4

THE THREE TREASURES OF IMMORTALITY

The last discourse of this book is a translation from Hsien Tao Ching Tso Ching (The Way of Immortals Tranquil Sitting Classic), compiled by T’ien Hsin Chien. The book itself gives no date of publication or publisher, but this is not uncommon with Chinese books. It is likely that the copy I purchased was but a duplication of the original and sold without due recognition to the original publisher, also not uncommon in the Chinese book trade. There is little information about T’ien Hsin Chien, as the book itself offers no biography of him. From the many works of the various Taoist sects included in this rather large compilation, five-hundred-plus pages, we can deduce that he had access to the Tao Tsang (the Taoist Canon), and that would most likely mean he was a Taoist priest of the Dragon Gate sect from White Cloud Monastery in Beijing, where the Taoist Canon was stored. Since the Taoist Canon is a relatively new organization of Taoist writings, T’ien Hsin Chien would have lived sometime during our present era. In addition, the usage of the term qigong helps date the compilation, because the term is less than 125 years old.

The entire book presents teachings of various sects of Taoism, such as Complete Reality, Dragon Gate, Golden Elixir, Hua Shan, Mao Shan, and Cheng I, and covers many subjects such as Tao Yin, herbalism, meditation, alchemy, breathing, and immortality. In general it is a very extensive and wonderful record of Taoist approaches for attaining immortality.

Contained within this work is a chapter on the Three Treasures, which was taken from the records of the Dragon Gate (Lung Men) sect of Taoism. The piece is a collection of aphorisms and quotes from various Taoist scriptures and masters. Since I found this work complementary to the Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic I have included it here. It contains an abundance of Taoist terminology, so you will find commentary to help make these concepts and terms clearer.

The manner in which I came across this text is quite interesting. Visiting Taipei, Taiwan, in 1986 I came across a small bookshop while I was looking for an herbal store. In the very back portion of the shop, past the hoards of men’s magazines that fill most Asian bookshops, there was one small bookcase containing works on Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. As I thumbed my way through the few Taoist books, my attention was drawn to a more contemporary meditation work by Nan Huai Chin. As I paged through the book an elderly Chinese man standing nearby noticed this round-eyed foreigner and asked politely if I was able to read Chinese. After I made a humble explanation of how I had a limited ability to read Taoist and Buddhists books, he motioned for me to come over to another bookcase. He withdrew a larger book and handed it to me, saying, “This book has more of what you are looking for.” It surprised me that he deduced what I was looking for. The book he handed me was T’ien Hsin Chien’s, and as I leafed through it I was delighted to find that it was what I was looking for. The old man smiled and acknowledged his pleasure in being able to find the book for me. I thanked him and offered to take him to lunch next door at a noodle shop, but he refused, claiming a prior engagement.

Before I left he said, almost in a whisper, “I think you have a good teacher. May I ask his name?” I told him that I was a student of Master T. T. Liang, who used to live in Taipei but now lived in America. He drew back with an open mouth and a big smile. “Oh, my goodness. You are Mr. Olson. I thought I recognized you from your book [Imagination Becomes Reality], but I was not sure. Please give my kind regards to the old immortal for me. I am a former student of his, Wei-hsien. I studied with him for nearly three years at his home, along with the sword teacher Li Jin-fei.” He then changed his plans and we sat eating noodles, drinking green tea, and talking about our teacher and Taoism for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

When I returned home I told my teacher about meeting his former student and about the book he recommended. Liang smiled broadly and said, “This is incredible. You travel halfway around the world and meet my old student. Did he tell you he was a Taoist priest?”

“No, he didn’t mention it at all,” I responded. Liang laughed, saying, “No, he never talks about himself like that. But really he is a good Taoist and has had many good teachers. He studied with Taoist Master Liu. I was a disciple of Liu, and that is how Wei-hsien and I first met. Many years ago Liu also gave me a copy of this book, but I have since lost it. But now it has returned to me—thank you. There are many good secrets in this book, but only I can understand them, not you.” For years we battled affectionately over possession of the book.

“The Three Treasures of Immortality”

from the Hsien Tao Ching Tso Ching by T’ien Hsin Chien

Ching, qi, and shen activate the human being. If they are not depleted they will work intrinsically to produce the substances needed to remain youthful. The ancients have stated, “Heaven has three treasures—the sun, moon, and stars. Mankind has three treasures—ching, qi, and shen.”

The Three Treasures are actually what give a person a body that moves, breathes, and thinks. The goal of all Taoist cultivators is to bring these three aspects or energies to function at their fullest potential.

The ching within the human body is an abstract and subtle substance. There are various, broad definitions of ching that describe the particular chings within the human body, such as the chings of the Five Viscera [Wu Tsang]. There are even more specific definitions that describe the chings of the reproductive system.

The Five Viscera are the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and stomach. The reproductive chings are the sexual fluids produced in males and females; the more abstract and subtle aspects of ching are seen in sexual energy.

The restored ching is defined as Hsien T’ien (Before Heaven) and Hou T’ien (After Heaven). You receive the ching of Before Heaven from your parents. In the Ling Shu Ching (Divine Pivot Classic) chapter on meridians and pulses, it says: “A person’s life begins with a ching that is initially intact.”

Each of us inherits a certain degree of ching from our parents when we are born (this is called Before Heaven Ching, or Prebirth Energy), and for the most part it is intact. After Heaven Ching (After-Birth Energy) is the sexual energy we personally cultivate, or in some cases destroy.

The After Heaven Ching comes about during the transformation of birth, which then creates the need to eat and drink. The Su Wen Ching (Plain Questions Classic), in an attached treatise on meridians and pulses, says: “When you eat food, some of the nutrients enter the bone. The excess nutrients overflow the pulses. When you drink, the nutrients go to the stomach. But the excess liquid causes the ching and qi to be in surplus and so dissipation occurs.” This describes the After Heaven Ching. It is only when the After Heaven and Before Heaven Chings assist each other that there can be harmony within the body.

When we are born the need for nourishment arises, and as infants we depend on three forms: saliva, mother’s milk, and air. As we grow a little older we begin ingesting more solid foods and become less dependent on saliva and mother’s milk. The reason that our ching is initially intact is precisely because in infancy we need only the nourishments of saliva, mother’s milk, and air. Immortals come to live off air and saliva (wind and dew), and mother’s milk is replaced by the refined ching permeating the body. The initial need for and activity of eating solid food marks the beginning of the aging process and the destruction of ching.

The nutrients of food strengthen our bones, but the excess causes the overflow in the blood and qi, making us tired after we eat and causing sluggishness and the need to defecate. The nutrients of liquids strengthen the stomach, but this causes the ching and qi to be in excess, making us too energetic after we drink, and encouraging the need to dissipate that excess energy and to urinate.

As we grow older the destructive cycle of eating in excess hurts the ching of our Five Viscera and reproductive substances, and we damage the ching. We then take liquids in excess and create the energy for dissipation of ching and qi, and we damage both of these energies. Likewise, when we dissipate the ching and qi we again grow tried and sluggish. After years of going through this cycle, our bodies grow ever weaker and more sluggish, with the bones become increasingly more brittle and all the organs beginning to malfunction.

Taoists discovered long ago that maintaining youthfulness, health, and even becoming an immortal depends greatly on imitating the conditions of an infant. Hence, we find immortals using Taoist alchemical processes to sustain themselves on air (qi), saliva, and refined reproductive essences (ching). Looking at Taoist internal alchemy practices, we find that these are really directed at undoing the damage of the ching and qi created at the time we began taking food and processing the excesses through defecation and urination. The practices also seek to reverse the later damages we created through life’s physical and mental stresses and through excessive and undisciplined sexual dissipation.

Last, when we create the condition for our After Heaven Ching and Before Heaven Ching to be in harmony and to assist each other, we are initiating the alchemical process within ourselves for producing the Elixir of Immortality. This means that we cultivate our ching energy to the point of bringing it back to the condition it was originally in; hence, the word, restoration is used repeatedly in Taoism alchemy.

The qi completes the human body, being the primal substance and function of life itself. Everyone has primal (yuan) qi, also called “true qi.” There are also qi of the viscera and bowels, qi of the meridians, ancestral qi, cultivated qi, protective qi, and so on. But the most important qi is that of your nature (hsing qi). In the Bright Peak Record it says, “A person’s life is totally dependent upon his nature qi.”

Qi is what gives us life, animates us, causes our blood to flow, and activates the organs. Primal qi is what we acquire at the moment of our conception and permeates us as a fetus; thus it is called true qi. It is precisely this qi that immortals revert to and make use of. When we are born the qi of the Five Viscera and bowels, the qi of the meridians, and our inherited qi (ancestral qi) all become active. Cultivated qi and protective qi are what we accumulate through our activities in life. This cultivated qi can be accumulated through various means, such as exercise, nourishment, and the regimens of the Nourishing Life Arts. Protective qi guards us from injury, disease, and illness. But the most important qi is nature qi, and this is both inherited and cultivated. We are born with certain temperaments, characteristics, and tendencies—this is nature qi. Some of us are born intelligent and bright; some of us are born dull and ill; some of us are born compassionate and perceptive; some of us are born cruel and devious; and some of us are born inclined toward longevity and others toward a short life span. All these are due to our nature qi. Nature qi, however, is not a fixed thing. Anyone can become immortal, no matter what her nature qi. It is purely a question of cultivation.

