8

PLUNGING SPIRIT INTO THE LOWER TAN T’IEN CAVITY

THIS METHOD CONSISTS of driving into the cavity of vitality (below the navel) the positive spirit which has gathered in front of its original cavity (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes) and is called plunging spirit into the lower tan t’ien centre. This centre (under the navel) has outer and inner cells; the outer cell is the source of the positive and negative principles, which is the abode of (vital) breath, the spring of foetal breathing and the mechanism of in and out breathing; the inner is where the Tao foetus is created and the (vital) breath stays, and is the home of serenity. When the (inner) vital breath moving up and down in the body, does not go up beyond the heart or down beyond the lower abdomen, it becomes the real (or stabilised vital) breath which will in time enter this cavity (under the navel to stay there) causing the sudden manifestation of true serenity.

The purpose of the previous seventh step (Chapter 7) in the practice of alchemy is like providing a barren woman with all that she needs to make her capable of bearing children. The true seed (foetus) thus realised comes from the habitual restraint of anger and passion, silent meditation and quieting of mind which lead to the destruction of the mortal heart (mind) and the resurrection of Tao (immortal) heart (mind). For the death of the earthly heart exposes the moonlight of (essential) nature which is always screened by the dust of passions so long as the mortal mind is allowed to exist.

The student, awakened to the teaching, should strive to control his heart (the house of fire) by driving his mind into the field of concentration so as to still and disengage it from sense data. When the mind stops wandering outside, consciousness will melt away, and the five aggregates will be empty of externals so that spirit and vitality will gather and stay within and no longer scatter without.

The body is the abode of (vital) breath and the heart (the house of fire) is the temple of spirit. If vitality is cut off spirit will lose support and cannot stay in the heart for an instant. Therefore, a practiser enjoying good health will feel his vital breath vibrate in his body after practising meditation for a long time, and he will finally perceive his original face which is the light of (essential) nature. He will feel unusual comfort, and by concentrating on spirit to gather vitality he will thereby cultivate (eternal) life; only then can the goal of cultivating (eternal) life be attained.

He should wait until the light becomes red and vibrates to gather immediately prenatal vitality which is bound to disperse if it is not kept in cold storage in the lower tan t’ien cavity (under the navel).

This method of cold storage consists of driving the light of prenatal positive spirit from its original cavity (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes) down into the lower abdomen with a loud noise which confirms that the bottom of that centre is reached. The practiser should then turn inwards his eyes to concentrate on the lower tan t’ien as long as possible until its inner heat vibrates. He should then imagine that this vitality is lifted to the heart (the house of fire) and lowered to the lower abdomen (the house of water), with continued ascents and descents (in the ch’ung mo or thrusting channel) until all of a sudden it slips into the cavity of vitality (under the navel); this is called ‘entry into the cavity within a cavity’ and is actual ‘re-entry into the foetus for further creativity’ which is the outcome of linking the heart with the abdomen.

When a man sleeps soundly, the element of fire in spirit goes down to scorch the element of water in the lower abdomen which will be transformed into steam that will soar up linking the heart and lower abdomen. When he wakes up and opens his eyes, spirit returns to his organ of sight thereby disengaging the heart from the lower abdomen which will not reunite even if he starves for a week. Why? Because of the exhaustion of prenatal vitality whose source of supply has been cut off. This man will thus lose the means to preserve life.

Question I am stupid and do not understand the method of freezing spirit in the cavity of vitality (under the navel). Will you please explain in detail?

Answer It is the consolidating method which consists of turning back the seeing and hearing to empty the heart (of sense data) so as to freeze spirit and so gather vitality which will then stop draining away. Only by daily practice of holding on to the centre of vitality (under the navel) to realise the oneness (of all things) can the union of heart and lower abdomen be achieved in the state of (mental) stillness. This can never be done by worldly men in their sleep.

Now let us examine the human body. The usual drain of vitality through the heavenly pool (tien chih) cavity in the mouth can be stopped by raising the tongue to touch the palate (in order to make a bridge so that vitality can flow into the throat and chest before returning (in the jen mo channel) to its centre below the navel). But far more of it drains through the genital gate than through the heavenly pool and if this is not checked it can kill even chaste youths.

