The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic

[BobD]

Just been reading "The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic - The Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity and Immortality", a translation and commentary by Stuart Alve Olson.

 

This one section really hit me for some reason, and I just thought I'd add it here (mainly so that I can find it and read it online myself!)

 

Anyway, the section is his commentary on verse 6 of the classic which is simply Breathing nourishes youthfulness, and is as follows:

 

This is so simple that it eludes discovery. In fact, it is so simple that unless someone tells you, you would never even think of it - and when someone tells you, it is difficult to believe. Chuang-tzu talked about it quite clearly, but everyone still runs around looking for that big secret. Lao-tzu told us not to leave our own houses, but off we go on a thousand mile journey. The breath is mind, the mind is breath. Even many well-known Taoists "put legs on a snake" and make breathing techniques complicated and further confuse the issue by implying there is a secrecy in the technique. Not that all these techniques and teachers per se are wrong, some techniques are certainly useful in various situations. But to acquire and maintain youthfulness abd tranquility is really quite simple.

 

First you need to understand the term natural breathing, whcih is not a method at all. The idea is to breath as we did when we babies. Lao-tzu's question "Can you attain the pliability of a child?" is a reference to this subject. Lao-tzu also said "The whole of cultivation is in subtraction, not addition." Taoism focuses on reversal, restoration and rejuvination to that state when we were children, to youthfulness.

 

When we are young our cheeks are reddened, joints are slightly bent, bones are soft, bodies are warm, and the breath is natural and concentrated in the abdomen. As we get older our cheeks pale. joints stiffen, bones become brittle, bodies chill, and the breath is concentrated in the chest. During the span of our lives our breath constantly rises upward, until at death the breath finds itself in the throat, not in the lower abdomen as it was during childhood. The Taoist seeks to restore this trend and return to a more natural state of health and vitality.

 

When a child breathes there are no thoughts of fixing the breath in the abdomen; the breath is there naturally. The child also breathes fully with the abdomen, meaning the entire stomach expands and contracts slightly si that it functions like a bellows or a balloon, not like those stomach pushers who just expand and contract the front of the stomach. This is only half-breathing. The breath should be felt on the lower spine and on both sides of the lower abdomen as well.

 

The big secret is really no secret at all. All that need be done is to focus the mind on the tan-tien, not the breath, The breath will follow the mind, mind does not follow the breath.

 

To breathe naturally you must allow the breath to become deep, slow and harmonious. This is something that cannot be forced by a technique. Picture your mind as a glass of dirty water. The more you agitate it, the cloudier it becomes. However, if you just let the glass sit, the debris will gradually filter to the bottom and the water will again be clear. Trying to make the breath deep, slow and harmonious is like stirring the water. The breath cannot be natural because you are forcing it. But just by letting it go, it will relax of its own accord and become natural. How can you be natural? Calm the mine. First empty your mind. and don't fill it with techniques and schemes. As the mind settles, so will the breath. Eventually, when the mind and breath settle, the breath will be almost undetectable, like Chuang-tzu's "Withered log and dead ashes" analogy.

 

Yin Shih-tzu, a famous modern day (1872 - 1934) Taoist, realtes in his work "When I left the breath alone to sink into the tan-tien of its own accord then the qi rose upward and circulated throughout all my limbs." His only technique was simple "abiding by the tan-tien." He focused his attention on the tan-tien, not his breath. The Tai Chi Chuan Classics relates the same principle of not focussung on the breath, as that will result in obstructing the qi.

 

Within Taoist works there are many technique for breathing excercises, such as holding the breath, embryonic breath, reverse breath and tortoise breath. All these excercises are valuable. However, natual breathing should be considered both the basis for and the culmination of all the techniques. Without acquiring natural breath, the other methods are merely fascinating techniques that lead nowwhere, except to some psychological and, possibly, physical ills. The other methods become valuable only after you have experienced and can consciously control the circulatation of qi. not before. As Master Liang related, "Don't speak of defecation to a starving man; don't speak of winter to the mayfly." The first and biggest step is to acquire natural breath. Don;t bother with other forms of breathing until you've natural breath. Don't be like the man who lived during the Ming dynasty wo bought a thousand books but could not read.

