The concept of Embryonic Breathing (Tai Xi or T’ai Hsi) is probably

well-known to most practitioners of QiGong or Daoism, yet the

technique is widely misunderstood and mistaken for many things
related or even unrelated. This three-part article is meant to clear up
some of the confusion through dispelling myths, and introducing
solid, down-to-earth explanations and techniques to follow, in order
to understand the true meaning of breath. Part 1: Abdominal
Breathing – The Four Corners of Breath aims teach a basic method,
which would enable the western practitioner to start learning a simple
practice, leading to what might be regarded as called embryonic
breathing, enabling them to advance their QiGong practice to the
next level.

Embryonic breathing might appear as mysterious as any of the

philosophies of the orient, when studied from the west. According to
the book Tai Xi Jing (Respiration of the Embryo) all life originates
form one breath, and the moment the embryo is brought to the world,
its respiration begins. Regardless if we consider this to be a moment
of conception, or the moment of birth, the observation is correct:
As the embryo grows, its cells begin the gas exchange called internal
respiration in western medical terms, that is taking up oxygen and
getting rid of the accumulating carbon-dioxide. At this stage, the
embryo is connected to the mother’s bloodstream through the
umbilical cord, its respiration essentially being a part of the mother’s
own breathing. (This accounts for the often used alternative name,
umbilical breathing).
At the moment of birth, when the child first cries out, the external
respiration begins through the use of the lungs. An interesting
phenomenon that can be observed from the very first breath drawn,
is that the new-born’s abdominal wall would be moving right “against”
its natural way, being withdrawn with every inhale, protruding at the
exhales, quite the opposite of “normal” abdominal breathing. (This
will be further discussed in Part 2 of this article)

A MISUN DERST OOD T RADIT ION

The confusion starts when people today, especially those of western

origin, try to make sense of the ancient texts, forgetting that to
decipher an ancient culture’s full symbolism, regarding many
millennia’s worth of observations of anatomical processes, one
needs more than having read so many books on the subject, even
though one may be the most devoted Daoist in the west. To fully
understand a text like the Tai Xi Jing, a lifetime of study might not be
sufficient. The symbolism of such books have been conceived in a
different age, when observation-based anatomical knowledge have
been very much mixed up with mysticism and philosophy, requiring
one to be an expert in all of the above, truly understand the oriental
mind and speech, way of life, motives, emotions, et al.

People who attempt to transmit such traditions without grasping their

meaning in full, tend to repeat well rehearsed phrases, losing
themselves in the wast forest of names and explanations, grasping
onto these like so many straws. The best one can do as a westerner,
having been brought up in a so different environment of speech,
thinking and symbolism, is to follow what is most natural: The
western way of thinking and reasoning, trying to make sense of the
oriental teaching in a way more efficient than mimicking oriental
thoughts would mean, even though it may appear somewhat more
blunt.

MAKING SEN SE OF T AI XI

To make some sense of it all, it is probably best to abandon the

though of mysticism and high philosophy for the time being. Without
insinuating that the understanding of such would be beyond your
ability, allow me to offer a different approach to understanding this
concept of breath, apparently so mystical. To truly make sense of it
for the western mind, I invite you for a little experiment, through the
leaning of certain breathing techniques. If you are persistent, you
might find yourself capable of “breathing without breathing”, an
experience that can and will become essential in the process of truly
understanding the tradition of Tai Xi.

Some scholars claim, that Tai Xi breathing may mean the apparent
lack of breathing at all, that one may tap into the universal energies
and stop using their lungs completely, their respiration resembling
that of the embryo in its mothers womb. They claim, that if a feather
is held up to such person’s nose, the exhalations would not disturb
the feather the least, apparently an evidence of all external
respirations to be subsided.

Such phenomenon is of course possible, and by all means of western

medicine it could be even accounted for. It is not at all unique to
Chinese or Daoist tradition at all. Think of the yogi of India, who, by
the way of what might be called diaphragmatic breathing, might
appear to have stopped breathing at all. Some western “magicians”
 have been famous to claim they can be buried underground for a
great stretch of time, with little air present, a trick learned from the
fakir of the east, the means of accomplishment being the same
principal as that of Tai Xi.

By the end of Part 3, a full account and explanation of such

phenomena will be given, but for now, let us start with a short
anatomical introduction to breathing and learning a technique that
will prove rather useful in our journey to come.

AN OVE RSI MPLI FIED IN T RODU C T ION T O T HE ANAT OMY OF

BREAT HING

Before we start, it is really important to understand what really

happens when you breath. Without diving too deep into human
anatomy, let me introduce these few basic, albeit essential facts
about the way you breathe:
 When you inhale, you draw air into your lungs, for the sole purpose of
nourishing your body with oxygen, which, from your lungs enters into your
bloodstream. When you exhale, all you do is rid yourself of the carbon -
dioxide, which accumulates in your lungs, coming form your bloodstream.
 This process of gas exchange between your lungs and the environment is
called external respiration in western medicine.

 The fresh oxygen travels, by way of your blood, to every cell in your body.
The cells will then take up this oxygen supply and use it in the process of
making energy to continue to function. They do not only take up oxygen,
but exchange it for carbon-dioxide, that is a by product of the cell’s
activity, having used up the oxygen supplied previously. This CO2 now
enters the bloodstream, to be transported back to the lungs, so that it can
leave the body.
 This process if internal gas exchange is also called internal respiration in
western medicine.

 The lungs themselves cannot “breathe”, the only expand and collapse like a
sponge, through the aid of muscles that actively force them to change their
size and shape. The most important such muscles are the diaphragm, a
large, dome-shaped muscle underneath your lungs, and the intercostals,
those being small helper muscles, that sit between your ribs.

 With each inhale, your diaphragm contracts and flattens, pulling your lungs
down. At the same time, the small muscles between the ribs also contract,
lifting up the ribcage. This two-way pull ensures that the lungs will expand,
initiating an inhale. When you exhale, the diaphragm and the intercostals all
relax at once. The rib cage collapses, and the diaphragm returns to its
original dome-shape, forcing your lungs to shrink, pressing the air out of
them, initiating an exhalation. (An interesting fact is, that in Chinese
medicine, the diaphragm is regarded the barrier between upper and lower
body, as this is how far oxygen may enter the body by the means of external
respiration, and without the aid of the blood stream.)

Of course, the diaphragm is strong enough to perform the duty of

breathing without the aid of other muscles, while you are at rest. The
reasons that most people will continue to use their chests are many
fold, but mainly connected to poor life-style choices, such as sitting ,
bad posture, tight clothing, the lack of adequate exercise, etc.
Correcting this bad habit of breathing into the chest will be the first
step towards understanding real embryonic breathing.

SI MPLE ABD O MI NAL BR E AT HING

Although described and taught as a basic technique, simple

abdominal breathing is the way you should breathe naturally, this is
the way you are meant to breathe by nature.
 Re-learning proper abdominal breathing does in fact reduce stress
levels without any further effort, while learning meditation obviously
adds much greater benefits to simply breathing good. Learning
abdominal breathing can be somewhat challenging at the beginning,
but in reality it is much easier than many would believe, as re-
learning something is a lot easier than learning a new skill.
 To correct your breathing put one hand over your chest, another over your
belly. Sit or stand with a straight spine, but comfortably.

 Now, start breathing consciously. Watch your hands rise and fall. Try to
inhale into your belly, pushing out your belly to an extreme with every
inhale, and pulling it in, as much as you can, with every exhale. Do this
consciously, only minding the movement of your abdominal wall.

 Practise for a few breaths. When you are fairly comfortable with it, and it
does feel more natural than it did at first, you can start doing it with less
effort: do not push your belly out that far and do not draw it all the way in
with each breath.
 Now start watching the hand on your chest. This hand should barely move,
or not move at all. This will probably be much more challenging than the
first part, you would most likely need some effort to compress your chest as
you inhale, preventing it from moving upwards and outwards. It might even
help to apply some gentle pressure with your hand, to prevent this
movement, yet the effort should really originate from inside, but never
force anything.
Do not worry, it will become effortless in no time. This non-movement
of your chest is only essential for the learning phase. Once you learn
to use abdominal breathing naturally, some movement of your chest
will still be present, but a lot less articulated or observable than when
you are mainly using your chest to breathe. Your breathing should be
relaxed for most of your practice. The movement of your abdomen
would still be noticeable, but not very much articulated, while your
chest would move very little, or not at all.

Practise until you feel you need. Practise every day, at least once a
day, always in a rested position. Remember, the exaggerated belly
movement was only for the beginning for you to feel how your
abdomen should move, you must not produce the same belly
movement for your entire practice. You can use a couple of deeper
breaths, with greater navel movement every time you practice, to
start off with a better feel of it, then just return to breathing normally.
Another point to consider is, at least when you are consciously
practising abdominal breathing, that you should not attempt to “suck
in the air through your nose”. Just move your belly in and out, open
your nose and your throat and let the air stream in effortlessly,
without doing anything else in order to inhale.
 After several days of practice, when you are confident and the correct
breathing does not require a great effort anymore, you can incorporate this
practice into your everyday activities. During the day, whenever you
remember it, start watching your breathing and if you catch yourself
breathing into your chest, switch immediately to abdominal breathing. Do
not penalise yourself or feel bad about still breathing into your chest. This
is normal, you have probably been breathing like that for so many years,
your body needs time to re-adjust and come back to its natural ways.
It will take some time, but you will notice how you need to adjust your
breathing less and less, and eventually you will find that you always
breathe the right way, without any particular effort. How long it takes,
will vary from person to person. Do not try to rush it, let it happen at
its own pace. Chances are, the process will take a lot shorter time
than you would expect, as your body has an amazing ability of
adaptation. If it takes longer than you thought, there is nothing you
are doing wrong, you only need more patience. With time and
practice the change will eventually occur.

ADVAN CED A BD O MINAL B RE AT HING

While the above described method is generally regarded as ‘The’

abdominal breathing, there are some, slightly more advanced
abdominal breathing methods, that should be learned in order to
successfully complete this experiment. There is a difference between
the simple abdominal breathing you would observe in your everyday
life and such advanced techniques. You will not have to have learned
to automatically breath correctly in your everyday life, in order to
proceed, but in the long therm it would of course have its distinct
benefit on your health to do so.

This advanced technique will not differ very much form the simple
abdominal breathing. One minor difference will be, that apart from
breathing into your belly, you will maintain the conscious effort of the
movement of your abdominal wall, just like when you were first
learning it. With every inhale, you should consciously expand your
belly and with the exhales you should withdraw it, although not to an
extreme. You can observe how your sides are also moving along with
the abdominal wall. As your belly expands, your whole abdominal
region would also expand sideways, and as you withdraw your belly
your sides should tighten up like a belt around your waist. This is a
natural movement of some lesser known abdominal muscles, often
called the ‘obliques’.
 The real difference comes from a little discussed way of withdrawing
and releasing your buttocks during breathing, meaning mostly the
squeezing and relaxing the muscles around the anus and the gluteal
cleft. Some may prefer to omit this detail, as it is not considered
‘proper’ to talk about such topics. You should let go of any
associations this might invoke. You will use some muscles to aid
your breathing practice and nothing more.
 With the exhale, as you withdraw your abdominal wall, you should
withdraw (somewhat squeeze) your buttocks. Neither your belly nor the
bottom should be squeezed strongly and it should not require an effort to do
so, these are all gentle movements. This will greatly enhance the feeling of
how your sides also tighten up.

 When you inhale, as you are expanding your belly, you should relax your
gluteal cleft and the muscles around it. Again, do not attempt to totally push
outwards either your belly or your bottom, just relax it as much as it feels
natural, making sure you are doing it consciously.