The shen, unified with ching and qi, becomes a single substance that initiates the activity of life. The Ling Shu Ching states, “Both essences [ching and qi] when unified are called shen.” In the chapter “The Man of Harmony Retreats to the Valley,” it also says, “The shen resembles a mountain stream of ching and qi.” The Ta Ping Ching (Great Equaling Classic) says, “Humans have ching and qi, which results in their obtaining the shen; if the ching and qi disperse this will cause the shen to perish.”

When we are first conceived in our mother’s womb the essences of ching and qi come together as a single substance, like the sperm and egg joining. This attracts a spirit (the shen), and life is then activated. Thus, it is said that when the ching and qi unite they become a consciousness or living spirit. Likewise, when the ching and qi disperse at death, the shen (spirit and consciousness) perishes.

The average person considers that he has only one type of active thinking consciousness. Yet if he could restore the shen within, he would perceive that this is perfection and that it is the central substance of human life. This is exactly what the Ling Shu Ching, in the chapter “Restoring Ching to Transform the Qi,” means when it states, “Those who acquire this shen flourish; those who lose this shen perish.”

This is an essential point to understand when examining processes of immortality. The point being made here is that mortals, or average people, are attached to the rational mind that drifts about aimlessly, reacting to the experiences of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and mental perceptions). However, when the shen (spirit) is completely restored, one experiences perfection of consciousness, will awaken to the illusory aspects of the five senses, and will understand that shen is the core of all human life and existence. With shen we exist; without it we die. When the shen is fully restored to its original nature, we can become immortal.

The emphasis of Tao Kung (Skills of the Way) lies in the refinement of shen, the penetration of shen, and the guarding of shen. These three practices are of the utmost importance.

Tao Kung is another term for Nourishing Life Arts. Refinement of shen is contained within the practices of meditation that lead to tranquillity. These practices focus the shen, and the more focused it becomes, the more refined, subtle, profound, delicate, and abstruse it will be.

Penetration of shen is part of the practices of creating the Immortal Fetus and the methods of being able to perceive all internal body functions, internal qi, and internal spirits clearly. Thus, the spirit can penetrate through the mask of the Five Senses.

Guarding the shen is the practice of cultivation and keeping the mind in a state of tranquillity (Returning to the Void) so that nothing can enter that will cause harm to the shen.

Many ask how the ching, qi, and shen relate to one another. The Su Wen Ching states: “Within the ching the qi is produced; within the qi the shen is produced.” The Liu Ching (Classification Classic) states: “Perfecting the ching results in perfecting the qi; the perfecting of qi results in the perfecting of shen.”

From making our ching strong, the qi will likewise be strengthened, and when this occurs our shen naturally becomes stronger. We can see this even on the most basic of levels. If we look at an athlete, we first see someone who must develop her body (ching), then build up her energy or power (qi), and finally hone her skills and concentration (shen). To a Taoist the alchemical process is not much different from this.

The ancient Taoist masters originally transmitted these principles in their treatises so as to make clear that “the refinement of ching results in the transformation of qi; the refinement of qi results in the transformation of shen; the refinement of shen results in the Return to the Void.” The Void here means the spiritual heaven of no-nothingness. Additionally, “the accumulation of shen produces qi and the accumulation of qi produces ching.”

Refinement of the ching has two primary methods: celibacy and sexual disciplines. In both cases the qi is transformed, meaning it is made active and substantial. When the qi is in the condition of being active and substantial, it can be refined (through Nourishing Life Arts) and thus cause the transformation of the shen (to become fully conscious and awakened). When the shen has been fully awakened, it is refined through Returning to the Void (entering perfect tranquillity). Then, in reversal, the refined shen attracts more qi and strengthens the ching. With the Three Treasures now complete, immortality ensues.

From the perspective of Tao Kung, the refinement of ching, the production of qi, and nourishing the shen all strengthen the body. To the novice this is the most important principle.

The most important aspect of cultivating is developing the three types of training. First, develop your practice for refining the ching. Second, develop your practice for producing qi. Third, maintain these two practices so that the shen can be nourished. All beginners or novices must follow this procedure. It is, and always has been, important for beginners not to overlook the refinement of ching and just focus on the production of qi. Both must be dealt with, but the refinement of ching is more significant, for without it the qi cannot be transformed.

Ching: The First Treasure

The character for ching [essence] has the idiom mi [rice] along the left side, which is associated with plant seeds. On the right side ching, or greenness and the easterly direction, which are associations of wood. Plants and wood, like food and drink, can be seen in terms of an inner essence and an outer manifestation. Ching is the human body’s treasure.

The character for ching was described in detail in the previous chapter. The reason ching is associated with the idea of seeds is that in the spiritual or heavenly sense, the seed is the drop of yang shen deposited in the tan-t’ien that creates the Immortal Fetus (spiritual pregnancy). In the earthly sense, seeds are the origin of all plants, and thus provide food (nature’s pregnancy). In the human sense, seeds refer to the semen of the male and the eggs of the female, and thus produce life (physical pregnancy).

Plants and wood are born of water, which normally peaks during the interim period of tzu [the third watch: 11:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M.]. Tzu is associated with water and the kidneys; the kidneys are considered the Water Treasury. Tzu is positioned in the northern direction. Therefore, these are born out of the tzu position.

The Taoist believes that most plants begin their initial sprouting during the peak yin hours of 11:00 P.M. and 1:00 A.M. This third watch is one of two times (the other is during the peak yang hours of 5:00 and 7:00 A.M.). that are optimum for the practice of meditation and Nourishing Life Arts, as well as for sexual activity.

The Taoists believe that sexual energy (ching) originates in the kidneys—during these hours ching can best be restored and accumulated. Blood, semen, sexual secretions, and all other body fluids are of the element of water. Therefore, the kidneys and ching can be greatly strengthened during this time.

You must repair the damage food causes to the ching. Daily you must repair and nourish each of the nine openings, as they become damaged by food.

The nine openings are the anus, genitals, mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes. Each of these is damaged by food because each become strained by the internal processing of the food, by ingesting the wrong foods, or from overeating. Foods also damage these openings when taken during the evening hours. A Chinese belief is that animals like eating early in the morning, spiritual beings at midday, and ghosts and demons at night. Therefore, if you don’t wish to share food with ghosts and demons, you should eat at midday.

Those who either diminish their ching or lose their ching through involuntary emissions damage both the shen and the qi, and the spirit of vitality becomes unrestorable.

Diminishing the ching hurts not only your body, but qi and shen as well. Males diminish their ching through excessive dissipation of their semen. Women diminish their ching through excessive sexual intercourse. Female secretions are limitless, whereas male secretions are limited.

The worst damage from dissipation happens through involuntary emissions, especially those occurring during sleep. Because this type of dissipation is precipitated by sexual sprites during your sleep, it hurts your shen the most. Sexual sprites feed off your Three Treasures to strengthen themselves, and in doing so deplete your strength.

The secretions are transmuted into blood, dwelling in the Red Palace [heart]; the blood transmutes into ching, dwelling in the Life Gate [two kidneys]; ching then transmutes into heat, dwelling in the Ocean of Qi [lower abdomen]; the qi then relies on this warm energy to transmute itself into shen; and the shen depends on this energy to transmute itself back to its primal condition, yuan shen.

Your sexual secretions (semen for males and vaginal fluids for females), when processed correctly (retention by males and absorption by females), will enter the bloodstream and strengthen the heart. This new transmuted blood will then enter the kidneys, strengthening them. The transmuted blood and ching is warmed by the kidneys and then, because the breath is in the lower abdomen, it enters this area, where it can rise upward (as all heat does) into the brain and strengthen the shen. This new energy of the shen transmutes itself back into primal energy, causing the spirit to see its original condition.

The True Man, Tan Yuan [Tranquil Garden], said: “Within a person’s body there is but one original energy. Yet you must return the illumination-like reflected light. Gather this energy, sink it as much as possible, and abide by it. After a long time, within the midst of yourself you will discover a greater self.”

This one original energy is the Original Spirit (yuan shen). When the ching and qi transmute into shen, this new energy rises into the brain, causing illumination. The task is to sink this illumination into the lower abdomen and keep it there until your Original Spirit comes forth clearly.

The Pao P’o Tzu said: “The substance is warmed by the breath and the water is acquired, resulting in an embryo. The qi can transmute the ching.”

Our breath is warm, and by keeping it low in the abdomen the body fluids are warmed. So begins the formation of an Immortal Fetus in the abdomen. Therefore, the qi (breath) can transmute the ching (body fluids).

Ching is man’s original constitution [yuan ching]; blood is the outer manifestation. Movement is the result of ching, and stillness the result of qi. Ching and qi operate as one unit. Blood causes the ching and qi to unite and become manifest. In the old days this was called the transformation [hua].

Sexual fluids are the origin of man, and blood is the external expression of life. Ching is the result of movement (the sperm and egg coming together) and qi is the result of stillness (the embryo). In the context of Taoist alchemical cultivation, the ching and qi work together to create the Immortal Fetus. Thus, this process is called transformation.