 

Breathing is not a secret, or, if it is, then it is an "open secret." Natural breathing occurs naturally, not by force or invention. Just feel and sense what is going on in your lower abdomen. Instantly, you will find that your breath followed you attention there. The more you pay attention to - sensing, observing, feeling - the lower abdomen, the deeper and more profound the breath will become. Just leave the breath alone, it will sink and develop of its own accord. The effort is simple keeping mentally focused on the lower abdomen. not on physicaly pushing the stomach in and out or bringing in great quantities of air.

 

Phew, a lot of typing there. I enjoyed the book as a whole, and may check out other books of his. Anyone read any of them?

[~jK~]

Just been reading "The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic - The Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity and Immortality", a translation and commentary by Stuart Alve Olson.

 

This one section really hit me for some reason, and I just thought I'd add it here (mainly so that I can find it and read it online myself!)

 

Anyway, the section is his commentary on verse 6 of the classic which is simply Breathing nourishes youthfulness, and is as follows:

 

 

 

Phew, a lot of typing there. I enjoyed the book as a whole, and may check out other books of his. Anyone read any of them?

Maybe some of you can relate to this - I see it under a different light albeit with the same point.

This one:

Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

1. The Supreme Medicine has three distinctions:

Ching (essence), Qi (vitality) and Shen (spirit), which are elusive and obscure.

 

2. Keep to nonbeing, yet hold on to being and perfection is yours in an instant.

 

3. When distant winds blend together,

in one hundred days of spiritual work

And morning recitation to the Shang Ti,

Then in one year you will soar as an immortal.

 

4. The sages awaken through self-cultivation;

Deep, profound, their practices require great effort.

 

5. Fulfilling vows illumines the Heavens.

 

6. Breathing nourishes youthfulness.

 

7. Departing from the Mysterious, entering the female.

It appears to have perished, yet appears to exist.

Unmoveable, it's orgin is mysterious.

 

8. Each person has Ching.

The Shen unites with the Ching,

The Shen unites with the Qi,

The breath then unites with the true nature,

These terms appear to be fanciful exaggerations.

 

9. The Shen is capable of entering stone;

The Shen is capable of physical flight.

Entering water it is not drowned;

Entering fire it is not burned.

 

10. The Shen depends on life form;

The Ching depends on sufficient Qi.

If these are neither depleted nor injured

the result will be youthfulness and longevity.

 

11. These three distinctions have one principle,

Yet so subtle it cannot be heard.

 

12. Their meeting results in existence,

their parting results in nonexistence.

 

13. The seven apertures interpenetrate

and each emits wisdom light.

 

14. The sacred sun and sacred moon

Illumuniate the Golden Court.

One attainment is eternal attainment.

 

15. The body will naturally become weightless.

When the supreme harmony is replete,

the bone fragments become like winter jade.

 

16. Acquiring the Elixir results in immortality,

not acquiring it results in extinction.

 

17. The Elixir is within yourself,

It is not white and not green.

 

18. Recite and hold ten thousand times.

These are the subtle principles of self-illumination.

 

(Lu Szu-hsing's appended verses)

 

19. The two images of the dragon and tiger are unified through Qi;

Chaos blending as One.

 

20. It is not possible to attain the eternal just through invocations.

 

21. The Elixir is called Green Dragon and White Tiger;

The Elixir is in the nature of no-nature,

Emptiness of nonemptiness.

 

22. Even if you are unable to make use of the substance,

You can certainly make use of the function.

 

23. Frequently both the substance and conditions for the substance appear together,

although these are not always percieved as identical.

 

24. The ancients said, "the term *emptiness* embraces the entire teaching."

 

* Transliterated by Stuart Olson

Source:

http://home.comcast.net/~taoistresource/0013so.html[/center]

Edited September 17, 2010 by ~jK~

[goldisheavy]

I read it and enjoyed it. Not much else to say.