This will provide a gentle massage for your internal organs, as with
each exhale you are compressing them from two directions and each
inhale the will be relaxed once again. Also, this helps maintaining the
mindfulness and focus on your breath. When breathing like this, your
 focus will gradually shift from the abdominal wall to the inside of your
abdominal cavity, deepening your meditation practice.

To learn advanced abdominal breathing, you should set some time

aside to practise it daily, always as long as it feels comfortable. You
will notice, that unlike with simple abdominal breathing, a greater
amount of air will have been exchanged during this time. This is due
to the more pronounced movement of your abdomen, resulting in
deeper, more conscious breaths, which can feel quite refreshing,
both physically and mentally.
As you practise, you will feel that you need less effort to maintain
such breathing technique with time. While at first it might feel
unnatural and forceful, it should eventually become easy and
effortless. When this effortlessness occurs, you will know that you
have truly mastered this technique. You must not wait for this to
occur to proceed, yet it would be most beneficial in the long term, if
you mean to practice regularly.

FULL A BDO MI NA L BREAT HING

The full abdominal breathing further extends the practice of

advanced abdominal breathing through introducing the lower back
and the diaphragm itself.
 Once you are ready to proceed to the next level, you will extend your focus
from the belly and the buttocks to the lower back. You should be aware of
some perceived movement of the lower back, although probably not visible
for the external observer, but it should be fairly obvious for yourself, as you
start paying attention. When you inhale as your belly extends forward and
your bottom relaxes, your lower back will also relax, as if your spine would
be moving away from your centre.

 With each exhale as your belly will be drawn inwards and your buttocks
drawn upwards, you will also attempt to draw your lower back inwards, as
if your spine would be moving towards your centre. While there may be no
actual movement of the spine, it would certainly feel like the back is
moving together with the belly, outwards as you inhale and inwards as you
exhale. This will feel like an extension of the movement of your sides,
complementing of the feeling of tightening belt around the waist. You
should focus your attention to all three points at the same time, belly
buttock and lumbar spine.
With time you should be able to only observe such apparent
movement, without attempting to consciously initiate it. As a result of
your effort to withdraw the abdominal wall, the muscles around your
lower back will naturally contract. This is the sensation that you are
looking for. Such perceived movement comes from the natural
contraction and relaxation of the muscles around your lower spine as
a result of drawing in and relaxing your abdominal muscles. This will
probably prove challenging, and you will need to practice until it
becomes fairly easy and straight-forward. This will not happen at the
first time you sit down to practise. It can take anywhere between a
few days and a few weeks of committed practice. Being persistent is
very important.

Do not try to isolate the muscles of your back and contract them
consciously, it is more important to feel it happen than to make it
happen. Keep practising this way, until you feel able to comfortably
maintain such breathing for some time without a great effort.
Eventually you may realise, it is in fact the whole muscular belt
around your waist contracting and relaxing simultaneously, but for
now, it is most important to keep your attention at these distinct
points.
 The last corner of focus will be your diaphragm. You will keep your
attention focused on the three corners: belly, buttocks and lower back, as
you start focusing on your diaphragmatic movement. This will be a lot more
challenging than the previous three points of focus, as your diaphragm does
not relax with each inhalation, but it in fact contracts.
This fourth corner, the diaphragm, will not follow the pattern of the
other three, as they move away from the centre at the inhale phase,
but the diaphragm will rather be moving towards it. As you exhale, the
first three corners will move towards your centre, and the diaphragm
will move away from it.
This means, when you inhale, your belly relaxes and protrudes
outwards, your buttocks relax downwards, your lower
back relaxes outwards as well, while your diaphragm contracts and
moves downwards.
Similarly, with each exhale, your belly contracts and withdraws
inwards, your buttocks squeeze and contract inwards, your lower
back squeezes and contracts inwards as well, while your
diaphragm relaxes and moves upwards, returning to its dome shape.
Although the direction is similar (i.e. moving up, or in; and down, or
out at the same time), the action of contraction or relaxation will be
opposing.
Contrary to what you will see in Part 2, when you will be introduced
to the idea of inverted breathing, where the four corners are moving
in synchrony at once away from the centre (exhalation) or towards
the centre (inhalation), through the full abdominal breathing the
diaphragm is pushing down, and the three other corners are making
room for the contents of the abdominal cavity as they shift
downwards. Similarly, the diaphragm essentially makes room for
everything moving up, as the muscles contract and squeeze the
intestines and the contents of the abdominal cavity. This way the full
abdominal breathing provides a way of massaging your digestive
tract, not through squeeze and release, but rather a downward-
upwards shift. This movement of your organs (mostly your digestive
tract) is present even while you practise the most basic abdominal
breathing, the only real difference being that you now have a greater
awareness of it.

UNT IL YOU R EA D PART 2

You have now been introduced to some very basic and some rather
advanced breathing techniques alike, giving you sufficient material to
practise. until next week, when Part 2 of this article will be
published. Come back and read the instructions marked by bullet
points every day and make sure you set aside a few minutes to
practise daily, until that time. In Understanding Embryonic Breathing,
Part 2: Finding Your Lower DanTien – An Abdominal Dynamo, you will
be taken a step further, and be introduced an even more advanced
technique, that will be your next step in understanding true
embryonic breathing through experience. Read Part 2 here.
If you wish not miss the next part, make sure you bookmark this
article, or http://beginnersmeditation.info/blog so that you can find your
way back easily. You can also subscribe to the Meditation for
Beginners Newsletter, will grant you access to some exclusive,
subscriber-only material.
Please also share this post on your favourite social media, to help it
gain some exposure.

The concept of Embryonic Breathing (Tai Xi or T’ai Hsi) is probably

well-known to most practitioners of QiGong or Daoism, yet the
technique is widely misunderstood and mistaken for many things
related or even unrelated. This three-part article is meant to clear up
some of the confusion through dispelling myths, and introducing
solid, down-to-earth explanations and techniques to follow, in order
to understand the true meaning of breath. Part 2: Finding Your Lower
DanTien – An Abdominal Dynamo takes the breathing technique
learned in Part 1 a step further, introducing a technique of inverted
breathing, through which you can re-energise your body and spirit,
taking you one step closer to experiencing Embryonic Breathing, if
you have the persistence and tenacity to learn and practice. Building
on the technique taught in Part 1, learning proper inverted breathing
will add some more complexity to your practice, by inverting the
movement of your abdominal wall.
T HE BREAT H OF A NEW B ORN – ST RENGT HENIN G T HE
ABDO MEN

According to some authors, watching a newborn child breathe could

lead to a better understanding of what we all should be doing, as a
baby is yet un-spoiled, breathing the most natural way possible. This
is only partly true, as a child’s breath is yet far from perfect, their
body tissues (including those of the lungs) and muscles (including
their diaphragm and abdominal wall) are still in development. Yet
when you watch long enough, you may be aware of an interesting
phenomenon: the baby’s belly will at times move right “against” the
breath.

As you have learned with abdominal breathing, you should expand

your belly, when inhaling and withdraw it when exhaling, following
the movement of the diaphragm. Inverting the breath consciously,
when practising martial arts, yoga or QiGong, will have some
benefits, as well pronounced, as the exaggerated movement of the
abdominal wall seems during practice.
When a newborn child breathes with the abdominal movement so
apparent, she does so, because her diaphragm is less developed.
This “help” is much needed for her respiration and has the additional
effect of strengthening the abdominal wall and the muscles around
the waist. For an adult, who has spent a lifetime breathing
ineffectively, moving too little and sitting too much, both the
diaphragm and the abdominal muscles are likely to be “out of shape”,
by means of strength and development. Muscles need stimulation to
grow and stay strong, yet our lifestyle in the west almost ensures
such development will never happen to its full potential.
When you follow the breathing technique taught in Part 1, you will
consciously move many muscles around the abdominal cavity, which
in addition to massaging your internal organs gently, will have a
definitive strengthening effect on the musculature, especially of
practised regularly and consciously. To take it a step further you will
now invert the movement of the abdominal wall, apparently going
right “against” your natural breath pattern.
The following technique is often also referred to as “reversed
breathing” or even “embryonic breathing”. The ambiguity of
nomenclature rises from its English name. Observations of a
newborn’s inverted breathing will make some authors call such
technique “embryonic breathing”, as this is among the first external
respiratory patterns after the embryo is born. If you remember form
part one, even the Chinese tradition of Tai Xi Jing was not quite
unambiguous about when respiration begins. The terms “when the
embryo is brought to the world” might mean birth, or conception. That
way, the breathing may start with internal respiration inside the
mother’s womb, or with the external respiration, as you hear the baby
cry out for the first time in her life. To call inverted breathing
“embryonic breathing” is quite well in line with even the ancient texts.
The discussion of which term is “correct” seems therefore so
meaningless that even your humble author often uses them
interchangeably. For this series of articles, the technique introduced
below would be called “inverted breathing”, simply because a
different approach of “embryonic berthing” will be offered later in Part
3.
T HE T ECHNIQUE OF FUL L INV ER T ED BREAT HING

People often use inverted breathing, most of the times

subconsciously, usually right before attempting to undertake some
heavy physical effort, as a way of preparation, such as heavy lifting
or otherwise moving a heavy object. Weight-lifters use a method
called ‘power breathing’, that is very similar in principle to embryonic
breathing. Proper inverted breathing will result in a surge of energy
accumulating in your abdominal region. The accumulation of such
energy is caused by the pressure and stimulation on and around the
cavity below your diaphragm, originating from the opposite
movement of the abdominal wall.

In QiGong, this is called the accumulation of Qi, caused by the

technique itself. The concept of Qi is much misunderstood in the
west, as the concept is much broader than just some mystical
internal life force. Such romanticised notions of internal energy come
mainly from not understanding, or being less well versed in oriental
traditions and the fundamental differences between how eastern and
western medicine sees the human body. While an in-depth
explanation of the concept would probably require an article in itself,
the short explanation of the concept of Qi would be that it includes all
 energy systems of the body (aerobic and anaerobic), internal and
external respiration, blood and lymph circulation, nervous impulses,
bioimpedence and every other bodily system at once, those making up
this not so mysterious life-force. The confusion probably originates
from the fact, that western mind and western medicine regards the
body as a sum total of parts (organs, limbs, etc.), wile the oriental
medicine views it as a whole, a system, which it truly is, Thus life
force would not be something that is only partly responsible for life,
instead it is everything that makes an organism live.
Before going into detail about the effects of inverted breathing on the
system, and your breathing in general, you should try the technique
for yourself. It will be much easier to understand anything in regards
of it, once you have experienced it first hand. If you chose to
continue the experiment in Part 3 (when it will be published), you
should consider learning this technique as well as the one taught
in Part 1, practise it regularly and master it, as best you can.
LEARNING INVERTED BREATHING
 Start with practising conscious abdominal breathing. It is useful to be
familiar with the full abdominal breathing method as inverted breathing will
share some of its characteristics, while offering an even greater complexity.
For now, it is enough to observe it in its most simple form.

 Once your mind has quieted somewhat, start inverting your breaths. This
will most possibly feel strange and even uncomfortable at first, but you will
quickly get used to it. Concentrate on your belly, about one or two inches
below your belly button.

 As you inhale, squeeze and withdraw your belly as you would normally do
with an exhale. When you exhale, relax your abdominal wall, and push your
belly out. Keep practising this way, continuing to concentrate on your belly.
Observe your breathing and the abdominal wall, as it moves.
 You can incorporate counting your breaths, similarly to what you would do
in Zen meditation, once the inverted breathing becomes natural. Although
this is not required, it can aid your concentration if you feel it is necessary.
 Some would regard this simple technique as ‘the’ inverted breathing,
yet there is some more to it to be learned. Of course, you can
comfortably practice at this level as long as you feel necessary.
Always follow your intuition, when making decisions about your
practice. If something doesn’t feel right, do not ever force it. To
proceed further it would help to have some experience as a
meditator, with a strong and undivided focus.
 Once you feel ready to proceed further, it is time to turn your attention to
your lower back. While continuing to focus on your on your belly, start
paying attention to your lower back at the same time.

