Some Levels/Signs of Achievement in Taoist and Buddhist Qigong

[NotVoid]

The following are excerpts from lectures given by Yan Xin on levels/signs which can be achieved/observed through Taoist and Buddhist Qigong cultivation. Taoist and Buddhist qigong has to some degree or other been intermingled throughout history, with experience and practices shared between different traditions to some extent, so it was a toss up of whether I posted this in the Taoist or Buddhist forums. For example, Quanzhen Taoism draws quite heavily from Buddhist ideas and practices, and various practices attributed to Shaolin may have had roots in or influences from Taoist practices and ideas. Various lectures by Yan Xin were compiled into a book entitled "Secrets and Benefits of Internal Qigong Cultivation", but that book is no longer in print. There is lots of good information in that book on qigong practice if you can find a copy.

 

Yan Xin's descriptions of the different levels and signs attainable through Taoist and Buddhist qigong practice are quite interesting. Based on Yan Xin's description of signs for Taoist qigong, he seems to be referring to signs relating to Taoist neidan practice. I have no idea of what specific sort of qigong Yan Xin might have been referring to in regards to the 'Five Opening Functions'.

 

 

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Six Fundamental Procedures of Taoist Qigong

 

1. Fire Burning in Dantian

As one reaches a certain level of practice, they will feel a

fire-like burning sensation in the lower abdomen (Dantian). Do

not fear this phenomenon, and do not think that you are sick.

This is the meaning of the saying "three true fires." If one is

afraid of this phenomenon, one cannot progress further in their

qigong practice.

 

2. Heat Roasting Two Kidneys

After having experienced "Fire Burning in Dantian," keep

practicing, and the feeling of heat will then go down to the back

of the body. One's perineum and waist will feel hot as if one's

kidneys were boiling or roasting in a pot. The progression from

"Fire Burning in Dantian" to "Heat Roasting Two Kidneys" is

very difficult.

 

3. Eyes Shining with Golden Light

After experiencing "Heat Roasting Two Kidneys," with

continued practice, one will attain the level of "Eyes Shining

with Golden Light." At this level, one's eyes and brain will

radiate golden light. At this point, one can even burn clothes

merely by giving a look. This is due to the substances of high

energy radiated from the eyes when applying one's skill (gong).

 

4. Wind Blowing Behind the Ears

After reaching "Eyes Shine With Golden Light," keep

practicing. You may experience a phenomenon behind the ears

which resembles the sound of wind blowing.

 

5. Dove Sings Behind the Head

After reaching "Wind Blowing Behind the Ears," keep

practicing to the point of hearing sounds like the calls of

animals, for example a dove singing "gu, gu, gu" or "jiu, jiu, jiu."

Sometimes one's whole body will feel the sound of thunder.

Because one's nerve center is located in cerebellum, any change

there will lead to changes in the whole body.

 

6. Body Gushing and Nose Breathing

At this level, one's entire body feels like a strong tide

gushing or boiling water steaming. One's nose will twitch and

inhale spontaneously. When one has reached the level of "Body

Gushing and Nose Breathing," one has completed the "Great

Dan" of Taoist qigong.

 

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"Five Opening Functions" from Buddhist Qigong

 

The latent potential of the human body is incredible, and

the most effective method for developing and exploring this

potential is qigong. Advanced qigong practitioners progress

through the levels of the Five Eye Openings.

The "Five Opening Functions" are skills cultivated through

high-level internal qigong, which originated in Chinese Buddhist

Qigong. These skills refer to the development of non-visual

"sight" functions through qigong practice. The higher the level,

the more automatic the function.

 

1. The Opening of the Naked Eye

After developing this function, one will have improved

vision, far better than that of normal people. Usually, people

can see near but not far, in the light but not in the dark, the

front but not the back of things. Those who open the Naked

Eye can clearly see both near and far. The opening of the

Naked Eye eliminates any problem with far or nearsightedness

and increases visual sensitivity. The ability to see far depends

on one's level of achievement or ability. Those at a higher level

are able to see much further than normal people. Even diseases

such as nearsightedness and astigmatism can be corrected by the

opening of the Naked Eye.

 

2. The Opening of the Heavenly Eye

After reaching the Opening of the Naked Eye, further

training will lead to the development of a "non-visual vision"

called the Opening of the Heavenly Eye. At this point, one

obtains the ability to see the interior of things, as well as

perform remote visualization. These special functions indicate

the opening of the Tianmu point inside the brain, or the

opening of the luminance or luminescence devices in other

locations on the body. The opening of the Heavenly Eye is

associated with the ability to visualize a screen in the forehead

on which one can see images of things far away, as well as the

ability to see through objects and into the human body.

