will literally burn you out from within.

 

If you are practicing any techniques that are designed to block orgasms like the "million dollar" point. These kinds of exercises can cause severe and permanent damage.

 

So, I don't know what you mean by retention. But, IME, unless you have a physical, qualified teacher who can teach you how to achieve internal alchemy (which is what you mean by transmutation) then I would simply suggest that you reduce your sexual activity and then release when your urges become distracting. There is nothing wrong with choosing to be single and focusing on self-improvement. If sexual drives are strong, IME, you are much better off finding a loving partner and learning how to have meditative and healing sex.

 

Books are great for alot of things, But not when it comes to sexual kung fu,. The vast majority of what you find in books about sexual kung fu was actually primitive forms of birth control that have absolutely nothing to do with internal alchemy.

 

Find a good system and be a normal human. That is all that is required and you can make huge progress..

 

my.02

 

26 Male, Dallas TX

 

I have, within the last 9 months discovered benefits with semen retention. As with many aspects of my life there seems to be more than a physical explanation as to how I have gotten where I am. My seeking on how to retain has brought me to this web site many times, there are no other men around me that even appreciate retention or especially the transmutation (which I am seeking so VIGOROUSLY) that I practice. Through reading online, in book stores I have read parts of books on Taoism and retention techniques. The retention techniques work, I have tried them. But, what I am seeking is to know how to transmute that energy instead of release it or suppress it. I want to harness the energy not get rid of it. It seems as though my self control and discipline is only getting me so far. Like I am suppressing it until it fights back and I loose.

 

Truth is that I failed tonight, again. I cant even put my words together right. I am getting tired of failing and I really really would appreciate wisdom, knowledge, help. Thank you for your time and the knowledge you have already shared.

 

 

Shepherd

Edited August 21, 2011 by fiveelementtao

[henro]

IME, retention is far, far overrated.

IME, a good energy system is far preferable than any kind of retention. IME, if someone or any system say that you need to retain to make gains in their practice, then I would say, find a better practice. They are out there.

 

I am not saying that any retention is bad. But do not try to practice retention while stimulating yourself. If you want to avoid release, then abstain from any sexual stimulation. The techniques that teach one how to stimulate themselves sexually and then suggest that you then suppress the urge to release and then pretend to teach you how to move that stimulated semen up the spine or what have you is PURE NONSENSE. Once you stimulate the sexual fluids, They need to be released. if you do not release them, you will only heat up your system and cause damage to yourself. The unreleased, activated heated up semen stays in your body and rots. The physical sensations that people have of increased energy etc... Is only the temporary side effect of having heated up your system with excess yang energy. It will literally burn you out from within.

 

If you are practicing any techniques that are designed to block orgasms like the "million dollar" point. These kinds of exercises can cause severe and permanent damage.

 

So, I don't know what you mean by retention. But, IME, unless you have a physical, qualified teacher who can teach you how to achieve internal alchemy (which is what you mean by transmutation) then I would simply suggest that you reduce your sexual activity and then release when your urges become distracting. There is nothing wrong with choosing to be single and focusing on self-improvement. If sexual drives are strong, IME, you are much better off finding a loving partner and learning how to have meditative and healing sex.

 

Books are great for alot of things, But not when it comes to sexual kung fu,. The vast majority of what you find in books about sexual kung fu was actually primitive forms of birth control that have absolutely nothing to do with internal alchemy.

 

Find a good system and be a normal human. That is all that is required and you can make huge progress..

 

my.02

 

Had to repost this, as it it my experience as well. You must have a a qualified teacher, and have a very deep practice. Reading books, and bits off the internet can be dangerous. I was thinking when I read the original post - I'd love to do a study in 10, 20, and 30 year increments to follow men doing retention practices to see who had great health, how may now had prostrate problems, and how many had permanently injured themselves.

[Enishi]

I'm baffled as to how anyone could practice locking the million dollar point over a long period of time. I tried it once and it HURT.

[Mal]

I did use the million dollar point when younger, I'm glad I didn't do it too often. Sometimes it worked sometimes painful.

 

Personally I agree with dmattwads, dual cultivation is much better, really does feel satisfying/balancing.

 

and with fiveelementtao as we dont emphasize retention at all in KAP (only as a 2 week preperation for one practice IIRC)

 

The "spiritual stuff" is much more important... but I didn't buy "Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality: The Inner Smile & Six Healing Sounds" as a teenager, I brought "Taoist Secrets of Love: Cultivating Male Sexual Energy" (which actually has safety tips, that I skimmed over to get to the "good stuff" )

 

p.s. Shepherd you have already felt this and are searching in the right direction. Advice and help is good; but trust yourself too.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Some important points to keep in mind when practicing retention is that you need to be able to massage the prostate (which can be done by muscle contractions in that area) to move the jing into the bloodstream and also to keep the gland healthy and flexible. People who just do retention and don't keep the gland flexible and healthy will over-stretch it and allow it to become rigid which is unhealthy.