 As you breathe, your belly would come inwards with each inhale, while
pushing out on the exhale. You should be able to observe a similar
movement on your lower back. Although it would probably not be
noticeable for the eye, you would definitely be able to feel it. The point,
that feels like the centre of such barely noticeable movement should be in
the centre of your attention.
 Although probably not immediately obvious, this inward-outward
movement of the lower spine will become much more perceptible
with practice. As your belly withdraws while you inhale, so should
your lower back. Similarly, they would both relax and move outwards
with the exhale. This is very similar to what you have experienced
with the full abdominal breathing practice, only the pattern of
movement differs.
 Keep focusing on both your belly and your lower back simultaneously.
Instead of trying to split your attention two ways, try to connect the two and
focus on them at the same time. It will not be easy and you definitely
should not rush it. Some time and devoted practice will be necessary, but
you will get there if you are willing to put in the effort. Take as much time
as you need. It may be days, it may be weeks, or longer.
The sensation is most akin to that of your lower back moving in and
out, yet in reality this is just the contraction and relaxation of the
muscles around the spine. Even though it may prove useful to
consciously contract and relax these muscles, for many people it
could prove difficult to isolate the proper muscles and use only those
necessary, thus is it advisable to only concentrate on the movement,
or rather the sensation of it, as it happens, rather than trying to
consciously initiate it.
 When you are able to focus on the front and the back at the same time, the
next step would be to connect the diaphragm into your practice. Continue
with the practice as usual, but direct your focus onto the top of your
abdominal cavity as well as the front and back.

 Feel your diaphragm pushing down on this cavity, as it contracts, while

your belly and lower back are drawing inwards with each inhale. Through
the exhale, everything relaxes outwardly. Your belly protrudes and your
lower back relaxes, as your diaphragm returns to its dome shape.

Mental imagery might help to deepen your focus, while going with
how it feels would certainly be enough for most of the time. See, or
feel your diaphragm pushing down into your abdominal cavity with
each inhale, further compressing your organs as both your belly and
your lower back draw inwards, then see or feel how it relaxes at each
exhale, relaxing this compression, as your belly and your lower back
also return to a relaxed position. Practice meticulously, until it
becomes easy, almost natural. Take your time, practise as many
days or weeks as you need.
 The last step of the basics of this method will be to include the buttocks
(mainly the anus and the gluteal cleft). This will not at all differ from the
previous experiences, or that of the full abdominal breathing. With an
inhale it will draw upwards, while at the same time your diaphragm comes
downwards and your belly and lower back inwards, then, with the exhale,
everything relaxes and returns to the previous position.

You should now be able to focus on these four points, or four corners
simultaneously, eventually realising that you are, in reality, focusing
on the whole of the abdominal cavity and what happens to it through
practising this breathing technique. It takes considerable effort to be
able to maintain such focus, but it will naturally become easier with
time. It takes considerable effort to be able to maintain such focus,
but it will naturally become easier with time.
While breathing this way may seem “unnatural” at first, in a way, you
are using your musculature more intuitively, then you would with full
abdominal breathing. If you consider the technique you’ve learned
in Part 1, not all muscles have the same action: As you inhale, your
belly, your lower back and gluteal cleft are moving away from your
centre, all being relaxed, while your diaphragm moves towards it,
being contracted. As you exhale, your diaphragm relaxes and moves
away from the centre, while the other three corners contract and
move towards it.
With inverted breathing, all four corners act in union. As you inhale,
all four corners, the abdominal wall, the lower back, the gluteal cleft
and the diaphragm are contracting, and moving towards the centre.
As you exhale, all of them will relax and move away from the centre.

T HE EFFECT S O F INVER T ED B R EAT HING

As you may have seen form your own experience, inverted breathing
can be quite challenging and difficult at first. It requires considerable
involvement, concentration, and even muscular activity. The most
immediate effect of this will be the massaging of your internal
organs. Unlike with abdominal breathing, where your organs have
shifted up and down along with the movement of your belly and
diaphragm, now your abdominal cavity gets compressed from all
sides at once, as you inhale, being released with each exhale. Such
compression and release creates a dynamo effect. It stimulates your
digestive tract greatly, aiding the absorption of nutrients. Stored
blood glycogen is secreted from your liver into your bloodstream and
some fat stores around your bowels may get turned into even more
energy. This translates into an energy rush in your abdominal region,
also known as the accumulation of Qi.

A longer term effect of this form of breathing, if practised regularly, is

the strengthening of the abdominal muscles and even the diaphragm.
As both your belly and your diaphragm now move against resistance,
it will become decidedly more difficult to breathe, requiring a greater
effort, resulting in greater stimulation of all muscles involved, which
in the long term translates into strengthening these muscles ,
meaning a deeper and more effective breath.

Of course there are many more, quite specific applications of the

technique. Martial artists find it usually quite useful as it allows the
muscles of the abdomen to act as a more effective deflector of
incoming impact. When you lift weights, the increased internal
pressure and the tightening muscular “belt” around your waist means
greater stability of the torso and the mush sought after protection of
the lower spine (of course this requires a somewhat modified
technique of breathing, that is far beyond the scope of this article, yet
the principle is most similar).

FINDING THE LOW ER DANT IEN

Practising inverted breathing could also take your meditation practice

to the next level. The strong focus required to maintain this technique
will aid your meditation efforts, especially if your focus is in or around
your abdominal region. As you continue practising and become more
comfortable with moving the four corners in synchrony, your focus
would gradually shift from the four separate corners to the inside of
the abdominal cavity, that is being pumped, or squeezed and
released, much the same as your lungs are.

Focus your attention at this area, when it is at its “smallest”, meaning

during the inhale phase, when you compress it from all sides. This
area you feel being compressed is your lower DanTien, the field of
elixir, or garden of energy. The name DanTien literally means
“cinnabar field”, as cinnabar (mercury-sulfide) was used to make
medical “elixir”, by the ancient Daoists. Because your DanTien has
the ability to produce energy, and as the guts’ health is also closely
connected to the health of the immune system, the area is called this
way, as it has the capability to stimulate your “internal elixir”, that
being Qi, all too vital for your health.

Finding, and focusing on your lower DanTien is essential for many

meditation practices and will be required to proceed with the
exercises described in Part 3, published next week.

UNT IL YOU R EA D PART 3

You have now been introduced to a more advanced breathing
technique, giving you sufficient material to practise until next week,
when Part 3 of this article will be published. Come back and read the
instructions marked by bullet points every day and make sure you set
aside a few minutes to practise daily, until that time. In Part 3, you will
be given a demystified explanation of Tai Xi, or Embryonic Breathing
and taught the final steps to be able to experience it for
yourself. Read Part 3 here
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The concept of Embryonic Breathing (Tai Xi or T’ai Hsi) is probably

well-known to most practitioners of QiGong or Daoism, yet the
technique is widely misunderstood and mistaken for many things
related or even unrelated. This three-part article is meant to clear up
some of the confusion through dispelling myths, and introducing
solid, down-to-earth explanations and techniques to follow, in order
to understand the true meaning of breath. In this last article, Part 3 –
Techniques To Experience Tai Xi, you will use the techniques
learned from the previous parts with the experience and knowledge
you’ve gathered about your breathing, to deepen your practice
sufficiently, so that you would experience Tai Xi, the breathing of the
embryo, yourself.

T HE T RUE BREA T HING O F T HE E MBR YO

Tai Xi Jing (Respiration of the Embryo), the original document

describing embryonic breathing is, by all appearances mystical and
its instructions hard to understand or carry out. Apart from the
obvious Daoist mysticism and symbolism the text employs, a closer
look reveals that some earthly, even anatomical facts, closely related
to the phenomenon known as Tai Xi are hidden between the lines.

As discussed earlier, there are two types of respiration, internal and

external, both essentially meaning the exchange of gases oxygen
and carbon dioxide, one with the environment through the lungs
(external respiration) and the other between the cells of the body and
the bloodstream (internal respiration). Both require a constant supply
of oxygen.

The embryo, inside the mother’s womb is really only partaking in

internal respiration of its own, drawing the oxygen supply from the
mother’s bloodstream through the umbilical cord. As we have seen
in Part 1, according to Tai Xi Jing, “…the ebmbryo being brought into
existence, the breath begins to move in respiration”. Symbolism aside
(that of the breath in Daoist tradition and its connection to the spirit),
the question remains, what is the moment, when the embryo is
brought into existence? It might be the moment of conception.
Thereafter its cells could be thought of as an entity quite separate
from the mother’s body, its (internal) respiration being its own. The
term “brought into existence” may however quite as well mean the
moment of birth, when the external respiration of the newborn
begins.
The breath of the newborn is imperfect and often irregular. The
anatomy is still undeveloped, breathing like a newborn would be in
no way advantageous for an adult practitioner, therefore we must
assume, the Embryonic Breathing described by the text must be that
of the unborn embryo. Of course, depending on an external supply of
oxygen and without an umbilical chord, this seems to be
unattainable. Some explanations of the phenomenon would go down
the mystical route and claim that the practitioner would be in such a
physical and spiritual state, that they would tap right into the energy
of the universe, the original “Breath” and cease breathing altogether,
being nourished only by a constant flow of universal energy through
their bodies. Once such “ideal circumstances” are present, one would
be able to put a feather under the nose of the practitioner and the
feather would not move: A proof of the cessation of all breathing
altogether.
Such explanations make two mistakes. One is, interpreting
symbolism quite literally (an explanation of which is no intention of
this article , the other is not fully understanding human anatomy. The
former is a rather common problem, especially when interpreting
ancient texts, while the latter is quite understandable, given that such
explanations often originate from times, the knowledge of how the
human body functions was wanting. Yet, even Tai Xi Jing gives us a
clue, why one should not cease breathing: “The entrance of breath into
the body is life; the departure of the spirit from the external form is
death”.Regardless of how we might interpret the symbols of breath
and spirit (usually meant as “will” in the text), the message seems
clear: One who has stopped breathing, is usually dead.
This of course does not mean, we should dismiss the claims of the
interpretations of Tai Xi Jing. A state in which one would have
ceased breathing to all appearances is certainly attainable, and
anatomically possible. It does not mean of course, that the
practitioner would have stopped breathing, but the external
respiration becomes so shallow, that for the external observer it
would definitely look as if it has ceased completely. Of course, the
circumstances must be ideal for this to happen, and this corresponds
to the common “knowledge” about what is, rather symbolically, called
The Breathing of The Embryo.

HOW BREAT HING W IT HOU T BREAT HING MIGHT BE POS SIBLE

Tai Xi Jing makes only one statement regarding the cessation of

breath: “When the spirit moves the breath moves; when spirit is still the
breath is still“. The spirit is usually regarded to symbolise the will in
this context. When the will is still, the breath is still. (At this point we
can be sure, the Chinese sage wording this text, have not been
aware of how silly “will is still” would sound in English, so many
centuries later.) This, coupled with observations of practitioners
capable of attaining the breathing of the embryo, the conclusions
were drawn: one must cease breathing. Now we now it is not the
case, but to appear so, is not only possible, but it gives us the final
clue as to how to interpret the true Tai Xi.
There is another oriental, although unrelated tradition, that of yoga,
that focuses on breathing in near scientific depths. Among the
numerous breathing exercises of the yogi, there is one, obtainable
though long practice and only by reaching superb relaxation of the
body and mind, that has a very similar effect for the outside
observer: the diaphragm will move so little drawing in an amount of
air so minimal, that is only just enough to maintain basic life
functions. From the outside, the yogi would look as if he has ceased
breathing, his breath not observable even though the movements of
a feather put under his nostrils.