The human body has over three hundred acupuncture

points. Any acupuncture point can luminesce, and any

luminescing point can develop a non-visual function. Though

many people who have attained this level only see with their

forehead or "Wisdom Eye" area, some may have visual

functions located in their Yuzheng (Jade Pillow, back of the

brain), Tanzhong (mid-chest), or Laogong (the middle of the

palm) acupuncture points. Some people can also see with their

ears, back, feet or acupuncture points on their ten fingers.

Many people have been to Buddhist temples and seen a

statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin who possesses a thousand eyes

and hands. Her body has over forty points luminescing, and the

light coming out of each luminescing place is splits into twentyfive

directions. From a qigong perspective, we can see the

meaning behind Bodhisattva Guanyin's thousand eyes and hands.

The Opening of the Heavenly Eye is only the second level

of basic Buddhist Qigong training. By merely seeing things, one

still may not understand them. When one sees an object, one

can only describe how it looks, such as square, sharp, dark, et

cetera, yet one may still not be able to define the meaning of

this object.

 

3. The Opening of the Wisdom Eye

After obtaining an opening of the Heavenly Eye, the next

level is the opening of the Wisdom Eye. Some qigong masters

feel that if one can accurately visualize other places and is able

to see through things, one should avoid doing so in order to

conserve energy. By possessing, but not utilizing Heavenly Eye

skills, the energy associated with them will build up and help

one to reach the next level, that of the Wisdom Eye.

The Opening of the Wisdom Eye requires that four skills be

real and complete. They are: the Multiple Eye, Analytical Eye,

Historical Eye, and Predictive Eye.

 

(1) Multiple Eye: Multiple eye is the ability to see in

various angles simultaneously and stereoscopically. Normally,

people see one surface at a time, for example, a cup with a

handle. Ordinarily, people can see the handle from the side, but

not from the front. One who possesses Multiple Eye function

can see the cup from many angles simultaneously. The Multiple

Eye is not the highest level. Although one can see the complete

shape of an object, they are still unable to draw a conclusion

from it.

 

(2) Analytical Eye: This involves the ability to analyze.

With this eye, one knows immediately what an object is, as well

as what it means. For example, one may have never learned the

word "tea cup," but upon observing a tea cup, they know the

word instantly because there are many people in the universe

with this knowledge. One may also carry this knowledge from

their parents. They may use their inherited information to

access the experience and wisdom of their ancestors in judging

and determining the complete meaning of a piece of

information. In this manner, one may know what something is

simply by looking at it.

 

Many people have questioned this phenomenon. People

ask, "how can one understand without learning? Isn't this

superstition?" Because of this attitude, many people

misunderstand qigong and extraordinary functions. From a

qigong perspective, it is not that one understands without

learning, but that one obtains this knowledge through the

genetic material passed down by their ancestors. In addition,

other people's signals and information act like computer data

that may be saved and retrieved.

 

(3) Recalling Eye: The Recalling Eye involves being able to

trace back and visualize the past. Using this skill, one may

visualize current and residual information, as well as figures and

sounds from the past. Seeing a ceramic cup, one possessing the

Recalling Eye can see that ten years ago it was in the form of

Kaolin clay in a hill. There are reports of qigong masters who

can diagnose the symptoms of a disease as well as its history

and cause. This is the Opening of the Recalling Eye.

 

(4) Predicting Eye: The Predicting Eye allows one to

foresee and predict the future. All developments have a certain

direction and tendency. Change starts with the quantitative and

moves to the qualitative. Once one has opened the Predicting

Eye, one may witness the progress of quantitative change.

There is a story dating back to 500 B.C., where Bian Que, a

famous doctor with extraoridanry qigong functions, meets Duke

Huan of Qi. Bian Que foresaw the development of illness within

Duke Huan and predicted that if he did not seek treatment

within five days the illness would enter his marrow. Predicting

with the Predicting Eye is similar to our modern predictions or

assessments of the safety of a house. The only difference is

that people with qigong functions make predictions using their

qigong ability. The higher the ability or energy level, the more

stable and accurate the result. This is not merely fortune telling

based on ones imagination, this is applying one's ability to

analyze an event and its surroundings in order to make a

judgment.

 

One has mastered the Wisdom Eye function if they are able

to accurately see the past, present, and future of an object.

 

4. The Opening of the Dharma Eye

The Dharma Eye has two properties: Energy Eye and

Movement Eye. The Energy Eye means the possession of high

energy. The Movement Eye means the ability to move objects

and correct problems.

