Hello and welcome to the Xiao Yao Pai thread.   Xiao Yao Pai (逍遥派) is a Daoist school of spiritual cultivation, with roots dating back to the earliest formations of the Daoist way of life. It is part of Tai Shang Men (太上门); "The Supreme Gate" of Daoist transformation.   Our school is the only known inheritor of the ancient spiritual system of Daoist cultivation known as Xian Tian Dao Yin Shu. Today, we share this art openly with the world, in the hope that the ancient knowledge of our school can help to build a bridge between the science of old and the science of our day.   Our endeavour is to re-introduce the world to the long lost and until recent decades, considered extinct arts of ancient Daoism. We wish to equip all those seeking to embody the full potential of their existence, with the tools necessary to facilitate their journey on the path of self-discovery and spiritual growth.   We invite you to join us on this remarkable revelation of a deep and most mysterious truth.   A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION.   The Yellow Emperor Huang Di met the hermit Guǎngchéngzǐ of Kong Tong mountain ca. 2679 BC according to Zhuangzi.Guǎngchéngzǐ is believed to be the first of two incarnations of the deity Tai Shang Lao Jun, the second being the founding father of Daoism; Laozi.   The story goes...   Huang-Di had been on the throne for nineteen years and his ordinances were in operation all through the kingdom when he heard that Guang Cheng Zi was living on the summit of Kong Tong, and went to see him.   'I have heard,' he said, 'that you, Sir, are well acquainted with the perfect Dao. I venture to ask you what is the essential thing in it. I wish to take the subtlest influences of heaven and earth and assist with them the (growth of the) five cereals for the (better) nourishment of the people. I also wish to direct the (operation of the) Yin and Yang, so as to secure the comfort of all living beings. How shall I proceed to accomplish those objects?   Guang Cheng Zi replied, 'What you wish to ask about is the original substance of all things; what you wish to have the direction of is that substance as it was shattered and divided.       According to your government of the world, the vapours of the clouds, before they were collected, would descend in rain; the herbs and trees would shed their leaves before they became yellow; and the light of the sun and moon would hasten to extinction. Your mind is that of a flatterer with his plausible words. It is not fit that I should tell you the perfect Dao.'   Huang-Di withdrew, gave up his government of the kingdom, built himself a solitary apartment, spread in it a mat of the white grass, dwelt in it unoccupied for three months, and then went againto seek an interview with the recluse.   Guang Cheng Zi was then lying down with his head to the south. Huang Di, with an air of deferential submission, went forward on his knees, twice bowed low with his face to the ground, and asked him, saying, 'I have heard that you, Sir, are well acquainted with the perfect Dao - I venture to ask how I should rule my body, in order that it may continue for a long time.'   Guang Cheng Zi hastily rose, and said. 'A good question! Come and I will tell you the perfect Dao:   Its essence is surrounded with the deepest obscurity; its highest reach is in darkness and silence. There is nothing to be seen; nothing to be heard. When it holds the spirit in its arms in stillness, then the bodily form of itself will become correct. You must be still; you must be pure; not subjecting your body to toil, not agitating your vital force - then you may live for long. When your eyes see nothing, your ears hear nothing, and your mind knows nothing, your spirit will keep your body, and the body will live long. Watch over what is within you, shut up the avenues that connect you with what is external - much knowledge is pernicious. I will proceed with you to the summit of the Grand Brilliance, where we come to the source of the bright and expanding element; I will enter with you the gate of the Deepest Obscurity, where we come to the source of the dark and repressing element. There heaven and earth have their controllers; there the Yin and Yang have their Repositories.   Watch over and keep your body, and all things will of themselves give it vigor. I maintain the original unity of these elements, and dwell in the harmony of them. In this way I have cultivated myself for one thousand and two hundred years, and my bodily form has undergone no decay.   Huang Di twice bowed low with his head to the ground, and said, 'In Guang Cheng Zi we have an example of what is called Heaven.'     ' Guang Cheng Zi said,'  Come, and I will tell you: The perfect Dao is something inexhaustible, and yet men all think it has an end; it is something unfathomable, and yet men all think its extreme limit can bereached.   He who attains to my Dao, if he be in a high position, will be one of the August ones, and in a low position, will be a king. He who fails in attaining it, in his highest attainment will  see the light, but will descend and be of the Earth.   At present all things are produced from the Earth and return to the Earth. Therefore I will leave you, and enter the gate of the Unending, to enjoy myself in the fields of the Illimitable. I will blend my light with that of the sun and moon, and will endure while heaven and earth endure.   If men agree with my views, I will be unconscious of it; if they keep far apart from them, I will be unconscious of it.    They may all die, and I will abide alone!'"   What is not widely known today, is that during his apprenticeship of Huang Di, immortal Guǎngchéngzǐ, directly transmitted the secrets of the ancient Daoist art of immortality to his new student. The art was called Dao Yin Shu 導引术; The Divine Guidance Art of the Xiao Yao (Pai) school of Spiritual Daoism.   To honor his new path of spiritual development and establish a place where he could cultivate himself under the tutelage of his new mentor; Huang Di built Xiao Yao Guan from the precipitous slopes of the Kong Tong Mountain. Xiao Yao Guan, or Dao Guan as it came to be called, is recognized to be the first temple of China and the birthplace of Spiritual Daoism. It is believed that here, under the guidance of Guǎngchéngzǐ, the Yellow Emperor of ancient China was able to unify his spirit, revert to nothingness and achieve the mystical and pristine state of the Daoist Xian Shen (immortal spirit).   Xiao Yao Guan (Xiao Yao Temple) is currently over 5000 years old and still stands today.   Pictures of Xiao Yao Guan   As the inheritor of the ancient guidance art of the Dao; Dao Yin Shu 導引术, - Xiao Yao Pai; 逍遥派, embodies the principles of "Xiao Yao" transmitted by Guǎngchéngzǐ to Huang Di, and thousands of years later, continues to transmit the spiritual teachings of Tai Shang Laojun (The Grand Pure One), perpetuating the spiritual attainments of Zi Ran (Naturalness), Wu Wei (Effortless Action), Qingjing (Clarity & Stillness) and Kong (Emptiness).   How is Dao Yin Shu transmitted?   During an initiation ceremony (Dao Ying) - a practitioner will have his Yuan Shen (original mind) activated by a Xiao Yao Pai master. The spiritual activation unlocks, enables and enhances the perceptual faculties of the student - allowing them the necessary means to establish a two-way communication with the Celestial branch of our school; whence our curriculum and teachings are passed down in a direct transmission.   The master then makes an official request to the head of our Celestial branch, the Elder Lord, Tai Shang Laojun; 太上老君, with the purpose of formally submitting the disciple to be considered for an apprenticeship and to officialise their registration into Xiao Yao Pai.   The candidate is screened on a soul level and If accepted, they are energetically enveloped with the golden aura of our school and appointed a personal Hu Fa Shen; 护法神 (pronounced: Fu Fa Shen). The role of HFS is to guide and mentor the student on the path of spiritual cultivation, at their own pace, in accordance with the Dao and the curriculum of our school, which every HFS is authorized to disseminate within the area of their specialization.    The golden aura of Xiao Yao Pai, bestowed upon the 'Dao Yu' (spirituality initiated disciple), while acting as a nurturing cocoon for the transmutation of the body's subtle energy, and as a repellent to malevolent entities, is also, functionally, an energetic signature of our school, similar to a uniform or a badge, which identifies us as disciples of Tai Shang Lao Jun. Those whose faculties have been adequately tuned and refined to perceive it will recognize its authenticity - while remaining obscure to the untrained. In the realm of the non-physical and to the cultivated adept, the presence of the aura around the Dao Yu, is regarded as a symbol of the highest esteem, and garners respect from Immortals and other beings alike; signifying that you are under the wing of Tai Shang Lao Jun (太上老君); also known as, Daode Tianzun (道德天尊).   Each disciple's Hu Fa Shen is an ascended spiritual entity that exists in the non-physical dimension (Wuji). He, She or It, reside in a realm of being that exists beyond the duality of the physical universe (Taiji) - and are referred to as Xian Shen or Tian Shen; Spirit Immortals or Heavenly Immortals.   