3

The Greater Enlightenment of Kan and Li

Building the Immortal Fetus

In the practice of Greater Kan and Li, the adept cultivates the spiritual embryo—the “Immortal Fetus” that represents the beginning of enlightenment. The spiritual embryo is formed as the result of the coupling of yin and yang in the process of self-intercourse. As this embryo is nourished, it grows into a baby and then into the Immortal Spirit—that part of our being that is capable of consciousness outside of ourselves.

Whereas the Lesser Kan and Li practice purified the organs of the body and pulled their energies into the cauldron at the navel, the Greater Kan and Li practice expands to include the energies of the earth and heaven. These powers or chi energies—drawn from earthly sources like wood, earth, flowers, and animals and from cosmic sources like the sun, moon, and stars—are added to the primary powers of an individual’s own body. This is done in an outward fashion, while the movement in the Lesser Kan and Li is more inward. By tapping higher sources of energy from nature, the practitioner reaches a higher level of consciousness (see fig. 3.1).

Fig. 3.1. Draw in higher sources of energy to achieve a higher level of consciousness.

In the iron cauldron at the solar plexus, the various energies are purified into essential water and fire (Kan and Li). Mother Earth or yin power and Father Heaven or yang power are blended, transferring goodness and chi to the soul and connecting the practitioner to the heavens while grounding him or her in the earth. This process is called the formation of the spiritual embryo.

ELEMENTS OF GREATER KAN AND LI PRACTICE

The basic practice of Greater Kan and Li shares many elements of the earlier UHT practices. There are, however, some unique refinements. As one moves up the ladder of Being toward immortality, there is an opening for more complete fulfillment. Total love and compassion are closer as one moves nearer to cosmic unity. This opportunity is facilitated both bodily and spiritually or, more precisely, by recognizing that there is actually no metaphysical distinction between the body and mind. Metaphysical dualism, predominant in the West, is an illusion and barrier to immortality. Distinctions in the nature of reality might be useful at times, but they have no metaphysical substance. The hallmark of Kan and Li practice is the fusion of such dualisms into a unified whole.

Certain elements within the Universal Healing Tao system have been found to encourage the deep meditation and physical openness that are essential to the birth of the Immortal Spirit. Brief discussions of some of these elements appear below; readers are encouraged, however, to refer to The Practice of Greater Kan and Li for more detailed explanations and practices.

Environment

Surroundings matter a lot: good air, good water, and good food purify and maintain the body and are therefore crucial to an effective meditation practice. The relationship of the environment to the Taoist five elements is very clear. Taking care to maintain a proper and clean existence is precisely what makes one’s being more receptive to the proper mental and spiritual perspective. Fundamentally, this means meditation, nutrition, and exercise: good chi, good heart, and good mind. This approach, facilitated by the darkness retreats at Tao Garden, carries on the philosophy and techniques outlined in the Lesser Kan and Li. Ultimately there is a transcendence of all physical and mental boundaries. This practical method works the chi or life force as it permits a flowing of energy through the meridians of the body.

Positive and Negative Emotions

Taoism teaches that positive and negative feelings are linked to specific organs in the body (fig. 3.2). Being healthy entails an awareness of the power of emotions inside one’s self. Everyone experiences negative emotions from time to time, but the secret is to transform those emotions into virtuous feelings. The ancient masters taught that everyone is born with the virtues of love, kindness, compassion, and righteousness. As we grow older, however, the toll of daily life and its various stresses begin to infringe on a person’s fundamentally good nature. Issues like fear, anger, restlessness, worry, unhappiness, and sorrow start to enter our being. Emotions such as this have destructive effects on every part of a person’s life, altering the mental, spiritual, and physical reality.

Fig. 3.2. Organs correspond to specific feelings.

It is possible to build up strength to handle negativity. This is done through proper breathing, meditation, and the Inner Smile practice.

  Releasing Negative Emotions

1. Begin deep breathing. At the same time, rock on the tailbone and loosen the lumbar spine.

2. Work it up the spine to the neck and then the head. Feel relaxed and let go. Everyone should make it a habit to relax and let go daily. Forgive, forget, and release.

