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Chi and Taoist Inner Alchemy

Chi means “energy” or “life force”; kung means “work.” Traditionally, Chi Kung is the cultivation of the ability to conduct Chi for the purposes of healing and spiritual transformation. According to the Taoist view, there are three sources of Chi: cosmic Chi, universal Chi, and earth Chi. Cosmic Chi is born out of the original Chi of the Tao and literally carries the intelligence and essence of life. Guided by this intelligence, it spreads out into the universe and manifests in different densities and forms defined by the cosmic laws. This is how stars, planets, human cells, subatomic particles, and all other forms of life take form and are nourished.

Universal and earth Chi also have their genesis in the original energy of the Tao. The universal Chi is the radiating force of all galaxies, stars, and planets throughout the whole universe. It is the all-pervasive force that nourishes the life energy in all the forms of nature. The earth Chi is the third force of nature, which includes all the energies of mother earth. This force is activated by the electromagnetic field originating in the rotation of the earth. It is also integrated into all aspects of nature on our planet. The earth energy is accessed through the soles of the feet, the perineum, and the sexual organs. Earth energy nourishes the physical body. It supplies our daily life force and is one of the principal forces used to heal ourselves.

For the past five thousand years, practitioners of Chi Kung have used time-tested methods to tap into these unlimited reservoirs of Chi, greatly expanding the amount of energy available to them.

The Universal Tao system also speaks of two types of Chi operating in the human being: prenatal Chi and postnatal Chi. Prenatal Chi, which is a combination of universal Chi and Jing (generative energy/sexual essence), is inherited from the parents, and is visible as innate vitality. Postnatal Chi, which is the life force an individual cultivates in his or her lifetime, is visible as the light shining behind personality and self-awareness. To build their postnatal Chi, humans normally access Chi through food and air. Plants take the universal energies of the sun and the magnetic energies of the earth and digest and transform them, thereby making these energies available to all living beings.

Rather than connecting to this universal Chi only after it is processed through plants, however, Taoist practitioners of Chi Kung learn to go directly to the source of this primordial energy. The Taoist recognizes that human beings have a limited capacity for Chi. However, if we are able to connect with the sources of Chi within the universe, we gain an infinite capacity for Chi, and we constantly fill ourselves, within the limitations of our human nature, with the unlimited abundance of energy around us.

Taoist inner alchemy involves the three Tan Tiens, or energy centers in the body. It particularly focuses on the lower Tan Tien, which is the primary energy center of the body. It is the major generator and storage place for Chi energy in the body as well as the seat of awareness. The other two Tan Tiens, or energy centers, are the middle Tan Tien (the center of consciousness) and the upper Tan Tien (the center of observation). The three Tan Tiens each have specific energetic functions.

The lower Tan Tien is the center of the physical body and of physical strength. It is located behind and below the navel—in the triangle between the navel, the “kidney center point” (in the spine between the second and third lumbar, also called the “gate of life”), and the sexual center. For men, the sexual center is the prostate gland and for women it lies in the top of the cervix between the ovaries.

THREE TAN TIENS

Because the lower Tan Tien is the place where our prenatal Chi is stored, where all the energy that we absorb and collect during the Chi Kung exercises is stored, and where denser energies are transformed into more subtle energies, Taoist inner alchemy places a great deal of attention on this area. The lower Tan Tien is also called the “medicine field” or “elixir field,” as it gathers and contains the healing power of Chi. Other names for it are the “cauldron” and the “navel center.” The expression “cauldron” refers to the function of the lower Tan Tien as the center of internal alchemy that transforms energy.

The lower Tan Tien serves as the source of the life force or vital force. This then becomes transformed into the more subtle Shen Chi, or spirit power/energy. Thus, throughout all Universal Tao practices, the lower Tan Tien remains the key to supplying the body and the mind with a free, uninterrupted flow of energy. Taoist Chi Kung is above all a practice by which the unity of what is above and below is acknowledged and honored. Through its service as a reservoir and transformer of Chi, the lower Tan Tien confirms the unity between earth and heaven in the body.

