The Taoist Internal Elixir
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pp. 106 sq "Hui Chen P>ien" ("Essay on the Tao of Internal Elixir") = TAO TSAN, case 73, tse 8.
pp. 184 sq "Lien Chin P>ien" ("Sublimation of the Life-Essence") = TAO TSAN, case 73, tse 2.
pp. 191 sq "Hsi Wan Mu Wu Ku Fa" ("Method for the Solidification of Breath and Safeguard of Life-Essence") = TAO TSAN, case 15, tse 7.
pp. 202 sq "Wei C^>i Fa" ("Relaxation by Breathing-Exercises") = TAO TSAN, case 64, tse 7.
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p. 156 the 3 kinds of fire
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__ huo (‘fire’) |
which is the __ |
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min (‘subject-people’) |
bladder |
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c^>en (‘minister-official’) |
kidney |
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c^un (‘sovereign-lord’) |
heart |
p. 156 movements of fire-element in the body
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in the case of fire-element __ |
it is called __ |
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"to heat up the lower tan tien" |
"burning the elixir" (s^ao tan) |
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"to pass through the three gateways namely the coccyx, the spine and the brain" |
"water-wheel" (ho c^>e) |
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"to ascend in the front gateway, passing through the throat or chung lou" |
"refining the body" (lien hsin) |
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"to ascend in both the front and back gateways and sent over to the four greats" |
"scorching the body" (fen s^en) |
p. 159 tigre & dragon
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"when the life-force starts from the lower gateway and ascends from the coccyx by way of" : |
the __ side of the back |
it is the __ |
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left |
dragon |
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right |
tigre |
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"Then the life-force moves through the chia chi or spine up to the fen tao lin ... or forking point where" : |
the life-force of the __ |
entereth the __ |
"where they turn back and forth for thirty-six times." |
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yan dragon |
ni-yuan |
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yin tigre |
t>ien c^>iu |
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"Finally the original pure water descends like pure dew falling into the heart. |
This is called the dragon copulating in the upper palace. ... |
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When the copulation is done, it reaches the stage of formation of embryo or t>ai ch>uan ... . |
This is the time when the original pure life-force is produced." |
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p. 162 the elixir
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"my elixir is the pearl of great mystery produced by the copulation of the dragon and tiger". |
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Master __ |
made powerful elixir by __ |
to the extent of __ refinements |
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Kuan-c^>en Tzu |
"smelting cinnabar" |
9 |
|
C^>en-c^>i Tzu |
"smelting cinnabar of seven treasured qualities" |
9 |
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Liu An |
"refining boy’s urine" |
7 |
p. 164 the 3 flowers
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the life-force in the __ |
is yan within __ |
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kidney |
yin |
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elixir |
original pure yan |
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"liquid in the heart" |
yan |
p. 172 events of the life-force in periods
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period |
event |
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tzu |
"the life-force in the kidneys is born" |
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mao |
"the life-force in the liver is born" |
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wu |
"the life-force in the kidneys unites with that in the heart, ... [becoming] the liquid which returns to the tan tien. There it becomes a pearl of mysterious power which is the medicine for longevity." |
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between c^>en & ssu |
"safeguard this pearl ... coagulating in the form of a dew drop." |
p. 172 the # of days required for events
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days |
event |
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100 |
"the elixir is completed." |
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200 |
s^en t>ai or "holy foetus is firm and strong." |
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300 |
"the immortal nature of the holy foetus is finally attained". |
p. 177 risings & scorchings of the life-force
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"There is life-force within life-force, rising separately in the front and back." |
The __ one |
riseth to the __ |
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front |
top of the head |
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back |
brain |
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undergo the process of fen s^en ("scorching the body") |
scorching __ times |
would __ |
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1 |
add 1 life-force |
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100 |
prolong life 1,000 years |
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1,000 |
"make us immortals." |
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p. 186 numeric exercises "on the day of winter solstice" or on the day c^ia-tzu of the 60-day cycle
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times |
exercise |
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36 |
"knock our teeth" |
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3 |
"hear a tiny sound like the striking of a bell." |
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12 |
"plowing of the red dragon." |
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pp. 191-192 successive locations of "a red sun wheel as big as a coin." (* = warmth)
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p. |
location |
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191 |
heart* |
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lower tan tien |
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left side (ribs) |
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left sole* |
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right sole* |
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tan tien |
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right ribs |
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"across the breast" |