[thelerner]

I agree with it and I'm glad he added other breath techniques have value. I see a clear parallel to energy meditations vs stillness debate. They both have value, but stillness is the nourishing main course.

 

Thankfully there is time to make room for both.

[lazy cloud]

Here on TTB it seems a useful skill is panning for gold.

Sift through enough pans of Bums bashing Bums or Phallic fascination

and eventually one may find a nice little nugget

It is motivation to continue prospecting.

[Stigweard]

Here on TTB it seems a useful skill is panning for gold.

Sift through enough pans of Bums bashing Bums or Phallic fascination

and eventually one may find a nice little nugget

It is motivation to continue prospecting.

Nice find, I have been using this invocation in my practice for 18yrs or so. I will add the version I have soon.

 

[zerostao]

Nice find, I have been using this invocation in my practice for 18yrs or so. I will add the version I have soon.

 

i will be looking forward to that as well also any other thoughts you have on this would be cool.

thanks jk for that link.

@lazy cloud , keep panning

[thelerner]

I think the writing could easily replace breath with meditation, ie so many kinds of meditation and we may forget to simply sit. Simply sit. The past two years I've been trying to take Adyashanti's words to heart and keep away from trance states while sitting. Taking a more watchful, aware role. Not Doing anything, least not after the first few minutes, keeping it simple and staying present.

[voidisyinyang]

https://elixirfield.blogspot.com/2018/08/mind-seal-classic-undivided-yin-yang-is.html

Because of my close study of Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality - I just noticed an error made by Stuart in his commentary on the Jade Emperor's Classic book.  I last read his book around the same time I first began studying the Taoist Yoga book, in 2001.

 

 

[voidisyinyang]

I'm gonna spell this out more.

 

To quote commentary by Stuart Alve Olson, p. 82:

 

Quote

The "sacred sun" represents the left eye and positive vitality (yang shen); the "sacred moon" represents the right eye and negative vitality (yin shen).

 

And now to quote Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality

 

Quote

However, if he can unite the element of metal (male) with that of wood (female) and the sun with the moon in one place by drawing his pupils closely together in a squint and if he then concentrates them and looks within, he will see the light of true vitality appearing (between his eyes) in front of his original cavity of spirit which will then hold it to prevent it from running away

 

and

 

Quote

‘After gathering the alchemical agent to make good the loss of generative force, a fascinating white light will appear in both eyes’ which means the joining up of the sun (the left eye or the male principle) with the moon (the right eye or female principle); only then can both eyes be concentrated on the lower abdomen in which a white light is imagined as manifesting.

and

Quote

The union of (positive) with (negative) spirit is achieved by uniting (or drawing together in a squint) the pupil of the left eye which stands for positive spirit with that of the right one which stands for negative spirit for concentration on the upper tan t’ien centre (in the brain).

and

now the final nail in the coffin:

Quote

I now deal with all this in detail. Your two eyes, though separate, have only one root; if both eyes roll round their root will move as well. The left eye stands for the East whose element is wood and the right eye for the West whose element is metal. The element of wood turns westward to unite with the element of metal and the latter turns eastward to mingle with the former. This is the union of both elements causing the (vital) breath in the brain and the psychic strength to develop, expand and unite into one whole reaching the core of the brain where it transmutes the (microcosmic) outer alchemical agent (already gathered there) into life-preserving true vitality;

So Stuart equates the left eye with "positive vitality" but wood is "yin qi" or female vitality. Yes it is "yang shen" as he states but based on the secret of complementary opposites - it is yin qi.

 

[nonee]

Void...it's such a shame that you don't have a gift for teaching and explaining...you might be able to create good instructional books otherwise.That book you have linked is a monstrosity of jumbled concepts, of talking about a lot of subjects on the same page without making sure that people reading it are familiar with all the terminology and that the terminology is rigorously and precisely defined from the start.

You don't have even a table of contents.

    https://www.docdroid.net/VERjba1/voidisyinyangblogspotcom-the-idiots-guide-to-taoist-alchemy-qigong-enlightenment-neidan-nei-kung-neigong-training-for-males.pdf