Xian Shen and Tian Shen categorize two different 'forms' of immortals - and are distinguished from one another in that; a Xian Shen begins their 'internal alchemy' cultivation as a human being. By developing its awareness and subtle energies while residing within the physical body; the soul of the adept is trained to voluntarily leave the corporeal vessel and operate in its formless 'soul' state - giving the practitioner the choice to remain in the body and continue experiencing Taiji, or abandon it to enter the emptiness of Wuji, in the state of the fully conscious and awakened Yang Shen body. On the other hand, a Tian Shen has always existed in its formless state. They are born with the original spark of the Dao and some of them are as old as creation itself.    Every immortal who wishes to take on the task of guiding a student in their spiritual cultivation must register with Tai Shang Lao Jun, to become an official Hu Fa Shen of Xiao Yao Pai; and receive authorization to teach a Dao Yu. They are not a 'random' spirit but are assigned to duty as instructors and representatives of Tai Shang Lao Jun. Each Hu Fa Shen is thus fully recognized by the highest order to impart the authentic arts of Daoist spiritual cultivation. As part of their assignment to you; your mentor will personally instruct you on how to practice Shen Gong, Qi Gong and Jing Zuo, in preparation for the advanced alchemical transformations of the spirit necessary to trigger the transmutation of Yin Shen to Yang Shen, to unite the 3 Hun (ethereal souls) and 7 Po (corporeal souls) into one; and result in the complete purification of the acquired mundane conditioning, bringing about the birth of the radiant, original mind (Yuan Shen) and the progressive development of the indestructible immortal body of Yang Shen.   After the initiation, some students depending on their talents, can immediately form a telepathic connection to their Hu Fa Shen in order to advance their learning, and communicate with them unabridged from day one. These students can speak directly to Hu Fa Shen in their mind and hear their teachers voice, or see images flash before their inner vision in succession to communicate part of a lesson. Others may take a little longer, due to the overwhelming acquired conceptual belief structures acting as resistance against the natural radiance of their original mind (Yuan Shen). The state of their mental constructs and illusions, such as they are formulated by the mundane mind since birth, will determine their current clarity and their immediate ability to receive and interpret direct communication from Hu Fa Shen.   This means that, those Dao Yu whom are very open minded and have minor mental barriers, are likely to have a more fluent connection at the start of their practice, however, even those who present greater resistance due to former indoctrinations and dogmas, will eventually have those barriers gradually eroded as the Divine Energy enveloping them during Dao Yin Shu practice will gently wash away negative belief patterns - enabling smoother operation of their higher faculties and increasing the "ways" in which they can communicate with their mentor. The clarity, awareness, wisdom, and openness of everyone's mind varies in unquantifiable degrees; and your mentor will adjust their approach to cater to your level, in order to assure smooth and continuous progress. All students are taught and guided by their Hu Fa Shen in accordance with their personal needs; so that the goal of immortality may be achieved, one step at a time, for everyone who is willing to put in the work, be diligent and practice regularly.   As you invite Hu Fa Shen to train you every day and practice Dao Yin Shu, you will find that your mind becomes sharper and clearer. You will become more intuitive, your illnesses and ailments will gradually disappear. Your physical, energy and mind-bodies are transformed to manifest the dormant potential of your soul and support the continual functional development of your supernatural capacities.   While many of today's Daoist schools pertain to the Hou Tian Xiu tradition (Post Heavenly Cultivation) and emphasize work on the three treasures of the Taiji realm; Jing (body), Qi (energy), Shen (mind), by starting from the bottom and moving up - our school follows the way of the old art and instead.   