Both traditions make use of the same anatomical observations: The

body is capable of shutting down the functions of non-vital internal
organs, in order to save oxygen. The phenomenon is known to
western medicine and those with an interest in sports science may
have heard of it. When undertaking rigorous exercise, such as
running a marathon, the body will redirect the blood-flow towards the
skeletal muscles, and away from non-vital organs, such as the
digestive system, that takes up considerable amount of energy and
oxygen to function. By shutting off digestion, there will be more
nutrients available for the muscles, so that one may run longer.

The oriental approach is only different in the way oxygen is

restricted: Not by being used up by the muscles, but by reducing
respiratory rates through a conscious control over one’s breath. As
the oxygen levels drop, the body reacts. The heart-rate will reach its
lowest, the non-vital organs will reduce their function, and may
eventually shut off, the biggest oxygen and nutrient consumer, the
brain goes into a deep resting state, so that it does not require much
energy. When the ideal circumstances are present, the breathing
reduces to a level, that resembles the lack of external respiration.
The minimal movement of the diaphragm may only be monitored by
medical equipment, for the casual observer the practitioner will seem
to have stopped breathing!

Of course Tai Xi Jing gives us some anatomical clues, and therefore

proof, that the author was better versed in human anatomy than
many who came after, trying to make sense of the text: “If the heart is
perfectly devoid of thoughts—neither going nor coming, issuing nor
entering—it will dwell permanently within of its own accord”. This might
mean the heart itself, associated with emotions and desire, and the
state of “thoughtlessness”, a result of deep meditation, that is
necessary for the brain to stop consuming so much energy.
T AI XI IN PRA CT ICE

If it seems plausible, yet near-impossible to put into practice, you are

almost right. It is not something one would sit own and do right away,
yet learning proper Tai Xi is possible for almost anyone. All you need
is determination and lots of time and patience. As is written in the
aforementioned text: “Be diligent in pursuing this course; for it is the true
road to take” .
It does, of course, help to have a way to go about achieving it, an
action plan perhaps, some clues as what and how to do, otherwise
even the greatest diligence would only lead to disappointment. The
below advice is meant to point out the direction you may take. It will
be up to you to go through with it and, if you are really interested and
have the patience and determination, eventually experience Tai Xi
for yourself.

PREPARATION
(If you have skipped the above text and came directly here, I must advise
you, that you will never succeed in learning Tai Xi. This is simply because
you are impatient. As explained above, it requires diligence and lost of
practice. It will not happen immediately, probably not even this week. For
some it may take months or even years of determined practice to get there,
the “get everything fast, get them now” marketing (scam) scheme does not
apply when it comes to breathing. If you still feel like you are up for it, the
steps below will be your guide.)
You will not need any external props or equipment, but you will need
a considerable experience in breathing techniques, at the absolute
minimum those two taught in Parts 1 and 2. It will not be sufficient to
have tried them once or twice and have a general idea of their
workings. You must be well experienced, if you mean to get
anywhere and that will take time.

To be experienced in meditation will be of even greater advantage.

While not absolutely necessary, the ability of quieting your thoughts
will benefit your quest towards Tai Xi. You will be able to achieve it,
without having previously learned meditation, but it would certainly
take much longer. (If you are interested in learning meditation, you
can find reliable resources on this website.)
As you see, it will be necessary to count your breaths for a while.
Wherever you find such instructions, you should count them like this:
 1 – Inhale, 2 – Exhale, 3 – Inhale, 4 – Exhale, 5 – Inhale, 6 – Exhale,
7 – Inhale, 8 – Exhale, 9 – Inhale, 10 – Exhale. then start again form
1. If you are experienced in such breath counting for example by
having learned Zen meditation and you are comfortable with it, you
can count this way: 1 – Inhale and Exhale, 2 – Inhale and Exhale,
etc. up to 10.
 You should wear loose fitting clothing, with no tight parts anywhere.

 It is important that you should not have drank or eaten anything for at least
two hours before you start practising, and even then, only a light meal. You
will have been in the rest room as well, so that nothing will disturb you. Yo
will also have sufficient time at hand, to truly experience Tai Xi, it could
take several hours on each occasion.

 If you know Shavasana or Corpse Pose of Yoga, and are able to enter into
its most advanced state, that is the way you should proceed. If you stay in
Corpse Pose long enough, TaiXi breathing will eventually happen.

 If you are not familiar with Shavasana, or prefer taking a different, or more
targeted route, you should start by sitting comfortably. Only sit cross-
legged only if you are confident that you can maintain such position for a a
very long time. This would require flexibility quite unusual in the west, but
if you have been practising for many years, you may as well proceed. If you
cannot sit cross-legged, make sure you sit with a back as straight as
possible, so that you would not inhibit your breathing. You can use a back -
rest, as long as you can sit without compressing your chest or abdominal
region.

 Laying down is also an option and probably preferable, as the level of

bodily relaxation necessary for Tai Xi will be very difficult to achieve
while sitting.

 When you have found your preferred position, and made sure there are no
obstructions from your clothing and your body position that would inhibit
your breathing, or force you to tense your body, start practising the full
inverted breathing technique you have learned in Part 2.
 When you are fully aware of all four corners of your breath, most
importantly the movements of your diaphragm, and you have done at least
five times ten inhales and exhales with inverted breathing, change your
breathing pattern and start breathing with full abdominal breathing,
maintaining a strong focus on all four corners. You will feel a relief of
removing the pressure if inhales from your DanTien.
 Breathe like this for another five times ten inhales and exhales. After one
hundred breaths, your body and mind would have been somewhat quieted.
Now, change your breathing pattern again, but instead of reverting to a
simple abdominal breathing, you will direct your focus inside your body,
onto the movement of your diaphragm.

 For five time ten inhales and exhales, just watch the movements of your
diaphragm, as closely as you can. Feel every inhale, as it presses down on
your internal cavity and as you exhale it relaxes.

 Now you are half way there. Chances are, your breath have quieted down
already, quite considerably. If you are still aware of a pronounced
abdominal movement, or that of breathing deeply, start altering your
breathing pattern and have longer exhales than inhales (although not much
longer). Practice this way, until you feel your breaths quiet down. It helps
to continue counting your breaths.

 Now turn your attention towards your thoughts. The intense focus these
breathing exercises require would have had the potential to quiet down the
inner noise sufficiently, but c you might still have some disturbing thoughts
coming. It would be most beneficial now, if you’ve learned some
meditation technique previously, and most preferably not the westernised
and often over-simplified “mindfulness meditation”, a simplification of the
traditional Vipassana meditation method. (If you do practice traditional
Vipassana Meditation, it may be useful, although practices such as Zazen
might prove a more resourceful practice for this singular purpose, having
the goal of quieting down your mind now, as opposed to just being present.)

 If you do not know a meditation technique, you should continue counting

your breaths until your thoughts quiet down. You will notice, that so many
disturbing mental images and thoughts occur. You should acknowledge
them and not try to suppress them, but do not dwell on them either. “Letting
go” of your thoughts is an abstract idea, in practice it means coming back to
your focus (in meditation), which is, for now, your breathing. Do not
penalise yourself for having thoughts, this is natural. Do not try to suppress
your thoughts, or willfully “not think” about anything, this is forceful and
almost impossible. The goal is to have your thoughts cease naturally.

 Make sure, you don’t just count. You must be constantly mindful of the
movement of the diaphragm. Never for a moment lose its sensation. This is
your key to getting to Tai Xi.
BREATHING THE BREATH OF THE EMBRYO

Now, that you have sufficiently prepared, you have arrived to the
hardest part: Staying here. You will continue your meditation
practice, or counting your breath, until you are free of disturbing
thought and/or images. It is not impossible, but of course very
difficult and it will not happen for the first time, neither any time soon.
Practising long enough, you will eventually arrive to a state of
quietness, where your mind becomes perfectly still. By such time,
you will have stopped counting, your awareness of your breath
becomes effortless. You will probably feel like having no body, but
being just a breath yourself.
“When the spirit moves the breath moves; when spirit is still the breath is
still”. In other words, as soon as your will (your mind) quieted down,
your breath will follow. At this stage, it will not be difficult to stay, you
will find it all effortless, nothing will worry you, nothing would even
occur to you, you would simply breathe, unseen, motionless, as if all
was happening only inside you, nothing to do with the outside world.
If you stay long enough, you will eventually experience the true
breath of the embryo, or Tai Xi, as it is written about in Tai Xi Jing.
Careful now, it is thought to be the essence of immortality: “That
which is metaphorically called the Respiration of the Embryo is truly called
the Inner Elixir. It not only cures diseases, but confers immortality. He who
continuously pursues this practice will have his name inscribed upon the
Register of the Immortals.”
If you experience immortality, after having achieved true Tai Xi,
though creating the perfect inner environment, please share your
experience in the comments below. :)

If you would like others to become immortal too, or just want to share
the immense health benefits of this most perfect form of relaxation of
bod and mind, don’t forget to share this article.

Five Classes of Immortals

based on Taoist Alchemy
The idea of immortality permeates the whole of Taoist teachings. Its
conscious attainment is one of the fruits of alchemical life with which the
more profound teachings of Taoism are concerned. It is realized through
perfect union with the Tao.

The aim of Taoist teachings is to free man from all that which is transient,
enabling him to use and enjoy all things to the fullest possible extent by
assigning them to their proper place in life.

Numerous methods are given in Taoist writings for the realization of

immortality, foremost among which is a system of mental and spiritual
practices.

According to the levels of spiritual attainment, there are five classes of

immortals in Taoist Alchemy:

Ghost Immortals

Ghost Immortals remain ghosts, but they are different from ordinary
ghosts in that they are able to communicate spiritually and subsist for a
long time.

Human Immortals

Human Immortals remain human, but though they eat, drink, and dress
like people, yet they can avoid the calamities of aging, sickness and
death.

Earth Immortals

Earth Immortals remain on the earth, but they are not affected by cold or
heat, hunger or thirst. Thought they cannot project their spirits, yet they
can avoid the bother of food, clothing and shelter.

Spiritual Immortals

Spiritual Immortals are capable of supernatural power and

transformations; coming and going at will, they can shed physical shell to
attain an ethereal independence. They can dissolve into energy or solidify
into form.

Celestial Immortals

Celestial Immortals go even further in their work than spiritual

immortality. They go beyond our human world, to another world that
cannot be imagined by the ordinary intellect.

Eight Famous Taoist Immortals

 Chung-li

Ch'uan is said to have discovered the Elixir of life. His symbol is the
peach, an emblem of longevity. He is also depicted as carrying a fan with
which he could revive the dead.

Chang Kuo Lao

A recluse with mystic powers. He is said to have had a mule that could
carry him a thousand miles in a day, which he could fold up like a piece of
paper and put in his wallet. When again required he had simply to sprinkle
it with water and it resumed its normal proportions. His symbols are a
musical instrument made of bamboo, called the Yu Ku, and the feather of
the Phoenix, the bird of immortality.

Lu Tung-pin

A Taoist scholar and recluse, who received the secret of immortality from
Chung-li K'uan. During his probation he is described as having to undergo
ten temptations, upon the overcoming of which he was given a sword
possessing supernatural powers. With this he rid the country of dragons
and other monsters that infested it. His symbols are the sword and the
Taoist fly-brush.