In the Return to the Source Treatise [Kuei Yuan Lun] it says, “Plants and wood cultivate their essence [ching] in one year, then reveal their flowers. The fruit of all wood is in the flowers; the female embryo is entirely in the blood.”

The idea of one year is that seeds scatter in the autumn and then appear as plants in the spring, coming to full blossom in the summer. The plant then decays in the fall and scatters its seeds again, which remain dormant through the winter and reactivate in the spring. Just as all plants flower before producing fruit, and the embryo in a female first exists in the blood before a child is produced, so the Immortal Fetus first exists in the ching and qi before it manifests itself in the lower abdomen.

Ching is able to produce qi; qi is also able to produce ching. Like water becoming clouds, ching can become qi. Like clouds becoming water, qi can become ching. During spring and summer, the clouds are full of rain, and are excessive. During autumn and winter, the clouds are light and sparse. When humans are young and strong the ching and qi are full. In old age the ching has been dissipated and the qi exhausted. This is a natural principle of heaven, earth, man, and all phenomena (the ten thousand things).

When we are young there is not much need to worry about conserving ching or developing qi, as they are in abundance. But as we get older we have to begin conserving and developing these two energies.

In Taoism sexual activity is sometimes called Clouds and Rain. This is because Taoists saw it as a process whereby ching and qi are in excess, like a cloud ready to burst open with rain. Even though sex may be a natural process of heaven, earth, and man, Taoists still believe that when a person is young these energies should be harnessed and disciplined, so that no excessive damage is done to these energies. It can be harmful to the young not to have some regular experience of dissipating (or venting) this energy, just as it is harmful for older people to be excessive in dissipating their energies. There must an adjustment in the degree of dissipation allowed according to age.

Ch’ien Hsu-tzu [Master Concealing Emptiness] said: “The yin within yang is called ching; the yang within the yin is called qi. Both of these are mutually dependent and born of each other.”

This one statement is worthy of an entire book, as it provides great insight into the t’ai chi symbol itself, the yin and yang circle. This can be interpreted in countless ways—for example, the female (yin) aspect within the male (yang) is ching and the male (yang) aspect within the female (yin) is qi. Or one could say that the blood (yin) within the semen (yang) is ching and the semen (yang) within the blood (yin) is the qi. These types of interpretations could go on and on. But what is important is the idea that ching contains a greater degree of yang energy and less yin energy. Likewise, qi contains a greater degree of yin energy and less yang energy. Yet each needs the other to exist, and without blood and semen no Immortal Fetus could be produced—or mortal life either.

The skills of refining ching and transmuting qi are ordinarily divided into three stages of Gathering the Three Yang [San Ts’ai Yang]. The first type of yang is “to guard low in the tan-t’ien.” The second is “to produce yang” or “to return the one yang.” The third is “to gather the yang,” which is also called “to gather the herbs and bring them to the stove.”

This is an excellent overview of the cultivation process for creating the Immortal Fetus.

First, you must keep the breath low to develop and realize your tan-t’ien. Second, once the qi is mobilized, it should be circulated nine times to produce the drop of yang shen (the Elixir) that is sent into the tan-t’ien to conceive the Immortal Fetus. Third, the process of refining and nourishing the Embryo or Immortal Fetus is like placing the herbs in a cauldron and then simmering them to perfection.

You cannot refine ching and transmute qi without using wind and fire. Wind means the breath [qi], fire the spirit [shen]. When the shen enters the qi, stimulate it, as you would use a bellows for stoking a furnace. This will naturally result in the ching transmuting to qi.

Basically, this is saying that giving focused attention (the shen) to keeping the breath (qi) low in the abdomen is like keeping the furnace stoked. The more heat produced in the lower abdomen, the greater the effect of the ching transmuting into qi.

To refine ching and transmute qi you should practice the “quick fire”; to refine qi and transmute shen you should practice the slow fire. Quick fire means having the sensation of heat; slow fire means not having the sensation of heat.

When you begin your cultivation of the alchemical process, the first sensation you look for is heat in the tan-t’ien and body. But once the ching and qi rise in the body and unite with the shen, the sensation of heat disappears and is replaced by light (or illumination). Another way of looking at this is that in the beginning, the cultivator works hard with the methods to gain the sensations of ching and qi uniting in the tan-t’ien. But afterward, when uniting with the shen, the cultivator works slowly and methodically to form the Immortal Fetus.

The ancients said: “It is not necessary to activate a strong fire, as the stove within yourself is already strong enough.” This means the body does not need to be hot, as normal body warmth is enough to create the embryo. This is similar to attaining the state of being and nonbeing, where there is also no requirement for experiencing an auspicious inner light, as the mind is already full of light. There is a secret saying: “To refine the qi and transmute the shen, nourish the slow fire and breathe without a coming or going.” This will most certainly bring about the perfection of bliss.

This statement provides another means by which to create the Immortal Fetus (as opposed to taking the Pill of Immortality or having the Peach of Immortality conferred upon yourself by a spiritual being)—namely, “entering perfect tranquillity.” This method requires only perfect stillness with attention paid just to the lower abdomen. My teacher once commented on the two seemingly different methods of cultivation versus receipt of the immortality from an immortal. He said, “The alchemical process is like a planned pregnancy, and entering perfect tranquillity is like an accidental pregnancy.” Neither of the two is any more expedient than the other, and the end results are identical. The difference, as my teacher explained it, is that “some feel a need for a method and map before embarking on their journey, and others simply want to start wandering and then find their way. It just depends on the nature of the person.”

Refining ching and transmuting qi is the Eye Treasury of Buddhism and the Returning the Light to Reflect the Illumination of Taoism. Lao-tzu said, “Without desire, you can contemplate the subtlety [of your True Nature]; with desire you can contemplate the boundaries [of your True Nature].”

To contemplate the subtlety without desire is the method of abstract stillness (contemplation of turning the seeing and hearing inward). To contemplate the boundaries with desire is the method of entering emptiness (contemplation of the Void).

The root method for refining ching and transmuting qi, however, is described in the phrase with desire you can contemplate the boundaries. The question of how to contemplate the boundaries defines the differences in approach between the northern Tranquillity and Purity School (Ching Ch’ing Pai) and the southern sect, Grafting Shoots School (Tsai Chieh Pai). The first, without desire, is just like the above method of entering perfect tranquillity and was the method of the Tranquillity and Purity School. The second, with desire, is the first method of the alchemical process of forming an Immortal Fetus and was the method of the Grafting Shoots School.

The meaning of the two paths toward realizing the True Nature is given in two separate words: subtlety and boundaries. Seeing the subtlety of the True Nature is the process of tranquillity by which the True Nature is revealed. Seeing the boundaries is the process of focused attention on creating the Immortal Fetus, thus revealing the True Nature. True Nature is the Original Spirit.

Furthermore, the northern school advocated celibacy and the southern school advocated using sexual energy. In other words, the northern school was actually dependent on first developing the shen to transmute the qi, which would then unite with the ching; the ching would transmute the qi and unite with the shen. The southern school relied on first developing the ching to transmute the qi, which would then unite with the shen; the shen would transmute the qi and unite with the ching. This might sound confusing, but in the end it is actually the same result. It is purely a matter of which Three Treasures energy the cultivator focused on first and whether or not celibacy or sexual activity was used to complete the process.

There was always an argument between these two schools. The northern school (modeled after a great deal of Buddhist thinking) thought that without desire meant the elimination of sexual desire as the ideal means of achieving immortality. This became the basis for the Complete Reality and Dragon Gate sects of Taoism. The southern school (modeled more on ancient Huang-lao Taoist teachings) believed that immortality was best achieved by the means expressed in with desire, and saw the natural sexual processes of creating mortal life identical with creating immortality. This became the basis for the Cheng-I and White Tigress–Green Dragon sects of Taoism.

If you can gather into one all that is in front and back of you, above and below, left and right, you will arrive at a state of spiritual void and fixed tranquillity. The work of refining ching and transmuting qi will then be concluded.

In the Yin Convergence Classic this idea is stated as “Contemplate the Tao of Heaven and maintain the activities of Heaven. Then all is done.” This means that when you imitate the workings and ways of heaven, the process is complete. Heaven is the immortal realm, and heaven is immortal; therefore, when you do the work of refining ching and transmuting qi you are imitating the activities of heaven. To arrive at the spiritual void and perfect tranquillity is to be identical with a heavenly immortal.

The ching of formlessness is called primal essence [yuan ching]. When it separates out from its nebulous origin, it is called turbid ching. Primal ching resides within the primal qi and primal shen. This flowery essence begins to form within them, like an invisible treasury within the body.

The ching of formlessness is the regenerative energy that exists in nature, the biological process awaiting function. Its separating out is the appearance of a physical being, and so is considered turbid. Primal, or original, is just a way of saying that the ching, qi, and shen that exist in the nebula before a person is born maintains its existence within the body after birth.

Tung Hsuan-tzu [Master Universal Mystery] said: “Cultivate the Tao, otherwise you can never come to know the true nature of man and life itself. To pluck the petals in search of the branches is to force the issue. To see flowers sprout in the void has no real validity. It will be most difficult to develop the fruit if you lose the nutrition of the primal essence [yuan ching].”

