Nuralshamal

I just realized I forgot to share the healing I've learnt from my sexual qigong teacher! I'll share in two parts: 1) general introduction, 2) personal experiences 1) General introduction There are several levels of healing: physical, energetic and spiritual. The physical is done through massage. This can be an actual massage (which focuses on certain key meridians on the arms, legs and back, and a special deep massage of the abdomen (and the buttocks too)). However, there is of course also sensual/sexual touching. By touching specific acupoints and meridians, you can help along healing, as well as of course arousal and orgasm. The licking, kissing and penetration is also very healing when done with "feeling". When you do anything with feeling, it means you're mindfully aware (almost meditating) on the sensations experienced when touching, licking, kissing and penetrating. This infuses your touch with qi. At higher levels, it also infuses your touch with "spirit". Energetic healing can be done through the eyes, breathing and of course touch (kissing, licking, penetrating, massaging, fingering etc). Spiritual healing is done through the mind. By combining the physical, energetic and mind together, the healing becomes much more powerful (especially if you have the intention to heal). Certain types of foreplay, positions and orgasms can help heal different things too. There are reflexological zones on the penis as well as in the vagina. Furthermore, there are different points inside different places in the vagina (different from the western model of clitoris, G spot, uterus etc). There are many more different points. Using these mindfully and purposefully during the act is also very healing. I think sexual qigong is probably the most enjoyable and fun type of qigong, cultivation and healing one can do 2) My personal experiences: I've managed to self-heal many things using sexual qigong. Tiredness, fatigue, bad moods, about to catch a cold, low energy levels and stress. What I've noticed (which I found quite surprising) is that when you start to experience "feeling" during your lovemaking, it can be more powerful than you think. I have been very surprised during sexual encounters with girls who were not at all sexual, and who complained about their lack of sexual desire, ability to "let go", ability to experience orgasm etc. first experience One girl had been in a more than 10 year relationship (her ex), without EVER getting orgasms. Only by herself with a vibrator could she reach climax. Using mindful touching and licking, in our 3rd encounter she started orgasming. She was blown away it was even possible, because now it had been about 16 years of only being able to orgasm with a vibrator. She had conditioned herself psychologically that she could only let go in that particular situation: alone at home with her vibrator. After that, she could orgasm in 5-10 minutes of foreplay, touching and licking. I don't know if she noticed it, but I noticed that after that "break-through" her personality started changing. She become more friendly and relaxed, more patient and loving with her family members as well as at work. Over about 2-3 months, she was a completely different person! That's when I realized the importance of a normal, healthy, sexual life. Due to her culture and family being very repressive, she had simply never developed a normal psychology around sex. No wonder Freud, Jung and Reich talked so much about the importance of sexuality! second experience Another experience is with a girl who didn't lose her virginity until the late 20s, once again due to repressive family, culture and religion. She knew about orgasms and had experienced a few with her first boyfriend and a rebound. However, after a few months, she remarked "I thought I knew about orgasms... But now I realize I didn't! There are so many different types and variations, and they can last much longer!". This was also simply by being together for a few months, and using the power of feeling. third experience At this point, I felt good about the techniques I had learnt and practiced, but still felt like it was mostly down to the "psychology" of the girl. If she is repressed or not, if she has regular orgasms on her own or not, and of course if she's able to let go. However, I had one encounter with a younger girl (early twenties) who was a strict Christian. She had had a boyfriend and also spend the night with a couple of other people from her town, but nothing out of the ordinary. She said that foreplay was very important to her, as well as being in a long term relationship with someone who was also a Christian. This was in order to let go, feel safe, and relax enough to get off. She orgasmed in about 2 minutes on our first encounter, with me only using mindful touching. We we're both in shock! She "died" for about 2-5 minutes where I just held her lovingly. After, I myself was wondering what happened. Why was it so fast, easy and powerful? I don't know if she was naturally orgasmic and had just given me "the talk" to make me put forward more effort, if she was really into me, if she really needed it, if my feeling had gone to a higher level, or maybe a combination. But she was very happy and harmonious after, compared to before where she was a tiny bit manipulating. Fourth experience I was with a very sensual and sexual women a few years older than me. She was tanned, had a few tatoos and big fake boobs. I don't know why, but I expected her to be very hard to satisfy. I thought that with all the things she had done to make herself more attractive, she probably had some psychological issues or something (please forgive me, I know that was a very prejudiced position!). However, she orgasmed 3 times in about 20 minutes on our first encounter! After, she couldn't stop talking to me happily for several hours, offering to cook me food etc. Maybe I was a bad judge of character at that point, but she actually seemed like a very stand-up, normal, loving, feminine woman! I thought with all the tatoos etc. she would be hardcore, a bit bitchy, continue to play hard-to-get etc. However, she completely let her guard down and we just enjoyed our time together. Conclusion I feel like I have only learnt very few basics of lovemaking so far, but I just wanted to share a few stories about how lovemaking can be healing on all levels: physical, energetic, emotional, psychological and even spiritual. I know I'm very happy for what I've learnt, even though I didn't enjoy the proces of going through the initial training. I'm learning and practicing on my own now, but looking for a new teacher I'm more on wave-length with (compared to the old one). There's nothing more beautiful than holding a woman that's completely sexually satisfied in your arms. The shine and light coming from their eyes, the warmth and satisfaction from their bodies, and the love, tenderness and surrender from their hearts. Be blessed!

