Daoism
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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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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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“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…
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Guarding 守, Gathering 聚, Guiding 行
Three important categories of neigong practice are guarding, gathering, and guiding. These categories describe both the technique and the result achieved by the practice. Guarding 守 Many have heard the saying “yi shou dantian” meaning attention guards the dantian. This relates to practices derived from the technique of guarding (shou 守) which has deep roots in both Daoist and Buddhist meditation practices variously referred to as shou yi 守一 “guarding the one”, shou zhong 守中 “guarding the center”, and shou qiao 守窍 “guarding the opening.” In this mode of practice, attention is stabilized on a special energetic location in the body such as the various openings or qiao, including the…
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Fagong 发功: Significance and Historical Evidence
Fagong 发功, the skill of emitting qi, is a diverse topic as it actually has quite a long history in China, there are many types of qi emission, and there are various reasons why this skill might be something to pursue. Historical Evidence of Qi Emission Qi emission, or faqi 发气, can be a controversial subject and, for the most part, in China has been taboo to demonstrate or speak of too publicly since well before the internet was around. So although it is something that exists among neigong adepts in China, you won’t find demonstrations or much about it on Chinese internet or social media. Interestingly, records of qi…
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Five Types of Daoist Immortals
How you cultivate determines your results. Everyone dies, but not everyone dies the same way. There are five levels of Daoist Immortality and it’s important for a practitioner to understand what they are and what type of practices correspond to each so that they can properly align their practice with their goals. This remains relevant because it speaks to the importance of proper practice, the difference between qigong practice and neidan, and distinguishes practices that can lead to spiritual development from those that can at best lead to health and longevity. Throughout history many famous Daoist masters categorized levels of attainment, related them to certain modes of practice, and criticized…
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Bioelectricity and the Modern Understanding of the Body’s Natural “Energetic” Intelligence
Classical Chinese views of health and the human body focus on the flows of qi 气 throughout the body’s meridians and between organ systems. Daoists had various “symbolic visions” of the body which could sometimes exist simultaneously and overlap. For example, one could metaphorically view the body as a microcosmic landscape, or in another, as “an administrative system that parallels the bureaucratic systems of the state and of the heavens.”1 Today, it is common to think of the qi that constitutes and animates the “body universe” as a sort of “energy.” Qi can not be fully reduced to bio-electromagnetism, but I think there is little doubt that the latter accounts…