In Taoism, as well as Buddhism, the cultivator will sometimes experience during meditation a vision of fragrant flowers falling from the sky all about him. These flowers are just an illusion and nothing more than a mental expression of the heightened state of contemplation. Cultivators are instructed not to become attached to these flowers and to forge on toward realizing their Original Spirits.

Ch’ien Hsu-tzu said: “To obstruct the shen results in congestion of the ching. If the ching is congested the result is dissipated qi; dissipated qi results in the obstruction of forming the Elixir.”

Obstruct the shen means that the mind has become either confused or dull during contemplation. When the shen is obstructed in males this causes congestion of the ching: an overflow of fluids (primarily turbid ching or semen) that adversely affect the kidneys. Because of this overflow of semen the need to dissipate will adversely affect the qi, and this obstructs the formation of the Elixir. In women this congestion of ching is seen in an abundance of menstrual fluids that creates the need to discharge, and this adversely affects the qi and obstructs the formation of the Elixir.

In males, then, when the mind (spirit, shen) becomes confused or dull, the ching (sexual energy and semen) becomes the controlling force and creates the need for dissipation, and then the qi is likewise dissipated. For females, when the mind (spirit, shen) becomes confused or dull, the ching (sexual energy and menstrual fluids) becomes the controlling force and creates the need for discharging, and then the qi is likewise discharged.

As stated earlier, the task of males is to conserve their ching (semen); female cultivators seek to lessen their ching (menstrual fluids).

Ts’an T’ung [Penetrating Equality] said: “It is very difficult to perceive the subtlety of primal essence (yuan ching) and to understand the subtle convergence it undergoes in forming the Elixir.”

The primal essence [yuan ching] is without substance and so is difficult to observe; turbid essence does have substance and is quite evident.

One of the main reasons the primal ching is so difficult to perceive is that it is obscured in our most primal biological needs for sex, the energy that creates reproduction. All of us, whether celibate or not, are subtly affected throughout our lives by primal ching. The majority of human beings go through life without ever perceiving the powerful influence of primal ching on their lives and actions.

Understanding the subtle convergence this primal ching undergoes in forming the Elixir is also difficult. The term convergence is very important here, as it implies a returning. Primal ching (inherent sexual inclinations) is subtle and invisible; turbid ching (semen and menstrual fluids) is a substance that is visible. When these converge and returned to the tan-t’ien, the Elixir can be formed.

Another reason primal ching is so difficult to perceive is that it is actually what rises in the body with the qi to illuminate the brain. It is not the turbid ching that rises, but the energy within the turbid ching—the primal ching.

When primal ching begins to move, let it take its own course. Even during the transmuting process it still has the substance of turbid ching. The substance is important, even though it is the lowest grade of ching.

When you feel energy (the ching and qi) moving up along the spine, do not obstruct it or try to lead it; just let it take its natural course. This is most difficult to do, especially during the first experience of it. There is always a tendency to overreact. This response is similar to first experience of orgasm in both males and females.

Even though the true driving force or energy is the subtle primal ching, the substance of turbid ching cannot be ignored. It is like a battery. There are physical substances that compose the battery, and within those physical substances is energy. The stronger and healthier the physical substances are, the greater the energy will be. Furthermore, the positive and negative poles of the battery each have a distinct function and requirement in the release or use of the energy. So it is too with males and females and primal ching.

The Way of the immortals, in the end, lies in the refinement of the ching and transmutation of qi. Qi is light and floats upward. When this occurs all outflows [emissions] of ching will naturally cease.

This means that when the ching is strong and integrates with the qi in the tan-t’ien, the natural tendency of the qi is to rise. It will be assisted by the energy of the ching. Once the ching and qi have united with the shen and the Elixir has been formed, the sexual secretions (semen and menstrual fluids) will gradually and naturally cease.

Li Tao Chun [Plum of Pure Tao] said: “First refine the ching, then use the qi to refine it further. When refining, always be aware of the sensations of ching ascending.”

The ching is the first and most important energy to refine. Refinement, as discussed earlier, can be accomplished in one of two ways: through celibacy or through sexual practices usually defined as the Bedchamber Arts. In either case, once the ching is fully refined, breathing methods are used to refine the qi. During this process you must pay close attention to the sensations of the ching energy (primal ching) beginning to make its ascent from the lower back into the brain.

Without this Taoist discipline of smelting, the ching is nothing more than the turbid ching of After Heaven. Smelting the ching creates the primal essence of the Before Heaven. Without this discipline, the qi is just the ordinary breath of the After Heaven; with this discipline it becomes the primal vitality [yuan qi] of Before Heaven. Without this discipline, the spirit is just the knowledge of After Heaven spirit; with this discipline it becomes the primal spirit [yuan shen] of Before Heaven spirit.

In Taoism one of the analogies used for the alchemical process of forming the Elixir is the smelting process, which is taken from the old texts of metallurgical processes for turning base metals into gold. Internal alchemists borrowed much from these old texts, so the terminology is much the same. The idea is that the raw ore (ching) is refined into iron (qi), and the iron can then be made into steel (shen). Steel can be further processed and refined into pure steel (the Elixir). Hence, the ideas of forging, smelting, and refining are often seen in Taoist works on internal alchemy.

The text above actually says that the primal ching (sexual energy, which is the Before Heaven condition) can be made stronger through strengthening the turbid ching (the sexual substances, which are the After Heaven condition). The primal qi (vital life energy, the Before Heaven condition) can be made stronger through ordinary qi (the breath, the After Heaven condition). Primal shen (the true spirit, the Before Heaven condition) can be made stronger through the mind (consciousness, the After Heaven condition). Therefore, when all three Before Heaven energies are strengthened through the disciplining and focusing of the three After Heaven energies, the Elixir will be formed.

If the methods of the Before Heaven seem too vague and difficult, and you are unable to perceive the workings of the Before Heaven, do nothing else other than continue with the practice and refinement of the After Heaven methods until such time as the workings of the Before Heaven do become clear.

Basically, practice the After Heaven methods—celibacy or sexual stimulation; breathing and yogic regimens; and contemplation and meditation)—each of which takes numerous forms.

Qi: The Second Treasure

Purity is heavenly [t’ien] qi; impurity is earthly [ti] qi. Motion is yang qi; stillness is yin qi. Heaven’s purity is pure yang; earth’s impurity is pure yin.

Heavenly qi is the primordial qi (vital energy, or Before Heaven) and is the most pure; earthly qi is acquired qi (the breath, or After Heaven) and is impure—it is the substance, not the essence). When things move, they do so because of yang qi, which is another way of saying heavenly or primordial qi; when things are still, this is because of yin qi, which is another way of saying earthly or acquired qi.

Heaven’s purity is pure yang energy, and before you were born there was only primordial (inherited) ching, qi, and shen—the essences. Earth’s impurity is pure yin energy, and after you are born your life primarily exists on acquired ching, qi, and shen—the substances. These could also be termed the Primordial Essences of reproductive energies, vital life energy, and true spirit, in contrast to their counterparts, the Acquired Substances of sexual fluids, breath, and consciousness.

The movement of heaven lies in the circularity of ch’ien; earth’s stillness lies in the squareness of k’un.¹

With regard to heaven, purity, impurity, movement, and stillness are projections through which the sun and moon appear. With regard to earth, they are projections through which the seasons appear. With regard to mankind, they are projections through which the wise and average appear. The sage is yang and through the casting off of his mortal shell becomes an ascending immortal. The average person is yin and dies in old age only to become a spirit or ghost.

When we look to the heavens, the ultimate aspects of yin and yang interactions can be seen through the activities of the sun and moon. On earth we see the ultimate interactions through the activities of the four seasons. In humans we see the interactions through those who are mortal and those who are immortal.

When true qi is spread throughout the viscera it becomes visceral qi, such as heart qi, lung qi, spleen qi, stomach qi, liver qi, and kidney qi. So to begin with you must strengthen and nourish the qi of the Five Viscera.

True qi is primordial qi, and, as explained earlier, when you cultivate the acquired qi it will strengthen the primordial qi. Once the primordial qi is spread through the Five Viscera, each one establishes its own particular qi and brings itself to function optimally.

Once when my teacher was suffering from the inability to defecate (which later turned out to be more psychosomatic than anything else), I brought him to the local hospital to be examined. Interestingly enough, the doctor came back after having x-rayed all my teacher’s internal organs, and was amazed that an eighty-five-year-old man could have the internal organs of a forty-five-year-old. At first some of the technicians thought he had an enlarged heart, but the doctor surmised that it had never shrunk as it normally would with age. There was no question that he had strengthened and nourished his Five Viscera with primal qi.

When true qi flows throughout the meridian routes it becomes the qi of the meridian routes. When the qi is fully gathered it will proceed to become meridian qi.

Primordial qi is what causes the qi to flow in the meridians. This is why I have long stated that when people who are barely able to perform the After Heaven methods talk about circulating qi in the meridians and having refined the ching, they are in error. Through mastery of these After Heaven methods, the primordial qi will appear and move the qi through the meridians, but this is no simple matter and can take dedicated work to achieve.

Regulated qi works together with the blood to stimulate the qi within the pulses and arteries.