@Learner thanks for your question! Yes, here are some very concrete benefits I've experienced under 4 headers, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. 1) Physically: The standing "active exercises" have been extremely beneficial for me. I found them very physical in nature compared to other qigong sets I've tried. They mobilize and move all joints, as well as stretch you out. Especially "harmony of the universe" is exceptional for my body. It stretches all the right places, it just feels so good. I've suffered some spinal injuries as well as shoulder injuries in my life. This has led to upper back stifness and general stifness and discomfort in the hips and lower back. The standing exercises coupled with his "closing" or "harvesting the qi" exercises have really helped me a lot. All the self cupping, self massage, and especially hitting the tailbone, sacrum, just next to the tailbone and sacrum, as well as the hips on the side... It works magic for my physical issues. 2) Emotionally: Due to my many years of deep meditation (I was a meditator for many years before I started qigong) it's quite rare I'm emotionally disturbed. However, especially when I work on my Liver, I notice I feel much more relaxed emotionally after. I realize I was both physically and emotionally a tiny bit tense. This tension releases after practice. 3) Mentally: Many, many, many things I've struggled with mentally have fallen into place with the explanations of Chunyi Lin. After going deep in meditation for many years, I had experiences with auras, ghosts, dead people in transition, curses and black magic, and many other things. In my prayers and meditation I got a lot of help and guidance with these things, but most of my teachers didn't help me out when I sought support and guidance with my experiences. They said "just ignore it", "don't pay attention to it", "keep practicing" etc. Chunyi Lin openly discusses and explains how these things work. This has brought me peace of mind, as the explanations have allowed things to "fall into place" mentally in my world view by allowing me to understand these things. 4) Spiritually: I truly feel that SFQ helps a lot with my third eye. Exceptionally much. It's the best for the third eye I've experienced, alongside my "Simplified Kundalini Yoga" meditations.

@Learner The course is called "the grand circle". Here there is a section called "microcosmic orbit". In one of the first videos in the "microcosmic orbit" he talks about diaphragmatic breathing. Later he shows the "squatting monkey" standing meditation. By doing this for prolonged periods (up to one hour) using the special breathing method, you will over time 1) create and strengthen the lower dantien, 2) when the qi is strong enough, it will go to the "first gate" (the tailbone), 3) when even stronger, it will go the second gate "midback", 4) finally the third gate and base of the skull, 5) the third eye, 6) back down to the dan tien. When this is accomplished, you should continue to do the practice twice a day at certain times of the day for just 10 minutes to maintain. Keeping the lower dan tien strong and the microcosmic orbit open is a key secret for health and longevity, as well as the foundation for many other higher practices. Let me know how it goes Be blessed!

Dear friends, An update! I just finished the level 4 retreat. Here are some initial thoughts (I'll include more as I practice more of the things we've learnt). What I especially like with Chunyi Lin is his mindset. Many other teachers of qigong follow the chinese cultural way: don't ask questions, submit to your teacher completely, don't think for yourself, simply do what you're told, be patient etc. Chunyi Lin's mindset is actually very academic, western, individual and intellectual in his approach. He was a college professor after all He considers qigong as "research". He has learned methods, theory, practice and techniques from his masters and of course studies of texts. However, he takes these as hypotheses to be tested out. Therefore he stays open minded and investigates for himself, always willing to change his positions on something if the evidence and research says something else (a very academic and intellectual approach from my point of view, which I like). Apart from that, he's humble, says he is also learning each day, and finally he talks openly about things other teachers consider "secret", "private", "inner door", "not to be discussed" etc. This allows for open, frank and equal dialogue. Therefore many things I've personally struggled with over the past couple of years, which my "more chinese minded" teachers ignored (auras, energies, spirits, transition of dead people, contacting dead people, objects carrying curses or negative energy etc) he discussed and explained openly. Furthermore he's open to "challenges". Someone asked him about a person they knew who had some troubles with their child. He simply said "let me check". After 5-10 seconds he said "there's a blockage here and here". So, he accepted the challenge and showcased his third eye reading skills immediately. Furtheremore, he explains very advanced things very simply, almost always using the physical body as an example. This means there's no imagination going on; if you see a person who dies with open eyes, this is what it means. If you see a person who dies with an open mouth, this is what it means. If you feel tightness in this part of the body suddenly one day, this is what it means. You can always come back to your physical body and "read its signs" which are physical facts. These can be felt and verified by everyone without a doubt. This takes all the imagination, fantasy and doubt away. Easy, simple, physical, no doubt nor fantasy nor imagination, just easy, practical tips you can use to improve your everyday life Be blessed!

