Door To All Wonder

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Door to All Wonders
Application of the
Tao Te Ching
Mantak Chia
and
Tao Huang
Edited by:
Dennis Huntington
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Editor: Dennis Huntington
Editorial Assistance: Colin Campbell
Design and Production: Saniem Chaisarn
Illustrations: Udon Jandee
Project Manager: W.U. Wei
© North Star Trust
First published in May 2002 by:
Universal Tao Publications

274/1 Moo 7, Luang Nua,
Doi Saket, Chiang Mai, 50220 Thailand
Tel (66) (53) 865-034 & 495-596
Email: universaltao@universal-tao.com
Web Site: www.universal-tao.com
ISBN: 974-88307-9-9
Manufactured in Thailand
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or

reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express
written permission from the author, with the exception of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Contents
Contents
Contents................................................................................... i
About the Authors
Mantak Chia ........................................................................ vii
Tao Huang ........................................................................... xi
Acknowledgments ................................................................ xii
Preface..................................................................................... xiii
Words of Caution..................................................................... xx
Editor’s Introduction: Taoist Bone............................................. 1

Taoist Collaboration.............................................................. 1
Reference Base of Chinese Mystical Culture ................... 3
Biographical/Cultural Resources .................................... 3
Cultural Orientation ......................................................... 3
Prophecy in his Family Graveyard—Destined
to be a Healer or Shaman ............................................ 4
Previous Incarnations ...................................................... 4
Chi Kung Practice—Healed his Physical Problems ....... 4
Heart-Sealed Awakening Through Lao Tzu..................... 5
26th Lineage of the Dragon Gate School......................... 7
Master Chia’s Lineage, Longevity, and Immortality ........ 9
Education and Body Wisdom .......................................... 11
Taoist Bone: Spiritual Will..................................................... 13
The Story.......................................................................... 13
Inventing the Story ........................................................... 14
Spiritual Will ..................................................................... 16
Background of Developing the will to Live........................ 16
Master Chia’s Life, Different but Parallel ......................... 18
Quest for the Secret Code .............................................. 19
Story of the Just-Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old-Man 21
I Ching/Genetic Code Summary......................................... 23
Purpose ........................................................................... 23
Perspective ..................................................................... 24
I Ching Lines, Diagrams, Trigrams and Hexagrams........ 25
I Ching Divination Process ............................................. 27
DNA Notes, Basic Concepts and Vocabulary ................. 28
Concluding Comments ................................................... 32
Taoist Practices Infused with the Virtue Energy of Te ........ 34
Reference Source ............................................................... 36
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Contents
Chapter I
Wordless Uttering Sound: Tao................................................. 37
Defining the Tao ................................................................... 37
Communicable Tao.......................................................... 38
Inner Voice ....................................................................... 39
Incommunicable Tao ....................................................... 40
Connection In-Between .................................................. 41
Usefulness of In-Between ............................................... 41
Nature of the Tao ................................................................. 42
Tao: Beyond the Senses ................................................. 43
Knowing of the Origin of the Tao: Thus ........................... 43
Empty Harmony – Action of the Tao .................................... 45
Returning ......................................................................... 46
Bellows – Function of the Tao ......................................... 48
Bellows-Like Meditation ................................................... 50
Mystic Female – Source of the Tao .................................... 53
Water – Symbol of the Tao .................................................. 54
Lao Tzu and the Tao ............................................................ 55
On the Tao ....................................................................... 55
Discipline ......................................................................... 56
Teaching and Learning .................................................... 56
Warning ........................................................................... 57
Advice .............................................................................. 58
Chapter II
Sensory Perception................................................................. 59
How We Perceive ............................................................... 59
Spiritual Sensitivity .......................................................... 60
Development of Five Senses .......................................... 62
Meditative Perceptivity ..................................................... 69
Sensory Receptors ......................................................... 70
Vulnerable Sensory Organs ................................................ 71
Mawangdui Text ............................................................... 71
Five Elements – Sum of Stimuli ...................................... 73
Pressure upon Five Senses ........................................... 74
Stop Victimizing your Sensory Organs ............................... 76
Away from Motivational Stimulus .................................... 76
Being Productive: Ego’s Weapon ................................... 77
Sickness of our Persuasion ................................................ 78
Idea of Ownership ........................................................... 78
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Contents
Be Content with Enough .................................................. 80