3. Let all negativity go down to Mother Earth; including problems, sickness, pain, and suffering.

4. Feel the feet connect. Expand down into the ground and spiral in a counterclockwise direction.

5. Rock gently. Smile and be happy.

Spiraling

Spiraling is done in an inward fashion. Energy, however, is drawn from the outside in. We then condense the energy to form pearls and crystal diamonds. The inward journey is never finished; it is infinite. This is, in a manner of speaking, a metaphor for the journey of self-discovery that is the essence of the Taoist Immortality practices.

  Spiraling Practice

1. While maintaining silence, spiral and breathe while blending and transforming the energy of the heart and kidneys (see fig. 3.3).

2. As the heart pakuas spin, they expand ring by ring, radiating unconditional love and compassion from the center of your being out into the universe.

Fig. 3.3. Spiral the heart and kidney energy.

3. Use the love and joy in your heart to facilitate the removal and transformation of negative emotions. The complete energy snared in these negative feelings needs to be let go. The heart and kidney energies should be spiraled until they become a unified shiny, golden energy.

4. It is important to remain aware of the earth force coming up into the center of your being and extending upward. As you move higher and higher you gain more awareness.

5. Use the pakua to collect the energy; then wrap it around the Crystal Room.

6. Activate the compassion fire and recognize the multi-orgasmic energy. The energies enter the heart, which is the organ that experiences the unconditional love. Each time more energy is gathered, the different planes of energy enter one’s being.

7. Now lie down, while continuing to focus and spiral in the center. Feel the energies coming in to your body and crystallizing.

The more you relax downward into the ground, the more clearly you will feel the earth forces, which can then assist you in acquiring the other forces.

Water and Fire

Like all of the Kan and Li practices, the Greater Kan and Li purifies water and fire energies before blending them in the cauldron.

Water Energies

In the Lesser Kan and Li practice, water energies were drawn from the sexual fluids of the kidneys. The Greater Kan and Li practice combines that kidney water energy with yin energy drawn from the earth.

The earth itself is essentially a big cauldron. Covered by water, it produces the steam of life. In Taoist practice, energy from the earth bubbles up through the soles of the feet (fig. 3.4). Practitioners can actually feel this effervescent energy as it enters the feet at the acupuncture point Bubbling Spring. In the Greater Kan and Li practices, the practitioner can send a pearl down into the earth to connect directly with earth’s energies.

Fig. 3.4. Earth energy bubbles up through the soles of the feet and connects to the universe.

Fire Energies

Fire energies exist under the seas, at the center of the earth. These fires are connected to the fires of the kidneys and lower tan tien. The imperial fire of the heart also adds its energies to create the sacred fire. These fires were first merged in the Lesser Kan and Li practice.

The Greater Kan and Li meditations also connect to the fire energies of the sun, which are drawn into the solar plexus cauldron and blended with the other fires (fig. 3.5).

Fig. 3.5. Fire energies

Connecting to the Earth Animals and Spirits

In the Greater Kan and Li practice, energy is drawn from many sources, including the earth’s animals and plants (fig. 3.6). The student can send a pearl down into the earth to connect with animal spirits. Practitioners can also connect with plants and the purified organ energies known as the virgin boys and girls.

Fig. 3.6. Energy is drawn from many sources, including the earth’s animals and plants.

Connecting to the Stars and Planets

During Kan and Li meditations, the sun—which represents the heart and fire—will be on the left side of the cauldron, and the moon—representing the kidneys and water—will be on the right. The Pole Star is in the spleen, which corresponds to the middle of the body. The Big Dipper wraps around the spleen since the spleen stands for the center of the body.

Sun and Moon

The practitioner can connect to the sun and moon in various ways (fig. 3.7). Below are simple forms of the Sun and Moon practices. For more detailed versions of Sun and Moon practices, see The Practice of Greater Kan and Li.

Fig. 3.7. The sun is yang and represents heaven while the moon is yin and represents Earth.