@hierundjetzt Thanks for your post 1) Why don't other systems share energy? Many qigong systems work in exactly the same way. It just not always apparent, or it's not explained or it's not emphasised. However, from the very first day in SFQ the importance of "connecting to the Master's energy" is explained. This immediately and consciously hooks every individual up to a commonly shared energy "bank" 2) Time spent on daily practice in the different levels I suggest you do qigong everyday. However, if you've only got 5 minutes, then do 5 minutes. The most important is simply to continue and don't stop You miss a day, okay, do it again the next. If you've only got 5 minutes, just do 5 minutes of connecting to the master, connecting to the universe (i am in the universe, the universe is in my body, I and the universe merge together), and bouncing. Or you could do 10 minutes of your most favorite exercise, moving of yin and yang, 7 steps to new life etc. 3) My personal practice time I usually pick and do a certain set of standing and seated exercises and stick with them for 49 day cycles. Then I choose other ones for a new cycle, or do the same again. I meditate about 20-75 minutes a day (usually in either the morning or evening). Qigong I do about 10-45 minutes a day. I'm very flexible with my self Be blessed!

Dear Dao Bums, Let me share my experience with middle eastern alchemy in 3 points: 1) Origin 2) Characteristics and methods 3) End result and development 1) Origin: This method is the same as was used by the ancient Greeks, the different mystery schools, as well as the pre-islamic Middle East. It's probably the same as was used by Alexander the Great, taught by the Greek philosophers, and some of it traces back to ancient faraonic Egypt as well. The ancient greeks knew many things about spirits, the solar system, bacteria, mathematics and much more. "because there are bred certain minute creatures which cannot be seen by the eyes, which float in the air and enter the body through the mouth and nose and cause serious diseases" an ancient greek quote about bacteria. How could they know? The microscope wasn't invented until the past couple of centuries, so there's no way they could perceive something so small by the naked eye. Instead, they used "yogic vision", "the third eye", or "daemons" (guiding spirits). Furthermore, they also used dialogue as mindful inquiry into the experiences of the present moment. 2) Characteristics and methods: They employ the same basic methods as most spiritual schools, namely using: 1) the body 2) the breath 3) mantras / sound 4) the mind 5) transmission from the teacher However, they also use "presence", the felt experience of being present with one's body, thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. Presence is embodied mindfulness. When presence is felt acting in the body, it feels like a solid substance. It can be of varying colors, densities, temperatures and materials. You could feel grey solidity, gold as a gentle presence, green as tenderness etc. When presence is felt acting in the heart, it feels like liquid. It can be like sweet wine, liquid gold, white milk etc. When presence is felt acting in the head, it feels like light. It can be spaciousness, blue, green, golden etc. At an even higher level which includes yet goes beyond our physical body, there are of course the presence of the Divine which is all-encompassing. It can be felt as the all-encompassing energy, or it can be felt like the all-encompassing "holding" (ground of being, the unmanifest potential). The combination of these two states are "the absolute". Lastly, presence can take particular shapes. Each shape or vehicle provides certain functions. These are very similar to what we see in the outer world: churches, domes, mosques, chandeliers, stupas, pearls, jewels, diamonds, crystals etc. These bestow certain functions on the consciousness; either the body, heart, head or "life" level. Life level understood as the ability to make money, heal disease, make things happen etc. 3) End result and development By simple practicing being present each day, letting go and allowing, surrendering, you can come into contact with yourself. Your bodily sensations, your heart emotions, your head thoughts, or higher levels and vehicles. Simply allowing sensations, emotions etc, allow them to transform over time. You grow and mature, both inwardly and outwardly. The six basic "energies" or "essences" (called lataif in sufism) are: 1) Red 2) Green 3) Yellow 4) White 5) Black 6) Blue All souls have all essences, however, we're born with a particular configuration. This is due to: 1) Past lives, our karmas and tendencies from these lives, resulting in the attraction of 2) A certain bodily, emotional and mental constitution (race, ethnicity, culture, religion) You can see that even siblings born to the same parents, in the same country, same religion, race, everything, from the very get-go, they seem to have different and unique personalites. Some might be more quiet, some may be more energetic, some are always naughty etc. This is not due to nurture, it's due to their unique souls manifesting themselves right from the get-go. However, when we grow up, certain manifestations are approved, allowed and encouraged by our parents, family, society, culture and