Beyond Persuasion ............................................................. 82
Chapter III
Walking the Way: Spiritual Cultivation...................................... 84
Chinese Psychospiritual Somatology ................................ 86
Historical Picture ............................................................. 86
Three Mystic Fields ......................................................... 88
Two Openings ................................................................. 90
Reactionistic Map............................................................. 92
Two Orbits ....................................................................... 96
Heart of Troubles ................................................................ 98
Carnal Body – Root of Trouble ........................................ 98
Formula for Six Organic Systems ................................... 100
Desiring Heart – Owner of the Troubles .......................... 110
Frolics of Five – Animals (Wu Chin Xi)............................ 111
Vitalizing the Body ............................................................... 114
Emotional Mood – Activation of Troubles.......................... 115
Formula of Five Emotional Colors ................................... 116
Chapter IV
Embracing Oneness................................................................ 119
Perceptual Unification of the Oneness ............................... 121
Taoist Approach ............................................................. 122
Scientific Manipulation ..................................................... 125
Belly – Energetic Bank of Oneness ................................ 127
Fungi – Food of Oneness ................................................ 127
Vision of Oneness .......................................................... 128
Psycho – Spiritual Unification ............................................. 129
Biophysical Oneness – the Androgynous Self ................ 129
Psycho-Spiritual Oneness – the God-Like-Self............... 131
Mystic Female ................................................................. 132
Nature and culture of Psychospiritual Oneness.............. 134
Three Oneness ............................................................... 136
Power of Keeping the Oneness .......................................... 138
Oneness-Child of the Tao ................................................ 139
Outcome of Cultivation .................................................... 141
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Contents
Chapter V
World of the Sage.................................................................... 143
What is a Sage? .................................................................. 143
Sage’s Physical Condition................................................... 145
On Water ......................................................................... 146
Sage’s Mental Condition ...................................................... 150
Wu Wei ........................................................................... 150
Wu Zheng ........................................................................ 152
Shan ................................................................................ 153
Xian .................................................................................. 154
Calming the Mind ................................................................ 157
Pursuing the Tao .............................................................. 157
Embracing the Simplicity ................................................. 159
Richness of Frugality ....................................................... 160
Non-Dualistic Mentality .................................................... 161
Quality of Sage’s Life........................................................... 163
Capacity of Natural Rejuvenation..................................... 163
Suffusion of Self............................................................... 163
Wisdom of an Old Boy..................................................... 164
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te................................................................................ 167
What is Kind Action?............................................................ 168
Use of Language.............................................................. 168
Uplifting Te ....................................................................... 173
Accumulation of Te .............................................................. 174
Nature of Kind Action ....................................................... 174
Capacity of Kind Action ................................................... 175
Humiliation ....................................................................... 176
Accumulation of Kind Action ............................................ 177
Ji Te .................................................................................. 179
Equilibrium of Kind Action ................................................ 180
Cultivation upon Kind Action ................................................ 182
Nature of Cultivation......................................................... 182
Entering the Mystical Te ................................................... 184
Kind Action - The Only Measurement ............................. 186
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Contents
Chapter VII
Between Palace and Temple................................................... 188
Loving the People................................................................. 193
What are “People”? ......................................................... 193
How to Love People ........................................................ 195
How to take care of People ............................................. 195
The Formula before the Fear............................................ 196
Practical Success ........................................................... 197
Governing the Country ........................................................ 197
Nature of a Country.......................................................... 197
Ways of Governing the Country........................................ 199
Mutual Existence of Countries ......................................... 200
Military .................................................................................. 201
Nature of War................................................................... 201
Military - Strong Army ...................................................... 204
Mentality of Winning ........................................................ 205
Military Strategies ........................................................... 206
Kingship ............................................................................... 207
Widow or Orphan? ......................................................... 207
Supportiveness of the Tao ............................................... 207
Chapter VIII
Longevity and Immortality........................................................ 209
Tapping the Gate of Longevity ............................................. 210
Reasoning, Out................................................................ 210
Distilling the Mental Clouds ............................................. 211
Calling upon the Valley Spirit ........................................... 212
Visioning Immortality ....................................................... 213
Moving Along the Living Reality ........................................... 214
Nature of Changing .......................................................... 214
To Suffice Oneself with Presence.................................... 215
Reversing the Process of Entropy................................... 217
Reconnecting the Source of Longevity............................ 219
From Longevity to Immortality ............................................. 221
Walking through the Death .............................................. 221
Open to Longevity ........................................................... 222
Lasering into Immortality.................................................. 223
You Choice Matters.......................................................... 224
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Contents
Chapter IX
Faithfulness.............................................................................. 225
Initiative Engagement of Faithfulness: Speech ................... 228
Nature of Speech ............................................................ 228
Character of Speech ....................................................... 230
Quality of Speech ............................................................ 232
Speechless Action .......................................................... 233
Trustworthiness .................................................................. 235
Establishing a Trusting Environment ............................... 235
Mechanism of Trust ......................................................... 235
Way of Trustworthiness ................................................... 236
Faithfulness ......................................................................... 237
God of our Spirit ............................................................... 237
Virtue of Faithfulness ....................................................... 237
Beyond the Transformation of Life................................... 239
Appendix I
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching ....................................................... 242
Appendix II
Binary System and I Ching ................................................. 271
Universal Tao System Overview..................... Overview 1—35
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About the Aithors
About the Authors
Mantak Chia
Master Mantak Chia

