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Third-Eye Empowerment vs. Cultivated Third-Eye Opening
Many people are interested in “opening the third eye,” so it is unsurprising that the videos I posted about “third-eye empowerment” attracted considerable attention. Despite my efforts to provide context in the captions, several misunderstandings have emerged. I therefore thought it would be helpful to write a detailed article clarifying what these empowerments are—and what they are not. What is “third-eye empowerment”? Masters associated with the system of Yi Jin Jing neigong, which I have practiced for more than ten years, perform this energetic adjustment for those who aspire to begin practicing neigong. They refer to it as “kai tianmu” 开天目, literally “opening the celestial eye.” In the Chinese tradition,…
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The Celestial Eye 天目
There is a lot of interest online surrounding the third eye and “opening the third eye.” Although perhaps there are many misunderstandings as well. Many ideas are based on modern conceptions which may or may not be rooted in authentic systems of spiritual cultivation. The Chinese traditions of internal cultivation have been refined over many centuries. So one might wonder how this idea of opening the third eye is discussed in centuries-old traditions like Daoist internal alchemy (neidan). It could be said that in neidan, the third-eye (tianmu) and other related energetic anatomy of the head first become active when a practitioner’s meditation practice has become deep enough that they…
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Medicinal Herbs and Energetic Adjustments as Support for Practice
Medicinal herbs have been used as support for Chinese internal cultivation practices for centuries. In his famous Fifteen Discourses to Establish the Teachings, which are essentially guidelines on the fundamentals of cultivation, founder of the Northern School of Daoist Alchemy, Wang Chongyang has an entire discourse dedicated to medicinal herbs. 藥者，乃山川之秀氣，草木之精華 Medicinal herbs are the flourishing emanations of mountains and waterways, the essential florescence of plants and trees… …If one is willing to study them as essences, one can enliven the Xing (innate nature) and Ming (life-destiny) of people… …If you do not understand herbal preparation, you will have no way to…
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Building Foundation: Neigong vs Neidan
Building Foundation is always considered a crucial step regardless of what one’s goals are in the internal arts. It is never wise to “build on top of a shaky foundation.” At best, you just won’t get anywhere with the more advanced practices. At worst, progressing to advanced practices too early can even be detrimental. Foundational practices can involve both body and mind-based practice, although it is common to start with the more physical and substantial aspects of oneself and work towards the more ethereal. While there is some overlap, foundational practices done for neidan (inner alchemy) are not always the same as neigong/qigong practices. This is because neidan ultimately is…
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Schools of Neidan
Neidan 内丹 (“inner alchemy”)–a (mostly) Daoist tradition of meditation and internal cultivation, has a long and complex history which cannot be adequately represented as a simple succession of neatly bounded schools. The Northern and Southern lineages were the two major formations emerging between the 11th and 13th centuries. These categorizations were not so much labels officially recognized by the representative figures of those times, but rather labels applied retrospectively as a convenient way to classify major currents within neidan. This article does not attempt to be comprehensive or definitively correct. It is intended more as a set of notes but with the intention of bringing more awareness to the greater…
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The Most Authentic Form of Yi Jin Jing
I’m sometimes approached by people who speak as if there is a “one true form of Yi JIn JIng”–as in, the most authentic, secret version of it (and of course they are the ones who hold this secret). In reality, it is basically impossible to determine with absolute certainty what the most original and purest form of Yi Jin Jing is. Instead of bothering with that, my approach is simply look for the best versions of it that I can find in which those practicing it have achieved significant, objective results. This has lead me to two forms of Yi Jin Jing in particular, which I will discuss below, but first…
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Blood Stasis and the Importance of Healthy Blood
The Gengmen lineage’s protocol for Classical Chinese medicine is straightforward: use lineage-based “blood-transforming” pills to perfect the quality of the blood, and powerful, electric-like qi emission to clear obstructed meridians. At first, it might seem surprising that this seemingly simple methodology could improve such a wide range of ailments, but what this shows is just how fundamental the smooth flow of qi and blood is to the overall wellbeing of the human body. In the same way that a blocked and dried up river can have substantial and sometimes unexpected effects downstream on different layers of a mountain or forest ecosystem, stagnant blood and qi in a meridian system can…
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Tea and Zen, One Taste 禅茶一味
The famous saying Chan cha yi wei 禅茶一味 means that tea and Zen are the same (lit. Zen and tea, one taste). This illustrates the fact that Zen practice is not bound to the meditation cushion, but should necessarily be integrated into daily life: “meditation in action.” The tea ceremony can then become a vehicle for practicing Zen. The character for Zen in Chinese is Chan 禅 (禪). “Chan” is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word dhyana (jhana) which is a form of meditation that involves profound concentration and deep absorption on a singular object of meditation. The word can be broken down into dhi (mind) + yana (vehicle). The…
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“Eating Bitter” 吃苦 in Kneeling Posture 跪坐
Chan Cha 禅茶 (Tea and Zen) practice at Wenshu Monastery advocates a kneeling posture (gui zuo 跪坐) for tea practice. This is a seated posture that can quickly become intense and uncomfortable as the legs quickly become numb. This is a form of “eating bitter” 吃苦. From a Buddhist perspective, this disciplines the practitioner and reminds them that suffering is a part of living in the world. Continue reading (members only)…
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Huangjing: A Daoist Superfood
Check the Shop to see if high-quality huangjing is in stock. Huangjing 黄精 could be called a Daoist superfood. It is considered one of the Four Great Immortal Herbs 四大仙草, and is revered among Daoists as an herb that is especially beneficial for cultivation as it replenishes jing and qi, nourishes yin, tonifies the kidneys, spleen, and lungs, and promotes longevity. Huanjing is called the “immortals’ leftovers” 仙人余粮. In addition to using it to help them produce more jing and qi, Daoists sometimes consume it when fasting during periods of deep cultivation. Regular consumption of huangjing is also said to lead to longevity. Legendary Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu wrote…