religion, whereas others are not. For example, in certain cultures, aggression and a high level of emotionality is actually valued and encouraged. In other cultures, it's the exact opposite. Therefore, through conditioning, we slowly allow certain sides of our souls to grow and mature, where others are shut down or not used. All human beings naturally have aggression, lust, joy, compassion etc, however, due to culture we only emphasise certain of these, whereas we shut down the others. Therefore, whichever way our soul is currently maturing might actually be very limited: it's only certain sides of us we're allowing to express, and therefore naturally grow and mature. What is the benefit of allowing and maturing the sides of ourselves we've psychologically split off? E.g. anger, lust, jealousy etc. Everything in this world is continously developing. The Earth started as a burning rock flying around in space, now we have a nice, green and blue, lush and fertile Earth that allows great conditions for life. Similarly, the following emotions/energies/essences also go through development, if you allow them to "unfold" within your consciousness without acting them out: Lust (a mix of yellow and red, joy and excitement, produces an orange energy in the system which can feel like fire, juice, wine etc) will (if allowed) over time turn into "satisfaction" (felt like a juicy, plump, fleshy apricoty substance). When a person is very lustful and can't control themselves, they are more likely to commit sinful actions (understood as hurting themselves or others). However, when a person is feeling sensually satisfied inside, they are more likely to steer clear of sinful actions. This development is similar with other energies/emotions/essences: 1) Red starts as a warm, burning anger or rage, over time it evolves into a feeling of aliveness, excitement, vitality and strength. 2) Green can be someone who's overly sensitive and cries over every little thing, yet it can evolve into tenderness, compassion and healing. 3) Yellow can be someone that's too naughty, provocative and always teasing, yet it can evolve into joy, celebration and happiness. 4) White can be someone who's always afraid, anxious and feels weak, yet it can evolve into solidity, stability and strong sense of support. 5) Black starts as hate, dominance and wanting to destroy, yet can evolve into a sense of great peace, power, intimacy and protection. 6) Blue can be vulnerability and someone who easily cries, yet evolves into intuition, relaxed contentment and deep humanity Employing this mix of methods for the body, breath, mind, mindful inquiry, transmission from the teacher and psychological acceptance and understanding, a human being can develop. They will achieve higher and higher levels of healing, joy, expansiveness, morality, virtue and spirituality. They will hurt themselves and others less and less as they evolve, and they will be more of a blessing for all living beings. These methods integrate psychology and spirituality. The psychological theory of Freud regarding the id (libido and animal soul), ego (personality) and superego (internalized conditioning by parents, culture, religion and society) fits very well with the spiritual idea of the belly, heart and head center. Furthermore, the psychological theory of Jung regarding "the shadow" (all the parts of our self we've split off due to conditioning) as well as the anima/animus complex (the either masculine or feminine parts we've split off due to conditioning) fits very well with our conscious and unconscious mind. It's only through purifying our unconscious minds we can get rid of unwanted patterns in both thoughts and deeds. If you'd like to study this further, you can search for: 1) A.H. Almaas or Hameed Ali 2) Karen Johnson 3) Faisal Muqaddam 4) The Diamond Approach 5) The Diamond Logos I've personally benefitted immensely from integrating the personal and impersonal, the conscious and the unconscious, the body with the heart and the head, the feminine and the masculine, as well as the psychological and the spiritual. It's an eternal ongoing journey, a continuous adventure of great discoveries, blessings and healing, as well as self-acceptance. Be blessed

If you would like to experiment with the spirits of your 5 organ systems and their power, or simply your senses and their power in cultivation, this is what I would recommend: Start by using just one sense. Sit down in a comfortable posture and listen to your breathing. Breathing is one of our main sources of qi. By listening to your breath for just 5-10 minutes, your breath will be infused with healing qi. This will strengthen your kidney qi. Similarly, you can sit for 5-10 minutes and focus on "smelling" your breath. This will strengthen your lung qi. In the end, you can put all senses together in "one big bundle" and simultaneously see, smell, listen, taste and "feel/be/pay attention to" your breathing. This will safeguard (during the meditation, because your senses are turned inward) as well as strengthen the qi in all your organ systems.

Thanks for sharing @Cleansox

Most definitively Thanks for sharing!

@Nungali Thanks for your question Some also say that it's the same methods used by the gnostics and "sophists". Others also say that there are influences from Zoroastrianism.

