IN CONSTRUCTION
Wai Dan involves using a variety of physical postures in order to create a surplus of qi in arms and legs. Theoretically, once the qi builds up to a high enough level in your appendages, it will clear tension or blockage in the body. This then enables the qi to flow smoothly and efficiently throughout the system.
Still Wai Dan (also called Zhan Zhuang) is performed by standing in a set position for up to twenty minutes. The arms and shoulders may feel tired, but when lowered the energy that has built up in your shoulders will flow down into your arms and eventually circulate through your body.
Moving Wai Dan involves repeatedly tensing and relaxing various muscle groups as you move from one position to another. It is important to make sure there is little residual tension in the muscles as possible improving the movement of qi through the meridians.
Nei Dan, Mental Qi Building
It is said that Nei Dan, 内丹, builds qi using mental effort that is relaxed and one-pointed... but that is not quite correct, for one cannot build qi. What one can do, however, is generate build-up of Qi intensity in the abdomen through a series of movements and breathing exercises with correct concentration that divorces itself from all impeding thoughts.
Once qi has mounted to a functional level, it is directed and circulated without cognitive effort through the body.
Qi flows through the body in a series of meridians consisting of holding vessels and twelve channels. Vessels act as storage centers for qi that empty and fill up like reservoirs as qi flows through the body.
Preservation of the One is the leading theme of Ge Hong’s discourse. That preservation of the One is not related to the mundane ideals of (i.e., obtaining of longevity and immortality). For example, it was said:
«The only method of the prolongation of life and attainment of the state of immortal is but the way of Gold and Cinnabar; the only method to preserve one’s body and to cut off the evil influences is [contemplation] of the True One. Therefore the ancients extremely seriously treated such affairs.»
This passage describes the "shou yi practices" as complementary to the the way of the external Wai Dan practices
Briefly speaking, it can be summarized that the inner practices of visualization, breathing control, and different types of contemplation are much older than the outer, and they are the mainstream of the Daoist practical teachings, but unity with the internal teachings matured during the the Six Dynasties (Liu chao) period.
1. Dao (the Way as the first cosmological and/or ontological principle) was described here not only as Xuan yi, the hidden and unrevealed substance (analogical functionally) but also as the self-revealing principle of Zhen yi.
2. Ge Hong speaks in details about the manifestation of the True One within the human body where the mystical signatures of Dao are cinnabar fields (dan tian).
Probably, Ge Hong is the first writer speaking about three cinnabar fields (earlier texts mentioned only one dan tian, the centre in the lowest part of abdomen, beneath the navel).
Ge Hong describes cinnabar fields in metaphoric language.
Here Ge Hong uses the term shou yi (literally):
shou yi 寿一 : Preservation of the One»
was the earliest designation of different Daoist meditative and contemplative practices directly connected with the background of the inner alchemy (the practices of shou yi are rather well-known from such comparatively early texts as the "Classic of the Great Equanimity," Taipingjing).
3. aims of the shou yi practices:
protection from demonic attacks and influences,
protection from armed enemies,
protection from ilness and infections.
Ge Hong’s statement regarding the metaphysical relations between the manifested Dao of the True One and the hidden Dao of the Mysterious, or the Mysterious One (xuan yi).
Ge Hong proclaims the equal importance of purely meditative practices connected with the realization of the Mysterious One and inner magic of the True One.
Nevertheless, he states that the True One practices are simpler than the Mysterious One practices.
Moreover, the preservation of the True One (shou zhen yi) is the most simple way to preserve or keep the Mysterious One, as well because of their ontological unity (the manifested Dao is an «eye» through which the hidden Dao «contemplates» the Universe).
In superstitious terms, the practices of the preservation of the One are the methods of obtaining different supernatural powers (such as multiplication of the bodily form or contemplation of the hun-po (soul) within one’s body).
The following passage seems as being irrelevant to the themes of the preceding section. Here Ge Hong in rather eloquent manner speaks about the art of alchemy (making the Great Medicine da yao or Golden Cinnabar jin dan) as hard work demanding great efforts and laborious behaviour.
