Chinese Healing Exercises, 3
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3. (pp. 98-127) "The Exercise Classic".
p. 98 titles
The full title of the Dao-yin Jin (‘Healing-Exercises Scripture’) is Tai-qin Dao-yin Yan-s^en Jin (‘Great-Clarity Healing-Exercises [and] Nourishing-Life Scripture’. |
"The text is recouped in two shorter versions in the Daoist canon, one contained in the eleventh century [Chr.E.] encyclopedia Yunji qiqian ... (Seven Tablets in a Cloudy Satchel, DZ 1032; ch. 34) and another found in the compendium Daoshu ... (Pivot of the Dao, DZ 1017; ch. 28; trl. Huang and Wurmbrand 1987, 2:134-143) by the Daoist master and inner alchemist Zeng Zao ... (d. 1155)." |
Huang & Wurmbrand 1987 = Jane Huang & Michael Wurmbrand : The Primordial Breath. 2 voll. Torrance (CA) : Original Bks.
p. 98 the 4 immortals’ biographies contained in the Dao-yin Jin
"Pengzu ..., who allegedly ate only cinnamon and lived for hundreds of years through the Xia and Shang dynasties; |
Chisongzi ... or Master Redpine, the Lord of Rain under the mythical Divine Farmer (Shennong ...), best known for his magical powers of riding the wind ...; |
Ningfengzi ... or Master Ning (the Lord of Fire under the Yellow Emperor), who was immune to heat and burning; and |
Wangzi Qiao ... who could travel through the universe at will." |
p. 100 parallel litterary passages to the Dao-yin Jin in sections of other canonical Daoist litterature
The Dao-yin Jin materials closely match a "section of the Zhubing yuanhou lun of the early seventh century (Despeux 1989, 229); |
the Exercise part if the Yangxing yanming lu, which probably dates from the mid-seventh century (Stein 1999, 185 ...); |
the Shesheng zuanlu ... (Comprehensive Record on Preserving Life, DZ 578; trl. Huang and Wurmbrand 1987, 2:75-90) by Wang Zhongqiu ... of the mid-Tang, which lists six seated exercises ascribed to Master Redpine (Schipper and Verellen 2004, 356); |
the Huanzhen neiqi fa ... (Master Huanzhen’s Method of Internal Qi, DZ 828, Yunji qiqian 60.14a-25b), also from the mid-Tang, which has to methods of qi-control (Maspero 1981, 461n3)". [fn. 3 : "The same essential text appears also in the Taiwu xiansheng fuqi fa ... (Master Great Nonbeing’s Method of Qi-Absorption, DZ 824) from the late eighth century... . ... It is later reprinted in the Ming-dynasty Chifeng sui (Despeux 1988, 65-84)."] |
Despeux 1989 = Catherine Despeux : "Gymnastics". In :- Livia Kohn (editrix) : Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques. Ann Arbor : U of Mi Center for Chinese Studies Publ. pp. 223-61.
Stein 1999 = Stephan Stein : Zwischen Heil und Heilung. Uelzen : Medizinisch-Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft.
Schipper & Verellen 2004 = Kristofer M. Schipper & Franciscus Verellen (edd.) : The Taoist Canon. U of Chicago Pr.
Maspero 1981 = Henri Maspero (trl. by Frank Kierman) : Taoism and Chinese Religion. Amherst : U of MA Pr.
Despeux 1988 = Catherine Despeux : La moe’lle du phe’nix rouge. Paris : Editions Tre’daniel.