Hi @Daniel, thanks for your comments! Yes, I realized the post had become extremely long Let me elaborate a bit concerning your comments 1) The Middle East The knowledge of the Greeks were preserved in the Middle East during the "dark ages" of Europe. Only in the "renaissance" did the sciences and philosophies reemerge into Europe. That's one part of the "Middle Eastern" connection. The "lataif" is a unique sufi concept. The sufis are very prominent (albeit also somewhat persecuted in certain places) in both Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and a bit in Jordan and Syria. All Middle Eastern Countries. Almost everything I wrote about lataif comes from the systems used in Iran, Jordan and even Turkey and Cyprus. These systems carry some heritage from ancient Egypt and the Greeks, but much of it is also their own indigenous traditions. That's the second part of the "Middle Eastern" connection. I could have made that more clear in the post, thanks for pointing it out! 2) Ethical component Yes, let me elaborate! I wanted to make the post more focused on the "alchemy" of emotional, psychological and spiritual transformation through continued allowing and mindful inquiry into the present moment. Many people have negative association with the moralism and ethics of Middle Eastern religion and spirituality, so I wanted to focus more on some of the more "palatable" subjects Ethics is what it's all about, "what you sow, you will also reap" (quote: Jesus ) "a soul gets every good that it earns, as well as every bad that it earns" (quote from the "amana rasul" or the last two ayat/verse of Surah Baqara of the Qur'an) I found a very nice description of the seven stages of the soul in sufism I'll post here: "In this answer I’ll use the model of the 7 levels of nafs. However, I’ll draw some parallels between what I’ve said in the earlier answer as well. The first is nafs ul ‘ammarah (craving/desiring self). One is only driven by desire with no regard for morals, ethics, karma or righteousness, one will even self-degrade in order to obtain pleasure. This is like a “hungry ghost” in buddhism or the “infidel” stage described in various religions. Number two is nafs ul lawammah (the complaining self). One blames everything, everyone and even one self, for not being the way things want them to be, yet one does not do any productive actions to improve the state of affairs. What modern day people call “the victim mentality”. Number three is nafs ul mulhima, or the “inspired soul”. One has finally found inspiration in religion and spiritually, and feels it like an experiential truth inside. One is inspired to stop one’s own bad deeds, and work more on doing good deeds. This is like a person becoming interested in spirituality and starting meditation. They feel that meditation, prayer etc. can help their soul develop further. Number four is nafs ul mutma’inna (contented soul). This is after many years of practice, one has successfully stopped one’s bad habits, and created and reinforced good habits. One has become content. In buddhism this is after purifying body, speech and mind. There’s no longer intense craving and desire, nor sickness or bad actions. One is happy and content. This is pretty much seen as the “ultimate goal” of meditation and spirituality, living in peace and contentment, one has escaped suffering. In Islam this is when one has stopped all haram activities, and only do halal activities. No more sin, only virtue (from a Christian perspective). No more generation of papa karma in Hinduism, only punya karma. Number five is nafs radiyyah, the pleased soul. An even higher stage of consciousness, where one is not simply content, but pleased at one’s life and the world. One sees how Divine Intelligence penetrates the entire universe, and governs the cycles of birth and death and karma in a just and righteous way. One also sees that one can escape the suffering by correct practice in thought, word and deed - it’s fair for everyone. By Divine grace and love, every single being has natural sustenance and guidance suitable for their level. Number six is mardiyyah, the “pleasing soul”. This is like a boddhisattva or buddha in buddhism. Everyone they meet feel good in their company, because they’re pure, kind, friendly and compassionate. They could never hurt themselves or others, instead they’re a blessing to all living beings. The final level is “nafs ul soofiyyah” (the pure soul). This is the highest level. Supposedly how “sufism” got their name, sufi meaning purity. They also call it “al insaan ul kamil” or the perfect human being. Most of us when becoming interested in spirituality are usually at level 2 or 3 (the blaming self or the inspired self). The best teachers are at level 4 through 7." (end of quote) As you can see, the connection between spiritual development and morals is profoundly highlighted in the description of the different levels of development. Once again, thanks for your comments Let me know your thoughts and comments if you have anymore, or just questions! Be blessed

Interesting responses When Bodhidharma (a siddha yogi from south india, probably employing ideas similar to Simplified Kundalini Yoga which I've mentioned in other of my post) came to China as a buddhist "missionary" to teach them meditation, he too was appalled to discover the monks exclusively doing sitting practices. They were sick and weakly. According to legend he gave them standing practices (Lohan Hands) as well as YiJinJing and XiSuiGong (which he brought from South India). So even a buddhist from India, the country wherefrom buddhism originated, ALSO thought the chinese buddhists emphasized sitting too much. And you know indian yoga employes a lot of sitting meditation! The daoists employ more standing methods. The "Dun Hou Shi" standing meditation like I mentioned, it's the very first posture you learn. People think it's stupid and boring, and simply a test of patience, so the teacher can see whether the student will stick to it. However, this seemingly simple posture can take you into the void. Standing in the void! Each posture is like a physical yantra or talisman, it has particular characteristics. Simply being in that posture makes the energy flow in a certain way. When you go into the void in a standing posture, these energetic characteristics are more noticeable and very powerful. So, having this as the first posture is very chinese: it's the beginning, yet it's also the end. It builds the foundation, as well as allow you to reach the ultimate. All in one. That's the daoist thought "the one is in all, and all is in the one". But like you mentioned, it's different processes. However, I would be very interested and curious to know now; can you shortly explain your view of the alchemical process in your tradition? Be blessed