Ts'ao Kuo-chiu

A military commander who turned hermit. Once when meditating, the wall
of his cave was rent asunder, disclosing a casket of jade containing a
scroll upon which were written the secrets of immortality and of the
transmutation of metals. As he followed the instructions given therein the
cave became filled with luminous clouds out of which came a stork, upon
whose back he was transported to the Happy Land of Immortality. He is
the patron saint of the drama, and his symbols are a pair of castanets and
a feather fan.

T'ieh-Kuai Li

A beggar with a crutch. He is said to have been a disciple of Lao-Tzu, who

summoned him to Heaven, instructing him to leave his body in the care of
a pupil. During his absence the pupil was summoned to the bedside of his
dying mother, and the body in his charge, being considered dead, was
consigned to the flames. Li T'ieh-Kuai, on returning, found only a heap of
ashes, so he entered the body of a beggar who had just died and in this
continued his life. His symbols are a pilgrim's gourd, containing magical
medicines with which he healed many of the sick, and a crab. He is
sometimes represented as accompanied by a deer. He is the patron saint
of Apothecaries.

Han Hsang-Tzu

Scholar, poet and student of transcendental lore. He is said to have been

able to make flowers grow before the eyes of the beholders. He was a
pupil of Lu Tung-pin, and was instructed by him to climb a peach tree,
whereupon he fell from its branches and became immortal. He is the
patron saint of musicians, and his symbol is the flute, which he is usually
represented as playing.

Lan Ts'ai-ho

Sometimes dressed as a male and sometimes as a female. A wondering

minstrel, whose songs told about the unreality of this fleeting life and the
delusiveness of earthly pleasures. Always dressed in colorful robes, and
wore only one shoe. At the end of earthly life, Lan ts'ai-ho disappeared
into a cloud. Lan Ts'ai-ho's symbol is a basket of flowers, and is the patron
saint of florists.

Ho Hsien-Ku

Called the Immortal Maiden. In a vision she was instructed that if she ate
mother-of-pearl she would gradually become immortal. She lived in the
mountains and became more and more ethereal, floating from peak to
peak. At last, dispensing with earthly food, she attained her quest. Her
symbol is the lotus, the flower of open-heartedness. She is a patron of
female Taoists.
 Taoist Internal Alchemy

This ancient esoteric treatise was transmitted orally for centuries before
being recorded on a series of wooden tablets in the eighth century. It was
recorded by a member of the Religion of Light, whose leader was the
Taoist adept Lu Yen (also known as Lu Yen and Lu “Guest of the Cavern”).
It is said that Lu Tzu became one of the Eight Immortals using these
methods.

1. HEAVENLY CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HEART

Master Lu Tzu said: That which exists through itself is called Meaning.
(Tao). Meaning has neither name nor force. It is the one essence, the one
primordial spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. It is contained in the
Light of Heaven. The light of Heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the
two eyes. Today I will be your guide and will first reveal to you the secret
of the Golden Flower of the Great One, and, starting from that, I will
explain the rest in detail.

The Great One is the term given to that which has nothing above it. The
secret of the magic of life consists in using action in order to achieve non-
action. One must not wish to leave out the steps between and penetrate
directly. The maxim handed down to us is to take in hand the work on the
essence. In doing this it is important not to follow the wrong road.

The Golden Flower is the Light. What color has the light? One uses the
Golden Flower as an image. It is the true power of the transcendent Great
One. The phrase, "The lead of the water-region has but one taste," refers
to it. The work on the circulation of the Light depends entirely on the
backward-flowing movement, so that the thoughts are gathered together
(the place of Heavenly Consciousness, the Heavenly Heart). The Heavenly
Heart lies between sun and moon (i.e., the two eyes).

The Book of the Yellow Castle says: In the field of the square inch of the
house of the square foot, life can be regulated. The house of the square
foot is the face. The field of the square inch in the face: What could that
be other than the Heavenly Heart? In the middle of the square inch dwells
the splendor. In the purple hall of the city of jade dwells the god of utmost
emptiness and life. The Confucians call it the center of emptiness; the
Buddhists, the terrace of life; the Taoists, the ancestral land, or the yellow
castle, or the dark pass, or the space of former Heaven. The Heavenly
Heart is like the dwelling place, the Light is the master. Therefore when
the Light circulates, the powers of the whole body arrange themselves
before its throne, just as when a holy king has taken possession of the
capital and has laid down the fundamental rules of order, all the states
approach with tribute, or, just as when the master is quiet and calm,
men-servants and maids obey his orders of their own accord, and each
does his work.

Therefore you only have to make the Light circulate: that is the deepest
and most wonderful secret. The Light is easy to move, but difficult to fix.
If it is allowed to go long enough in a circle, then it crystallizes itself: that
is the natural spirit -body. This crystallized spirit is formed beyond the
nine Heavens. It is the condition of which it is said in the Book of the Seal
of the Heart: Silently in the morning thou fliest upward.

In carrying out this fundamental truth you need to seek for no other
methods, but must only concentrate your thoughts on it. The book Leng
Yen says: By collecting the thoughts one can fly and will be born in
Heaven. Heaven is not the wide blue sky, but the place where the body is
made in the house of the creative. If one keeps this up for a long time,
there develops quite naturally in addition to the body, yet another spirit-
body.

The Golden Flower is the Elixir of Life (literally, golden ball, golden pill). All
changes of spiritual consciousness depend upon the Heart. Here is a
secret charm, which, although it works very accurately, is yet so fluent
that it needs extreme intelligence and clarity, and complete absorption
and calm. People without this highest degree of intelligence and
understanding do not find the way to apply the charm; People without this
utmost capacity for concentration and calm cannot keep fast hold of it.

2. THE PRIMORDIAL SPIRIT AND THE CONSCIOUS SPIRIT

Master Lu Tzu said: In comparison with Heaven and Earth, man is like a
mayfly. But compared to the Great Meaning, Heaven and Earth, too, are
like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primordial spirit and the true
essence overcome time and space.

The power of the seed, like Heaven and Earth, is subject to mortality, but
the primordial spirit is beyond the polar differences. Here is the place
whence Heaven and Earth derive their being. When students understand
how to grasp the primordial spirit, they overcome the polar opposites of
Light and darkness and tarry no longer in the three worlds. But only he
who has looked on essence in its original manifestation is able to do this.

When men are set free from the womb the primordial spirit dwells in the
square inch (between the eyes), but the conscious spirit dwells below in
the heart. This lower fleshly heart has the shape of a large peach: it is
covered by the wings of the lungs, supported by the liver, and served by
the bowels. This heart is dependent on the outside world. If a man does
not eat for one day even, it feels extremely uncomfortable. If it hears
something terrifying it throbs; if it hears something enraging it stops; if its
is faced with death it becomes sad; if it sees something beautiful it is
dazzled. But the Heavenly Heart in the head, when would it have been in
the leased moved? Dost thou ask: Can the Heavenly Heart not be moved?
Then I answer: How could the true thought in the square inch be moved?
If it really moves, it is not well. For when ordinary men die, then it moves,
but that is not good. It is best indeed if the Light has already fortified itself
in a spirit body and its life force gradually penetrated the instincts and
movements. But that is a secret which has not been revealed for
thousands of years.

The lower heart moves like a strong, powerful commander who despises
the Heavenly ruler because of his weakness, and has seized for himself
the leadership of the affairs of state. But when the primordial castle can
be fortified and defended, then it is as if a strong and wise ruler sat upon
the throne. The two eyes start the Light circulating like two ministers at
the right and left who support the ruler with all their might. When the
ruler in the center is thus in order, all those rebellious heroes will present
themselves with lances reversed ready to take orders.

The way to the Elixir of life recognizes as supreme magic, seed-water,

spirit-fire, and thought-earth; these three. What is seed-water? It is the
true, one power (eros) of former Heaven. Spirit-fire is the Light (logos).
Thought-earth is the Heavenly Heart of the middle house (intuition).
Spirit-fire is used for effecting, thought-earth for substance, and seed-
water for the foundation. Ordinary men make their bodies through
thoughts. The body is not only the 7 ft. tall outer body. In the body is the
anima. The anima, having produced consciousness, adheres to it.
Consciousness depends for its origin on the anima. The anima is feminine,
the substance of consciousness. As long as this consciousness is not
interrupted, it continues to beget from generation to generation, and the
changes of form of the anima and the transformations of substance are
unceasing.

But, besides this, there is the animus in which the spirit shelters. The
animus lives in the daytime in the eyes; at night it houses in the liver.
When living in the eyes, it sees; when housing itself in the liver, it
dreams. Dreams are the wanderings of the spirit through all nine Heavens
and all the nine earths. But whoever is dull and moody on waking, and
chained to his bodily form, is fettered by the anima. Therefore the
concentration of the animus is effected by the circulation of the Light, and
in this way the spirit is protected, the anima subjected, and consciousness
is annulled. The method used by the ancients for escaping from the world
consisted in burning out completely the slag of darkness in order to return
to the purely creative. This is nothing more than a reduction of the anima
and a bringing to perfection of the animus. And the circulation of the Light
is the magical means of limiting the dark powers and gaining mastery of
the anima. Even if the work is not directed toward bringing back the
creative, but confines itself to the magical means of the circulation, one
returns to the creative, If this method is followed, plenty of seed-water
will be present of itself; the spirit-fire will be ignited, and the thought-
earth will solidify and crystallize. And thus can the holy fruit mature. The
scarab rolls his ball and in the ball there develops life as the effect of the
undivided effort of his spiritual concentration. If now and embryo can
grow in manure, and shed its skin, why should not the dwelling place of
our Heavenly Heart also be able to create a body if we concentrate the
spirit upon it?

The one effective, true essence (logos united with life), when it descends
into the house of the creative, divides into animus and anima. The animus
is in the Heavenly Heart. It is of the nature of light; it is the power of
lightness and purity. It is that which we have received from the great
emptiness, that which has form from the very beginning. The anima
partakes of the nature of darkness. It is the power of the heavy and the
turbid; it is bound to the bodily, fleshly heart. The animus loves life. The
anima seeks death. All sensuous pleasures and impulses to anger are
effects of the anima; it is the conscious spirit which after death is
nourished on blood, but which, during life, is in direst need. Darkness
returns to darkness and like things attract each other. But the pupil
understands how to distill the dark anima so that it transforms itself into
Light.

3. CIRCULATION OF THE LIGHT AND PROTECTION OF THE

CENTER

Master Lu Tzu said: Since when has the expression "circulation of the
Light" been revealed? It was revealed by the "true men of the beginning
of form". When the Light is allowed to move in a circle, all the powers of
Heaven and earth, of the light and the dark, are crystallized. That is what
is described as seed-like, or purification of the power, or purification of the
concept. When one begins to apply this magic, it is as if, in the middle of
one's being, there was a non-being. When in the course of time the work
is finished, and beyond the body is another body, it is as if, in the middle
of the non-being, there were a being. Only after a completed work of a
hundred days will the Light be real, then only will it become spirit-fire.
After a hundred days, there develops by itself in the middle of the Light, a
point of the true Light-pole. Suddenly there develops a seed pearl. It is as
if man and woman embraced and a conception took place. Then one must
be quite still in order to await it. The circulation of the Light is the epoch
of fire.

In the midst of primal becoming, the radiance of the Light is the

determining thing. In the physical world it is the sun; in man the eye. The
emanation and dissemination of spiritual consciousness is chiefly brought
about by this power when it is directed outward (flown downward).
Therefore the meaning of the Golden Flower depends wholly on the
backward-flowing method.