  Sun Practice

1. After sunrise, begin with the Inner Smile practice.

2.  at the sun with eyes closed, perhaps blinking occasionally. Let the rays of the sun enter your body and warm each and every part of it. Feel your body absorbing the cosmic nutrients (fig. 3.8).

3. Look at the sun, blink, and shut the eyes again. Let the sun warm and nourish each of the organs.

Fig. 3.8. Drawing fire energy from the sun

   Moon Practice

Collect moon energy in proportion to the sun energy you’ve collected, in order to balance yin and yang energy.

1. Sit facing the moon and begin with the Inner Smile practice.

2. Do not blink. Absorb moon energy until tears form or the eyes heat up.

3. Draw moon energy into the eyes and into the mouth. In the mouth, mix the moon energy with saliva.

Fig. 3.9. Moon energy can be stored in all the organs.

4. Swallow (gulp down) the saliva into the Thrusting Channel and store the moon energy in the organs and the perineum (fig. 3.9).

Self-Intercourse

Self-intercourse is related to what is called the “first love.” There is an explosion, which can be experienced as breaking through boundaries. One experiences and recognizes the light (fig. 3.10). The pineal gland opens to allow the light to shine through; the practitioner draws upon the energy from the earth. One experiences love and then creation of the Immortal Fetus.

With proper nurturing, the infant is born and we watch the child grow up. The result is a feeling of purpose in life. Many people drift and seem to have no purpose or direction. Having a baby should change this aimlessness and permit a person who is lost to find a direction. This baby is the Immortal Child within everyone.

Fig. 3.10. Self-intercourse opens the pineal gland and initiates self-awakening.

In time, the practitioner can feel his or her energy body—his or her own personal chi. As the practitioner progresses and cultivates spiritually, his or her own internal spiritual energy grows. There is a transformation of consciousness and a true merging with the Eternal Tao becomes possible. Oneness is achieved. When this takes place there is a merging with other spirits. This comes about with maturity because only then can reunification with other spirits take place. There is a distinct movement in the direction of enlightenment. Getting in touch with the self is the key and the initial step. There is a true and essentially literal self-awakening.

Creating and Nurturing the Spiritual Body

After coupling the Kan and Li energies in the solar plexus cauldron, a spiritual body can be formed and projected out through the crown (fig. 3.11). First one feels a fetus, then a baby, and then a child. This is the Immortal Child and it provides the gate for the Immortal One. You can picture an Immortal Child above you and feel the energy. Chi ascends to feed this Immortal Child. You can feel a frequency starting in the heart and moving upward. You become connected to your environment. This opens the door for starting the journey.

One can be told about enlightenment or read about it, but it is something that must be experienced personally. We reach a state where we say, “I know now.” There is awareness that the soul and spirit have fundamental importance. The organs and body are transformed into chi and there is a closer movement to spirit. The spirit has intelligent energy.

Heavenly energy is associated with the spirit body. On the other hand, earth energy is associated with the physical body, while tan tien energies are the soul bodies. The true practice of Kan and Li thus results in whole-body enlightenment and incorporates an awareness of all three bodily manifestations. It should be noted that such meditation is not a total turning inward, but it extends outward from an individual’s being as well. The outward extension can be seen as a reaching and communing with nature and the universe.

Fig. 3.11. The physical body, the soul/energy body, and the spirit body

THE PRACTICE OF GREATER KAN AND LI

At this stage of the practice, the student establishes a cauldron in the region of the solar plexus (fig. 3.12). Steaming is utilized to purify the energy from the organs, after which energy is gathered from many sources, including the earth, plants, and animals. All of the energy from the various sources needs to be collected and purified. This is profoundly important and one of the cornerstones of the Greater Kan and Li. Energies are then gathered from the sun, moon, and stars and collected into the perineum and the Crystal Room.

The organs that have been steamed turn into crystals and diamonds. Additionally, a condensation takes place: steam goes upward, condensation goes downward. The energy is collected in the cauldron in the solar plexus, where it is reunited with the earth spirits. Reunification allows you to become an improved person. The higher up you can establish the cauldron, the more refined your energies become. The most important part, as with most things, is that you set up the right intentions: this practice is essentially an invitation to good spirits and a virtuous life. It is a spiritual networking that helps bring on maturity and the knowledge and wisdom that education brings.