Hey @Cleansox, Yes, like you said, there might be some differences in how we view internal alchemy, and how the systems we practice view it. From my point of view, how will you access the your jing from before you were born? How will you access your qi from before you were born? How will you connect with the state of your conciousness from before you were born? You use your current state and work from there. By building and strengthening your foundation (here understood as the health of your physical body), you're strengthening your jing. Through this continued strengthening, you can access, connect to and experienceyour jing from before you were born. This can happen through what this post started with: standing. If you're familiar with the "squatting monkey" or "dun hou shi", that's the very first posture in Dai Family Xing Yi. Through standing in this posture, you can connect to your jing from before you were born. You use your acquired jing (current physical state of health, your body), to access your jing from before you were born. The posture looks somewhat like the fetal position. When you relax in the position and stand for a prolonged time, and if you get the transmission of this state from your teacher, you can enter into and connect with the state of your jing from before you were born. The same goes for qi. You use your current qi, to access the qi from before you were born. You can connect to and access the state of your qi from before birth. Similarly with shen. The good thing about qigong and meditation is that once you're able to reach "the void", you have access to all of these three (jing, qi and shen from before birth) as well as everything else. That's the first thing in daoist cosmology: from the void came the dao, from the dao came the one, from the one came the two, from the two came the three, and from the three everything (the ten thousand things) came. So, when you access the void, everything is already in there: your jing/qi/shen from before birth, the 5 elements in their optimal form etc. You can know everything. That's the big advantage if one is good in meditation. If you can reach the void (through a transmission of it from your teacher), you can start to enter into the void every day. Then everything happens, just like the Dao De Jing says "the sage does nothing, yet everything is accomplished". The yin & yang shen is definitively possible, but I don't personally view it as important, nor the ultimate goal of alchemy. Alchemy's ultimate goal is "RenTienHeYi", or man becomes one with the universe (or Heaven as they call it). It's the same goal most spiritual systems pursue: yoga means oneness, union with or to be in harmony with. Harmony with everything and everyone, i.e. the universe. It's the same in sufism: "la ilaha il allah", there is nothing but God, i.e. even you are part of God. When you realize that and go into that state daily, that's the end goal. It's the same in buddhism, realizing the ultimate truth, "the void", "the emptiness", "nirvana". That's my own personal view, based on my own personal experience, and as taught by my different teachers.

@freeform Thanks for sharing! That's some really good information I completely agree! There are many possible pitfalls if one does not have the correct techniques and methods, and of course the protection and guidance of a true teacher. What I was thinking about when I asked that question, is the following: 1) Through retaining the semen, you consolidate, build and strengthen the jing (of course this is only done if the emotions and the mind are in balance, just like you mentioned). 2) Through fortifying the foundation, you strengthen your jing, thereby making the "jing to qi" step of internal alchemy stronger

Hey @Cleansox, thanks for chipping in Yes, definitively. Warning (in an attempt not to generalize or universalize my viewpoint, I'll say which lineage it comes from): I'm about to share some of my personal viewpoints on this subject. These are in accord with what I've been taught from Master Zhongxian Wu's Emei Zhengong, as well as Wudang Dragon Gate system, and what I've experienced personally. There's a jing, qi and shen component to everything. So "sealing the leakage" on the jing level has to do with the physical body, the semen, the blood, etc. That's what I've been talking about a lot in this thread. "Sealing the leakage" on the qi level has to do with (just like you mentioned) emotions as well as the breath; the emotions of desire, worry, fear etc, as well as proper breathing. "Sealing the leakage" on the shen level has to do with the senses (turning the senses inward instead of outward) and discarding wrong beliefs/worldviews for correct ones (wrong and correct simply implying whether the belief is in accord with objective reality or not). To give an example of the trinity of jing/qi/shen: The liver has a jing, qi and shen component. The jing is the physical part of the liver, the qi is the emotional part (emotions on a spectrum between anger and compassion) as well as the liver energy and the shen part is related to the sense of vision. So, sealing the leakage on the jing level of the liver has to do with blood (especially for women), but also anything which can damage your physical liver (e.g. alcohol). Sealing the leakage on the qi level of the liver has to do with slowly but surely minimizing anger, and slowly but surely cultivating compassion. This is coupled with breathing exercises, mantras and mudras for the liver, strengthening and refining its qi. Finally, sealing the leakage on the shen level of the liver has to do with minimizing looking (the sense of vision) outward, and instead turning the eyesight within, looking within. That's a small "my two cents" about the trinity of jing/qi/shen and it's relation to internal alchemy, as well as the principle of "sealing the leakage" and the alchemical principle of jing to qi, qi to shen, and shen to dao using the liver as a concrete example.