Circulation of the Light is not only a circulation of the seed-blossom of the

body, but it is, in the first place, a circulation of the true, creative,
formative powers. It has to do, not with a momentary fantasy, but with
the exhaustion of the circular course (soul wanderings) of all the eons.
Therefore a breath-pause means a year – according to human reckoning –
and a hundred years measured by the long night of the nine paths (of
reincarnation).

After a person has the one tone of individualization behind them, they will
be born outward according to the circumstances, and not until he is old
will he turn a single time to the backward-flowing way. The force of the
Light exhausts itself and trickles away. That brings the nine-fold darkness
(of rebirths) into the world. In the book Leng Yen it is said: By
concentrating the thoughts, one can fly; by concentrating the desires, one
falls. When a pupil takes little care of his thoughts and much care of his
desires, he gets into the path of depravity. Only through contemplation
and quietness does true intuition arise; for that, the backward-flowing
method is necessary.

In the book of the Secret Correspondences, it is said: Release is in the

eye. In the Simple Questions of the Yellow Ruler, it is said: The seed-
blossom of the human body must be concentrated upward in the empty
space. That refers to it. Immortality is contained in this sentence and also
the overcoming of the world is contained in it. That is the common goal of
all religions.

The Light is not in the body alone, neither is it only outside the body.
Mountains and rivers and the great earth are lit by sun and moon; all that
is this Light. Therefore it is not only within the body. Understanding and
clarity, knowing and enlightenment, and all motion (of the spirit), are
likewise this Light; therefore it is not just something outside the body. The
Light-flower of Heaven and earth fills all thousand spaces. But also the
Light-flower of one body passes through Heaven and covers the earth.
Therefore, just as the Light is circulating, so Heaven and earth, mountains
and rivers, are all rotating with it at the same time. To concentrate the
seed-flower of the human body above in the eyes, that is the great key of
the human body. Children, take heed! If for a day you do not practice
meditation, this Light streams out, who knows whither? If you only
meditate for a quarter of an hour, you can set ten thousand eons and a
thousand births at rest. All methods take their source in quietness. This
marvelous magic cannot be fathomed.

But when the work is started, one must press on from the obvious to the
profound, from the course to the fine. Everything depends on there being
no interruption. The beginning and the end of the work must be one. In
between there are cooler and warmer moments, that goes without saying.
But the goal must be to reach the breadth of Heaven and the depths of
the sea, so that all methods seem quite easy and taken for granted. Only
then do we have it in hand.

All holy men have bequeathed this to one another: nothing is possible
without contemplation. When Confucius says: knowing brings one to the
goal; or when Buddha calls it: the view of the Heart; or Lao Tzu says:
inward vision, it is all the same.

Anyone can talk about reflection, but he cannot master it if he does not
know what the word means. What has to be changed by reflection is the
self-conscious heart, which has to direct itself toward that point where the
formative spirit is not yet manifest. Within our 6 ft. body, we must strive
for the form which existed before the laying down of Heaven and earth. If
today people sit and meditate only one or two hours, looking only at their
own egos, and call it contemplation, how can anything come of it?

The two founders of Buddhism and Taoism have taught that one should
look at the end of one's nose. But they did not mean that one should
fasten one's thoughts to the end of the nose. Neither did they mean that,
while the eyes were looking at the end of the nose, the thoughts should
be concentrated on the yellow middle. Wherever the eye looks, the heart
is directed also. How can the glance be directed at the same time upward
(yellow middle), and downward (end of the nose), or alternating, so that it
is now up, now down? All that means confusing the finger with which one
points to the moon with the moon itself.

What is really meant by this? The expression, "end of the nose," is very
cleverly chosen. The nose must serve the eyes as a guiding line. If one is
not guided by the nose, either one opens wide the eyes and looks into the
distance, so that the nose is not seen, or the lids shut too much, so that
the eyes close, and again the nose is not seen. But when the eyes are
opened too wide, one makes the mistake of directing them outward,
whereby one is easily distracted. If they are closed too much then one
makes the mistake of letting them turn inward, whereby one easily sinks
into a dreamy reverie. Only when the eyelids are sunk properly halfway, is
the end of the nose seen in just the right way. Therefore it is taken as a
guiding line. The main thing is to lower the eyelids in the right way, and
then allow the Light to stream in of itself, without trying to force the Light
to stream in by a concentrated effort. Looking at the nose serves only as
the beginning of the inner concentration, so that the eyes are brought into
the right direction for looking, and then are held to the guiding line; after
that, one can let it be. That is the way a mason hangs up a plumb line. As
soon as he has hung it up, he guides his work by it without continually
bothering himself to look at the plumb line. Fixating contemplation is a
Buddhist method which by no means has been handed down as a secret.
On looks with both eyes at the end of the nose, sits upright and in a
comfortable position, and holds the heart to the center in the midst of
conditions (on the fixed pole in the flight of phenomena). In Taoism it is
called the yellow middle, in Buddhism the center in the midst of
conditions. The two are the same. It does not necessarily mean the middle
of the head. It is only a matter of fixing one's thinking on the point that
lies exactly between the two eyes. Then all is well. The Light is something
extremely mobile. When one fixes the thought on the midpoint between
the two eyes, the Light streams in of its own accord. It is not necessary to
direct the attention especially to the central castle. In these few words the
most important thing is contained.

"The center in the midst of conditions," is a very fine expression. The

center is omnipresent; everything is contained in it; it is connected with
the release of the release of the whole process of creation. The condition
is the portal. The condition, that is the fulfillment of this condition, makes
the beginning, but it does not bring about the rest with inevitable
necessity. The meaning of these two words is very fluid and subtle.

Fixating contemplation is indispensable, it ensures the strengthening of

illumination. Only one must not stay sitting rigidly if worldly thoughts
come up, but one must examine where the thought is, where it began,
and where it fades out. Nothing is gained by pushing reflection further,
One must be content to see where the thought arose, and not seek
beyond the point of origin; for to find the heart (consciousness), to get
behind consciousness with consciousness - that cannot be done. We want
to bring the status of the heart together in rest – that is true
contemplation. What contradicts it is false contemplation. This leads to no
goal. When the flight of thoughts keeps extending farther, one should stop
and begin contemplating. Let one contemplate and then start
concentrating again. That is the double method of strengthening the
illumination. It means the circular course of the light. The circular course
is fixation. The Light is contemplation. Fixation without contemplation is
circulation without Light. Contemplation without fixation is Light without
circulation.

4. CIRCULATION OF THE LIGHT AND MAKING THE

BREATHING RHYTHMICAL

Master Lu Tzu said: The decision must be carried out with a whole heart,
and, the result no sought for; the result will come of itself. In the first
period of release there are chiefly two mistakes: laziness and distraction.
But that can be remedied; the heart must not enter into the breathing too
completely. Breathing comes from the heart. What comes out of the heart
is breath. When the heart stirs, there develops breath-power. Breath-
power is originally transformed activity of the heart. When our hearts go
very fast they imperceptibly pass into fantasies which are always
accompanied by the drawing of a breath, because this inner and outer
breathing hangs together like tone and echo. Daily we draw innumerable
breaths and have an equal number of fantasy-representations. And thus
the clarity of the spirit is depleted just as wood dries out and ashes die.

Should a man have no images in his mind? One cannot be without images.
Should one not breathe? One cannot do without breathing. The best way
is to make a cure out of the illness. Since heart and breath are mutually
dependent, the circulation of the Light must be united with the rhythm of
breathing. For this, Light of the ear is above all necessary. There is a Light
of the eye and a Light of the ear. The Light of the eye is the united Light
of the sun and moon outside. The Light of the ear is the united seed of
sun and moon within. The seed is also the Light in crystallized form. Both
have the same origin and are different only in name. Therefore,
understanding (ear) and clarity (eye) are one and the same effective
Light.

In sitting down, after dropping the lids, one establishes a plumb-line with
the eyes and shifts the Light downward. But if the transposition downward
is not successful, then the heart is directed toward listening to the
breathing. One should not be able to hear with the ear the outgoing and
inhaling of the breath. What one hears is that it has no tone. As soon as it
has tone, the breathing is rough and superficial, and does not penetrate
into what is fine. Then the heart must be made quite light and
insignificant. The more it is released, the less important it becomes; the
less important, the quieter. All at once it becomes so quiet that it stops.
Then the true breathing is manifested and the form of the heart can be
made conscious. When the heart is light, the breathing is light, for every
movement of the heart brings about breathing power. If breathing is light,
the heart is light, for every movement of the breath affects the heart. In
order to steady the heart, one begins by cultivating the breathing power.
The heart cannot be influenced directly. Therefore the breathing power is
used as a handle, and this is what is called protecting the collected
breathing power.

Children, do you not understand the nature of motion? Motion can be

produced by outside means. It is only another name for mastery. One can
make the heart move merely by running. Should one not be able to bring
it to rest then by concentrated quietness? The great holy ones who knew
how the heart and breathing power mutually influence one another, have
thought out an easier procedure as a way of helping posterity.

In the Book of the Elixir, it is said: The hen can hatch her eggs because
her heart is always listening. That is an important magic spell. The reason
the hen can hatch her eggs is because of the power to heat. But the
power of the heat can only warm the shells; it cannot penetrate into the
interior. Therefore with her heart she conducts this power inward. This she
does with her hearing. In this way ash concentrates her whole heart.
When the heart penetrates, the power penetrates, and the chick receives
the power of the heart and begins to live. Therefore a hen, even when she
has left her eggs, always has the attitude of listening with a bent ear.
Thus the concentration of the spirit is not interrupted. Because the
concentration of the spirit suffers no interruption, neither does the power
of heat suffer interruption day or night, and the spirit awakes to life. The
awakening of the spirit is accomplished because the heart has first died.
When a man can let his heart die, then the primordial spirit wakes to life.
To kill the heart does not mean to let it dry and wither away, but it means
that it is undivided and gathered into one.

Buddha said: When you fix your heart on one point, then nothing is
impossible for you. The heart easily runs away, so it is necessary to
gather it together by means of breathing power. Breathing power easily
becomes coarse, therefore it has to be refined by the heart. When that is
done, can it then happen that it is not fixed?

The two mistakes of laziness and distraction must be combated by quiet

work that is carried on daily without interruption; then results will
certainly be achieved. If one is not seated during meditation, one will
often be distracted without noticing it. To become conscious of the
inattention is the mechanism by which to do away with inattention.
Laziness of which a man is conscious, and laziness of which he is
unconscious, are many miles apart. Unconscious laziness is real laziness;
conscious laziness is not complete laziness, because there is still some
clarity in it. Distraction comes from letting the spirit wander about;
laziness comes from the spirit not yet being pure. Distraction is much
easier to correct than laziness. It is as in sickness if one feels pains and
itches, one can help them with remedies, but laziness is like a disease that
is attended by loss of feeling. Distraction can be overcome, confusion can
be straightened out, but laziness and absent-minded are heavy and dark.
Distraction and confusion at least have a place, but in laziness and
absent-mindedness the anima alone is active. In inattention the animus is
still present, but in laziness pure darkness rules. If one becomes sleepy
during meditation, that is an effect of laziness. Breathing alone serves to
remove laziness. Although the breath that flows in and out through the
nose is not the true breath, the flowing in and out of the true breath is
connected with it.