Therefore, the vitality normally lost in this way should be made good by alchemical means in order to return it to its source to restore (eternal) life and so preserve the body. Hence ‘boundless life’ but if vitality is not preserved and the discharge of generative force continues the practiser will remain mortal like all worldlings, for if spirit wanders outside, vitality will scatter to become generative fluid the exhaustion of which leads to death.

Man lives and dies because of his body. This body comes into being because of the pregnancy of a woman due to the union of her generative force with that of a man through the mortal gate in their bodies. Before the umbilical cord is cut, the (baby’s essential) nature and (eternal) life are inseparable: this state is called prenatal. This body is mortal because of the postnatal condition of nature and life which are no longer united but divided into two, and so become unconnected.

When the child grows up he searches for the opposite sex and gives rise to sexual desires and so exhausts whatever remains of his prenatal positive principle in its positive condition. Henceforth he must rely on food and drink to obtain the positive principle in its negative state to make good the deficiency. Since he does not realise the importance of nature and life, he indulges in all kinds of excesses and that positive principle in its negative state becomes inadequate to sustain his life. How then can he escape from death?

Therefore, we should know that the birth of a body is followed by its death. Now in order to avoid mortality, the self-natured spirit should re-enter the foetus anew in order to produce (essential) nature and (eternal) life once more.

The method consists at the start of collecting spirit to drive it into the cavity of vitality (under the navel) so that vitality will envelop spirit until when utter stillness prevails both will gather and unite into a whole which will slip into that cavity where it will remain in an unperturbed state called the immortal (Tao) foetus. This foetus is not a real one having form and shape; for it is an incorporeal manifestation of the union of spirit with vitality. It is unlike an ordinary foetus, the outcome of desire and love. He who wants his body of flesh and blood to become immortal is like someone rubbing a brick to make a bright mirror, which is impossible.

Question Taoist teaching seems to lay more stress on the cultivation of (eternal) life while neglecting that of (essential) nature. Only Chapter 1 deals with ‘fixing spirit in its original cavity (between and behind the eyes)’ which pertains to nature. Why does the teaching deal more with life than nature?

Answer Chapter 1 deals with ‘fixing spirit in its original cavity’, for man’s body, spirit, intellect, incorporeal (hun) and corporeal (p’o) souls are all negative (yin) and obey the heart’s impulses. When the heart is still so are all these five, but when it moves they all move as well. Self-realisation consists of transmuting this human heart into an immortal one; hence the saying: ‘the cultivation of heart to preserve (essential) nature’. The profound method of preserving nature does not go beyond the paths of the tu mo (controlling) and jen mo (functioning) channels.

In your daily meditation if you cannot set your heart at rest in order to fix spirit in its original cavity (in the centre of the brain between and behind the eyes), you should rely on the working of the stove and cauldron and on the channels of control and function so that you can stop the thinking process. If you succeed in holding on to that cavity you will immediately realise the state of serenity; but if you fail, this is due solely to your remissness.

All eight (psychic) channels are clear in the prenatal state but prenatal vitality is cut off after a man falls into postnatal condition (i.e. when the umbilical cord has been cut). Therefore, it is important to study Chapter 3 and practise its teaching in order to keep all psychic channels clear so that vitality and blood circulate freely in the body and thereby wipe out all ailments.

If you do not practise meditation you will never achieve this wonderful result. When the genital organ is aroused and stands erect during your meditation, you should practise the method taught in Chapter 4 and when you are familiar with the inner mechanism, you will be able to transmute the generative force into vitality.

If after sitting for a long time you still fail to experience the arousal of the genital organ, there must be something wrong in the viscera. Then read Chapter 5 and practise its teaching to get rid of all inner causes of ailments.

When the positive principle manifests thereby transmuting the generative force into vitality, if you do not know the teaching in Chapter 6 and cannot avoid the risks involved, vitality will turn into generative force. In that case you should practise the ascent of positive and descent of negative fire in order to transmute vitality into spirit until the light of (essential) nature manifests in front of you; only then can you lay the foundation of immortality. However, if stirrings and thoughts continue to arise and if your heart (the house of fire) is not settled, spirit will wander outside and (vital) breath will disperse; the foundation thus laid will be destroyed.

Therefore, it is most important that you lay down all thoughts in order to restore the foundation you have achieved, and read Chapter 7 which teaches the return of spirit to nothingness; only then can you avoid the risk of spirit returning to the state of vitality.

