Taoist Alchemy, My personal journey with Taoist alchemy-comments welcome. Options

Enlightened Immortality

Taoists teach that we are not born immortal. Our souls are undifferentiated energy flowing from the source of all life everywhere sometimes called the Tao and returns undifferentiated after death to this original source. Our animating life energy is “borrowed” and it is not “us”. Much like we say that is my Bank because our money is there, but we do not own it. Likewise our minds are not immortal. They begin to form in the womb and only the strongest can endure after death, but even these only endure for a short time in their self created heavens and hells. Taoist alchemy teaches that immortality is something that must be achieved through the hard work of bringing into union the mind and the soul. It is the synthesis of the mind and soul that transforms the mortal physical body stage by stage into an immortal one.

Taoist Alchemy

Prerequisites: For the entire thirteen years you must abstain from meats, grains, sex, plus no losing your sexual essence in any either through self stimulation or dreams, and you must observe the continual practice of the ascending grades of meditation.

10 Months of deep breathing exercises and one pointed Dan Tien focusing meditation to transform sexual essence into Qi (internal energy) within the lower belly. Confirmatory signs: Begins with feeling the internal energy and controlling it with breath and intent to condense it into the bones and then lead it up the spine using the reverse flowing method into the head and to the pineal gland which produces a vision of blazing white light (achieved April 24th , 1994)

3 Years of eyes closed emptiness meditation transforming internal energy into internal power at the solar plexus. Confirmatory signs- Begins when a tiny spirit body comes from the belly and exits out of the forehead (achieved June 6th, 1994) that is the birth of the immortal child which then returns to the belly to be nurtured. Fifty days later after the birth of the baby shen a vision of the quintessence/original nature off all things is seen (achieved July 27th, 1994) and this achievement is the first stage of immortality according to Taoists. If all ends here you will be reborn after death to continue your practice with full knowledge of your past life. At the end of the three year period the tiny body once again exits the forehead this time weaker and somewhat wispy. (achieved June 6th, 1997).

9 Years of eyes open mindfulness meditation “being the calm center amidst the chaos of activity” which begins with the alchemical process rising into the center of the brain where it transforms the internal power into Void - Confirmatory signs- Red Sparks blazing before the inner vision means the activity has moved from the lower elixir field to the middle one and at the end of the spray of sparks is an amber glow like a burning ember (achieved December 25th 1997).

SPECULATION: Finally at the end of nine years the void body exits the top of the head and enters a world of pure being and endless light. Upon the return of this small body which has absorbed some of that endless light, it transmits that light to the physical body and it too will radiate light transforming it stage by stage into a body of pure energy.

I am not a big fan of Mantak Chia.

Why is that friend? I ask because it seems people either love him or hate him. The only reason I went ahead and got the book "Awaken Healing Energy through the Tao" written by him, was because the author Glenn Morris recommended it (Glenn Morris is, or at least was a student of Bunjinkan, and was recommended to me as one source of "No Bullshit Ninpo", besides of course, Hatsumi himself). I've found occasional practice of the Microcosmic Orbit helpful in certain areas, but hell, care to share?

And to keep this subject on topic, (at least partially, lol!) I feel along similiar lines as Vagrant Dreamer, in that being wholly vegetarian, for me, was unhealthy, and the only thing I got from it was feeling spacey all the time. It works for those it works for, that's cool, I just don't think it works for those brought up in a Western environement. Perhaps if one was raised in Asia one's body would be accustomed?

As for celebacy, the same deal, different strokes for different folks. Not "bad", just different....and doesn't work for me, at least pleaseantly, lol!

-F.F.