This is the qi that most cultivators initially experience, but it is not primordial qi. Regulated (perhaps a better term would be “regular” qi) qi is the sensation of free circulation, wherein the blood circulation is increased and thus stimulates the qi within the pulses and arteries. This creates tingling and pulsing sensations within the body. However, this is not the primordial qi; it is coarse acquired qi. Nonetheless, it is still an important stage of qi development.

Protective qi is the qi that gives motion to those things external to the pulses and arteries [the flesh and bones]. However, if your temperament is fearful, cruel, or deceitful, the qi will be obstructed in the pulses and meridians, as well as in those parts that are external to the pulses and arteries.

Protective qi is what prevents illness and disease from entering your body. When a person is living in fear of something, this qi is obstructed. If a person is overcome with committing acts of cruelty, this qi is obstructed. If a person exercises being deceitful, this qi will be obstructed. The obstruction originates in the pulses (blood flow) and within the meridians (qi flow), and will then affect the health of the flesh and bones.

Ancestral qi is the qi that has accumulated within the heart/mind. True qi comes from the ching qi [essence and vitality] contained within the kidneys, which is to say the qi that is inherited from your parents. This qi resides in the shui ku [“water valley,” stomach], and it alters the metabolism of stomach and spleen in processing life-giving foods.

Ancestral qi is the Before Heaven Qi, which is the level and quality of the qi you first inherit from your parents. This type of qi is very important because it determines how much or little a person will need to cultivate her After Heaven Qi. Those born with strong ancestral qi will find it easier to keep their metabolism functioning properly, and will be more capable of living off wind and dew in a shorter period of time. Those born with weak ancestral qi will suffer from a too fast or too slow metabolism, and so must cultivate the After Heaven methods to compensate. But in the end it is the same: Whether you have weak or strong ancestral qi, cultivating the alchemical process will harmonize the metabolism and the ancestral qi.

In relation to the lungs, there are three manners in which the qi is drawn in. These must be combined in order to be complete. There is an active and lively type of qi, which is very powerful, yet in substance, abstract. There is a flowing qi, which penetrates throughout the entire body without any hindrance. Then there is mobilized qi.

The storehouse of yang is within the yin, just as fire is concealed within water. Obtaining this qi is a matter of Before Heaven. Your longevity will depend on your degree of these qi.

First, the free circulation of qi makes us active and lively, and we feel strong and very energetic. During free circulation of qi we can begin to feel sensations of qi throughout our body, normally in the tingling and heat. This will lead to sensations of qi flowing through the meridians; this what is meant by “mobilized qi.”

Fire is the metaphor for the breath and water symbolizes the fluids (ching) of the body. Through deep abdominal breathing (qi) the ching is warmed and the qi will rise and begin the process of forming the Elixir. This is why your longevity will depend on these three types of qi.

Movement results in the manifestation of ching; tranquillity results in the manifestation of qi. The qi mobilizes the breath and blood within the body. Then the ears can hear, the eyes can see, the hands can grasp, and the feet can walk. Each of these is the result of qi force. The very essence of a person’s life is also a result of qi, as is birth itself.

Ching is developed by activity and qi is developed through stillness. Or we could say that when we exercise the body, ching is developed, and when we meditate, qi is developed. Therefore, in regard to forming the Elixir, it could also be said that when we give movement to our sexual and physical energy (ching), it is strengthened. Likewise, when we calm our body and breath, the qi is strengthened. It is through these two processes that the Elixir is formed. As the Yin Convergence Classic states, “The highest form of movement is tranquillity.” Even though the outer appearance may be of calmness and tranquillity, the internal ching and qi are moving. Tranquillity causes the internal energies to move. In the average person, who does not achieve tranquillity, the outer appearances are kept in motion and the internal functions are stilled.

Qi gives movement to the blood and breath, not the other way around. Again, the ching is like the substances of a battery powering the body and all its component parts, but the qi provides the mobilization and functions. Shen gives all these a consciousness. When we are alive and moving, the qi is present; when we die and are still, the qi is not present.

True qi [breath] lies within emptiness, which is the breath of neither inhaling nor exhaling. Likewise, the qi of the True One is Before Heaven.

This is a little trickier to explain because most people won’t believe it unless they have had some experience with this. True qi (primordial qi) is not the air you breathe in and out; rather, it is something that permeates your entire being. It is the breath you used while you were within your mother’s womb. Those who meditate and enter tranquillity understand this breath well, for there really is no sensation of inhaling or exhaling. Many meditators who naturally fall into this state become fearful once they realize they are not breathing as they normally would and jolt right out of their tranquil state. This primordial breath is entirely motivated and controlled internally, not externally, as normal breathing is.

The Yellow Court Classic [Huang Ting Ching] says: “Immortality is conferred through inhalation and exhalation of primal qi.”

The Yellow Court Classic is a wonderful Taoist work. It is mainly a guide for contemplators, and in it all the spirits within the human body are described—both their influences and their locations. It is the primary book for the Taoist sect of Mao Shan, from Mao Mountain, but almost all sects of Taoism make use of this incredible work.

The verse is short but full of meaning. It states simply that when we can breathe using just the primal breath, immortality will surely be conferred, because it is this breath that forms the Elixir of Immortality, just as it conferred life when you were in your mother’s womb.

Ts’ui Hsu Yin [Reciter of the Pure Void] said: “Qi is not merely qi as breath, but rather the very vapor of the original substance.”

As discussed earlier, part of the meaning of the Chinese character for qi shows vapors coming off the top of a pot in which rice is being cooked. In alchemy the abdomen is the pot; the tan-t’ien, the rice being cooked; the breath, the fire below; the fluids (ching), the water being heated in the pot; and the qi, the vapors coming off and rising from this process. Within this vapor is primordial qi, the original substance of life that confers immortality.

Before Heaven Qi is acquired through the two qis of the mother and father at the time of their intercourse. Their union attracts you, and in the midst of their intercourse you attach yourself to them.

Did you know that this is how you were first conceived? Here is how the Taoists observed this great event of creating life: A man and woman who are having sex (yin and yang joining) create a very powerful qi that is sensed by spirits on a more ethereal plane of existence. When we are in our spirit form, which Taoists call the hun (heavenly) spirit, the energy of sex is what most attracts us, and as soon as we feel this energy we attach ourselves to it and attempt to ensure that there is a union of the sperm and egg in the mother’s womb. We do this so that we can create our p’o (earthly) spirit; thus we form our own interaction and joining of yin and yang, and thus we acquire primordial qi, which gives us physical life. This whole process could be the subject of an entire book, as there are many minute details. This is also the reason that creating the Elixir of Immortality and forming the immortal Spirit Embryo are likened to the actual physical processes of sex and reproduction. However, physical reproduction processes are coarse, making use of physical substances. Spiritual reproduction processes make use of subtle energies.

After Heaven Qi comes about at the time you leave the womb and with a loud cry become a prisoner of the earth. At this time the qi enters the nose and mouth.

When you come into this world and you are spanked because you need to breathe, with a loud cry the water in the lungs is replaced with the heat and fullness of breath. The instant the air enters through your nose and mouth and into the lungs you are locked into life until the breath (qi) leaves the body. You are now breathing what Taoists call After Heaven Qi.

Before Heaven Qi is just like the roots of a tree seeking the source of water. After Heaven Qi is just like the leaves of the tree that rely on the circulation of water.

When you are a spirit and attracted to the sexual energy of two people, you are like the roots of a tree seeking water; you are naturally drawn to it. But when you are born you become more like the leaves of a tree and rely on the circulation of water through the roots, trunk, and branches of the tree.

Therefore, if the Before Heaven Qi is exhausted, the After Heaven Qi will be severed. Similarly, if the tree’s roots are severed, the leaves will wither, and if the source of the water is wanting then the circulation will cease. Before Heaven Qi and After Heaven Qi cannot become deficient if they are stabilized and regulated in an orderly fashion.

If the man and woman do not have sexual intercourse to orgasm, the spirit cannot attach to the sperm and egg and then the qi of the process is exhausted. Thus, life cannot be formed. Even if life is formed, the primordial qi (roots) is too weak, and the fetus (leaves) will die. Also, if life is formed but the ching is not sufficient or is depleted, the qi will be unable to circulate and death will ensue. Hence, if both the primordial and acquired qi are cultivated, neither will become deficient and life will continue.

Novices ask, “What is called Before and After Heaven?” Regulated respiration through the nose and mouth is After Heaven. Unregulated respiration brings about death and is Before Heaven. K’an and li are After Heaven; ch’ien and k’un are Before Heaven.

K’an is the image of water and li the image of fire. Ching is represented by water/the body and qi is represented by fire/the breath/qi. These are what must be cultivated by living human beings to form the Elixir. Ch’ien is the image of heaven and k’un is the image of Earth. Heaven represents the primordial yang/male aspect and k’un represents the primordial yin/female aspect. Hence, if you regulate your breathing, you will live and possibly attain immortality, but if you don’t, you will have to return to being a primordial spirit, again seeking the sexual energy of two people in hope of being reborn.

Another question is, “How much time will it take to acquire the Before Heaven Qi?” The answer is that when the shen is pure you can recapture your youth and witness the wonderful results of your efforts. You will retain this state even when relaxing at your leisure. You can achieve the Before Heaven in one hundred days of internal cultivation.