Master Mantak Chia is the creator of the Universal Tao System and
is the director of the Universal Tao Center and Tao Garden Health
Resort and Training Center in the beautiful northern countryside of
Thailand. Since childhood he has been studying the Taoist approach
to life. His mastery of this ancient knowledge, enhanced by his
study of other disciplines, has resulted in the development of the
Universal Tao System which is now being taught throughout the
world.
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About the Aithors
Mantak Chia was born in Thailand to Chinese parents in 1944.

When he was six years old, Buddhist monks taught him how to sit
and “still the mind.” While still a grammar school student, he learned
traditional Thai boxing. He was then taught Tai Chi Chuan by Mas-
ter Lu, who soon introduced him to Aikido, Yoga and broader levels
of Tai Chi.
Years later, when he was a student in Hong Kong excelling in
track and field events, a senior classmate named Cheng Sue-Sue
introduced him to his first esoteric teacher and Taoist Master, Mas-
ter Yi Eng (I Yun). At this point, Master Chia began his studies of the
Taoist way of life in earnest. He learned how to circulate energy
through the Microcosmic Orbit and, through the practice of Fusion
of the Five Elements, how to open the other Six Special Channels.
As he studied Inner Alchemy further, he learned the Enlightenment
of the Kan and Li, Sealing of the Five Senses, Congress of Heaven
and Earth and Reunion of Heaven and Man. It was Master Yi Eng
who authorized Master Chia to teach and heal.
When Mantak Chia was in his early twenties he studied with
Master Meugi in Singapore, who taught him Kundalini, Taoist Yoga
and the Buddha Palm. He was soon able to clear blockages to the
flow of energy within his own body. He learned to pass the life force
energy through his hands also, so that he could heal Master Meugi’s
patients. He then learned Chi Nei Tsang from Dr. Mui Yimwattana
in Thailand.
A while later, he studied with Master Cheng Yao-Lun who taught
him the Shao-Lin Method of Internal Power. He learned the closely
guarded secret of the organs, glands and bone marrow exercise
known as Bone Marrow Nei Kung and the exercise known as
Strengthening and Renewal of the Tendons. Master Cheng Yao-
Lun’s system combined Thai boxing and Kung Fu. Master Chia
also studied at this time with Master Pan Yu, whose system com-
bined Taoist, Buddhist and Zen teachings. Master Pan Yu also taught
him about the exchange of Yin and Yang power between men and
women, and how to develop the Steel Body.
To understand the mechanisms behind healing energy better,
Master Chia studied Western anatomy and medical science for
two years. While pursuing his studies, he managed the Gestetner
Company, a manufacturer of office equipment and became well
acquainted with the technology of offset printing and copying ma-
chines.
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About the Aithors
Using his knowledge of Taoism, combined with the other disci-