 

Also, if you multiply your age by 0.2 you will have the number of days which, if you retain for, you will not be depleting yourself. So if a 30 year old goes 6.6 days without a "rainfall" then he will not be depleting himself. He will not be gaining, but this is still very healthy. I forget where I read this, but it was one of the Taoist experts, maybe Stephen Chang?

[Maddie]

From what I understand, there is no one set ridged number of days across the board, but some guidelines and then you factor in the health and constitution of the individual. From most things I've read, if your a teenager and in good health you can get away with twice a day, in your 20's once a day, 30's once every couple days, and so and so forth. If your an old man in your 70's and in poor health you should not at all. I agree with what Fiveelemento said about retention and heat, specifically damp heat, which is why if you choose to practice retention you still need to release now and then so you don't get a build up of damp heat. j

 

The important thing to remember in retention is NOT that saving sperm forever is magic or anything like that at all. The reason for retention is to allow your body to replace your post natal kidney jing before the next ejaculation so that your body does not have to tap into your pre-natal kidney jing to make more sperm.

As long as you are doing this, you have gotten all that you need and can hope to get out of retention. At this point retaining any longer does nothing more for you.... (other than drive you nuts with desire cause the nerves in your testicles keep screaming at your brain that its time to empty).

 

 

Some important points to keep in mind when practicing retention is that you need to be able to massage the prostate (which can be done by muscle contractions in that area) to move the jing into the bloodstream and also to keep the gland healthy and flexible. People who just do retention and don't keep the gland flexible and healthy will over-stretch it and allow it to become rigid which is unhealthy.

 

Also, if you multiply your age by 0.2 you will have the number of days which, if you retain for, you will not be depleting yourself. So if a 30 year old goes 6.6 days without a "rainfall" then he will not be depleting himself. He will not be gaining, but this is still very healthy. I forget where I read this, but it was one of the Taoist experts, maybe Stephen Chang?

[tulku]

From what I understand, there is no one set ridged number of days across the board, but some guidelines and then you factor in the health and constitution of the individual. From most things I've read, if your a teenager and in good health you can get away with twice a day, in your 20's once a day, 30's once every couple days, and so and so forth. If your an old man in your 70's and in poor health you should not at all. I agree with what Fiveelemento said about retention and heat, specifically damp heat, which is why if you choose to practice retention you still need to release now and then so you don't get a build up of damp heat. j

 

The important thing to remember in retention is NOT that saving sperm forever is magic or anything like that at all. The reason for retention is to allow your body to replace your post natal kidney jing before the next ejaculation so that your body does not have to tap into your pre-natal kidney jing to make more sperm.

As long as you are doing this, you have gotten all that you need and can hope to get out of retention. At this point retaining any longer does nothing more for you.... (other than drive you nuts with desire cause the nerves in your testicles keep screaming at your brain that its time to empty).

 

BS. Look at Mantak Chia. How the hell did he survive with semem retention for so long?

 

What the OP should do is to cut down the amount of food he eats until traces of physical addictions are gone from his system.

 

Just look at the progress of great practitioners like the shaolin monks and Mantak Chia who practice their respective spiritual paths without semen ejaculation and you have to wonder why some men in the world can practice semen retention while others can't..

 

Genetics? LOL!

[Dainin]

Hi Shepherd,

 

Just to let you know, since you are a new member of the forum, FYI there are probably hundreds of posts about this topic in the archives, which you can access using the search box up above. I don't think that you'll find any consensus, although certain themes will emerge if you read enough of them.

[henro]

BS. Look at Mantak Chia. How the hell did he survive with semem retention for so long?

 

What the OP should do is to cut down the amount of food he eats until traces of physical addictions are gone from his system.

 

Just look at the progress of great practitioners like the shaolin monks and Mantak Chia who practice their respective spiritual paths without semen ejaculation and you have to wonder why some men in the world can practice semen retention while others can't..

 

Genetics? LOL!

 

 

Possibly because they learned the techniques from actual teachers, not from books and the internet, and they made it one part of entire life practice - meditation, qigong, diet, tai ji, etc.

[tulku]

Possibly because they learned the techniques from actual teachers, not from books and the internet, and they made it one part of entire life practice - meditation, qigong, diet, tai ji, etc.

 

The biggest obstacle to semen retention is not the lack of teachers. The biggest obstacle if that people who try semen retention fail to understand and overcome the metal/emotional addictions in their psyche.