Before explaining this, I want to tell the story of how my teacher answered a similar question. After having studied t’ai chi with him for a little more than a year I asked him how long it would take for me to master it. He looked at me, smiled, and said, “Maybe your whole life, or maybe several lives. What do you worry? T’ai chi is limitless, it is a whole lifetime’s work. But, then, tell me what else is there for you to do that is more important? The idea of life, young man, is to leave this world in better condition than when you entered.”

When the spirit is intact, with no confusion and no dullness, you will return to the state of mind you had when you were young, including the energy and temperament you had before sexuality ever captured your attention. You could play all day with enthusiasm and focus, the day seemed forever, you imagined more than you rationalized, and, most important, you felt immortal.

So all this is not strictly about being in a constant state of practice and disciplined effort. The effects are like a bank account; once you have acquired enough skill you can take your leisure, and even during your leisure you will retain your tranquillity and ease of mind, just like a child who can lie about in the grass, free of cares.

You won’t necessarily require a hundred days of practice; actually, eighty-one days of practice often suffice, followed by nineteen days of leisure. This refers to the Virgin Boy training, during which a male does not experience either voluntary or involuntary ejaculation of semen for on hundred days. The first eighty-one days he spends achieving tranquillity and practicing breathing regimens. The last nineteen days he does nothing other than sense and cool off his newfound energy, just like a child who comes home from playing, sweaty and tired, and needs to cool down and relax.

But this Virgin Boy training is just an initial practice with the goal of experiencing primordial qi during meditation practice. We gain much energy when we separate ourselves from certain functions like talking, eating, and ejaculating.

The source of Tao is not external to shen and qi; shen and qi unite as one.

When the spirit and breath unite, you have arrived at the source of Tao, your original nature. But what does this mean in more practical terms? All your breathing must first become the product of your mind will. In one of the t’ai chi ch’uan classic writings, called The Mental Elucidation of the Thirteen Kinetic Postures, by the immortal Wang Chung-yueh of the Ming dynasty, it says, “Your mind-intent must be focused on the spirit of vitality, not on the qi. If your mind-intent is focused on the qi the result will be stagnation; you will have qi, but no strength.” This means that if you concentrate solely on your breathing, trying to keep your breath deep, low, and slow, you will only obstruct the true breath. Rather, if you focus your attention on the lower abdomen as if trying to examine what is going on down there, you will immediately find your breath going there naturally.

This is the true meaning of “abide by your tan-t’ien” and “sink the qi into the tan-t’ien,” found in classical T’ai Chi writings. The language here is very important; the words abide and sink are used, not terms like think about the tan-t’ien or push the qi down into the tan-t’ien. Abide means to dwell with, or to be within, your tan-t’ien; all your attention is within the tan-t’ien, not outside it. Sink is also specific in its meaning, because you cannot force the qi to sink. Think of the qi as debris in a water glass; the more you attempt to push the debris to bottom of the glass, the murkier the water becomes. However, if you leave the glass alone and just allow the debris to sink, the water becomes clear. This is identical to how the body reacts: When the qi sinks into the tan-t’ien, the clearer and calmer your mind is, thus making tranquillity possible. This is how the shen and qi unite. When your attention is brought to dwell in the tan-t’ien, the spirit and qi come together and can then act as one.

The complete repair of the ch’ien [heaven] within the body is a result of transmuting ching, transmuting the shen, and then Returning to the Void. You advance with every step.

To completely undo the damage of your Before Heaven conditions (deficiencies you may have acquired from your parents and ancestors), you first need to strengthen your ching. The qi will then be strengthened and will unite with the shen. Once the shen and qi unite, you can enter tranquillity or return to the Void. Hence, each step is an advance toward the goal of tranquillity.

Silence protects the qi. Entering purity and leaving turbidity restores the qi. Swallowing from above and quivering below gathers the qi. Continuous preservation harmonizes the qi. In following natural tendencies you will circulate the qi.

Talking too much dissipates the qi. Likewise, eating too much dissipates the ching, and too much emotion dissipates the shen. If you really want to find out how much energy is used in talking, just take a vow of silence for a month. Once while in the monastery I did this, and the further I got into my thirty days, the more I realized how much I used to talk. Most of it is frivolous and unnecessary. The first two weeks felt frustrating and confusing because I could not express to others even the smallest of concerns. But in the last two weeks everything became very calm, and I found no need to express or query anything. The energy I acquired from being silent was absolutely unbelievable.

I have to be honest: I actually maintained my silence only for twenty-nine days. One that last day I had front gate duty, which was normally pretty boring and amounted to pointing to a building or area that visitors wished to go to. But on this occasion there were few visitors, so I sat reading a book. One of the monks came up behind me and asked a question of me. It took me by surprise and as I turned to look at him I blurted out, “What?” Immediately, the monk let out a burst of laughter. I went through my last two days of silence repeating over and over in my mind my ignorant mantra of “What?” Interestingly, it took nearly two weeks to return to having any type of normal conversation with people, as it all seemed so trival and pointless.

Entering purity and leaving turbidity means entering tranquillity, and this also restores the qi. There is no one thing that restores and accumulates qi as well as sitting in tranquillity. Just sitting and abiding by the tan-t’ien will, over time, take you further toward forming the Elixir than any other practice you might consider.

Swallowing from above and quivering below gathers the qi. But I should add that swallowing saliva and qi and experiencing the quivering in the lower abdomen is a milepost in cultivation. It means your tan-t’ien is beginning to form and the qi and shen are starting to unite. Once this occurs it is important to continue your practice to preserve and harmonize the qi, and when you feel the qi rising and moving, just allow it to happen naturally. Don’t try to force it, don’t panic, and don’t try to control it; just let it rise.

Preserve your imagination so that you can exhibit the qi in any manner. The Tao Yin [breath control methods] attacks illnesses by mobilizing qi. The Taoist naturally nourishes the qi and so can achieve long life.

Your imagination is one of the most important tools you can use in cultivation. My teacher constantly said, “Imagination becomes reality.” Why? Because at first you imagine having qi, you imagine forming the Elixir, and you imagine attaining immortality. Without imagination you are barely even human; it is the one facet of the human mind that is crucial to everything we do. Imagination is the exercise of the mind and spirit to keep it strong, to stretch it out, and to keep it lively. Nothing in this world ever gets completed, invented, or explored without first being in someone’s imagination. We need this even during the smallest of functions, such as cooking meals and deciding what to wear. Imagination is like a muscle; the more we use it, the stronger it gets.

My teacher once said, “Within yourself imagine you are already an immortal, but never express that to others.” I love this statement for three reasons. First, it exercises your imagination. Second, it provides the necessary self-confidence for undertaking the work and practice of cultivation. Third, not expressing your vision keeps you humble about your cultivation.

Tao Yin exercises are contained within the Taoist Eight Brocade exercises. I suggest reading my book Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential Exercises of Master Li Ching Yun, which provides detailed explanations of these methods. Within these exercises you can learn to both nourish and develop your qi.

The Confucian nourishes the qi of magnanimity, concerned only for the quality of life and death. These are like past and present men who, with great determination and benevolence, would give up their lives in the sight of danger or sacrifice their lives to preserve their integrity.

So when nourishing the qi be pure of mind. Let moral principles nourish the qi. Fill the entire universe, and achieve greatness. Attain an indestructibility that can never be extinguished.

These statements are from the Confucian idea of how qi is to be developed and its purpose, which are very unlike the Taoist concepts. First, Confucians see qi in terms of acquiring a noble, high-spirited, and generous demeanor. To the Confucian, integrity is the highest form of qi, and he would give his life to preserve it. Moral principles pervade a Confucian’s quest for developing this “qi of magnanimity,” acquiring biological immortality through posterity, and immortalizing his personal reputation. Taoists find nothing really disconcerting about their goals, strict morality, determination, and benevolence—these are wonderful qualities for people choosing to live within society. But the Taoist finds little use for these high and noble-minded goals; rather, the Taoist seeks to live outside society, and even if he lives within it, he seeks to blend in and remain unnoticed.

Because shen and qi are one whole, they are forever contained within the space between heaven and earth.

This can be taken in the macrocosmic sense of between the limits of the universe and the earth, or in the microcosmic sense of from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet. To the Taoist, these are identical, as each is an expression of the other.

What is it to refine qi and transmute shen? This is k’an [water] and li [fire] uniting within the body; the advancing and withdrawing of heaven [ch’ien].

There is water, in the form of a buoyant mist, within qi, yet it does not ascend easily. If not refined, the water dissipates and scatters. You must transmute this water and allow it to sink. The way of immortals calls this “disciplining the true fire.” If the water dissipates, it will leave entirely and the qi will be completely exhausted. Awareness of the qi being transmuted will in turn stimulate the shen.

When water is heated, a vapor or mist is created. In the same way, in the body, breath warms the blood and body fluids (ching) and the qi is present and acts like this mist. The mist we see in nature actually rises and sinks with the warmth and coldness of the earth, and it is difficult for it to rise too high or sink too low. So it is with the qi in the body.

