Cultivation methods
According to different sects, the opinions held are different, everyone's situation is different, and the exercises are also ever-changing.
The secular cultivation sects are divided into the Eastern sect, the Western sect, the Southern sect, the Northern sect and the Central sect], and the hidden sect is the Ancient Immortal sect. (The ancient immortals also have differences, so it is not convenient to elaborate here.) In short, no one can guide you in the method of cultivation, and you should not practice it privately, otherwise there will be endless troubles. Nowadays, those who admire immortals must also avoid being deceived.
How to get started
The way of quiet gong
1. The external movements of quiet gong
Taoist practice, in the final analysis, is We must cultivate the three inner treasures of essence, qi, and spirit. Therefore, external postures and movements are not important. The biggest principle is just to keep the head and spine straight, comfortable and natural.
Sitting, standing, lying down, or walking can be used for static exercises. The key points of various postures are as follows:
For sitting posture, you can sit flat on a stool with your calves perpendicular to the ground, or you can cross them; you can also sit cross-legged on the bed. For those who have difficulty sitting cross-legged, you can first use a cushion under the seat. Put a pillow on top of each other; fold your hands together, with your thumbs clasping each other in the shape of a Tai Chi diagram, and place them on your Dantian, or you can touch your knees with your hands.
Stand naturally, with your knees slightly bent, and your hands stacked on your Dantian, or hanging by your side.
Lying position, usually lying on the side, with one hand bent on the pillow, the thumb and index finger separated, and the ear placed at the tiger's mouth to open the ear orifice; the other hand is placed on the hip or on the Dantian; The legs are also stretched and bent, which is exactly the opposite of the hands.
When taking a walk, you should choose a quiet place with few people, a park or a larger courtyard, without other interference, and the road is relatively flat. Walking slowly, like floating clouds. When walking, you can use the listening method of meditation, but don't close your eyes.
After choosing a posture and doing it well, start practicing. For external movements, the key points of practice are as follows:
(1) Relax the whole body. No matter what posture you take, you must relax the whole body. This relaxation does not mean becoming a soft ball. You need to keep your head and spine upright to facilitate the smooth flow of meridians; but do not become stiff or rigid, which is not conducive to relaxation and will also hinder the smooth flow of meridians. To relax, you first need to lower your shoulders. Most people are usually tense physically and mentally without realizing it, and their movements do not meet the requirements for relaxation. Now when we practice Kung Fu, we first adjust our movements, and then we can naturally enter a relaxed state.
(2) The eyes are drooped, which means slightly closed. Why do you need to close your eyes slightly? This is because opening your eyes can easily breed distracting thoughts, and closing your eyes can easily make you fall asleep, which is not conducive to practicing the exercises. The mantra for slightly closing the body is "open three points and close seven points", that is, open three points and close seven points. The specific method was passed down orally in the past, but now it is clearly stated that the eyelids droop, which means that you can see the things in front of you but not be able to distinguish them clearly.
(3) The tongue is on top of the palate, forming the mouth. It is also called "Saidui" in the Dan Jing, which means that the mouth is closed and the teeth are closed. The practice of pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth was also secretly taught in the past. The tip of the tongue should be rolled back and the bottom surface of the tongue tip should be pushed against the roof of the palate. Because there are two small pits on the upper palate, called "Tianchi Point", which are connected to the mud pill, it is most likely to leak. Therefore, you must practice the exercises like a baby breastfeeding.
(4) Breathe naturally, that is, breathe naturally, but avoid being thick and short. As the level of static practice increases, the breath should gradually become deep, long, even, thin and subtle.
(5) Hold the formula with both hands, also known as "Ziwujue", hold the formula with both hands. At this time, draw a circle with the index finger and thumb of the left hand, place the thumb of the right hand inside the circle, and place the 4 fingers of the right hand Place it under the 4th finger of your left hand and look from the thumb direction, it will look like a "Tai Chi diagram". By hugging each other like this, the Yin and Yang qi of the human body will be naturally connected. After a while, both hands will feel warm and swollen, which is amazing. This is the effect of connecting the two qi. There is no distinction between men and women in Taoism.
2. The inner secret of Jing Gong
(1) Listen to the breath.
The purpose of Jing Gong is to enter tranquility. The meaning of tranquility is to calm down the body and mind. In order to achieve the requirements of tranquility, you must first get rid of all distracting thoughts. This is the most critical principle of the foundation-building method of tranquility. However, due to people's thinking habits, the brain is always thinking about problems and will dream even when sleeping. Once it stops, it is difficult to do so. In order to achieve the purpose of tranquility, ancient Taoist monks created many methods, such as listening to Qi, sitting and forgetting, observing one, counting breaths, etc. In comparison, the "listening to Qi" method mentioned in the "Xin Zhai" of Taoist Zhuangzi is the best.
The so-called "listening to the breath" means listening to your own breathing. As we said before, Jing Gong requires natural breathing. The method of listening to the breath is to listen within the ears, that is, to eliminate all interference from the outside world, and to listen to your own breathing as if entering a state of complete silence. At first, just listen with your ears, without adding any thoughts.