Both this chapter and the previous one are very closely related and the student who has successfully practised the teachings in both will enter the immortal path.

Immortality is attained after the successful cultivation of (essential) nature; this is why in Chapter 1 we began by teaching concentration on the original cavity of spirit (tsu ch’iao between and behind the eyes). For he who succeeds in cultivating nature, can expect to realise (eternal) life as well.

Question What do you mean by the union of the male element of metal with the female element of wood?

Answer The male element of metal is the sun and the female element of wood is the moon. After a man has fallen into the postnatal state (i.e. has been born), he loses the power of concentration; this is why his sun and moon do not unite. If he understands the profound meaning of their union and concentrates on the cavity of the dragon (lung kung below the navel) until they both unite, true vitality will manifest of itself.

The cavity of the dragon is (the lower tan t’ien under the navel) which is the seat of the element of water and contains the original vital force. The heart is the seat of the element of fire and contains the original spirit. The method consists of concentrating on the lower abdomen under the navel thereby directing the element of fire in spirit down to the northern sea (the lower tan t’ien) wherein the element of water, being scorched, will evaporate and become steam that soars up.

The immersion of fire in water causes their ‘copulation’ and the resultant condition is called ‘fire and water in stable equilibrium’ (shui huo chi chi). If the outer sun and moon do not mingle their lights the inner water and fire do not ‘copulate’ and prenatal true vitality cannot manifest. If they are left to themselves to follow their postnatal course the element of fire will remain dry and that of water will continue wet, with the former soaring up and the latter going down, both running in opposite directions. If water is not scorched by fire it will not evaporate to become steam that soars up. This is the unstable state of water and fire as shown by the story of the cowherd and weaving maiden in the Nei Ching.¹

Fire is hot and soars up; it is symbolised by the maiden who weaves hard day and night, is likened to the heart (the seat of fire) which is impermanent, refuses to relinquish worldly attachments and is subject to the endless round of birth and death. Water is wet and flows down; it is symbolised by the cowherd tilling the soil without respite, who stands for vitality that scatters easily; when the latter is exhausted he will have no time even to turn his head (to think of himself).

Taoist alchemy uses the (planetary) signs in heaven to teach the method of preparing the elixir of immortality with analogies which are very profound and are not meant to deceive (and harm) others.

Hsu Ching Yang said: ‘If the macrocosmic elixir of immortality is not produced by intermingling the lights of the sun and moon, and the union of heaven with earth, what can make it?’ This is the wonderful union of the elements of metal and wood.

Question Will you please enlighten me on the various stages of sublimation during the microcosmic orbiting?

Answer The microcosmic orbit is also called the wheel of the law. Wind and fire are used to drive vitality through the (psychic) channels of control (tu mo in the spine) and of function (jen mo in the front of the body). When starting the exercise, inhalation and exhalation should succeed each other to stop all external disturbances so that spirit and vitality can unite. The practiser will feel warmth below the navel, and this feeling may later last for the whole day. He will then notice that positive vitality will first rise from the base of the spine; it will in time, as his practice continues, go up the backbone, and if his determination is firm, will pierce through the occiput to reach the top of his head. So if he has been taught the secret of alchemy, he can drive this positive vitality through the three gates (in the channel of control) at once.

For when positive vitality manifests it always tends to sink and disperse. Spirit can hold vitality only temporarily but lacks the driving power of breathing, and without breathing, vitality cannot be driven into the channels of control and function (to circulate in the microcosmic orbit) and will finally drain away by the genital gate; this is caused by the lack of pressure from in and out breathing.

When practising alchemy, the student should shut his mouth and roll up his tongue (to make a bridge as explained earlier). When he inhales postnatal (fresh) air should enter by the nostrils and the throat gradually reaching the lower tan t’ien cavity (under the navel) simultaneously he should lift his concentration from the mortal cavity (at the root of the penis) up the spine until it reaches the top of his head. When he exhales postnatal air should go out through the throat and nostrils; simultaneously he should drop his concentration from the top of the head (in the channel of function) to the spot between the eyebrows (in front of the cavity of spirit), behind the tongue, and down the throat to the chiang kung cavity (in the solar plexus) and the centre of vitality (below the navel) until he reaches the gate of mortality (at the root of the penis) where he should stop. This circulation should go on endlessly until the two cavities of (essential) nature (in the heart) and (eternal) life (under the navel) vibrate, heralding the production of true vitality.