@freeform Tell me then, what happens if someone retains semen? When they stop that leakage of jing, and there is finally accumulated a surplus of semen which has not been evacuated.. What will happen to that surplus of semen in your opinion?

@liminal_luke yes, from the above quote from freeform, we've found the common ground I never talked about mixing systems together, nor "doing one's own thing". Due to @cleansox pointing it out, I clarified this by mentioning the specific methods that employ breath holding as one of their breathing exercises. Again, thanks for that @Cleansox @freeform as I mentioned in some of my previous posts (including to Virtue), I actually don't think we disagree that much. I think it's simply written communication, and what one "reads into" what the other communicates. Again, @freeform, I never said "jing = sperm", in every single post I've specifically mentioned "jing is related to sperm", I didn't say "jing EQUALS sperm" at any point. That's what you're reading into it, but it's never been what I said. There's a big difference between "related to" and "basically equal to".

Hey @Cleansox, I hadn't seen the edit about Zhongxian Wu Yes, Zhongxian Wu also teaches internal alchemy. His two several year programs contain internal alchemy, namely: 1) his 3,5 year training program called "living with the dao" (Jing Dao) as well as 2) the 2 year training program "chinese astrology" (TienGan DiZhi)

Thanks for your quick response! From my point of view, these are all "alchemical" (transformative) from a Chinese viewpoint, or simply tantric/energetically focused from the Indian viewpoint: 1) Tibetan tsa-lung and karmamudra (tibetan tantric buddhist, which of course originated from the Indian sanskrit yoga tradition) 2) All the systems of Zhongxian Wu (which have their roots in daoism and ancient chinese shamanism) 3) Chiao Chang Hung's systems are also rooted in the daoist tradition. 4) The sufi tradition as well (most words starting with the prefix "-al" are of arabic origin... INCLUDING al-chemy, alcohol, algebra etc) 5) All the tantric types of yoga employing focus on energy, prana, kundalini and shakti could in my point of view be characterized as alchemical 6) Even physical fitness training is alchemical; you build more blood, bigger stronger lungs and heart, bigger muscles, stronger immune system etc. That's all transforming your physical body from my point of view. That's of course my point of view However, I would definitively say that these three are accepted as "internal alchemy" from the usual understanding: 1) Tibetan tsa-lung and karmamudra (tibetan tantric buddhist, which of course originated from the Indian sanskrit yoga tradition) 2) All the systems of Zhongxian Wu (which have their roots in daoism and ancient chinese shamanism) 3) Chiao Chang Hung's systems are also rooted in the daoist tradition.

Hi @Cleansox Thanks for sharing your thoughts Yes, you're right! Let me nuance and specify, instead of simply generalizing (thanks for pointing that out by the way!) Holding the breath is important in the following systems I've experienced: 1) Tibetan buddhist tsa-lung and karmamudra (Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Tulku Lobsang, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche are three I've learnt from that all employed breath holding) 2) Wudang Dragon Gate, Emei Zhengong, Dai Family XinYi and Hidden Immortal Lineage TaiJi as taught by Master Zhongxian Wu 3) Genital Weight Lifting, Xisuigong, Daoist meditation, taichi, qigong and lovemaking as taught by Chiao Chang Hung. 4) Sufi meditation, including dhikr (reciting mantras), du'a (reciting prayers) and many others. It can be found in classical texts by e.g. Ibn Arabi, the Badawi tariqa, the Naqshbandi tariqa as well as the Chisti tariqa 5) Yoga, both many Yoga Sutras, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many other classical sources (including tibetan texts as well, e.g.6 yogas of Naropa) 6) General fitness training for improving lung capacity, e.g. swimming, diving etc. Those are just some of the systems, teachers and lineages I've trained in, which employ breath holding as a fundamental breathing exercise

