Spiritual Chinese Alchemy

[Phoenix]

This is a Phoenix-thread from the old site created by simonv.

When I mentioned chinese alchemy I really meant the kind of fusion of taoism and buddhism (and even confucianism) that has grown out of chinese culture, and been distilled into a form of alchemy which is uncannily (blatantly) analogous to western alchemy.
The best written sources (of strictly taoist alchemy) I've found are The Inner Teachings of Taoism and Understanding Reality, both by Chang Po-Tuan (read in that order), translated by Thomas Cleary. This material is very similar to tibetan buddhist practice--dzogchen, mahamudra--but has that elegance of alchemy, that subtle approach to 'materia', water and fire, heaven and earth, etc.
I study the theory (Wong Kiew Kit's book is particularly good) and practice of qigong (or chi kung), which I find very effective for health and relaxation; and it's a way to relate to people who are not likely to be into or to grok the more esoteric side of alchemy.
Taoist practice has a sexual side that is a lot more earthy and open than other traditions (including tibetan buddhism, which can be quite 'churchy', secretive and sexist about it); but on the other hand I have found that some taoist practicioners get hung up on their clever sexual 'kung fu', or emphasise it too much, and that some teachers advocate difficult practices to beginners which can and have been dangerous. Essentially though I feel the taoist tradition addresses sex the best (and of course they have pretty much stolen the show in the area of 'magical fighting arts'--but this, in my opinion, is very often skating on the edges of black magic).
But it's western alchemy, or the hermetic magical-alchemical tradition that has my heart, for its endless avenues of study, and maybe particularly for the poetic beauty of how it all aesthetically yet also mathematically hangs together.
Simon

....thanks for that Simonv.....always interested in eastern practices....I do tai chi...the council here sponsors it for free,so every monday morning I go down to the beach and practice it with the sea in the background....just magic.
The book recommendations are solid....I'll add them to my list.Like you however I'm pretty dedicated to the western mystery tradition.I need the rest of my life for the astrological corpus alone....

Yes, for a chronic student the western way is a garden of delights.
Chang Po-Chuan really is very complimentary to western alchemy though. Also, it is beautiful poetry.

Hey

I apprieated your commentary...try out Mantak Chia books. Specifically fusion of the 5 elements. Have you read The Path of Alchemy, it is excellent. Or what about Iniation into to Hermetic, by Franz Bardon...You have got to get those two.

I have read that Mantak Chia book, and a few others. Michael Winn is in his lineage and has also had many, many other Taoist teachers--I recommend checking out his material (mostly audio and video) and website.
I have a few Bardon books. I find him very impressive but haven't yet opted to really delve into his system, which strikes me as a serious proposition--I'm opting instead to focus on general alchemical studies and am quite into the work of RJ Stewart, the Scottish magician and musician. Stewart's magic is very rooted in alchemy, and I like his learnedness and ethical stance.

Simon

[Avatar]

LMy previouse posts were wrong.

Ida and pingala are inner sun and moon.
Sympathetic and para-symathetic nervouse systems.

Natural breath = stimulates sympathetic
Reversal of it =stimulates para-symathetic

Natural breath= inhail with less pressure than exhail.
reversal= exhail with less pressure inhail with more

Breath in and out like tone and echo " no pause"

This is the natural reversal of breath.
Why?
When the body is naturally engaged it switches its functioning to the para-symathetic. Nervouse system.
This alters the breathing.
The reversal of breath I just taught. Is the core essence of reversal for it is exactly opposite of resting breathing.
A woman in orgasm who "flushes red" breathes this way

Breathing like this causes the body to heat up due to stimulation of pingala "para-symathetic system.
Along with heat will come a "flushing red" of the skin. THIS is the spirit of Jing.
In the start, one flushes red, but as Jing is refined it is like a "drying up".
Then their will be no flushing only heat.
Then their will be only sublet heat.
then unnoticable heat.
Then their is a movement upwards when on inhails.
One must become very "dry" and have much upwards movement.
As one does this lust vanishes.
Then to create more jing, sexual fluid is made.
Due to the flowing up. Which is full body flowing.
Right after a ligght sexual fluid is made,it will suddenly vanish as if one had done nothing.
the body will heat up turning flush red when this is done.
one should also do the reversal breath during this.

Signs of strong enough reversal for circulation of spirits:
Cold sexual organs.
The water of the kidneys presses upwards.
The head of the penis may become pale colored.

This red Jing that is being refined. Is also known as histamine.
histamine is stored in a couple places, noticeably in mast cells located in the genitals.
it is said in woman the menstruation reverses. But I cannot attest to this.
although I assume mast cells of a woman's sexual organs would be located in the overies.

[Peter Barnes]

There arent many chinese texts translated, not many new ones anyway. We have to rely in 'translators' to tell us what the ancients meant, which could be something other than what they teach in their books.

Its funny that Jing means sexual energy, Jingzi means sperm, and Gold is also pronounced Jingzi, interesting eh. What is also interesting is that the DanTian means elixir field, Dan can mean egg as in Ji Dan (chicken egg) the Dan was the elixir or the pill or egg of Immortality. Lian Dan means to practise alchemy, lian I think means practise or do nd so Dan can mean alchemy, elixir etc.

What happened was that when many were poisoned using the Waidan (outer alchemy) methods then Chinese alchemy switched to more benign forms (Nei Dan) inner alchemy but kept some names such as Dan Tian etc.