THE THREE MINDS

As illustrated, Taoist masters discovered that human beings have three minds: the upper mind, which is the observing mind; the middle mind, which is the consciousness mind; and the lower mind, which is the awareness mind. The upper mind is valuable for analytic activity and planning, but negative emotions can cause the upper mind to be agitated with excessive thinking and worrying, which drains energy. The upper mind works practically all the time, stirring up the emotions and using up to 80 percent of our body energy. We should train the upper mind to be relaxed and to just observe when we do not need to be involved in specific mental activity. The key is to “seek the released mind” by relaxing, emptying, and sinking the upper mind down into the lower mind/lower Tan Tien. Western science has recently discovered that there are nerve endings in the stomach and intestines that are related to emotional responses. By smiling into the lower Tan Tien, we can activate the lower mind. We can then use the upper mind (observing mind), middle mind (consciousness mind), and lower mind (awareness mind) together, grounded in the abdomen.

If we can use the lower mind more, the upper mind can rest and listen (observe) from the abdomen. The upper mind, or, as the Taoists refer to it, the “monkey mind,” can, when agitated, suppress consciousness or awareness. Once the upper mind rests, we can be conscious and aware of much that we were never conscious or aware of before. We can be at ease, save energy, and build up strength for any tasks.

We need to use the brain in the head in order to perform complex functions such as reasoning, making plans, and making calculations. These are typical left-brain functions. However, for our daily life of consciousness, awareness, and feeling, which is typically governed by the right brain, we can use either the brain in the head or the brain in the gut (the lower Tan Tien). We should train the upper mind to be relaxed and to just observe when we do not need to be involved in specific mental activity. When we use the upper brain less, it becomes charged with energy and its power increases, and as a result more power is available to the body. When the upper brain is resting, brain repair and maintenance occur, and new brain cells can grow. This is the reason Taoism insists that we train the feeling and awareness in the lower Tan Tien/lower brain so that we can use it when the upper brain is resting. With more charging of the upper brain, we have more power for creativity or whatever we want to use it for.

When you are not using the upper brain, allow it to rest by sending consciousness down to the lower Tan Tien, and send a warm, relaxed inner smile down to the abdominal area. Maintaining an awareness of the relaxed, smiling sensation in the lower Tan Tien is the first step in training the lower brain. The key is to “seek the released mind” by relaxing, emptying, and sinking the upper mind down into the lower mind.

RETURNING TO THE SOURCE

Emptying the mind in this way is returning to the source. This is also the meaning of Tao moves by returning. To take this one step further, emptying the mind and returning to source means not following any outward or worldly direction.

This applies as well to sexual urges, common to us all. We need to practice returning sexual energy to the chest as selfless love, and to the brain as spiritual wisdom. Control of sexual energy and its transformation into life force is essential in Taoist inner alchemy. For men this implies preserving the life essence of the sperm during intercourse or self-stimulation. Through controlling ejaculation they can transform the sexual essence/generative energy ( Jing) of the sperm into Chi. For women, controlling and transforming sexual energy means learning to regulate and control menstruation, thereby transforming the generative essence in the blood into Chi. (The practices for cultivating the ability to control and transform sexual energy are presented in the first two chapters of Taoist Cosmic Healing, by Mantak Chia.) In the Universal Tao System, it is very important to learn how to transform sexual energy into spiritual energy. The original balance between love and sex, or water and fire, contains in itself the essence of healing and creation.

Taoist inner alchemy involves many exercises for cultivating, conserving, and transforming energy. These practices enrich the quality of one’s life and fuel the process of spiritual “returning.” Many of these practices involve working with the energy pathways, or meridians, in the body. There are twelve main meridians in the body, six yin and six yang, and each relates to one of the organs.

