Sahaja

I guess the definition of existence is subjective but in my experience the Dan tian’s manifestation most definitely does not rely on the imagination. Once it’s been activated, you’ve built some extra qi and laogong is open, their interaction will create visible involuntary physical bodily movement in the Dan tian area whether you want it to or not. In fact in my experience the less direction/control from the mind the more the energy will manifest physically. In my understanding and experience the term wu wei, with respect to cultivation, effectively means non governance by the acquired mind. Zi ran means that which arises naturally from within you when wu Wei is “practiced”. These are not just ephemeral philosophical concepts. They have very practical correlates in cultivation. in my experience there are many areas of the body that energy fields (tians) can form around and even have physical manifestation of energetic movement (opening/closing) and connection that can visibly affect the physical body. However what makes it a Dan tian is the capability to store/ refine energy to grow or nurture the elixir (Dan) . Not all of these areas can function this way so using the term Dan is a relevant descriptor because it not only describes what is but also describes its functional potential.