Note: The so-called "listening to the breath" requires the ears to listen back inward, as if listening to the sound of breathing in and out. But breathing in and out originally required silence. The meaning of "listening to the breath" is to ask for concentration and concentration; it does not mean to guard the ears tightly, nor to listen to the sound of breathing. The meaning of "listening" is to concentrate. As long as you follow the line of exhalation and inhalation and do it slowly, half-listening but not listening, it will be considered correct. As for the speed, thickness, depth, and length of your breathing, you should let it change naturally and don't force it with your thoughts.
After hearing it, my heart and mind were connected, distracting thoughts disappeared, and even my breathing seemed to disappear, and I gradually reached the state of "quietness".
(2) Sightseeing.
The method of "sightseeing" is a Taoist secret cultivation method. It was not taught secretly in the past and was passed down from master to disciple. The purpose of sightseeing is to refine your nature. Our nature is originally nothingness and light, coming from the universe before our next birth. Therefore, the fundamental method of practicing Xing at this time is called Xing Gong. Some people think that the "Xing" Kung Fu taught by Taoism is just the truth, and that there is no Kung Fu because the Xing Kung Fu has not been taught by an enlightened master.
The root of sex lies in the hole between the eyebrows. This orifice comes from before we were born, so it is called the "ancestral orifice". First, sit quietly for a while and use the "listening and breathing" method mentioned above. After the body and mind have entered tranquility, the two eyes, seemingly gazing but not gazing, stop in front of the "ancestral orifice". This "ancestral orifice front" is neither inside nor outside the body, but is about an inch and a half in front of the eyes.
Note: The method of "viewing the ancestral orifice" mentioned is to gather one's own original nature. When the original nature is gathered together, it will naturally see the light. But this realm is natural and should never be pursued. If you pursue it, you will see the light, but it is an illusion, not the truth. Many people who practice qigong often enter the devil's realm and unconsciously notice that they are really missing a thousand miles. It is necessary to use the meaning of "if there is something, if there is nothing, it seems to be seen but not seen". It cannot be intentional or unintentional. Naturally, that's right.
When your mind is slightly focused on the "ancestral orifice", your own sexual light will appear. At first, it is dotted and drifting, and its light is weak, so don't worry about it. It seems to come from outside at first. After discovering it, you can focus on it with your mind and focus on it, that is, shine your mind on the white light. This is the gathering nature. Gong; then gradually condenses into pieces from points, and the pieces come from the outside to the inside, and slowly gather together; then they gather and disperse sometimes, making it difficult to fix; just like ignorance finally becomes one piece without fluctuations. The true nature has been gathered in this way, and we have entered great tranquility.
Just by looking at the expression of nature, you can know the gathering and dispersion of arrogant nature. The scattering nature of light means dispersion, the concentrating nature of light means gathering, the nature of light concentration means concentration, the nature of light fullness means fullness, and the nature of light roundness means roundness. Patriarch Wang Chongyang originally described its shape and said: "Yuan Tuo Tuo, the light is scorching." The round one means that it has no irregular shape, and the scorching one means that it has no black holes. Only in this way can the "natural light*" be achieved. The highest state. Entering this realm is a matter of life and death. But if you don’t go deep into great concentration and possess extremely high merit, it will be impossible to achieve it.
When sightseeing, although "viewing" is used, it is not actually observing, everything is natural. To practice this skill, one must proceed step by step, from small light to large light, from weak light to strong light, from wavering light to light concentration, from patchy light to concentrated light. There are also people who have been practicing for many days and their eyes are dark but they have never seen the light, so they cannot pursue it.
Note: What is mentioned above is the way of "listening" and "sightseeing". Although it seems to be action, it is actually inaction; in inaction, everything is done. Although it is said to be listening, there is actually no listening; although it is said to be sightseeing, there is actually no observation. There is no interest in listening, and there is nothing in listening; there is no light in sightseeing, there is nothing in light. Breath without breath is called true breath; light without light is called true light. From this, you can comprehend true tranquility.
The method of "sightseeing" is also called "huiguang" in ancient Taoist books; the method of listening to the breath is also called "breath control" in ancient Taoist books. Therefore, the meditation practice method taught here was also called "returning to the light and adjusting the breath" by the ancients.
"Qiu Zu's Secret Dan Zhizhi" discusses "Huiguang Breath Adjustment" and says: "The method starts from the corners of the eyes and closes the heart to the middle of the eyes, and uses one's body and mind to absorb all of it. This is the so-called 'the universe and the earth are gathered together'."
The method of returning light has another meaning. After sightseeing, you need to shine this light into the lower Dantian, and then do Qi refining. This needs to be practiced in conjunction with the second step of foundation building - breathing and breathing, which will be discussed in the breathing and breathing method. .
3. The method of calming down and stopping thoughts
The key to quieting down is to become still; the key to becoming still is to stop thinking. To stop thoughts is to get rid of distracting thoughts in the mind, and then do meditation wholeheartedly. Some people often don't realize that they have distracting thoughts in their minds, but when they sit quietly, all the thoughts come to mind. Only through the method of calming down thoughts and eliminating distracting thoughts, can we do meditation well.