  Greater Kan and Li Meditation

Natural deep breathing is both restorative and rejuvenating, and it is one of the key practices of the Greater Kan and Li. Proper exhalation rids the practitioner from stress and hostility, as well as other barriers that prevent transcendence and understanding.

While practicing the Greater Kan and Li, remember to smile and rotate the hips from time to time in order to keep the circulation of chi in the body active. This aids in moving the energy upward to the mid-eyebrow and crown, and then into orbit (fig. 3.13).

Fig. 3.12. Cauldron at the solar plexus

Fig. 3.13. Rotating the hips helps to spiral the energy upward to the crown.

1. Begin to rock the lumbar region so that it loosens, then slowly move up the spine and into the neck, loosening and relaxing. As you rock, cultivate an attitude of forgiveness. Forget negative experiences and let them go. All this negativity goes down into the earth. Continue rocking from the coccyx or sitz bones, and maintain good posture. Use natural deep breathing to expel negativity and unhealthy thoughts and feelings (fig. 3.14).

 

Fig. 3.14. Deep breathing helps to expel negative thoughts and emotions.

2. Squat and gather earth energy. Connect to the earth and recognize that the earth is your mother. Then rise and swallow saliva. Gather heavenly energy at the crown; gather cosmic energy at the mid-eyebrow point.

3. Form a pearl and shoot it down through the legs several body-lengths into the earth. Form a pakua at the bottom, and run the pearl through the Microcosmic Orbit, Thrusting Channels, and Belt Channels. Gather four earth elements, then draw them up and store them in the perineum.

4. Touch your navel and feel the earth fire ascending into your body, activating the kidney fire. Focus on the earth cauldron: feel it burning deep in the earth. Feel the fire power creating steam, which ascends and enters your very existence. Hold your hand near your heart. Feel love, compassion, joy, and happiness (fig. 3.15). Actually become love and compassion in the everyday course of living. Build a compassion fire and keep it burning.

Fig. 3.15. Experience love, joy, and compassion.

5. Next, combine the heart, kidney, and tan tien fires. This transforms into one fire and facilitates a connection to the earth’s big cauldron. Draw in the fire energy of the sun, and combine it with the sacred fire.

6. Do Human/Heaven Planes, then gather energy in the Crystal Room.

7. Reverse hot and cold energies from perineum/Crystal Room to navel/heart. Form a cauldron at the solar plexus by drawing your heart and kidneys toward the spine.

8. Steam kidneys, heart, and liver. Then steam the Crystal Room, the lymphatic system, the spine, the nervous system, and the twelve channels.

9. Bellows breathe; activate pulses at all points.

10. Adjust outer seasonal temperatures in the cauldron, picturing the tiger and dragon in the sky or water as needed.

11. Connect the pure energy of the organs inwardly with the virgin children and animals. Connect them outwardly with the pure energies of nature: waterfall, volcano, forest, mountain, desert.

12. Shoot the pearl into the earth to connect with animal soul guides.

13. Steam organs using the color and fragrance of blossoms.

14. Begin self-intercourse to give birth to the fetus. Draw the universal energy of the earth (from the sexual organs and the pineal gland) into the cauldron until ecstasy results. Allow the ecstasy to spread from the sexual organ to the other organs and glands. When ecstasy reaches the pineal gland, seed the cauldron with energy from the spleen.

15. Move all organs up to the crown and then above the head. Collect refined energy from the moon, sun, and stars (fig. 3.16).

16. Open and empty the heart: steam and pulse. Grow the heart then inhale and squeeze it. Exhale and send the energy to the brain.

17. Form the outer bodies: connect to the North Star and your personal star. Go to light and draw energy into the energy bodies.

18. Turn the Wheel (do moon/sun/star/tree practices).

Fig. 3.16. Reunion with the forces of nature is the key to Taoist Immortality.

At this point of Greater Kan and Li practice, the practitioner is reunited with nature. This union is the key to Taoist Immortality.