The Wisdom Eye merely belongs to the ' level of

perception. The Dharma Eye not only sees clearly, but can also

make corrections through the application of qigong. For those

possessing the Dharma Eye, it is possible to break a piece of

iron wire by staring at it with high concentration. Other

corrections include restoring torn leaves and postcards, et

cetera. This is not magic, this is qigong. There is an old Chinese

saying that "the secrets of heaven cannot be leaked." This skill

is hard to comprehend, and only those at a high level of qigong

will understand its meaning.

 

5. The Opening of Buddha Eye

Once one's Buddha Eye has opened, Buddha light will radiate

from one's body and they will exhibit proper courtesy,

sincerity, strict principles and deep understanding. In addition,

one may enlighten sentient beings.

The Dharma Eye stage is already at a very high level - it

can correct things during observation. But it is still not the

highest level of qigong skill because it is limited to correcting

things only when observing them with qigong. Without

applying qigong, the effect is reduced.

Once one reaches the level of the Buddha Eye, their aura

becomes very strong. Upon meeting someone who has attained

this level you will be surrounded by and benefit from their aural

light. Problems can be solved by this person automatically,

without the deliberate application of energy. Buddha light

shines, but of course it cannot shine like the Sun. The energy of

the Sun is tremendous and the energy of a human being is

limited. The illumination of the Buddha light is simply a

metaphor. Some statues in temples are decorated with golden

shining colors. This is probably based on descriptions of auras

from a qigong perspective. Having reached this level, one is

able to correct problems automatically and do good things for

many people.

Edited February 1, 2014 by NotVoid

[Ormus]

This is amasing if Master Yan Xin can do it all with Qi Gong.

 

I like to see what have to say Nei Dan Masters about this and if some of them have such powers?

 

Ormus

[Bindi]

Number 2 of the "Five Opening Functions" developed through Buddhist ​internal qigong -  
 
The opening of the Heavenly Eye is
associated with the ability to visualize a screen in the forehead
on which one can see images of things far away, as well as the
ability to see through objects and into the human body.
 
sounds like Jerry Allen Johnsons developing the Shen and opening the UDT stage in medical qigong:
 
 
THE UPPER DANTIAN AND INTUITIVE AWARENESS

As the Shen is developed and the Upper Dantian is opened, spiritual communications may reveal themselves in a flash of an image or as a vision in the mind's eye. These images and visions are sometimes very brief and abstract. Correctly interpreting these images takes practice, as the images streaming from the Yuan Shen must be distinguished from the dreamlike wanderings of the subconscious and cannot be interpreted easily by the logical mind.
 
Chi Kung doctors must be able to distinguish between true and false messages reflected through their visions. True visions are received from the doctor's divine connection to the Dao or Wuji, while false visions reflect messages from the subconscious. The ability to accurately separate these visions is another example of "knowing without knowing."
 
http://ichikung.com/html/dantians.php
 
Learning to interpret these images would be working on one of the aspects of the Buddhist Qigong #3 (2). Opening of the Wisdom Eye, the ability to analyze what is seen.
 
What the Buddhist Qigong system then describes beyond Johnson's description of medical qigong in this link is very interesting.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Bindi

[dawei]

What the Buddhist Qigong system then describes beyond medical qigong is very interesting.

 

Where does it say the Buddist Qigong describes beyond JAJ materials... I don't think anyone here can fathom his depth and path into Qigong and magic...  he has so many publications on his experience and how to train others.   A single link or two won't cover it

 

It seems everyone has a system to describe their path, accomplishments, outcomes, abilities...  I personally don't get into comparing them too much.   Evaluate each one on their own merits means to evaluate it on their own path.... JMO

[Bindi]

Where does it say the Buddist Qigong describes beyond JAJ materials... I don't think anyone here can fathom his depth and path into Qigong and magic...  he has so many publications on his experience and how to train others.   A single link or two won't cover it

 

It seems everyone has a system to describe their path, accomplishments, outcomes, abilities...  I personally don't get into comparing them too much.   Evaluate each one on their own merits means to evaluate it on their own path.... JMO

 

See edit above.

 

I do see some value in comparing systems, I have heard it said that at the top of the mountain the view is the same no matter in which direction you look or some such thing, for myself being able to hear what the view is from the top of the mountain works to clarify what I am aiming for, and at the same time gives me feedback on what stage I am at in the climb.

 

To reduce the stage I referred to in my post as from just one more system or one more path and not a necessary stage overall is to my mind a blinkered view.