PREFACE

AFTER THE PUBLICATION of our fourth book, The Secrets of Chinese Meditation, and its Italian and German translations,¹ we have been delighted to hear from Western readers who have practised Indian yoga and are also interested in studying its Chinese equivalent. But only three chapters of that volume deal with Taoist meditation for the improvement of health, so that for lack of space we were unable to deal fully with Taoist yoga, which includes spiritual alchemy and aims at the total defeat of mortality.

This presentation is a translation of The Secrets of Cultivation of Essential Nature and Eternal Life, written by the Taoist master Chao Pi Ch’en (born 1860) and containing a comprehensive exposition of Taoist yoga with instructions by the ancients which can be studied and practised by modern students. It consists of sixteen chapters which teach how to train in spiritual alchemy from the beginning to the end in order to leap over the mortal to the undying divine state.

Taoist scriptures are full of technical terms which seem very obscure and unintelligible even to students in China, for the authors did not intend to make the texts accessible to people of low spirituality or of questionable character, or to unbelievers and blasphemers. Instead of translating them literally we have rendered them in simple English in order to avoid confusion. For instance, lead and mercury are translated by vitality and spirit, for which they stand, so as to make the text more clear for the average reader. We have, however, kept some terms for which there are no English equivalents with accompanying explanations or footnotes so that Western readers will appreciate that we too encountered great difficulty when we began to study these Taoist texts.

Taoist alchemy forsakes the worldly way of life by preventing the generative force which produces the generative fluid from following its ordinary course which satisfies sexual desire and procreates offspring. As soon as this force moves to find its usual outlet, it is turned back and then driven by the inner fire, kindled by regulated breathing, into the microcosmic orbit for sublimation. This orbit begins at the base of the spine, called the first gate (wei lu), rising in the backbone to the second gate between the kidneys (chia chi), and then to the back of the head, called the third gate (yu ch’en), before reaching the brain (ni wan). It then descends down the face, chest and abdomen to return to where it rose and so completes a full circuit.

By regulated breathing is meant deep breathing that reaches the lower abdomen to arouse the inner fire and then bring pressure on the generative force already held there forcing both fire and generative force to rise in the channel of control in the spine to the head. This is followed by an out breathing which relaxes the lower abdomen so that the fire and generative force that have risen to the head sink in the channel of function in the front of the body to form a full rotation in the microcosmic orbit. These continued ascents and descents cleanse and purify the generative force which is then held in the lower tan t’ien under the navel so that it can be transmuted into vitality.

The microcosmic orbit has four cardinal points: at the root of the penis where the generative force is gathered, at the top of the head, and at the two points between them in the spine and in the front of the body where the generative force is cleansed and purified during the microcosmic orbiting.

While putting the generative force into orbit it is of paramount importance to locate the original cavity of spirit in the brain which is precisely where a light manifests in the head when the practiser succeeds in concentrating his seeing effectively on the central spot between and behind the eyes. If this is not done the radiant inner fire rising to the head during the microcosmic orbiting may be mistaken for that light and wrongly driven into a minor psychic centre in the head from which it will be very difficult to dislodge it. Many untutored and inexperienced practisers make this mistake which hinders the process of alchemy.

When the generative force moves to obey its worldly inclination, the purpose of regulating the breathing is to draw the force up to the lower tan t’ien cavity under the navel so as to hold it there and transmute it into an alchemical agent which is transformed into vitality in the solar plexus. Thus the lower tan t’ien in the lower abdomen plays the role of a burning stove supporting a cauldron which contains the generative force ready for subsequent ascension to the solar plexus.

After being purified the generative force is carried in the microcosmic orbit to the solar plexus, called the middle tan t’ien, which becomes the middle cauldron and is scorched by the burning stove in the lower tan t’ien under the navel. It is in the solar plexus that the generative force (now the alchemical agent) is transmuted into vitality which rises to the brain (ni wan) where the vital breath, hitherto hidden and dormant, will be stirred by well regulated breathing which will prevent it from dispersing. The precious cauldron has now manifested in the brain (ni wan) whereas the burning stove remains in the lower tan t’ien under the navel.

