#neidan

In Taoism, as in Tantra, there are so-called “signs of achievement” indicating the progress of the adept. Along with them, spectacular subtle phenomena and temptations coexist with the cultivation. These accompanying mystical experiences are described in all Taoist currents. The article below by Stephen Eskildsen gives their interpretation in the one of the major schools, Quanzhen (全真, Way Of…

I promised to demystify, but now I’m going to obscure the issue. Mystic is such an elusive substance: always appears where there is no place for it and disappears from where it should be experienced. This is also the case of jian. The practice of the Taoist sword is immersed in childish fantasies, while its true magic is almost lost.

Talking about Alchemy: 內經圖 – Neijing Tu

The Neijing Tu – 內經圖 is a Daoist inner landscape diagram which illustrates the human body according to Neidan, the Esoteric Taoist Internal Alchemy.   內經圖 – Neijing Tu As a practitioner, a teacher, and a lecturer of Internal Martial Arts, I also developed a deep interest into Taoism and Alchemy. Taoist Internal Alchemy focuses upon becoming aware, developing, and using the 三寶 (sanbao), the so…

The Book of Master Celestial Seclusion (天隱子) is one of the influential manuals of the Shangqing school, included in the Tang Golden Age corpus. The source is attributed to Sima Chengzhen (at least the preface). Even if this attribution is not perfectly accurate, it is evident that the treatise comes from the same Taoist circle and develops his emblematic method of “Sitting in Oblivion.” Continue…

These precepts for bodily and mental purification from the Lingbao school (靈寶派) are part of the Retreat ritual. They are expounded in the Explanations on the Lingbao Retreat: Protocol for radiant illuminations, precepts and punishments, lamps and prayers and included in the Taoist Canon. [1] However, this set of recommendations applies to any ascetic purifying practice. The text is presumably a…

A few thoughts on a millennia old austerity practice, bigu (辟穀) fasting, “abstention from cereals”. Nowadays, this concept is hyped and heavily misinterpreted: some argue that it implies extreme starvation, some claim that this is a special diet associated with the restriction of starchy foods and aimed at losing weight. It’s an old-school practice, also called Duangu (Stop Cereals, 斷谷), Juegu…

Huainanzi (淮南子), a Han dynasty text, portrays the accomplished Taoist master as a paradoxical saint, combining all polarities and transcending them. Continue reading Portrayal of the Perfect Taoist in Early Sources