p. 102 the 6 healing-breaths, according to the Dao-yin Jin 16a
breath |
is of the __ |
governeth the __ |
and cureth __ |
he |
heart |
tougue |
"mouth is dry"; "wayward qi" |
hu |
spleen |
stomach |
fever; "energetic compression" |
xu |
liver |
eyen |
vision troubles |
c^ui |
kidneys |
ears |
infertility; hearing afflictions |
si |
lungs |
nose |
skin troubles |
xi |
Triple Heater |
"energy-processing" |
p. 110 Pen-zu’s "Method of Lying-Down Exercises for Nurturing Immortality" (Dao-yin Jin 6b-7a)
# |
exercise |
its benefit |
1. |
lie on back |
"relieves diabetes" |
2. |
hold knee to torso |
"eliminates ... all wayward and obstructed qi" |
3. |
pull on toes |
"eliminates all potential hernias" |
4. |
raise the torso |
"relieves localized pain and stiffness" |
5. |
toes face each other |
"eliminates coughs" |
6. |
heels face each other |
"benefits the intestines and stomach" |
7. |
shin against knee |
"eliminates qi-depletions" |
8. |
extend the shins |
"prevents muscle cramps" |
9. |
knees above heart |
"relieves hip pain" |
10. |
feet turned in; then turned out |
"restores you from fatigue" |
pp. 112-3 Master Redpine’s sequence of 12 exercises (Dao-yin Jin 1a-2a)
p. |
# |
exercise |
its benefit |
112 |
1. |
interlace fingers of both hands above head; bend to the floor |
"expands the qi" |
113 |
2. |
lying on side, touch opposite elbow to ground |
"releases muscles and bones" |
3. |
head to knee |
"releases the hips" |
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4. |
raise knee, and lift opposite arm |
"releases the chest" |
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5. |
hand to hip and lift opposite arm |
"releases the mid-belly" |
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6. |
interlace fingers in front of chest; turn head to left and to right |
"releases the face and ear muscles |
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7. |
interlace fingers below the hips; turn torso to right and to left |
"opens the blood arteries" |
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8. |
interlace fingers and stretch arms to the front, while turning torso to right and to left |
"releases the shoulders" |
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9. |
interlace fingers; reverse the palms; stretch arms above head |
"releases the qi of the lungs and liver" |
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10. |
interlace fingers in front of chest; stretch to left and to right |
"eliminates tense qi from the skin" |
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11. |
interlace fingers; bring the hands to the shoulders on the right and the left |
"releases skin-qi" |
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12. |
stand; stretch shanks to left and to right |
"releases leg-qi" |
p. 114 Master Nin’s sequence of 9 exercises (Dao-yin Jin 2a-b) : performed whilst holding one’s breath for a count of the # of the exercise
# |
exercise |
its benefit |
1. |
make fists; alternately cover ears with opposite hands |
"will keep your hair black and prevent it from turning white" |
2. |
press middle fingers into sides of neck |
"will brighten your eyesight" |
3. |
massage eyen with middle fingers |
"will also brighten your eyesight" |
4. |
"pinch your nostrils between your fingers" |
"relieves obstruction of nasal breath due to too much flesh" |
5. |
"bend forward" |
? |
6. |
"Lie on your side |
"relieves deafness in the ears and dizziness in the eyes" |
7. |
"Lie on your back" |
"relieves chest pains" |
8. |
"Embrace your knees with both hands and rise up on your toes." |
"relieves ... all wayward and hot qi" |
9. |
curl hands; clasp them behind head; rise up on toes |
"causes the qi to move up and down smoothly ..., and relieves emaciation and weakness" |
pp. 116-8 how to absorb solar energy
p. 116 |
[quoted from the Wo-z^on Jue 2.19a; Maspero 1981, p. 514] "at dawn ... invoke the essence of the Sun which shines like a pearl with a green reflection and visualize it changing into a red halo ... . Next, ... visualize the five colors of the Sun spreading like a halo and coming to touch your body. Allow them to sink as far down as the feet and reach as high as the top of your head. Next, see the center of the brilliant cloud in a purple hue like the pupil of an eye." {the pupil of the eye of some particular purple-pupiled deity?} |
p. 117 |
"another version of this practice appears in the Dengzhen yinjue ... (Secret Instructions on the Ascent of the Perfected, DZ 421), by Tao Hongjing of the early sixth century". |
p. 118 |
This latter is Den-z^en Yin-jue 2.14a-16b; trsl. in Maspero 1981, pp. 514-5. |
pp. 119-22 exercises accomplishing control of qi (according to the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa ‘Huan-z^en’s Internal-Qi Method’)
p. |
control of qi |
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119 |
[quoted from the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa 3a]"the qi ... causes a ... sound like water dripping. ... It passes the twenty-four articulations [of the oesophagus], going drip-drip like water." |