If the practiser looks back he will remember that his practices seemed to be aimless turnings of the wheel of the law. For if he fails to catch positive vitality it cannot be produced, and even if it could be it would finally disperse through other channels in the body. When, however, the wheel of the law stops of itself and is followed by a state of serenity, it should be let alone and not forced to turn. Vitality may then soar up or the penis may stand erect. In this case the microcosmic orbiting should be stopped so that ‘the flute without holes’ can be played to check if vitality is genuine or not. If the latter is spurious the penis will shrink but if it is genuine it will remain erect.

The patriarch Liu Hua Yang said: ‘No Taoist function is better than the wheel of the law and no line of communication is better than the immortal path. The wheel of the law is true vitality and the path is the (orbit through the) channels of control (tu mo) and function (jen mo). All those who followed my words have now reached their goals.’

For the benefit of readers I now repeat the instructions given me by my masters.

My elder brother K’uei I Tsu said: ‘When the sun and the moon without unite (i.e. when the pupils of both eyes are drawn close to each other in a squint for pointed concentration), the heart (the house of fire) and lower abdomen (the house of water)within are automatically linked; only then can prenatal vitality develop gradually. When the (functionings of the) heart and lower abdomen are inverted, that is when the former is lowered and the latter lifted, serenity will in time be achieved. When advancing further in the training, if the practiser, instead of cultivating (eternal) life, merely closes his eyes to freeze his heart and so disengages all six sense organs, thereby cutting all links between the front and back as well as the upper and lower parts of the body, how can he develop prenatal vitality? Students should pay attention to all this.

The Wu Chen P’ien says:

Before the elixir is produced move not to the mountain

Where lead (vitality) is found neither within nor without.

This gem is self-possessed in every man

Who usually ignores its existence.

This means that the precious gem is inherent in every man’s body and that achievement does not depend solely on stillness in the mountain.

My old master Liao K’ung said: ‘Even if you are still not clear about heaven and earth, the sun and moon, the heart (house of fire) and lower abdomen (house of water) and the centre (of the four cardinal points) (see figure 4) you can gather the light as expounded in Chapter 7 and drive it into your lower abdomen by concentrating on the lower tan t’ien cavity there, until true vitality in time vibrates and rises to the chiang kung centre (in the solar plexus) where it will stay for a little before returning to the lower tan t’ien where it will vibrate there for some time before returning to stillness. Suddenly it will re-enter the cavity of vitality (below the navel) where it will stay still; this is the state of utter serenity (ta ting) which reveals the linking of heart and lower abdomen, and the centralisation of all four cardinal points, also called ‘the stable equilibrium of water and fire (shul huo chi chi).’

The return of vitality to the lower tan t’ien (under the navel) after spirit has been fixed in its original cavity (in the centre of the brain between and behind the eyes, see Chapter 1) will, after one day and night of stillness, enable the practiser to abstain from food for a week; and by advancing further he will be able to stop eating for seven weeks. Only then can he dwell in real serenity.

The old master T’an Chih Ming said: ‘After gathering the alchemical agent to make good the loss of generative force, a fascinating white light will appear in both eyes’ which means the joining up of the sun (the left eye or the male principle) with the moon (the right eye or female principle); only then can both eyes be concentrated on the lower abdomen in which a white light is imagined as manifesting. After looking into the lower tan t’ien for several tens of days suddenly a sound will be heard, followed by the ascent of real vitality from the lower belly to the heart (the house of fire) where it stays still, thence going down to return to the lower tan t’ien. This daily exercise without counting the number of days, will decrease the number of in and out breaths and strip the heart (the seat of fire) of thoughts and stirrings while no trace of the body can be found; this is the state of deep serenity.

¹According to Chinese mythology, to the east of the heavenly river lived a maiden who worked hard to weave heavenly robes. The heavenly king took pity on her loneliness and allowed her to marry a cowherd living to the west of the river. After being married, she stopped working and the king was angry and ordered her to return to the east, permitting her to cross the river to meet her husband only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month.

This story shows the unstable states of the female element of water and the male element of fire which cause human sufferings.