But in reality it is but introduction to a new evaluation of the practices of preservation of the One: the alchemical work leading to immortality is hard, it takes plenty of time to fulfil it. Therefore the adept must do his best to keep his body in a good health, being protected against sickness as well as against demonic attacks and malevolent influences of the evil spirits and ghosts.
Here Ge Hong mentions the shou yi practices together with the contemplation of the inner spirits of the body (si shen) which also must protect body against all destructive forces.
Therefore, it can be said that Ge Hong evaluates the inner practices of shou yi as having only subsidiary character. They are necessary for providing the practitioner of external alchemy (the principal method) with safety and ease.
It is substantial that Ge Hong looks for a kind of harmony between external and internal methods of the Daoist cultivation. The leading role of the external methods still exists but the function of the inner cultivation becomes very important, too.
Here it looks reasonable to examine the elements of the inner cultivation within the frames of the external laboratory alchemy as such.
It is impossible to divide technical, magical and ritualistic aspects of the alchemical approaches of Ge Hong.
He denies the idea of the automatic, or mechanical effect of the elixirs, combining the technical and chemical procedures with fasting, prayers and purification (chapter 4 – jin dan pian).
Everywhere in BPZNP Ge Hong stresses the importance of such practices as gymnastics (dao yin), control over pneumata (xing qi), and sexual techniques (fang zhong zhi shu), all of which were closely related to the formation of the system of inner alchemy.
Certainly, Ge Hong was sure that all those methods could not lead the adept to his final goal, that is, immortality but nevertheless, he believed that all of them were extremely valuable, helpful and even necessary as subsidiary and additional means to prolong the adept’s life or to protect him from evil and harmful influences.
In other words, Ge Hong was a master of external alchemy, which was thought of him to be the highest way to immortality, but 1) this external alchemy included in itself some elements of the inner doing (purifications, sacral bathing, fasting, prayer, meditation, etc.) and 2) he believed in the great efficacy of the inner practices as subsidiary means of macrobiotic and protective character.
It is obvious that here shou yi is mentioned in the list of other inner practices of subsidiary kind and palliative importance, however useful and effective they are.
Therefore, it can be said that BPZNP has a room for the inner practices but all of them are allowed to play only secondary roles.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that Ge Hong’s treatise is one of the earliest examples of the beginning of the shift from purely external to combined and even purely internal alchemy.
In more radical terms, it is possible to suppose that the element of the inner practices was included in the laboratory alchemy from its very beginning but the religious and cultural situation of the Six Dynasties period produced some important conditions for actualization of the hidden internal elements, their development and gradual formation of the system known to us as the «inner alchemy» (nei dan).
One Cloud's seven nei dan formulas
One Cloud's seven nei dan formulas are a practical, gradual, step-by-step method of returning to the natural spiritual center of gravity held by one's Original Self, the trinity of original jing-qi-shen.
In my experience, if an adept receives transmission of at least the first two formulas, the alchemical language of the other five formulas may spontaneously reveal themselves in deep meditation.
Many of my own students have had this experience. This is in keeping with my thesis that the formulas act as a catalyst for speaking a deep language of nature that unfolds spontaneously as one matures spiritually.
As humans have different natures, it explains why different forms of nei dan practice arise. My own practice of these nei dan formulas has unfolded quite differently from that of my first Dao teacher (Mantak Chia) for this reason. Experience has taught me these formulas are best learned slowly, allowing a minimum of one year practice of each to digest and stabilize the energetic shifts they initiate before "eating" the qi of the next level. Students who attempt to rush through them, stuffing their heads with information about then, invariably cannot hold onto anything and drop the alchemical practice completely.
Foundation Practice: Inner Smile. Internal alchemy begins with a wu-wei practice, the Inner Smile.
The ordinary outer smile is reactive to one environment. The inner smile is an method of effortlessly opening the inner heart (yuan shen) and penetrating its gentle radiance into one's biology (and its underlying jing).