To better visualize the concept of how Chi circulates through the meridians, think of the meridians as a riverbed over which water flows and irrigates the land, nourishing and sustaining all that it touches. (In Western medicine, the concept would be likened to the blood flowing through the circulatory system.) If a dam were placed at any point along the river, the nourishing effect that the water had on the whole river would be constricted at the point the dam was placed.

The same is true in relation to Chi and the meridians. When the Chi becomes blocked, the rest of the body that was being nourished by the continuous flow of Chi now suffers. Illness and disease can result if the flow is not restored.

The following exercise is a simple energy circulation practice that can help facilitate the smooth flow of Chi throughout the entire body:

1. Sit with spine straight. Be relaxed and alert.
2. Cover the navel with the palms—left hand over right for men, right hand over left for women.
3. Smile into the mid-eyebrow and feel it relax. Smile and relax the upper mind, and allow it to sink, moving slowing down to the neck, down to the chest, and gradually down to the lower Tan Tien.
4. Feel the navel area starting to get warm. Visualize a ball of energy in this area, and then visualize this energy spiraling like the yin/yang spiral.
5. Feel the Chi in the navel area getting warmer and warmer and starting to rise up through the spine to the brain.
6. Keep five percent of your awareness on the spiral of energy in your lower abdomen. At the same time, visualize the energy that has risen up to the brain begin to form a spiral in the head. Continue to spiral that energy, feeling the Chi pressure in the brain begin to grow.
7. Feel the Chi pressure pushing outward as it grows stronger. Gradually guide the Chi into the sinuses and allow it to build until you feel the Chi pressure push down into the nose and open the sinuses. Feel the nose open and your breathing improved. Moving Chi down into the sinuses in this way may help prevent colds and flu.
8. Touch your tongue to the roof of your month. In this way, you will link the Governor Channel (the line of energy that runs up the spine) to the Functional Channel (the line of energy that runs down the front of the torso), thus connecting the Microcosmic Orbit. Feel the Chi circulating through the Microcosmic Orbit.
9. After a few minutes, slowly let the Chi drop down into the navel area. Smile down into the navel a while and feel the energy being condensed and safely stored in the lower Tan Tien. Remember to always bring the energy back to the lower Tan Tien as this is the best place to store it. It is unsafe to leave excess Chi in your organs, as this may cause the organs to accumulate too much energy and overheat from the process.

LEARN TO CIRCULATE YOUR CHI IN THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT

THE FLOW OF THE TAO: EMPTY AND FULL

Thirty spokes join at one hub,

Yet it is the emptiness inside the hub that makes the vehicle useful;

Clay is molded into a vessel,

Yet it is the hollowness that makes the vessel useful;

Windows and doors are cut out,

Yet it is their empty space that makes the room usable.

So, any having makes for excess,

Any not-having makes for usefulness.

(11:1–2)

Since the Tao is all-pervading, it fills every corner at all times. Yet it occupies no space, holds no form. It is like the hollowness that makes the vessel useful even though the vessel is molded and colored. It is like the empty space that makes the room useful even though it is framed with windows, doors, and walls. This Tao is also like the water flowing in the river, creating both the river flow and carving the river banks. It embraces both the mountain peaks and the ocean floor. The flow of the river energizes and facilitates all things existing on either side by providing the power of not-having, not-occupying, and not-attaching.

Between heaven and earth it seems like a bellows:

Empty, yet inexhaustible,

The stronger it is activated, the greater the output.

Being overly informed leads to exhaustion,

Better to be centered.

(5:2)

The Tao is like a bellows, an instrument that by expansion and contraction draws in and expels air. A bellows contains nothing. Its usefulness develops with the working relationship between what has been taken in and what will then be expelled. If the intake is slow and weak, little will be expelled. When the intake force is too fast or too hard, the wind flow is not maximized or efficient. The secret to using a bellows is gentleness, steadiness, and consistency. The bellows represent the flow of life: the input is the Tao of life and its masculinity, the output is the Te of love and its femininity. The two sides are constantly merging yet standing alone to generate their harmonious flow.