 

For eg, if you have been having regular ejaculations for the last few years, it would be very hard for you to cut off your cravings for sex. Semen retention would be even harder.

 

One must totally cut off sex and even thoughts of sex for at least 3 months before one practice sexual retention. Also, one must partake in yin practices to balance out the rising yang energy created by semen retention.

 

Yin practices like vissapana meditation and even eating completely yin foods and cutting out yang foods. To dissipate the excess yang energy, one should even exercise if need be. There are even yin qigong practices for a male to engage in if he is feeling too yang.

 

It is all about balancing out the energies in your body. Diet, exercise, thoughts, all these factors contribute to the balance of energies in your body. As i said before, the most basic method of cultivating semen retention is to eat yin foods or not eat at all. Yang or cooked foods must be completely eliminated.

 

There is more than enough information out there for one to make the appropriate strategy for semen retention if one looks hard enough. Teachers are only needed for empowerment and such.

[tulku]

The biggest problem of ejaculation is that it lowers the consciouness in your being and prevents you from meditating successfully.

 

This is why ALL spiritual masters of EVERY mainstream spiritual tradition advocates semen retention or even better, no sex at all.

[Maddie]

As to how Mantak Chia "survived" keep in mind I didn't say semen retention would kill you if you did it for a long time, so I don't think survival is the issue. The point I was making was that the point of semen retention is the issue of conserving your pre-natal jing, not surviving.

 

As far as the Shaolin monks go, they are not your everyday layman. They practice a extraordinarily large amount of kung-fu and meditation. The reason they are celibate is so that they can build up enough chi, to convert to shen so that they can store this shen in their upper dan tien which aids them in reaching their goal of enlightenment.

 

This of course is on a whole different level then the average person, and you pretty much need to live an alternative life style (monastery) to reach this point. If they were to ejaculate then a good portion of that shen they had built up would be re-converted back into chi, the chi into jing, and the jing into seminal fluid to replace the loss. Since shen is more subtle and less dense than chi or jing it takes a LOT of it to make a little jing. So naturally they would never get anywhere this way. So if you want to reach enlightenment yes long term retention is important, but then again if you want to reach enlightenment you need to be under the discipleship of a master who would direct you in all of that anyways. But to the average lay person who wants good health and is not under a master, long term retention is unnecessary, and even potentially harmful (stagnation, heat, ect...)

 

 

 

 

BS. Look at Mantak Chia. How the hell did he survive with semem retention for so long?

 

What the OP should do is to cut down the amount of food he eats until traces of physical addictions are gone from his system.

 

Just look at the progress of great practitioners like the shaolin monks and Mantak Chia who practice their respective spiritual paths without semen ejaculation and you have to wonder why some men in the world can practice semen retention while others can't..

 

Genetics? LOL!

[henro]

But to the average lay person who wants good health and is not under a master, long term retention is unnecessary, and even potentially harmful (stagnation, heat, ect...)

 

 

and prostate trouble. . .

[Harmonious Emptiness]

yeah, once again, I hope people don't lose sight of the importance of flexing muscles around the prostate to keep it in good shape when doing retention. This also releases hormones into the blood which adds to the health benefits.

[tulku]

As to how Mantak Chia "survived" keep in mind I didn't say semen retention would kill you if you did it for a long time, so I don't think survival is the issue. The point I was making was that the point of semen retention is the issue of conserving your pre-natal jing, not surviving.

 

As far as the Shaolin monks go, they are not your everyday layman. They practice a extraordinarily large amount of kung-fu and meditation. The reason they are celibate is so that they can build up enough chi, to convert to shen so that they can store this shen in their upper dan tien which aids them in reaching their goal of enlightenment.

 

This of course is on a whole different level then the average person, and you pretty much need to live an alternative life style (monastery) to reach this point. If they were to ejaculate then a good portion of that shen they had built up would be re-converted back into chi, the chi into jing, and the jing into seminal fluid to replace the loss. Since shen is more subtle and less dense than chi or jing it takes a LOT of it to make a little jing. So naturally they would never get anywhere this way. So if you want to reach enlightenment yes long term retention is important, but then again if you want to reach enlightenment you need to be under the discipleship of a master who would direct you in all of that anyways. But to the average lay person who wants good health and is not under a master, long term retention is unnecessary, and even potentially harmful (stagnation, heat, ect...)

 

BS. Any lay person can practice semen retention as long as he doesn't eat yang foods, do lots of meditation and even exercise.

 

Whoever said that you can only lead an alternative lifestyle in a monastery? I am doing it now in my one-roomer and everything is working out fine.