This unique advantage allows us to activate our soul energies directly from day one, opening our communication to the divine realm so that we can receive detailed instructions on our path. We can afford this "springboarding" maneuver because we do not need to transform and move energy up the body from the root to the crown in order to shift our consciousness outside of the physical body - Dao Ying (spiritual initiation) achieves this on the first day.   Therefore, instead of having to meticulously focus on the physical body, which was prescribed out of a necessity to prolong life in order to guarantee the requisite time for the complete development of the spirit, we can bypass that arduous and lengthy process all together, and focus directly on the only thing that remains after the body dies; the soul. From day one, we push directly into the inter-dimensional envelope of the Taiji dimension, and raise our awareness and spirit higher and higher, until it penetrates the membrane of physicality and gradually streams our awareness into the non-physical dimension of Wuji. Here the unified, non-polar ultimateness of existence may be experienced - and the spiritual capacities of our innate nature can be developed to perfection, in resonance with the source of all things.   Where others may take anywhere from decades to a lifetime, and often yield no result; we succeed with relative ease - thanks to the wisdom of our Hu Fa Shen, and the courteous grace of Tai Shang, who allowed us to spread Dao Yin Shu.   The Divine Guidance Art; Dao Yin Shu, is a rare part of Daoism that has been hidden for thousands of years and only passed down to royalty and high-ranking officials. For millennia, it had remained obscure to even the most knowledgeable and informed practitioners of the Daoist arts. Most practitioners who have received genuine transmissions may know about Dao Yin Shu from their own masters, however, even they believe it to be long extinct. By most accounts, people today, even those who claim to be the most devout, will seldom ever even know of its existence. It is a mystery to most.   Recently, the Chinese government, through the Taoist Association of China, made an official effort to recover the lost information of China's ancient clans, in order to preserve its history. In their findings, they discovered Xiao Yao Pai to be listed in 33rd place in order of foundation.   The list can be found in White Cloud Temple (Bai Yun Guan).   For the first time in 1970, our Grandmaster, Lie Shang Hu was granted permission by Tai Shang Lao Jun to share our art and we began openly transmitting the treasure of Xian Tian Dao Yin Shu to the public, and across the world, ending our millenia old seclusion as a traditional closed-door Daoist school.   After experiencing the physical, energetic and spiritual benefits of the ancient art, year after year, many new disciples were initiated and our school grew in numbers. Today, there are practitioners of Dao Yin Shu spread throughout the many provinces of Indonesia, most of which are active in traditional Chinese Temples and many others who choose to practice Dao Yin Shu in the privacy of their own homes.   In 1996, the first official Tai Shang Men (The Supreme Gate Clan) temple was established in Lampung, Sumatra and Xiao Yao Pai finally had a home that was open to all. As a testament to the school's success, today, there are over 15 Tai Shang Men temples all around Indonesia. By the year 2000, the Indonesian Daoist Association was founded (PUTI), as an organization which would help to manage it's over 20,000 active and practicing disciples. In 2014, over 100,000 disciples were practicing the Divine Guidance Art and growing steadily, all by word of mouth and the remarkable testimonials of the many transformed.   After much consideration, in 2007 our Grand Master gave us permission to introduce our ancient art to the west, and in 2009 we held the first initiation ceremony in the USA, heralding a new era of Xiao Yao Pai and what we sincerely believe to be a new age in the spiritual evolution of humankind.   Today there are over 140,000 practicing Dao Yu, each under the guidance of an authorized Hu Fa Shen. We have shared Dao Yin Shu in: The United States of America, Australia, The Philippines, The United Kingdom, Singapore, China and Indonesia.   Now and for the third time, in 2016, a remarkable opportunity to inherit Dao Yin Shu is coming directly to the US and UK.   From one spiritual practitioner to another, If you are serious about your cultivation, don't miss this transformational and life-changing opportunity. We sincerely hope this ancient art can become a light for humanity and awaken everyone to the reality of their original nature.   Don't forget to visit our facebook group, where we have many discussions.   Best wishes.