WE INHALE THE POWER OF TAO INTO OUR LIFE AND RETURN IT WITH THE VIRTUE OF TE

We can practice the flow of the Tao and Te with the bellows of our lungs. We can practice breathing consciously, deeply, gently, and steadily, inhaling the power of Tao into our life and exhaling the virtue of Te.

We can practice three forms of energy “breathing” in our bodies. The first bellows is the function of lungs, the working breath of life. The second bellows is the perineum, known as the “gate of life and death.” It constitutes the lowest point of the yin or descending energy channels, and is the lower meeting point of the Governor (ascending) Channel and the Functional (descending) Channel (see illustration). Through the legs and feet, it is the main link with the earth Chi. The third bellows is the third eye, the opening gate to the reality of mystery. We can practice conscious breathing with each of these three bellows.

An array of chronic ailments—bronchitis, chest pain, tightness of shoulders, poor digestion, neck pain, sleep problems, and more—are the result of poor or improper breathing. If you are experiencing a sleep disorder and desperately desire a good night’s sleep, lie on your back, place one foot over the other, and cross your hands on your chest. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath. As you listen to your breathing, you will soon drift into a deep and restful sleep. Before you realize it, it will be morning. You will generate more productivity within this creative environment with less time and effort.

BREATHE AND DRIFT INTO A DEEP SLEEP (THE POSITION OF HANDS AND FEET ARE OPPOSITE TO EACH OTHER. IF YOU ARE RIGHT-HANDED, PLACE THE LEFT FOOT ON THE TOP OF RIGHT ONE, AND VICE VERSA)

If you have lower back problems, constipation, frequent urination, poor or irregular menstruation and urination, and other related problems, you should pay attention to the perineum pressure point. It is the key to a happy, healthy, and energetic life. Kneel down with toes pointing toward the head. Bow the forehead to the floor and place the hands together flat on the floor in front of the brain. Take a deep breath and contract the perineum and anus muscles firmly. Hold the breath while contracting the muscles for as long as possible. Then release quickly. Relax for a few seconds, breathing naturally. Then take in another deep breath and contract the muscles again, holding the breath and muscle contraction. Repeat for several minutes. When you inhale and contract the muscles, you are drawing Chi into the body. This exercise can also be done while standing, sitting, or lying down.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND CONTRACT THE PERINEUM AND ANUS MUSCLES

You may experience pain in all the related muscles, joints, or organs. Pain is often the first step in healing. When the lower part of the body is fully open and relaxed, the entire back, neck, and brain will become open and relaxed. The benefit of this exercise is beyond measure. Your appreciation of yourself and your life will expand as you continue this practice.

BREATHING CHI IN THROUGH THE PERINEUM

In order to open your third eye and expand your consciousness in both waking and dreaming states, practice “breathing” through the third eye, or mid-eyebrow area. Kneel, bow your head forward, and place your hands flat on the floor just above your head. Gently tap the forehead on the floor in rapid momentum. You may experience temporary dizziness. Then focus on the pituitary gland. Inhale and mentally gather the cosmic light through the third eye, in the middle of the forehead. As you exhale, visualize the energy being condensed in the third eye area.

DRAW CHI IN THROUGH THE THIRD EYE

Meditation is, in a sense, expanding our mental space into the vastness of the universe. Human life and its existence on this planet depend on creating and discovering the most useful space to occupy, then utilizing it fully and gratefully. When a person finds a suitable space, they will survive and live a long life. This space can be both physical and mental: a good physical space implies a good location and good living conditions, while a good mental space must have the capacity for flexibility and acceptance. These two “spaces” are equally important and often difficult to occupy, expand, and preserve.

During our lifetime we are all granted a natural space in which to dwell and make our life meaningful, enabling us to realize a dream to make the heart joyful and delight the spirit. Living in this environment, we can exercise our kingship within our own precious kingdom.