So while the stove remains in the lower abdomen during the whole process of alchemy, the cauldron changes place rising from the lower tan t’ien under the navel to the middle tan t’ien or solar plexus, and finally to the upper tan t’ien in the brain where it is called the precious cauldron. In other words, the lower tan t’ien plays the role of primary cauldron which contains the generative force at the start of the process of alchemy. When the generative force is cleansed and purified during the microcosmic orbiting and becomes the alchemical agent, it rises to the solar plexus which then plays the role of the middle cauldron in which the generative force is transmuted into vitality. When vitality is purified it rises to the ni wan or brain which then becomes the precious cauldron in which vitality is transmuted into spirit. Thus the lower, middle and upper tan t’ien successively become the cauldron which means the cavity or psychic centre in which transmutation actually takes place.

The practiser thus ‘lays the foundation’ by gathering the microcosmic outer alchemical agent² to restore the generative force that has dispersed and so to invigorate the brain. The method consists of deep and regulated breathing to raise the inner fire in the channel of control to the brain thirty-six times and thence lower it in the channel of function in the front of the body twenty-four times, the numbers thirty-six and twenty-four being positive and negative numbers in Taoist yoga. Each rotation is completed in a full in-and-out breath during which spirit and vitality move and halt together in the juxtaposed orbits of the earth (the body) and heaven (the head), spirit being set in motion by the movements of the eyes and vitality by the combined action of the vital and generative forces already gathered. This is how to gather the outer alchemical agent to free the body from all ailments.

The microcosmic inner alchemical agent³ is now gathered by rolling the eyes from left to right in conjunction with the microcosmic fire that passes through sublimating phases at the four cardinal points of the microcosmic orbit. This process is called the ‘inner copulation’ of the positive and negative principles. It means that vitality, driven by ventilation (breathing) and (inner) fire, soars up and down so that the vital breath in the brain unites with the nervous system, causing spirit to develop and its bright light to manifest; this is commonly called the preparation of the ‘golden elixir’. This bright light is the mysterious gate (hsuan kuan) which is indescribable and from which spirit emerges for the breakthrough.

The eyes are positive, whereas the rest of the body is negative. Therefore, when the outer alchemical agent has been gathered, it is necessary to roll the eyes to unite the positive with the negative principles in order to develop spirit in the bright light that emerges from the original cavity of spirit between and behind the eyes. This bright light shows the exact position of that cavity and should not be confounded with the luminous inner fire that rises to the head during the microcosmic orbiting as we have said earlier. In Taoist yoga the negative vitality is represented by the dragon and the positive vitality by the tiger, while their ‘copulation’ brings into manifestation the original spirit in its bright light.

When original or prenatal spirit manifests thus, it should be driven into the lower tan t’ien centre under the navel to fix it there. This centre has outer and inner cells: the outer cell is the source of the positive and negative principles, the abode of vital breath, the source of foetal breathing and the mechanism of in and out breathing; and the inner cell is where the immortal foetus is created and the vital breath stays; it is the house of serenity. When the vital breath, moving up and down in the thrusting channel (see figure 8) does not rise above the heart (the house of fire) and drop below the lower abdomen (the house of water) it will slip into this cavity under the navel, causing the sudden manifestation of true serenity.

The practiser should now concentrate on the lower tan t’ien cavity under the navel until vitality vibrates there, then lift it to the heart (the seat of fire) and lower it to the lower abdomen (the seat of water) with continued ascents and descents in the thrusting channel until suddenly it slips into that cavity; this is called ‘re-entry into the foetus for further creativity’ and is the outcome of linking the heart (fire) with the lower abdomen (water). Spirit which has been fixed there will be enveloped by vitality until both unite into a whole, called the immortal foetus in the state of complete serenity.

When this state is reached it is necessary to practise immortal breathing through the heel channel starting from the heels and the trunk channel from the lower abdomen to the brain (see figure 7), in order to achieve the self-turning of the wheel of the law, called the macrocosmic orbit or the free circulation of vital breathing through the former and down through the latter channel to restore the profound foetal breathing which wipes out all postnatal conditions so that prenatal vitality can be transmuted into a bright pearl that illuminates the brain. This means that after the sublimation of the generative force, vitality and spirit, they gather in the brain where, under constant pressure from prenatal vitality and spirit, they will in time produce an ambrosia. This ambrosia (which is not to be confused with the golden elixir) then produces and nurtures the immortal seed in the lower tan t’ien cavity under the navel, where it radiates, lighting up the heart. This light reveals the formation of the immortal seed when all breathing appears to cease and pulses seem to stop beating in the condition of complete serenity.

