Nei Jing Tu

[Mudfoot]

http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/2350-looking-for-nei-jing-tu-qing-period-illustration-of-inner-circulation/

 

And old thread about the Nei Jing Tu, which rather soon turned into a thrashing Chia-thread. 

 

The quote from Chia is quite clear: He didn't get information about the NJT from his teacher, and it is not a part of his lineage. He is interpreting it from the point of view of his system.

 

 

I am sure some of his critics (like in the ebove linked thread) would think of square pegs in round holes....

Edited March 6, 2017 by Mudfoot

[Mudfoot]

Some of the imagery of the NJT seems to predate quanzhen. Isabelle Robinet have examples from Mao Shan Highest Clearity that have an interesting fit.

[Mudfoot]

James Miller: The Way of Highest Clarity.

This book has a few explanations for the origin of some of the imagery.

[Mudfoot]

Wang Mu: Foundations of internal alchemy. 

 

If you do not have the luxury to be initiated in whatever Pai but want to get 🐐 a small glimpse of the energetic practices of internal alchemy, reading the above book and looking at the NJT will give you some hints. 

 

There is one method that is described with contradicting terms. That makes me wonder if a translator have been helpful, or if Wang Mu is trying to hide something in the open. 

[Mudfoot]

I would not be surprised if the NJT have Indian roots (and you can hear the scream Nooooo from the faithful). 

 

At least, I found a yoga website that explained some aspects of the NJT far better than any of the above references. 

[Wu Ming Jen]

 

According to records, this diagram, which first appeared during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), had a significant impact on the Chinese Taoist culture for the next several hundred years. Over the centuries, it has been well guarded, retained in the private custody of the innermost lineage holders of the Longmen School of Internal Alchemy. In recent years, documents have revealed that a color painting of the diagram once existed in the collection of one of the Emperors of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). As an etching in stone, the Nei Jing Tu exists today in two places in the world: the White Cloud Temple in Beijing, and Wu Dang Mountain in Hubei Province. 

 

In the lower part, a boy and a girl who represent Yin and Yang are working on a treadmill placed in the Caudal Funnel (weilü), at the bottom of the spine. (Yin Yang fall in love) Inverting the stream of energy (actually the jing or Essence, depicted by the water course along the spine),{Cause what floats, mercury, Acquired consciousness to sink and what sinks, lead, the shining mind original mind to float) they avoid that it flows downwards and is wasted. (With the Spinal Handle and the Jade Pillow mentioned below, the Caudal Funnel is one of the Three Barriers or sanguan.) Water thus turns into a fiery furnace, which heats the lower Cinnabar Field placed near the four Yin-Yang symbols; these stand for the four external agents (Wood, Fire, Metal, Water), with the fifth one (the central Soil) represented by their conjunction. On the left of the Cinnabar Field is the "iron buffalo ploughing the earth and planting the golden coin," an image of the first seed of the Golden Elixir.

 

At the center is the middle Cinnabar Field, shaped as a spiral and located in the region of the heart. Just above it is the Herd Boy, who holds the constellation of the Northern Dipper, a symbol of the center of the cosmos. According to a famous Chinese story, the Herd Boy (corresponding to the constellation Altair) only once a year can meet and conjoin with the Weaving Girl (corresponding to Vega), who is pictured below him. At the level of the Weaving Girl, along the spine, is the Spinal Handle.

 

The upper part of the picture represents the upper Cinnabar Field. Above and behind the Twelve-storied Pavilion (the trachea), is the Jade Pillow. Behind the mountains, on the left, the Control vessel (dumai, which runs on the back of the body) emerges; the old man sitting next to it is Laozi. Below the Control vessel, the Function vessel (renmai, which runs on the front of the body) begins; the monk standing with raised arms next to it is Bodhidharma (who, according to tradition, brought Chan Buddhism to China). The two dots stand for the eyes, and represent the Sun and Moon.

 

This being my linage I may be able to shed some light on specific questions.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Wu Ming Jen

[voidisyinyang]

I was asked to respond to this.

 

I wonder if any of the literati here know about the Kang bed-stove linked to alchemy training. It is found as far back as 1000 BCE in archaeology.

 

The principle is called the "Chinese burner" but it is also called the "inverted downward draft."

 

I don't want to appear to be derailing this thread - so I'm just going to point out that the principles involved as the same as internal alchemy.

 

I won't make the full analogy here - as it would get too entailed - but we know the Tripod cauldron was an early inspiration for alchemy as well.

 

I'm just asking if anyone knows of these connections to this diagram. If not, whatever.

 

thanks.