{cf. the dripping of lunar liquid from the melted moon in Kun.d.alini Yoga. There are 24 naks.atra-s.} |
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120 |
1. "Guiding Qi (xingqi ...)" : "Once [the qi is] swallowed into the Ocean of Qi, adepts should visualize two caverns that begin at the back of the cinnabar field [viz., the Upper Cinnabar Field, in the head] and run up toward the Niwan Palace in the head :" |
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[quoted from the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa 3b-4a] "Imagine the qi in two strands moving up [through these caverns] and entering the Niwan center in the head. From there let it steam into the body’s palaces, like a dense fog spreading downward, all the way though ... into the hands and fingers. Once there, it move further to pervade ... the middle cinnabar field, which houses the Heart Palace and thus the spirit. From here, the qi drips into the five inner organs and continues to flow ... into the lower cinnabar field. Allow it to continue ... to that it reaches the Three-mile point [in mid-shin], moving through ... all the way to Bubbling Well at the Center of the soles." |
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"This practice, which is very close to a key practice in women’s internal alchemy recorded from the seventeenth century, moves the qi ..., which they see leaving through the fingers and toes". [p. 120, fn. 10 : "Rather than allowing the qi to flow into their legs, however, they [women] make it return to the breasts. .. they will notice that the quantity of menstrual blood ... decreases, thus leading to the "decapitation of the red dragon".] |
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121 |
2. "Refining Qi (lianqi ...)" : "adepts are to lie on their backs. ... "... follow the qi wherever it flows, regulating it is its sealed environment. ..." (5a) This is ... to enhance vitality and increase life expectancy." |
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3. "Surrendering to Qi (weiqi ...)" : |
{‘Surrender’ is the literal meaning of />islam/.} |
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[quoted from the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa 6a] "whether walking, standing ..., or sitting up, ... you allow the mind to become one with the Great Void. ... Once there, balance and enclose the qi ..., ... flowing easily along with it and not letting it get into a struggle with your intention. After some time, |
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the qi will emerge from the hundred hair pores of the body". |
{Maris.a "came forth from the pores of her skin" (VP 1:15, p. 113).} |
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4. "Enclosing Qi ... . It is used particularly if there is ... a difficulty in destiny." |
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122 |
[quoted from the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa 6b] "Balance the qi and swallow it. Think activelyof the place of your suffering, enclose the qi ["hold the breath"], and imagine it dripping in there, all the while using your intention to attack the ailment." |
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"Once the problem is attacked, allow it to dissolve into the qi-flow and move the qi ..., thus alleviating the condition. "It affords a most amazing relief."" |
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5. "Spreading Qi (buqi ...) or what is today called external qi healing. Practitioners obtain cosmic qi from the direction associated with the inner organ of the patient’s affliction, then guide it through their body into the palms of their hands. They have the patient face the direction in question and ... then release the qi through their hands into his or her body. After completion, the patient is to practice swallowing qi to balance the internal and external energies. The activity combines the help of a trained adept with the personal practice of the patient, ... empowering the person to maintain health on his or her own." |
VP = Vis.n.u Puran.a trl. by Horace Hayman Wilson, 1840. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp050.htm
p. 122 the 6 Breaths (according to the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa)
organ |
br. |
ailment cured by that breath |
variety of qi |
heart |
he |
"heart problems, emotional states" |
"pathogenic qi" |
liver |
xu |
"inflamed, teary, or red eyes; ... vision problems" |
"rising qi" |
spleen |
hu |
"dry lips {chapped lips} ..., arm and leg problems" |
"hot qi" |
lungs |
si |
"temperature imbalance ..., abscesses" |
? |
kidneys |
c^ui |
"coldness in the back and joints, genital problems" |
? |
heater |
xi |
"all conditions associated with the Triple Heater" |
? |
p. 122, fn. 11 "The Six Breaths are also outlined in the Chifeng sui (Despeux 1988) and the Xiuling yaozhi ... (Essential Pointers to Cultivating Long Life) of the late Ming (today found in the Qigong yangsheng congshu)."