plines, Master Chia began teaching the Universal Tao System. He
eventually trained other Instructors to communicate this knowledge
and he established the Natural Healing Center in Thailand. Five
years later, he decided to move to New York, where in 1979, he
opened the Universal Tao Center. During his years in America,
Master Chia continued his studies in the Wu system of Tai Chi with
Edward Yee in New York.
Since then, Master Chia has taught tens of thousands of stu-
dents throughout the world. He has trained and certified over 1,200
instructors and practitioners from all over the world. Universal Tao
Centers and Chi Nei Tsang Institutes have opened in many loca-
tions in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
In 1994, Master Chia moved back to Thailand, where he had
begun construction of Tao Garden, the Universal Tao Training Cen-
ter in Chiang Mai.
Master Chia is a warm, friendly and helpful man who views him-
self primarily as a teacher. He presents the Universal Tao System
in a straightforward and practical manner, while always expanding
his knowledge and approach to teaching. He uses a laptop com-
puter for writing and is totally at ease with the latest computer tech-
nology.
Master Chia estimates that it will take thirty-five books to convey
the full Universal Tao System. In June, 1990, at a dinner in San
Francisco, Master Chia was honored by the International Congress
of Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong (Chi Kung), who named him the
Qi gong Master of the Year. He is the first recipient of this annual
award.
In December, 2000, the Tao Garden Health Resort and Univer-
sal Tao Training Center was completed with two Meditation Halls,
two open air Simple Chi Kung Pavilions, indoor Tai Chi, Tao Tao Yin
and Chi Nei Tsang Hall, Tai Chi Natural Swimming Pool, Pakua
Communications Center with a complete Taoist Library, Internal
World Class Weight Lifting Hall and complete 8 Court Recreational
Facilities.
In February, 2002, the Immortal Tao practices will be held at Tao
Garden for the first time using Dark Room technology, creating a
complete environment for the higher level Taoist practices.
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About the Aithors
Master Mantak Chia has previously written and published these

twenty-three Universal Tao books:
Awaken Healing Energy of the Tao - 1983
Taoist Secrets of Love: Cultivating Male Sexual Energy
co-authored with Michael Winn - 1984.
Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality -1985
Chi Self-Massage: the Tao of Rejuvenation - 1986
Iron Shirt Chi Kung I - 1986
Healing Love Through the Tao: Cultivating Female
Sexual Energy - 1986
Bone Marrow Nei Kung - 1989
Fusion of the Five Elements I - 1990
Chi Nei Tsang: Internal Organ Chi Massage - 1990
Awaken Healing Light of the Tao - 1993
The Inner Structure of Tai Chi co-authored with Juan Li -
1996
Multi-Orgasmic Man co-authored with Douglas Abrams
1996 - published by Harper Collins
Tao Yin - 1999
Chi Nei Tsang II - 2000
Multi-Orgasmic Couple co-authored with Douglas Abrams
2000 - published by Harper Collins
Cosmic Healing I - 2001
Cosmic Healing II co-authored with Dirk Oellibrandt - 2001
Door of All Wonders co-authored with Tao Haung - 2001
Sexual Reflexology co-authored with W. U. Wei - 2002
Elixir Chi Kung - 2002
Many of the books above are available in the following foreign
languages:
Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French,
German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japa-
nese, Korean, Lithuanian, Malaysian, Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Spanish and
Turkish editions are available from the Foreign Publishers listed in
the Universal Tao Center Overview in the back of this book.
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About the Aithors
Tao Huang
Tao Huang was born and grew

