‘Human beings follow the pattern of Earth; Earth follows the pattern of Heaven; Heaven is patterned by the Dao; Dao follows Nature’
Survival is the most primitive need of human beings. The question of how to improve quality of life, improve health and pro-long life has been of central interest to us through-out time. Achieving good health has been a central part of the culture of Daoism. With its long history and development, the way for improving health has been developed and modified through the centur ies by the ancestors. This is due to their continued research and practice, in particular, the training in inner alchemy and spiritual awareness. Such training includes stillness and movement. No matter whether it is in the active or the still (calm) mode, both are of high value.
‘Dao gives rise to one; one generates two; two generates three; three generates everything’, ‘Everything is originated from three; three combining to two; two combining to one; one becomes nothing’.
Doing it correctly would achieve good results; any deviation could result in disaster. Benefit can only be achieved through practice with proper guidance and understanding. Otherwise, not only no benefit would be gained, it might cause harm.
Below is a summary of the introduction to training in inner alchemy (or Neidan).
Turn ‘essence’ into ‘Qi’; Turn ‘Qi’ into ‘shen (spirit of vitality)’; Turn ‘shen’ into ’emptiness’; Turn ’emptiness’ into ‘Daoism’. Concentrate in the basic. Develop and improve the 3 vital elements of the body. This would in turn lead to good mental conditions and wisdom. Those who reach such a stage would achieve abilities beyond the scope of others. In Daoism, training in inner alchemy is to manage the three natural vital elements: ‘Jing’, ‘Qi’ and ‘shen’. Such training leads to good health and long life. The training can be classified into four stages: (1) Fundamental (2) Turn ‘jing’ into ‘Qi'(3) Turn ‘Qi’ into ‘shen (spirit of vitality)'(4) Turn ‘shen’ into ’emptiness’.