The cultivation of immortality does not go beyond spirit and vitality. Spirit leads to the realisation of essential nature and vitality to eternal life. When the generative force is full and rises to unite with essential nature, the white light of vitality manifests; it is like moonlight and its fullness is equivalent to one half of a whole. When vitality is full and descends to unite with eternal life, the golden light manifests; it is reddish yellow and its fullness is equivalent to the other half. The union of these two lights produces that whole which is the immortal seed.

After the immortal seed has returned to its source in the lower abdomen, a pointed concentration on it will, in time, cause a golden light to appear in the white light between the eyebrows. This is the embryo of the immortal seed produced by the union of the generative force, vitality and spirit into one whole. These two lights are like the male and female organs of a flower, the union of which will bear fruit.

At the manifestation of this positive light, which is the union of the two lights, the practiser should stop the fire and concentrate in the head the vital breaths in the heart, stomach, liver, lungs and lower abdomen to produce the macrocosmic alchemical agent which should be gathered to achieve the final breakthrough, thereby leaping over the worldly to the saintly state, and so leaving the state of serenity to appear in countless transformation bodies.

When this state is reached the practiser should unite the two vitalities of nature and life to help spirit form the immortal foetus. It is only after flying snow and falling flowers have been seen by the practiser that spirit emerges from the foetus to become immortal. He should now ‘stir the thought’ of leaping into the great emptiness which will open the heavenly gate at the top of the head so that spirit can leave the human body to appear in countless bodies in space.

In the text ‘prenatal’ denotes the positive or spiritual nature originally existing before birth and ‘postnatal’ means its negative or corrupt counterpart which follows the ordinary way of material life after birth, the former being real and permanent whereas the latter is illusory and transient.

The lower tan t’ien under the navel is also called the cavity or ocean of vitality.

According to Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), an authority on Tantric yoga, some modern pundits tend to misplace the psychic centres or cavities in the body. I would urge readers to guard against these arbitrary speculations. When they have made real progress in their practice of Taoist yoga, they will automatically know where in the body these psychic centres really are, for the latter usually feel warm when the inner fire passes through them during its circulation in the microcosmic orbit. It is harmful to pinpoint places in the body, the very idea of which should be relinquished since it hinders the course of the inner fire and of vitality.

Like Western authors who use numbers and letters of the alphabet to indicate successive chapters of a book and different parts of a diagram, their Chinese counterparts use the ten Heavenly Stems (chia, i, ping, ting, wu, chi, keng, hsin, jen, kuei) to mark successive parts of their books and the twelve Earthly Branches (tzu, ch’ou, yin, mao, ch’en, szu, wu, wei, shen, yu, shu, hai) to show various parts of their illustrations. For instance, the twelve divisions of the microcosmic orbit are indicated by twelve Chinese characters which are the above twelve Earthly Branches in the original diagrams which are reproduced in this book with the first twelve letters of the alphabet (A to L) for the convenience of Western readers. The ten Heavenly Stems are used with the twelve Earthly Branches to form a cycle to indicate the hours, days, months and years in the Chinese almanac. They are also employed in medical science, astronomy, astrology, physiognomy, palmistry, etc.

All brackets are mine and are added to make the ancient texts more clear.

Hongkong

LU K’UAN YU

¹The Secrets of Chinese Meditation, Rider & Co., London; I Segreti della Meditazione Cinese, Ubaldini Editore, Rome; and Geheimnisse der chinesischen Meditation, Rascher Verlag, Zürich and Stuttgart. Its French translation is being undertaken by a well known publisher in Paris.

²See Chapter 2, figure 1, for detailed explanation of inhalation and exhalation of outer air to kindle the inner fire to cleanse and purity the generative force during the microcosmic orbiting. The microcosmic outer alchemical agent is so called because it is produced by means of fresh air breathed in and out to transmute the generative force into vitality.

³See Chapter 6, figure 5, for detailed explanation of the microcosmic inner alchemical agent which is so called because it is produced by vital breath in the body, used to transmute vitality into spirit.