up in Dingxi (Settling West)
County in Northwest China. Tao
Huang was destined to be a
healer or shaman according to
the prophesy revealed in his fam-
ily graveyard. In previous incar-
nations he was twice a Buddhist
and spent two lives as a native Indian spiritual practitioner. He be-
gan chi kung practice during his teenage years, right after the Cul-
tural Revolution, and healed his physical problems.
While visiting the United States at the age of 24 on an exchange
program, he found Taoism among other spiritual disciplines, such
as Christianity and Buddhism. After returning to China a year later,
he searched for a temple to begin his Taoist pursuits. But instead,
on the winter solstice of 1988, he had his heart-sealed awakening
through Lao Tzu to live and preach Taoism in the West. Later, he
was ordained into the 26th lineage of the Dragon-Gate School, and
received the teachings of talisman, Yellow Court, inner alchemy,
and mystic practice.
He came to the United States as an immigrant in 1990 to present
the teachings of Laoism and practices of Taoism under the spiri-
tual name, Valley Spirit. He is the author of Laoism, the Complete
Teachings of Lao Zi. His biography was recently published (2000)
in the Ways of Spirit. He is now a Taoist practitioner managing his
Tao Healing Arts center in Lakewood, Ohio. He is currently working
on the Taoist Trilogy, Jing, Qi and Shen, and the teachings of the
eight spiritual meridians.
He may be contacted by email: taohealing@aol.com
Telephone: (216) 521-9779
Mail: Tao’s Healing Art
14419 Detroit Ave.
Lakewood, Ohio 44107 USA
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Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
The Universal Tao Publications staff involved in the preparation
and production of Door To All Wonders: Application of the Tao Te
Ching extend our gratitude to the many generations of Taoist Mas-
ters who have passed on their special lineage, in the form of an
unbroken oral transmission, over thousands of years. We thank
Taoist Master I Yun (Yi Eng) for his openness in transmitting the
formulas of Taoist Inner Alchemy.
Thanks to Juan Li for the use of his beautiful and visionary draw-
ings, illustrating Taoist esoteric practices.
We offer our eternal gratitude to our parents and teachers for
their many gifts to us. Remembering them brings joy and satisfac-
tion to our continued efforts in presenting the Universal Tao Sys-
tem. For their gifts, we offer our eternal gratitude and love. As
always, their contribution has been crucial in presenting the con-
cepts and techniques of the Universal Tao.
We wish to thank the thousands of unknown men and women
of the Chinese healing arts who developed many of the methods
and ideas presented in this book.
We wish to thank Dennis Huntington for his editorial work and
writing contributions, as well as his ideas for the cover. We appre-
ciate his research and great labor. We wish to thank Colin Campbell
for his editorial contributions on the revised edition of this book, as
well as thanking our Senior Instructors, Rene J. Narvarro and
Annette Derksen, for their insightful contributions to the revised
version. We thank Joost Kuiterbrouwer for his suggestion on
choosing the book title and numerous insights. We thank espe-
cially Marion Knabe for her many times of editing over the past
three years before the draft reached Dennis’s hand.
A special thanks goes to our Thai Production Team for their
cover illustration and book design and layout: Raruen Keawpadung,
Computer Graphics; Saysunee Yongyod, Photographer; Udon
Jandee, Illustrator; and Saniem Chaisarn, Production Designer.
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Preface
Preface
For over 2500 years, the five thousand pictographs/words of Tao
Te Ching, the Scripture of Laoism and the Bible of Taoism, have
been regarded as among the greatest treasures in the world. Li
(plum), born around 640 B. C. with a personal name Er (ear), com-
piled the text in Midwest China. His legendary name, Lao Tzu—
meaning the old philosopher or the ancient child—rose from his
mother’s lips as she delivered him under a plum tree. His white
hair gave him the countenance of an aged man, which elicited his
mother’s cry of joy upon seeing him emerge into this world. During
his lifetime he worked in the capital as a keeper of the Imperial
Archives. This enabled him to reconstruct the paths of many en-
lightened sages and holy men who came before his time. After
having meditated for three years inside a cave in Northwest China
(now known as Lao Tzu’s Cave), he achieved his enlightenment.
Before disappearing from the society, Lao Tzu wrote his farewell
gift—Text—to a Tao-pursuer, who was a Passer (like a highway
gatekeeper). Confucius gave him a name—Dragon—after the visit.
The Text contains two sections. The first is Tao Ching (Ching
meaning classic), and the second is entitled Te Ching. The word
Tao in the literal sense means God, God’s creation, nature, univer-
sal essence and its manifestation, the Way of life and its practice.
Te refers to action, virtue, morality, beauty, and gracious behavior.
Many years after these writings came into existence, He
Shanggong, The Man-On-The-Riverbank, who was believed to be
the reincarnation of Lao Tzu, divided the Text into 81 chapters.
Numbers have always figured prominently in Chinese philosophy
and symbolism. Tao Ching has 37 chapters and Te Ching is com-
posed of 44. To assess this numerically, we see that three and
seven is ten, and four plus four equal eight; together they are eigh-
teen, or double-nine, which when multiplied equal 81. Individually,
three represents the multiplicity (seed), and four portrays the foun-
dation (cross). Seven represents the masculine spirit (horse) and
eight, the feminine spirit (sheep). Biologically, fetus growth takes
thirty-seven weeks to complete; spiritually, the seed of Tao is con-
tained in the thirty-seven chapters. Each spiritual being contains
the copy of three, the dual souls of seven and eight, and the two
deaths of four: one for flesh and the other for soul. The sacrifice of
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Preface
double four (double-cross) for the nurturing and cultivation of spiri-