The Inner Smile is the simplest and most basic practice, yet is found at the end of each level of alchemical cultivation as well. At the end of all the formulas, it becomes the most advanced practice - the adept merges into the mind of the Dao, effortlessly smiling into all dimensions of Nature. This merger of the adept smiling with the mind of the Dao implies that humanity's presence (as one of the three treasures) can elevate the Dao with its purity of heart.
Formula 1: Open the Orbit, Five Phases of Spirit and Eight Extraordinary Qi Vessels. How to communicate harmoniously with the qi field inside he human body.
These foundational energetic practices encapsulate the entirety of classical Chinese medicine, and are the main practices used for self-healing. Students often spend several years learning them. The Six Healing Sounds clear the stuck qi cycling through the five phases and three burners (head/upper chest, solar plexus, belly). The Microcosmic Orbit balances yin-yang flow of the spine and front chest and alchemically mixes the adept's qi and blood. Fusion of the Five Elements (Phases) I, II, and III is emotional and psychic alchemy. It helps one to absorb innate virtue and dissolve negative emotional qi, which is then crystallized into a pearl made of post natal yuan qi (source qi in TCM). The Macrocosmic Orbit circulates the clarity of this pearl in the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, which opens communication between the trunk (spine, waist & core channel) to all limbs/directions.
Formulas 2, 3, and 4 are the Lesser, Greater, and Greatest Enlightenment of Water and Fire (kan & li). This division of enlightenment into three levels is traditional. (20) These are three levels of the reversal (ni) phase, where the adept begins the internal sexual coupling of fire (yang body spirits) with water (yin body spirits), then progresses to internally coupling sun with moon, and finally to a fusion of planetary spirits and coupling of inner earth with inner sun (yang within the yin and yin within the yang).
Reversal means the adept's desires to pursue outer physical life in Later Heaven is reversed and all one's desires begin dissolving and flowing back into Early Heaven and the Origin.
The Lesser formula completes the 5 phases of human qi (vital organ spirits), the Greater completes the 5 phases of earth qi (geomantic forces), and the Greatest completes the 5 phases of planetary qi (astrological forces that shape human destiny). The net effect of completing all three levels is to fulfill one's soul purpose, which dissolves fear of death and the unconscious drive to incarnate. This enlightenment of completing the qi of the individual's post-natal self is thus the requisite to attaining immortality in the following three formulas.
This alchemical "coupling" or "cooking" process reunites post natal jing-qi-shen and allows the adept's Later Heaven self to open a portal for communication with her Early Heaven self. These three formulas focus on opening an inner space where the adept can talk to core body intelligences (jingshen), the intelligences within the Earth, and the Sun/planetary intelligences. This allows the adept to absorb progressively greater powers of yin and yang qi. The second formula, sexual inner alchemy, is essentially an advaced practice of the Microcosmic Orbit. It involves self-intercourse within the adept of yin (inner female) and yang (inner male) body spirits, and variants of this nei dan practice are described in a number of Dao canon texts translated into English.
Formula 5 is Sealing of the Senses. it seals the Later Heaven senses/mind of the adept inside the crown to open up and refine communication between the adept's personal soul (ling) and the Great Spirit (da shen) of the star intelligences. Thus it is also called Star alchemy. This engages the collective stellar level of nature's intelligence, defined by the Big Dipper and Polestar, and opens the portal of the central axis (chong qi, or cosmic yuan qi) of Later Heaven into Early Heaven.
Formula 6 is the Congress of Heaven and Earth. It couples, as an act of cosmic sexual self-intercourse, the adept's Later Heaven soul essence with his formless androgynous Early Heaven essence. This final coupling opens communications with the chaos/original unity of Primordial Heaven.
The circulation of qi between the three heavens is the True Macrocosmic Orbit.
Formula 7 the Union of Man and Dao, the Shen transformation union between the feminine principle and the masculine expression.
One Cloud did not claim to master it or teach it. He described it as the cosmicized human's jing-qi-shen merging spontaneously into the wuji, the Supreme Unknown, portal to the unknowable Dao.
The seven formulas offer a progressive experience of yuan qi as the mover behind all cosmic cycles of change.