[Mudfoot]

I am going to write a bit about the NJT in my PPD. 

[blue eyed snake]

On 7/18/2017 at 10:59 PM, Mudfoot said:

I would not be surprised if the NJT have Indian roots (and you can hear the scream Nooooo from the faithful). 

 

At least, I found a yoga website that explained some aspects of the NJT far better than any of the above references. 

 

thanks for your threads on this topic, a wealth of sources to peruse.

would you give the link to that yoga website?

[Mudfoot]

12 hours ago, blue eyed snake said:

 

thanks for your threads on this topic, a wealth of sources to peruse.

would you give the link to that yoga website?

There is a book, it is available as a pdf. 

Kundalini Tantra, by swami whatever something something. 

 

Next year, Singing Dragon is publishing a book on the subject. 

[Mudfoot]

[Mudfoot]

This one is very readable, in the light of possible practices connected to the NJT.

 

http://cccp.uchicago.edu/archive/2010Creel-LucePaleographyWorkshop/Yong-yun Lee - on Taiyi sheng shui Cosmology.pdf

[Mudfoot]

Decoding the Dao,  by Tom Bisio. 

 

This book is an excellent introduction to daoist qigong and basic daoist meditation techniques. 

 

It also have a chapter on the Nei Jing Tu. 

 

I have written this before. Please, dear future authors (this goes out to Ian Robertson Duncan);

1) Look at the picture. 

2) Read the text right to it. 

3) The XiuZhenTu is actually useful. 

4) Do not use sources of information that miss all the above. 

5) It is very useful to have a personal practice that actually works with the processes in the Nei Jing Tu. Be aware of the fact that there are other ways to work with your energetic system, your method might not be congruent with the NJT. 

6) Pretty please with sugar on top, DO NOT MAKE THINGS UP! A square peg do not fit in a round hole. 

 

On the other hand, I did enhance my understanding of some of the symbols used by Nei Dan classics. 

[Mudfoot]

This one is readable. Ok, I cut the heading. Typical 

[Mudfoot]

Here it is 

[Mudfoot]

Mudfoot's guide to the Nei Jing Tu.

 

Coming soon to a PPD near You. 

[Mudfoot]

Ian Duncan's book Mapping the mystery is soon out. 

 

He has a blog on one part, Iron ox plows the earth, sowing seeds for gold. 

 

He takes a wide, philosophical approach, in line with the astrological "the Iron ox is the most hard working of oxen". 

 

This is one approach, this was my first choice when I started to study the NJT one and a half years ago. 

 

I let that go. First for when my ldt had a period of contraction (metal), which made sense at the time. But that didn't satisfy, so I searched on. 

 

Then I found a more useful reference, connecting it to an actual practice. 

 

I really hope that Ian Duncan hops of the philosophical horse and ground the rest of the book in actual practice. 

 

In Bruce Frantzis' words :

 

This is what it says. 

This is what it means. 

This is how you do it. 

 

Without this, he is not Mapping the mystery. Then he is just flapping his lips, and I will place his book in the shelf next to the other lip-flappers on this subject. 😁 

[Mudfoot]

Ian Duncan's book Mapping the mystery is not yet released, but he has released a translation of the Nei Jing Tu. 

 

I haven't read it yet, it is not printable so I have referred it to my IT-tech (brother) to fix that issue. 

 

Ian Duncan claims two Long Men Pai lineages, so it will be interesting to read. 

 

If you check out his site, he seems to be less on the Sith side of Nei Dan and more on the awaken Awareness side. 

 

For him, shows of powers is a sign saying you should avoid that teacher! 

[Bruce Qi]

whats his site , cant seem to find it ?

[Mudfoot]

On 2019-01-04 at 4:09 PM, Bruce Qi said:

whats his site , cant seem to find it ?

ianduncan.org 

Northern Dipper Temple 

[Cleansox]

On 2019-01-04 at 3:33 PM, Mudfoot said:

Ian Duncan's book Mapping the mystery is not yet released, but he has released a translation of the Nei Jing Tu. 

The book is still not out. 

On 2019-01-04 at 3:33 PM, Mudfoot said:

 

Ian Duncan claims two Long Men Pai lineages, so it will be interesting to read. 

He doesn't do the inner cultivating methods of these two lineages, instead he draws those from two other lineages, non-Long Men Pai. 

 

That, and his translation of the Nei Jing Tu, gives a hint of that the book (I am on Ian Duncan's mailing list) which he again is writing about might be ever so disapointing. 

 

I will buy it anyway, but... 

 

BTW, @Mudfoot, your ppd seems to be empty.