While sitting, one must, therefore, always keep the heart quiet and the
power concentrated. How can the heart be made quiet? By breathing. The
heart alone must be conscious of the flowing in and out of the breath; it
must not be heard with the ears. If it is not heard, then the breathing is
light; if light, it is pure. If it can be heard, then the breathing power is
heavy; if heavy, then it is troubled; if it is troubled, then laziness and
absent-mindedness develop and one wants to sleep. That is self-evident.
How to use heart correctly during breathing must be understood. It is use
without use. One need only let the Light fall quite gently on the hearing.
This sentence contains a secret meaning. What does it mean to let the
Light fall? It is the radiance of the Light of one's own eyes. The eye looks
inward and not outward. To sense brightness without looking outward
means to look inward; it has nothing to do with an actual looking within.
What does hearing mean? It is hearing the Light of one's own ear. The ear
listens only within and does not listen to what is outside. To sense
brightness without listening to what is outside, is to listen to what is
within; it has nothing to do with actually listening to what is within. In this
sort of hearing, one only hears that there is no sound; in this kind of
seeing, one only sees that no shape is there. If the eye is not looking
outward and the ear is not harkening outward, they close themselves and
are inclined to sink inward. Only when one looks and harkens inward does
the organ not go outward nor sink inward. In this way laziness and
absent-mindedness are done away with. That is the union of the seed and
the Light of the sun and moon.

If, as a result of laziness, one becomes sleepy, one should stand up and
walk about. When the spirit has become clear one can sit down again. If
there is time in the morning, one may sit during the burning of an incense
candle, that is the best. In the afternoon, human affairs interfere and one
can therefore easily fall into laziness. It is not necessary to have an
incense candle. But one must lay aside all complications and sit quite still
for a time. In the course of time there will be success without one's
getting lazy and falling asleep.

5. MISTAKES DURING THE CIRCULATION OF THE LIGHT

Master Lu Tzu said: Your work will gradually draw itself together and
mature, but before you reach the condition in which you sit like a withered
tree before a cliff, there are many other possibilities of error which I would
;like to bring to your special attention. These conditions are only
recognized when they have been personally experienced. I will enumerate
them here, My school differs from the Buddhist yoga school, in that it has
confirmatory signs for each step of the way. First I would like to speak of
the mistakes and then the confirmatory signs.

When one sets out to carry out one's decision, care must be taken to see
that everything can proceed in a comfortable, easy manner. Too much
must not be demanded of the heart. On must be careful t hat, quite
automatically, heart and power correspond to one another. Only then can
a state of quietness be attained. During the quiet state the right
conditions and the right place must be provided. One must not sit down
(to meditate) in the midst of frivolous affairs. That is to say, one must not
have any vacuities in the mind. All entanglements must be put aside and
one must be supreme and independent. Nor must the thoughts be
directed toward the right procedure. If too much trouble is taken there is
danger of doing this. I do not mean that no trouble is to be taken, but the
right behavior lies in the middle way between being and non-being. If one
can attain purposelessness through purpose, then the thing has been
grasped. Supreme and without confusion, one goes along in an
independent way. Furthermore, one must not fall victim to the ensnaring
world. The ensnaring world is where the five kinds of dark demons disport
themselves.

This is the case, for example, when, after fixation, one has chiefly
thoughts of dry wood and dead ashes, and few thoughts of the
resplendent spring on the great earth. In this way one sinks into the world
of darkness. The power is cold there, breathing is heavy, and many
images of coldness and decay display themselves. If one tarries there long
one enters the world of plants and stones.

Nor must a man be led astray by the ten thousand ensnarements. This
happens if, after the quiet state has begun, one after another all sorts of
ties suddenly appear. One wants to break through them and cannot; one
follows them, and feels relieved by this. This means the matter has
become a servant. If a man tarries in this state long he enters the world
of illusory desires.

At best, one goes to Heaven; at the worst, one goes among the fox-
spirits. Such a fox-spirit might also occupy himself in the famous
mountains enjoying the wind and the moon, the flowers and fruits, and
taking his pleasure in coral trees and jeweled grass. But after he has been
occupied thus for three to five hundred years, or at the most, for a couple
of thousand years, his reward is over and he is born again into the world
of turmoil.

All of these are wrong paths. When a man knows the wrong paths, he can
then inquire into the confirmatory signs.

6. CONFIRMATORY EXPERIENCES DURING THE CIRCULATION

OF THE LIGHT

Master Lu Tzu said: There are many kinds of confirmatory experiences.

One must not content oneself with small demands but must rise to the
thought that all living creatures have to be freed. It is not permissible to
be trivial and irresponsible in heart. One must strive to make deeds one's
words.

If, when there is quiet, the spirit has continuously and uninterruptedly a
sense of great gaiety as if intoxicated or freshly bathed, it is a sign that
the Light principle in the whole body is harmonious; then the Golden
Flower begins to bud. When, furthermore, all openings are quiet, and the
silver moon stands in the middle of Heaven, and one has the feeling that
the great earth is a world of light and brilliancy, that is a sign that the
body of the heart opens itself to clarity. It is a sign that the Golden Flower
is opening.

Furthermore, the whole body feels strong and firm so that it fears neither
storm nor frost. Things by which other men are displeased, when I meet
them, cannot cloud the brightness of the seed of the spirit. Yellow gold
fills the house; the steps are white jade. Rotten and stinking things on
earth that come in contact with one breath of true power will immediately
live again. Red blood becomes milk. The fragile body of the flesh is sheer
gold and diamonds. That is a sign that the Golden Flower is crystallized.

The Book of Successful contemplation says: The sun sinks in the Great
Water and magic pictures of trees in rows arise. The setting sun means
that in Chaos (in the world before phenomena, that is, intelligible world),
a foundation is laid: that is the condition free of opposites. Highest good is
like water, pure and spotless. It is the ruler of the Great Polarity, the god
who is revealed in the sign for that which greatly disturbs, Chen. Chen is
also symbolized by wood, wherefore the images of trees in rows appears.
A sevenfold row of trees means the light of the seven body-openings (or
heart-openings). In the northwest is the direction of the creative. When it
moves on one place farther, the abysmal is there. The sun which sinking
into the Great Water is the image for the creative and abysmal. The
abysmal is the direction of midnight (mouse, north). At the winter solstice
the thunder (Chen) is in the middle of the earth quite hidden and covered
up. Only when the sign Chen is reached, does the Light-pole come over
the earth again. That is the picture representing the row of trees. The rest
can be correspondingly inferred.

The second part refers to the building of the foundation on this. The great
world is like ice, a glassy world of jewels. The brilliancy of the Light is
gradually crystallized. That is why a great terrace arises and upon it, in
the course of time, Buddha appears. When the Golden Being appears who
should it be but Buddha? For Buddha is the Golden Saint of the Great
Enlightenment. This is a great confirmatory experience.

Now there are these confirmatory experiences which can be tested. The
first is that, when one has entered the state of meditation, the gods are in
the valley. Men are heard talking as though at a distance of several
hundred paces, each one quite clear. But the sounds are all like an echo in
a valley. One can always hear them, but never oneself. This is called the
presence of the gods in the valley.

At times the following can be experienced: as soon as one is quiet, the

Light of the eyes begins to blaze up, so that everything before one
becomes quite bright as if one were in a cloud. If one opens one's eyes
and seeks the body, it is not to be found any more. This is called: In the
empty chamber it grows light. Inside and outside, everything is equally
light. That is a very favorable sign. Or, when one sits in meditation, the
fleshly body becomes quite shining like silk or jade. It seems difficult to
remain sitting; one feels as if drawn upward. This is called: The spirit
returns and pushes against Heaven. In time, one can experience it in such
a way that one really floats upward.

And now it is possible to leave all three of these experiences. But not
everything can be expressed. Different things appear to each person
according to his gifts. If one experiences these things, it is a sign of a
good aptitude. With these things it is just as it is when one drinks water.
One can tell for oneself whether the water is swarm or cold. In the same
way a man must convince himself about these experiences, then only are
they real.

7. THE LIVING MANNER OF THE CIRCULATION OF THE LIGHT

Master Lu Tzu said: When there is gradual success in producing the

circulation of the Light, a person must not give up their ordinary
occupation in doing it. The ancients said: When occupations come to us,
we must accept them; when things come to us, we must understand them
from the ground up. If the occupations are regulated by correct thoughts,
the Light is not scattered by outside things, but circulates according to its
own law. Even the still-invisible circulation of the Light gets started this
way, how much more then is it the case with the true circulation of the
Light which has already manifested itself clearly. When in ordinary life one
has the ability always to react to things by reflexes only, without any
admixture of a thought of others or of himself, that is a circulation of the
Light arising out of circumstances. It is the first secret.

8. A MAGIC SPELL FOR THE FAR JOURNEY

Master Lu Tzu said: Yu Ching has left behind him a magic spell for the Far
Journey:

Words crystallize the spirit in the place of power.

The sixth month the white snow is suddenly seen to fly.

The third watch the disk of the sun sends out shining rays.

The water blows the wind of gentleness.

Wandering in Heaven, one eats the spirit-power of the receptive.

The deeper secret within the secret:

land that is nowhere, that is the true home.

These verses are full of mystery. The meaning is: The most important
thing in the Great Meaning is the four words: non-action in action. Non-
action prevents a person from becoming entangled in form and image
(substantiality). Action in non-action prevents a person from sinking into
numbing emptiness and a dead nothingness. The effect is in the two eyes.
The two eyes are like the pole of the Great Wain which turns the whole of
creation; the cause the poles of Light and darkness to rotate. The Elixir
depends from beginning to end on the One; the metal in the middle of the
water, that is, the lead in the water-region. Heretofore we have spoken of
the circulation of the Light, indicating thereby the initial release which
works from without upon what lies within. This is to aid one in obtaining
the Master. It is for the pupils in the beginning stages. They go through
the two lower transitions in order to gain the upper one. After the
sequence of events is clear and the nature of the release is known,
Heaven no longer withholds the Meaning, but reveals the ultimate truth.
Disciples keep it secret and hold to it strictly!

The circulation of the Light is the inclusive term. The further the work
advances, the more can the Golden Flower bloom. But there is a still more
marvelous kind of circulation. Till now we have worked from the outside
on what is within; now we tarry in the center and rule what is external.
Hitherto, it was a service in aid of the Master; now it is a dissemination of
the commands of this Master. The whole relationship is now reversed. If
one wants to penetrate the more delicate regions by this method, one
must first see to it that the body and heart are completely controlled, that
one is quite free and at peace, letting go of all entanglements, untroubled
by the slightest excitement, with the Heavenly Heart exactly in the
middle. Then let one lower the lids of the two eyes as if one received a
holy edict, a summons to the minister. Who would dare disobey? Then one
illumines the house of the abysmal (water) with both eyes. Wherever the
Golden Flower appears, the true Light of polarity goes out to meet it. The
principle of that which adheres to (lightness), is light outside and dark
within; it is the body of the creative. Darkness enters and becomes
master. The results is that the heart (consciousness), becomes dependent
on things, is directed outward, and is tossed about on the stream. When
the rotating Light shines within the heart, it does not become dependent
on things, the power of the dark is limited, and the Golden Flower shines
with concentration. It is then the collected Light of polarity. Things that
are related attract each other. Thus does the polarity Light-line of the
abysmal press upward. It is not only the Light in the abyss, but it is
creative Light meeting creative Light. As soon as these two substances
meet each other, they unite inseparably, and unceasing life begins; it
comes and goes, and rises and falls of itself, in the house of primordial
power. One is aware of effulgence and infinity. The whole body feels
lighter and would like to fly. This is the state of which it is said: Clouds fill
the thousand mountains. Gradually it (life) goes here and there quite
quietly; it rises and falls imperceptibly. The pulse stands still and
breathing stops. This is the moment of true creative unity, the state of
which it is said: The moon gathers up the ten thousand waters. In the
midst of this darkness, the Heavenly Heart suddenly begins a movement.
This is the return of the one Light, the time when the child comes to life.

But the details of this must be carefully explained. When a person looks at
something, listens to something, eyes and ears move and follow the
things until they have passed. These movements are all underlings, and
when the Heavenly ruler follows them in their tasks, it means: To live
together with demons.