@freeform thanks for sharing your thoughts! So the things you disagree with are: 1) "Holding your breath is a key secret ingredient to internal alchemy" 2) "Long periods of standing meditation with breath holding activates and builds your qi" 3) Jing as related to semen, and jing as related to your physical body Let me elaborate or clarify one by one: 1) "Holding your breath is a key secret ingredient to internal alchemy" I shared this as a personal realization confirming what I've been taught by my teachers. They talked about it in the beginning when I studied with them, and I didn't think it was that important. Because it's nowhere in the books, and most don't talk about it. Plus, it's unpleasant and hard work. However, when I actually made an effort to practice like that, I noticed "OMG, it really works!". I wanted to share this personal experience in an effort to help others not simply pass over "breath holding" as unimportant like I myself had done. You find it dangerous, think it's too risky, or simply not true that it's actually an important part of alchemy. Okay, that's your opinion and experience. I have a different one. So, like you said, simply practice what your teachers and systems teach you, and I will practice what my teachers have taught me. I recommend everyone does that. 2) "Long periods of standing meditation with breath holding activates and builds your qi" This is pretty much the same as I've written above. It's what I've been taught, I neglected doing it because it was too hard and unpleasant, and no one else talked about it. However, now I've realized why they said that in the beginning, it really works and its really important. However, each should practice in accord with their own beliefs, their own systems and teachers. 3) Jing as related to semen, and jing as related to your physical body I have not said "jing is basically semen", nor have I said "jing is basically your physical body". In each post I've written "jing is related to semen" and "jing is related to your physical body".

@virtue In most of my responses, you can see I actually agree with many of the things being said. As with most conflicts, I think it's simply a misunderstanding. That's written communication sometimes. Can you sum up in one sentence, what it is you would like me to elaborate on? Because I feel everyone agrees that holding one's breath is simply one breathing method with certain benefits. Once again, it's only the relative importance given to it, that we disagree on. And that's perfectly okay from my point of view - to each his own. Morals, virtue, compassion, loving-kindness and the pursuit of internal and relational harmony is in my opinion the most important part of cultivation. All the meditation etc. is simply to assist us in having the power and patience to treat our neighbor as we would like to be treated. Be blessed

Hi @Vajra Fist, thanks for sharing your thoughts Sounds great that it helped you through Covid! Physical strength (e.g. strong lungs) is no small accomplishment in terms of health Yes, it makes sense not to mix systems! Always practice under the guidance of a true teacher that's the best guidance and protection. Just to clarify, when I shared about the similarities between yoga, meditation and qigong, it was simply to put things into perspective. I don't mix the systems up and try to do "my own thing". I follow the guidance as given by the teachers I've learnt from. The breath holding is a part of the jing to qi step, strengthening and refining your jing (physical body) and cultivating and strengthening your qi (energy). The continous and simultaneous cultivation of both your jing, qi and shen, through body, breath and posture is a very important part of Master Wu's qigong. It's important in every qigong, using your body, breath (including mantras) and your mind. Chunyi Lin mentions it too, using body, breath, mantras and the mind. So, holding one's breath is simply one breathing method, which strengthens and refines your jing, and cultivates and strengthen your qi. The posture and the mind then distributes the above mentioned benefits to particular parts of the body, the 5 organ systems, the 3 dan tien, or whichever part of your body is in need of extra healing. Actually, even my genital weight lifting and sexual qigong teacher also talked about the importance of holding the breath. And how to hold one's breath, focus on the place that needs healing, and simply rub it with your hand, is one of the best and most basic self-healing techniques. So, it's almost every teacher I've learnt from, who has talked about the benefits of this particular breathing method. It's the same in pranayama, the ujayyi pranayama (calming), the nadi shodhi (cleansing), the bhastrika (energizing) and the kumbhak (breath hold - strengthening and harmonizing). These are the fundamental pranayama techniques, kumbhak being one of the staples. I believe even Chunyi Lin has mentioned that the yin and yang harmonizes inside the body, when one holds the breath. And his qigong is one of the most gentle ones out there. Actually, I haven't had a single teacher who has not talked about this particular breathing exercise, namely holding the breath. But from what I can see in this thread, most don't like it, think it's dangerous, or say that it's very rare, and have never been taught this method. I respect that, we're all unique, we all have our own beliefs and preferences, and of course practice different systems. For me personally, it's one of the staple breathing exercises I've seen in every single system I've ever studied, no matter if Indian, Sufi, Chinese, Tibetan or even just western fitness training with swimming and diving. So to me, it's very apparent that it's a good and proven method used widely. But to each his own, of course

Hi @Vajra Fist, thanks for your post! Yes, I completely get where you're coming from. For me it was also an experiment, just to try it out Definitively go with your gut feeling, always! Nice to hear from you. All the best! Be blessed

@freeform Thanks for sharing your thoughts I completely agree that semen is simply one physical manifestation of jing. Yes, I also completely agree that sealing the physical leakages (blood and semen) is simply the physical component. I never said it's the end all and be all of alchemy, I simply mentioned that it's a part of it. So, I agree with you about that as well. This post is all about me sharing my experiences with "the foundation", and jing is the foundation. Semen and blood is also a part of that. Just like you said, it's "the start". The foundation is the start. "The foundation" is what I titled my original post Seems like we've gone full circle. Be blessed