p. 123 ailments and their cure by breathing (according to the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa 8a)
description of ailment |
breath for curing it |
"the inside of the mouth feels burning and dry" |
he |
"you have no sense of taste, ... your chest and head are stuffy, so that you cannot taste your food" |
c^ui |
p. 124 visualizations of the internal organs
[quoted from the Huan-z^en Nei-qi Fa 8a] "See the throat as a succession of white silver rings, stacked twelve levels deep. Going downward, you reach the lungs, which are white and glossy. They have two leaves ... . The heart is connected to them underneath. Large at the top and pointed below, it is shining red like an unopened lotus bud ... . The liver is connected to it underneath. Its color is a clear green like a male mallard’s head. It has six leaves ... . The gallbladder connects to it underneath, like a green silk bag. The spleen is in the very center ... . It is bright yellow ..., lustrous ... . Behind all this, see the kidneys lying back to back like two sleeping rats, curled up ... . Their color is a thick, glossy black." |
p. 126 visualizations -- associated with Master Nin -- of the internal deities and of qi (according to the Dao-yin Jin)
"one should "visualize the gods of the five organs with their appropriate colors, each in his specific place" or see them "transform into dragons or fish" (17a). |
Practitioners should envision "the heart radiant as fire, shining brightly like the Dipper to block out bad qi" (17b) and |
"the kidney-qi below the navel in bright red and white, allowing it to move along the spine, up to the head, and back down again to pervade the entire body" (17ab). The latter practice is called "reverting essence." ... the practice ... is ... reminiscent of the Microcosmic Orbit". |
p. 126 visualizing the red qi
[quoted from the Han Wu-di Wai-z^uan "(Outer Record of Wu of the Han, DZ 293), a Highest Clarity collection of stories ... that dates from the fifth century." (Maspero 1981, pp. 486-7)] "Every evening concentrate on a red qi entering through the Heavenly Gate [at the top of the head] and visualize it at it makes the round of the body within and without. |
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At the end, see it transform into fire in the brain that consumes the body, giving a fiery brilliance." |
{This is "end" truly death, with a post-mortem achievement of the praeternatural rainbow (so-called ‘rainbow body’, Bodish />ja> lus/) "that consumes the body"? "Hermes is the god who rules ... brain science" (SQ"H") – Hermes’ own "brains" are mentioned ("SH"); and there is "substitution of Hermes for Iris the rainbow" (HTh, p. 50) : "fiery brilliance" being characteristic of the "fiery rainbow" ("FR").} |
SQ"H" = Synergistic Qabala "Hermes" http://zero-point.tripod.com/pantheon/Hermes.html
"SH" = "Story of Hermes" http://www.evolvingdoor.ca/pegasus/folklorehermes.htm
HTh = Norman O. Brown : Hermes the Thief. U of WI Pr, 1947. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=BzNfeQSXKfcC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=rainbow+Hermes+%22myth%22+-story&source=bl&ots=zFDrFMXndu&sig=XaYScTH9ZN0Pd4060Kd1Wf6XSPQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BbETT-vbLKLw0gHLhMjCAw&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
"FR" = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060619-rainbow-fire.html & http://interestingplanet.com/funny-photos-fiery-rainbow
pp. 126-7 three visualized colored breaths become three qi of immorality (the "Method of the Three Qi" revealed to Fan You-c^on)
p. 126 |
[quoted from Tao Hon-jin : Den-z^en Yin-jue 2.19a-b] "Constantly visualize the three breaths, |
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one green, one while, and one red. |
{cf. flags of Italy and of Mexico} |
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See them like ribbons descending from the sun in the east and let them enter directly into your |
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p. 127 |
mouth. ... After doing this for ten years, three shining qi in these three colors are born spontaneously in the body. They will make you immortal. (... Maspero 1981, 513; also in Shangqing wozhong jue 2.14ab)" |
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"as adepts fly, they should always see people like themselves in front or behind. After many years of practice, they may even be able to talk to these divine entities to receive divine guidance and instruction as they traverse the otherworld." |
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Livia Kohn : Chinese Healing Exercises : the Tradition of Daoyin. A Latitude 20 Bk, U of HI Pr, Honolulu, 2008.