If now, during every movement and every moment of rest, a person lives
together with people and not with demons, then the Heavenly ruler is the
t rue man. When he moves and we move with him, the movement is the
root of Heaven. When he is quiet and we are quiet with him, this
quietness is the cave of the moon. When he continues to alternate
movement and quietness, one ought to go on with him unceasingly in
movement and quietness. If he rises and falls with inhaling and exhaling,
we must rise and fall with him. That is what is called going to and fro
between the root of Heaven and the cave of the moon.

When the Heavenly Heart still preserves calm, movement before the right
time is a fault of softness. When the Heavenly Heart has already moved,
the movement that follows afterwards, corresponding with it, is a fault or
rigidity. As soon as the Heavenly Heart is stirring, one must immediately
mount with all one's feeling to the house of the creative. Thus the Light of
the spirit sees the summit that is the leader. This movement is in accord
with the time. The Heavenly Heart rises to the summit of the creative,
where it expands in complete freedom. Then suddenly it wants the
deepest silence, and one must lead it speedily and with one's whole being
into the yellow castle. Thus the eyes behold the central yellow dwelling
place of the spirit.

When the desire for silence comes, not a single thought arises; he who is
looking inward suddenly forgets that he looks. At this time, body and
heart must be left completely free. All entanglements disappear without
trace. Then I no longer know at what place the house of my spirit and my
crucible are. If a man wants to make certain of his body, he cannot get at
it. This condition is the penetration of Heaven into earth, the time when all
wonders return to their roots.

The One is the circulation of the Light. If one begins, it is at first scattered
and one tries to collect it; the six senses are not active. This is the care
and nourishment of one's own origin, the filling up of the oil when one
goes to receive life. When one is far enough to have gathered it, one feels
light and free and need take no further trouble. This is the quieting of the
spirit in the space of the ancestors, the taking possession of former
Heaven.

When one is so far advanced that every shadow and every echo has
disappeared, so that one is quiet and firm, it is safe within the cave of
power, where all that is miraculous returns to its roots. The place is not
changed but divides itself. It is incorporeal space where a thousand and
ten thousand places are one place. The time is not changed, but divides
itself. It is immeasurable time when all the eons are like a moment.

As long as the heart has not attained complete peace, it cannot move
itself. One moves the movement and forgets the movement; this is not
movement in itself. Therefore it is said: If, when stimulated by external
things, one is moved, it is the instinct of the being. If, when not
stimulated by external things, one is moved, it is the movement of
Heaven. The being that is placed over against Heaven, can fall and come
under the domination of the instincts. The instincts are based upon the
fact that there are external things. They are thoughts that go on beyond
their own position. Then movement leads to movement. But, when no
idea arises, the right ideas come. That is the true idea. If things are quiet
and one is quite firm, the release of Heaven suddenly moves. Is this not a
movement without purpose? Action in inaction has the same meaning.

As to the beginning of the poem, the first two lines refer entirely to the
activity of the Golden Flower. The two next lines are concerned with the
mutual interpenetration of sun and moon. The sixth month is the adhering
fire. The white snow that flies, is the true darkness of polarity in the
middle of the fire sign, that is about to turn into the receptive. The third
watch is the abysmal water. The sun's disk is the one polar line in the sign
for water, which is about to turn into the creative. In this is contained the
way to take the sign for the abysmal and the way to reverse the sign for
the adhering fire. The following two lines have to do with the activity of
the pole of the Great Wain, the rise and fall of the whole release of
polarity. Water is the sign of the abysmal; the eye is the wind of softness.
The light of the eyes illumines the house of the abysmal, and controls
there the seed of the great Light. "In Heaven" means the house of the
creative. "Wandering, in Heaven, one eats the spirit-power of the
receptive." This shows how the spirit penetrates the power, and how
Heaven penetrates the earth; this happens so that the fire can be
nourished.

Symbolic Language of Taoist Alchemy

by Chadds Ford

Those who are interested in Taoist alchemical language and its deeper
meanings must look into the symbolic words and figure out the hidden
meanings behind the cryptic and difficult to fathom symbols and phrases.
Hearing ideas like "heaven" and "earth","fire" and "water", "lead",
"mercury", "tiger" and "dragon", "jade furnace", "medicine", the
"mysterious pass", "golden elixir", the "immortal embryo", and the "gate
of no gate" one must not think such words refer to the preparation of
chemical potions to ingest or parts of the body, but remember that these
words and phrases are symbols. They use a language which speaks of one
thing to allude to another.

Fire and Water

The concepts of "fire" and "water" do not refer to actual fire and water.
They are symbolic of deeper sides of our nature. The fervor and
impetuosity of people is passionate and volatile and so it is referred to as
fire. The other side of people's character, the calm, centered, more
contained and wise side is steady and careful. It has a more settled
quality, a "softness", a "flexibility" which contrasts with the fiery and
volatile side, and so it is referred to as water. Using the more contained
and settled "water" side is using thoughtfulness, logic, and control to
nurture and guide our more impulsive and wild side. Using the other side
of our disposition, the excitable and temperamental "fire" nature, to
complete and balance the often too staid and overly controlling "water"
nature is allowing that side of our character expression. By finding a
balance between these two sides of our makeup we become more
complete and whole.

Lead and Mercury

The ideas of lead and mercury use the ideas of "lead", which is heavy and
dense, and lasts a long time without disintegrating, and "mercury" which
is lively, active, and doesn't last a long time, to refer to states of mind.
What is called "lead" in the alchemical texts is not ordinary material lead
but the deep rich sense of true knowledge. This true knowledge is solid,
deep, long-lasting and unbending like the sense one gets from "lead".
What is called "mercury" in the alchemical texts refers not to actual
material "mercury", but to the yin aspects of reality's nature; the side
which is pliant, effervescent, spontaneous, unfathomable, and
metaphysical. Because it is difficult to pin down and is formless and
elusive this aspect of reality and consciousness is likened to mercury.

The Tiger and the Dragon

Alchemical language, when speaking of the "tiger" and the "dragon", in

most cases refers to either of two basic considerations. It means either
the "tiger" as the physical aspects of life and the "dragon" as the spiritual
aspects -- these are sometimes called the ordinary tiger and ordinary
dragon. However, the terms are also used to refer to the non-ordinary
aspects, or the aspects such as those of the conditioned consciousness
and the emotionally obsessed or illusioned consciousness in relation to the
evolved consciousness which has learned to transcend the "ordinary"
states of being conditioned or being emotionally obsessed. When, through
the self-cultivation work, one refines away the conditioned temperament
and the obsessing emotional habits and feelings, then the "ordinary" tiger
and dragon are overcome, and the "true tiger" and "true dragon" of
primordial essence arise. When this happens a clarity is awakened which
is so clear and fundamentally beautiful that it seems like a bright light or a
shining "mystic" pearl. When this clarity is firmly in place it pervades the
universe without hindrance.

The Jade Furnace

The "jade furnace" is symbolic language for the "container" or "field"

within which the work of self-cultivation and empowerment takes place. It
is called "jade" because the mellow and beautiful tones of jade are like the
calm serenity and steady going quality of the work.

The term "furnace" is used because it evokes the idea of slow cooking or
slow evolution, just as one slowly evolves and changes when one applies
oneself diligently and perseveringly in self-cultivation practice. The jade
furnace does not refer to some specific place in the body. It would be a
mistake for people to conceive of it in such a manner. One must go
deeper than such surface approaches.

Medicines

The "medicines" of alchemical language don't refer to physical medicines

one should take into one's physical body, but to the medicines of real
inner knowledge and conscious and conscientious practice. Ideas of yin,
yang, subtlety, sensitivity, quietude, tranquility, perseverance, balance,
evenness, honesty, sincerity, patience, simplicity, objectivity, etc. are the
real "medicines". To think that the terms alchemical "medicines" or
spiritual medicines refer to mundane physical substances is to fall way
short of proper and deep understanding.

The Mysterious Pass

The mysterious pass is profoundly subtle. It is not an ordinary aperture or

place of the body which has shape and form and can be pointed to. The
mysterious pass is immaterial and formless, and is without physical
location. It is where essence and life abide. It is the intangible which
connects with the primordial source. It is called the opening of the
mysterious female, the door of birth and death, the commencement of
non-being, and the great valley, yet all these terms refer to a basic
immaterial quality of consciousness which has to do with reaching open
and vital spiritual essence. Proceeding rightly it could be called objectivity.
Proceeding wrongly it could be called obsession. Proceeding rightly it could
be called clarity. Proceeding wrongly it could be called aloofness.
Proceeding rightly it could be called balance. Proceeding wrongly it could
be called illusion.

The mysterious pass is the access way which leads to the stabilization and
preservation of essence and life.

The Golden Elixir

When one's self-cultivation conforms to what is appropriate for the times

and circumstance, the real can solidify, the false can disperse, and the
"golden elixir" can crystallize. To undo the false and establish the real is to
open up the conditions for the golden elixir. It is possible to evoke the
realness of the golden elixir, and not actually recognize it, however, due
to delusions, personal and cultural agendas, and bias. When the golden
elixir is established and recognized, true blissful tranquility settles in place
and the calmness of autonomous and non-personal knowing is attained.
The golden elixir is called golden because it is even, shining, and mellow
like the quality of real truth. It is called the elixir because it is the
fountainhead and source of all that is real, genuine, and actual.

The Immortal Embryo

After birth the fundamental and original essence is without knowledge, yet
it is full. As life progresses, as knowledge is gained, that fundamental
primordial essence generally becomes seduced and distorted by external
influences. The cycle of life rises and one moves away from original sense
and imbalance and delusion replaces true original autonomous wholeness.
Yet if one follows the course of self-cultivation assiduously, on can turn
around the situation and regain the vitality, wholeness, and bliss of
original fundamental essence. Too often people cannot recognize true
unblemished sense; they mistakenly take physical locations in the human,
earthly, or heavenly body as places which will help them regain the
fundamental source and harmony. They indulge in bogus practices in
efforts to once again establish their original "face". They look to the
abdomen, the torso, or the head as places where the immortal embryo
should reside. They go through complicated fantasies and mental
gyrations, fooling and deluding themselves. It is no wonder such people
struggle all their lives , only to grow into old age without attainment.

The immortal embryo is not a physical entity. It is a state of

consciousness. It is called an embryo because if one attains it one regains
the simplicity and clarity of an infant. It is called immortal because the
state of mind to which it refers is the universal and undying essence which
hasn't changed since the beginning of time and will never change. It is
called the embryo because it is a "second beginning" which parallels one's
physical birth -- yet now takes place on the spiritual and psychological
plane -- it is the beginning of one's true, undiluted life. It is called
immortal because when one contacts it, one contacts that which all
enlightened beings since time immemorial have realized. To live in contact
with it is to live in contact with that which is significant at all times and all
places. To regain it one must come face to face with that which is
nameless and void. One must know reality without the filters and buffers
of fantasy and bias. One must not be too much or too little, one side or
the other, too up or too down, too full or too empty. One must be
absolutely precise and without tendency -- a million times sharper than a
razor's edge. Then, following the course of nature, the immature can
mature and what has been lost can be regained again.

In the end, the path of Alchemy is simply a spiritual path. Being a spiritual
path, it must be a path of "realness". To follow such a path is to follow
practices which help one to remain authentic and true to oneself and to
the original source of all things. To follow such a path is to eschew
delusion and acculturation. It is to know the path of the universal, the
path of yin and yang, the whole path of the heart and rationality as one,
and the path of nature. To cleave to the course of usual conditioning is to
be ensconced in the mundane which doesn't know its own beauty. To
cleave to the course of usual conditioning is to miss being an "enlightened
and empowered immortal being".