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tan tien |
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heart ["reflect" (p. 192)] |
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192 |
tan tien |
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bladder |
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coccyx |
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kidneys |
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"There in two rays of white flames, the fire rises straight up to ni wan the brain by way of the spinal cord. |
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There it ascends in three routes further up to the top of the head." |
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tsun men* ["ears" (fn. 11)] |
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c^>ueh c^>iao ["between the eyebrows" (fn. 11)] |
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the 12 rings c^>un lou ["throat" (fn. 11)] |
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c^un kun ["between the two kidneys" (fn. 12)] |
p. 192 further experiences in this meditation
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"there is a ray of black flame in the bladder rising up to the heart. ... |
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There will develop some reflections ... such as golden flashes or sparks or a passing array of white silk ribbons or a roomful of light, or light coming from outside of the window by which you can discriminate very small type characters. Through this light, you will be able to free your spirit from your body after having done this exercise for a thousand days." |
p. 196 visualization of the spiritual animals; and of internal palace-chambres with divine spirits
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bodily site |
spirit located there |
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"on your head’ |
c^u c^>ueh "or red sparrow" |
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"your feet tread on" |
yuan wu "or dark tortoise" |
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"on your left shoulder" |
"green dragon" |
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"on the right" |
"white tiger" |
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1 ts>un "inside between the eyebrows" |
min tan "or bright hall" |
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2 ts>un "inside between the eyebrows" |
tun fan "or inner chamber’ |
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3 ts>un "inside between the eyebrows" |
tan tien kun : "In the palace, there is a divine spirit two ts>un tall in red robe and green cap with crimson sceptre in his hands." |
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"heart" |
middle tan tien, also named c^ian kun "or purple palace" : "there is a divine spirit also in red robe". |
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2 & ½ ts>un "below the navel" |
lower tan tien, also called wei tzu "or the sea of life-force" : "there is also a divine spirit in red robe". |
p. 198 shapes & colors of the internal organs and bodily tissues
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organ / tissue |
its shape & color |
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heart |
"like a folded red lily hanging downward 3 ts>un long. ... there are nine cavities, two of them at the back. On the front, there are seven pieces of black hair, each two and half ts>un in length." |
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lungs |
"like a white lily open with five petals hanging downward". |
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liver |
"in seven pieces in dark-purple color and covered with a yellow membrane." |
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gall |
"greenish-yellow in color and two and half ts>un long". |
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kidneys |
"like upside-down cups. They ... are three ts>un away from the navel. The color is black. The upper one is smaller than the lower one. The left side one is the upper and the right side is the lower." |
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bones |
"blue-white in color". |
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sinews or muscles |
"yellow-white." |
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marrow |
"like ice and snow, and in them are three hundred and sixty cavities." |
p. 202 modes of exhaling for curing internal organs
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organ |
exhaling |
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liver |
hsu |
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lung & kidneys |
ssu & c^ui |
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spleen |
hsi |
p. 202 #s of exhalations at times of day
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time of day |
# of exhalations |
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"early morning when the rooster crows" |
72 |
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"morning before the sun rises" |
63 |
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"sunrise" |
54 |
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"breakfast time" |
45 |
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"the hour ssu" |
36 |
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pp. 206-214 advents of elixir
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p. |
# |
advent |
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206 |
1st |
internal vision : "You will feel as if your body is growing bigger, your spirit higher and higher, and you begin to see houses, people, mountains and rivers all within your body. ... You will feel a patch of light as bright and round as the sun appear from your heart; and all of the sudden it drops into your tan tien. This is the descent of the tan or elixir." |
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210 |
4th |
"The spiritual fire then causes the viscera to warm up ... . Finally the tan moves away from under the ribs in a current of warm breath accompanied by a noise like thunder, back to the tan tien." |
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210, fn. 35 |
"the saintly embryo or saintly fetus or" s^en t>ai : "It can move with the life-force in the cultivator’s body "up and down like a tortoise [turtle] in water floating and sinking as it wishes."" |
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211 |
5th |
"the original pure water in the tan tien in the form of a column of cold breath rises straight to the heart. There like a crystal ball, it floats in the heart. ... the life-force ... in the tan tien ... moves up and down like a fish jumping." |
|
214 |
8th |
"a cord called ti tai ... is born from the navel. it can be led from the navel to the mouth. ... insert the cord underneath the tongue." |
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Sing Chow Wu : A Study of the Taoist Internal Elixir. PhD diss, St. John’s U (NY), 1973.