It isn’t that there is actual water in qi, but rather that there is ching (the activity of water) in qi, and so it is seen to behave like a buoyant mist. This verse simply says that keeping the qi and shen in the abdomen will prevent the ching from being dissipated or scattered. By keeping the breath (qi) and mind-intent (shen) low in the abdomen, the ching will naturally follow. This is “disciplining the true fire,” which is like boiling water. If you keep the flame on high, the water will eventually dissipate. The key is to simmer the water with just enough heat to keep the vapor coming off the water. When the ching is warmed by the qi and movement can be felt in the lower abdomen, this will attract the shen to unite with them in the tan-t’ien.

The analogy of clouds and mists relates to a sudden illumination of t’ai yang (like sunlight bursting forth through the clouds). A burning flame is produced from the water within the qi (like lightning and thunder from rain clouds). The water then disperses. When the clouds and mists disappear the yang illumination is complete.

This is a wonderful analogy for the alchemical process for Forming the Elixir. Clouds and mists are metaphors for ching (clouds) and qi (mists), and when the spirit (shen) unites with them it is like seeing the sky clear and the sun burst forth through your mind.

When a rain cloud clashes with a warm air current, lightning and thunder occur and the rain cloud bursts. In the body the ching develops similarly to a rain cloud; it is full of energy, and when it meets with the warmed qi it produces an even stronger energy that will cause you to see flashes of light in the mind. The abdomen will rumble and quiver, just like thunder. In many ways this process is like a storm, for once the ching disperses and intermixes with the qi, it is as if a clearing in the sky reveals the sun.

Chang Tzu Yang (Eternal Purple Yang) said: “The Heavenly Man [immortal] is originally identical with true qi. The existence of his physical body causes no further spiritual obstructions. His refinement penetrates both form and the unseen [yin fu] aspects of shen, creating a totally harmonious condition. He is therefore aware that form and substance are but True Void.”

Primodial qi and the immortal are virtually the same, as the immortal is the embodiment of primordial qi and primordial qi is immortal. When becoming immortal you exist on primordial qi, not acquired qi like mortals do, and so the physical body does not hinder you and your spirit is able to do whatever it pleases.

The seen (form) and the unseen (formless) are what is called yin fu (the convergence of yin). This is a very difficult subject to explain, as it is, in essence, the complete fusion of yin (unseen) and yang (seen) elements of reality and life. The yin fu is the return to the source (Tao), and words only cause confusion about this event.

Taoists believe that all living things are composed of primordial ching and qi (aspects of form) and primordial shen (aspect of emptiness). When these two unite, the True Void (or Tao) can be entered. Sometimes, because of language, the terms emptiness and void are thought to be similar, but they are completely different. Emptiness means to be without form, without appearance, and without substance. Void is what both form and emptiness return to, wherein neither form nor emptiness exists. Hence, the immortal is fully conscious of the True Void, or, better stated, he has full awareness of what form and substance really are in their essence: Tao.

Employing the shen to regulate the qi results from heating the ching, which nourishes its original harmonious condition, at which point the qi will circulate without cease. This is the attainment of perfect conditions, as it is with steam when it condenses into a liquid state. You will then be able to unite the shen with the body, producing long life, youthfulness, and fulfillment of your destiny and nature. From below [the earthly], you now make your ascent (to the heavenly).

The heated ching causes the qi to circulate and this circulation causes condensation, which is the drop of yang shen entering the tan-t’ien. Sometimes the word congeal is used instead, but the meaning is the same. When a cultivator is able to circulate his qi through the jen mo and tumo meridians of the body nine consecutive times, a congealed or distillated form of ching and qi is created within the tan-t’ien. This is not unlike actual physical impregnation. The drop of yang shen is a real substance, and can be thought of as the male sperm cell that swims its way to the female egg and creates fertilization. In condensation we see ching and qi forming a sperm cell of sorts that attaches itself to the tan-t’ien within the abdomen. But in this case we have the fertilization of immortality, rather than of mortality.

Ts’ui Tu Tzu [Master of the Azure Void] said: “The most important aspect of the Elixir is that of Before Heaven Qi. Then the work of refinement is like turning a yellow stalk into a jade flower.”

The primordial qi is the most important ingredient for forming the Elixir; without this it would be impossible to refine the acquired ching and transmute the shen. When you can draw upon the function of the primordial qi, it is like taking something very coarse and common and turning it into something refined and precious. It is also like taking something doomed to whither and die, like a yellow stalk, and transforming it into something everlasting, like a jade flower. Thus, the transformation from mortality to immortality is complete.

Yuan Tu Tzu [Master within Causation] said: “The primordial qi neither dwells in a place above or below man’s body nor does it dwell within the body. It is neither internal nor external; it is formless and imageless.”

Qi in its essence is formless and without any appearance. Here Yuan Tu Tzu is attempting to demonstrate that primordial qi or the original qi (yuan qi) is not something you can actually grasp. He is not saying that it does not exist, but rather that it is formless and imageless.

San-feng Tsu [Ancestor of the Three Peaks] said: “True Before Heaven Qi is acquired through gathering. Then just proceed slowly with cooking and simmering over the fire.”

San-feng Tsu is Chang San-feng, the Sung dynasty Taoist priest and attributed founder of t’ai chi ch’uan. He states that true primordial qi is gathered; by developing acquired qi, the primordial qi is accumulated. Once it is gathered, the process of forming the Elixir is simply to keep refining it with the breath.

Chin Kao [Gold Conferrer] said: “True Before Heaven Qi is a mark of the Void; circulation of true qi creates marrow, not dried wood.”

When we begin circulating qi, and even as an effect of free circulation of qi, the marrow content in the bones is increased. The bones become increasingly lighter and agile, and stronger as well. Increasing the marrow content in the bones is a very important aspect of achieving immortality, because when the bones become brittle and weak, as normally occurs in old age, the body begins the decaying process and it is difficult to maintain the rigors of cultivation.

Yu Yang Tzu [Master Jade Yang] said: “True Before Heaven Qi at its source is formlessness, but, amazingly, it can bring to life that which has form.”

Lao-tzu said, “It is from nothingness that everything comes forth.” Within the emptiness of the female womb comes life; from the emptiness of the air comes qi; and from the emptiness of the mind comes light.

Tzu Yang Tsu [Ancestor Purple Yang] said: “True Before Heaven Qi is a mark of true lead. Do not believe in false teachings designed to deceive disciples of the Way for profit.”

The appearance of primordial qi is a sign that there is also the presence of true primordial ching (lead). False teachings is a reference to teachers who claim immortality just to get people to give them money, but in reality they have never even cultivated their ching and so have not acquired primordial qi.

Chung Tsu [Ancestor Goblet] said: “Intelligent men obtain Before Heaven Qi through gathering, then in one night the thunder is heard and they no longer rest for even a minute until the Elixir is complete.”

This does not mean that if you sit and breathe in qi, you will in one night open your tan-t’ien and hear the thunderous sound. Instead, it means that if you cultivate for one night, you will hear the thunder of the tan-t’ien opening. But even hearing the sound does not make it certain that each person who experiences the opening will steadfastly practice until the Elixir is formed. In truth, the theories of forming the Elixir are far easier to delve into than are the practices for forming it.

When I was living at the monastery a man showed up for one of the meditation sessions—one of those excruciating sessions that last twenty-two hours a day for twenty-one days. This man could enter samadhi with little effort, even though he was not a cultivator per se. My teacher was very impressed with him and wanted him to stay on and become a monk. But the man’s girlfriend pleaded with him not to, so he left. He had a natural disposition for cultivating, but his desire for love was even greater. You can see, then, that it is not merely a matter of once you experience it, you will never go back. Actually, most cultivators go in and out of steadfast practice; I am guilty of this, as are most of my teachers. I have never been a big fan of fanatical practice of anything, as it more often than not destroys the naturalness of attainments and turns in on itself. Whatever you attempt to force will by the laws of nature become exactly what you sought to prevent from happening. The fanatical preacher will sin, the fanatical cultivator will stop, the fanatical lover will hate, the fanatical peacekeeper will create war, and so on.

Chung Tsu is correct, but in manner different from what you might expect: Once you hear the thunder of the tan-t’ien, you cannot stop breathing from your lower abdomen. Like a pregnant woman, you cannot keep your mind-intent off your “womb.”

Chung Yang Tsu [Ancestor Double Yang] said: “Inhaling and exhaling are mutually responsive. When the pulses move, the breath rests. Abstraction is produced through tranquillity. Within the greatness of abstraction is Before Heaven Qi, coming forth from within the Void.”

This verse sums up everything fairly well. Inhaling and exhaling mutually create and follow each other and will create acquired qi, which in turn will create primordial qi. When the primodial qi is present, the pulses (both blood and qi) move without any hindrance and the breath is stilled. When the breath rests and the qi moves and takes over internally, you are entering tranquillity, where all thoughts and concepts of an external environment vanish. In this state the primordial qi can come forth and the cultivator can experience the Void.

Shen: The Third Treasure

Shen (spirit) dwells within each person. It gives life and mental activity to each of us. The broader name for shen is ching shen, the essence of spirit or the spirit of vitality. It is revealed in the brightness of the eyes, for the eyes act as the home and focus of the shen.

The spirit is what gives us conscious life and allows us to reason. When a person has an active spirit it is exhibited through the eyes, which appear bright and focused. As my teacher liked to explain, “Looking out you can see a thousand miles; looking inward you can see the minute details of your internal functions.” He once explained that in martial arts, the coarsest and lowest level of defeating an opponent was with muscles, the middle level was defeating him with breath and intrinsic energy (qi and jin), and the highest level was defeating him with spirit. My teacher said that if he projected his spirit, via his eyes, at an opponent the challenger would dare not take any aggressive action and would run away out of fear or feel so weak that he could not move. The teacher demonstrated this on me a few times, and in each instance I could feel the energy in my body become so weakened that I could take no action. It was similar to feeling very sick and disorientated.

Shen represents fire [li]; qi represents water [k’an]. After Heaven Qi and Shen are visible in the forms of fire and water.

When speaking of ching and qi, ching represents water and qi represents fire. When these two unite the qi is then part of water, because the two congeal and form the liquid aspect of the Elixir. When the shen comes to unite with the qi, shen is represented as fire and qi is represented as water. They are visible in their After Heaven, or acquired, form as fire and water, but in this stage, shen is revealed by brightness and light and qi is revealed by the Elixir.

Concealed within water is perfect tranquillity. Within the kidneys the ching transmutes into qi.

Concealed within the Elixir is perfect tranquillity, because the Elixir cannot be formed without perfect tranquillity. The kidneys, according to Taoist thinking, are the keepers of all our sexual and physical energy. When the ching is strengthened in the kidneys it will automatically express itself and develop into qi.

Concealed within fire is perfect movement. Within the mind is shen. Shen causes the fire to ascend.

The fire, or light, of the shen creates perfect movement. A person with a bright shen has perfection of movement not only internally, but externally as well. Within your rational mind is your spirit, and it is this shen, or mind-intent, that causes the spirit (along with the ching and qi) to rise up into the head and illuminate it.

Before Heaven Shen is like fire within wood and stone. Within the eyes shen is like a burning beacon, even if you are unable to see it. This is the primordial shen.

Primordial shen, or spirit, is like a core fire or light existing within a solid object, or body and brain. But it is revealed to others through the eyes. Even though a person exhibiting her primordial shen may be unable to see it herself, those on the receiving end of her gaze will definitely feel and see it.

Between heaven and earth dwells fire and water. Between the eyes the illumination causes the qi to rise. Is this not the same as the sound of thunder produced by clouds and rain between heaven and earth?

When we look to the sky we see light (fire), and when we look to the earth we see water (the earth is four-fifths water). Likewise, between the head and the body (also four-fifths water) dwells fire and water. In the Original Cavity, between the two eyes, a light (fire) is produced, which causes the ching and qi (water) to rise. When these two come together in the Original Cavity it is like thunder created in rain clouds.

Heaven and earth, sun and moon, are all able to exist for a long time. Man’s body employs fire and water and is then subject to decay. However, if man imitates the ways of heaven and earth, sun, and moon, this condition can be reversed and we can exist as long as heaven and earth, the sun, and the moon.

The secret being revealed here is that if humans make use of their primordial qi and shen, they are, in essence, imitating Heaven and Earth, for these are like the sun and moon of the human body. The primordial qi (water) and shen (fire) can reverse the normal aging process, or, better said, turn mortality into immortality. Normally, the elements of fire and water are what cause our lives to dissipate, decay, and die. In the After Heaven condition both our breath (fire) and internal fluids (water) are dissipated through the conditions of aging. But when primordial qi and shen are present, the body is imbued with primordial ching and, hence, immortality.

Ling Pao Tu Jen Ching [Classic on Saving Men with the Treasures of the Immortals] says: “When the shen and qi unite in the subtlety of the Great Void, there is no life and death. Entering formlessness is establishing the Tao. Therefore, employ the workings of fire and water within yourself. When the shen ascends, fire and water are needed no more.”

When shen and qi unite in the Void, immortality has been obtained. For an immortal, there is no longer this clinging to life or fear of death, as his spirit can wander about the Great Void without these two obstructions. Thus, the immortal has no more need for fire and water to maintain his immortality.

There is fire within shen, just as there is fire within wood. Though not perceptible, this does not detract from the truth of its potentiality. So it is with the shen within you.

Wood has the potential to burn, and so it is said that fire exists within wood. Just because you might be unable to see the kinetic reality of spirit within yourself, it does not mean that the potential is not there. Every person has a bright spirit, but in most it is clouded by desire and emotion.

The Ta Tao Ko [Song of the Great Tao] says: “Circulate the breath, for within it is true breath. Refine the shen, for within it is true shen. Perceptible breath is not true breath. The perceptible mind is not true shen. The immortal discovers the true breath and true shen. Average men only know inhalation and exhalation and the rational mind. This is why the immortals talk of primal qi and primal shen.”

When you can circulate the qi (breath), primordial qi will be within it. When you focus your spirit on the tan-t’ien or Original Cavity, primordial spirit will be within it. Your normal breath is not primordial qi any more than rational thinking is primordial spirit. Yet when you cultivate your inhalation and exhalation and your mind, the primordial essences are strengthened and become more and more apparent. Therefore, mortals become immortals because they gather and refine the primordial essences, and when these become strong enough they shed the coarse functions of inhaling and exhaling, along with the rational mind.

Primordial shen is beyond thought and beyond imagination. It reveals itself only through tranquillity and ultimate emptiness, where in one instant you are awakened to the experience of primordial shen. Knowing this, you will understand thoroughly the meaning of producing heaven, earth, and the ten thousand things.

You can’t think or imagine your way to experiencing primordial spirit; it occurs because you entered tranquillity. But we shouldn’t discard thought or the images created by imagination, as these are what lead us to tranquillity. Yet once we enter tranquillity, these aspects of mind vanish and are no longer needed. We then reach the apex of Taoist thought: All things are produced by the mind (or, in their terms, primordial spirit), for it is Tao. From Tao comes everything in heaven, everything on Earth, and every known and unknown phenomenon of life. An immortal understands that he can create whatever reality, whatever phenomenon, whatever form, whatever environment he deems necessary. As mortals we are also, but to a lesser degree, subject to the idea of “we are what we think.” As mortals we can imagine something and possibly figure out how to make it a reality. An immortal, on the other hand, can simply create it.

The immortal paradises, of which there are several, are the places where immortals enjoy hanging out together. Here they have several skills that make existence bearable. For example, if they think of something to eat, it appears spontaneously; if a male immortal want to bear children with a female immortal, he need only to stare and an immortal child will be born. If immortals want to travel somewhere, they need only think about the place and they will immediately be there. If they want to change form or sex, they can do so with just a thought. His skills are seemingly unlimited, but the immortal is still bound by thoughts of existence and has no instinct for extinguishment (nirvana), as would a Buddha. Immortals are, in every sense of the Buddhist term, Pratyateka Buddhas: They are almost in paradise, but still cling to existence and do not have the complete compassion of a Buddha by which to motivate themselves to go back into the world to teach others. Pratyateka Buddhas (or immortals) do not really believe that mortals will understand them, nor do they find mortal existence pleasant in any sense of the word. Hence, immortals are very fond of just wandering, whether that be in spirit or physical form.

Ch’ien Hsu Tsu [Ancestor Hidden within Emptiness] said: “Primal shen acts as your nature. It is the master of ching and qi. When the primal shen unites with these two its potential cannot be fathomed, for then the process of attaining immortality is methodless. This is called the natural workings of shen. So just cultivate your nature and skills. The shen will then perfect itself.”

The less effort you put into perfecting the shen, the better. The ching and qi when refined will naturally attract the shen. The primordial shen will naturally produce the Elixir, so it is called methodless. This is just like pregnancy; there must be an effort to bring the sperm and egg together, but once joined a spirit will attach itself naturally. During the pregnancy there are nourishment and care concerns, but the formation of the child will occur and perfect itself naturally and without interference. So it is with your Immortal Fetus.

Ancestor Lu Tung P’in described four steps by which immortality is attained. This is truly the method of no-method: Forgetting yourself entirely nourishes the qi. You then attain the medicines. Forgetting entirely about the qi fixes the shen, and the Elixir is then congealed. Forgetting entirely about the shen is returning to the Void. Forgetting entirely about the Void is uniting with the Tao. In emptiness the Elixir is complete.

Lu Tung P’in is one of the famous Eight Immortals of Taoism, which are probably the most popular folk figures in all of Taoism. What makes them so appealing to the masses is that each of the eight came from a common background, thus giving hope to their followers that they too might become immortal.

Lu’s four steps are the very basis of Taoist internal alchemy, and Ch’an Buddhism (later called Zen in Japan) adapted much of this process. The first step is to learn how to sit in meditation and empty your mind; this will nourish the qi and bring about the formation of the medicines (the Three Treasures of ching, qi, and shen). When you completely let go of the idea of breathing, the spirit becomes focused and will cause the Elixir to be formed (congealed). When you can forget entirely about the spirit, letting go of any thoughts of self, you will enter perfect tranquillity, or the Void. When you let go of the Void you unite with the Tao. Once you have returned to the source, the Tao, the Elixir of Immortality is complete.

The only ingredients needed are purity of heart and tranquillity of mind, where returning to the Void will be a natural process.

If you are pure of heart—if you have the pure sincerity of mind to become an immortal—and can achieve perfect tranquillity of body and mind, the process of becoming an immortal will naturally occur.