tually reborn seed: the transformation of love and virtue into pure-
person (the oneness between spirit-nine of pure soul and God’s
nine of pure spirit).
Tao Te Ching translated into English.

We are presenting Tao Huang’s English translation of Lao
Tzu’s Tao Te Ching for your reference in Appendix I after
Chapter IX, the last chapter of commentary.
Lao Tzu’s Text of Tao Te Ching receives a fresh translation from
the original Chinese Text in Door to All Wonders. Avoiding accu-
mulations that have accrued to the Standard Version over the cen-
turies, Tao Huang (with the assistance of Professor Edward
Brennan) translated the Text assembled from the Mawangdui texts.
Huang commented, “Chinese archaeologists unearthed them in
1973. These are the oldest texts extant. There is a new edition on
Guodian’s unearthed material (about 100 years or more before the
MW texts), but there are missing words, phrases or chapters in so
many places that it is impossible to rely on that edition faithfully.
We respect the originality and simplicity of the Mawangdui Text.
The Mawangdui Text and the Standard Version of the Text are mixed
in our translation in a few places. We use the Standard Version
only to fill in the blanks in cases where there are words or phrases
missing in the Mawangdui texts.”
Throughout its history, the Text has merged through a myriad of
changes due to the translations of various commentators and trans-
lators. The process of word-interpretation, philosophical rationality
and speculation defeat the mystical application and wisdom illumi-
nation. More ideal explanations and linguistic understanding shadow
its innately meditative experience and spiritual insightfulness. Yet,
regardless how philosophers rationalize, leaders manipulate, mili-
tary strategists deploy, scholars garble, meditators chant and reli-
gious people worship, the Text remains virtuously untouched, un-
scathed by time.
In viewing the variations found between the Mawangdui Texts
(the oldest existing copy unearthed in 1973) and the original stan-
dard version, the problems are astonishingly and clearly evident.
Throughout history, the philosophical Laoists have tended to stan-
dardize the Text as their own teaching by dismissing its practical
application, central to its essential meaning. There are also many
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Preface
that have changed their vision quest into the more religious prac-
tice of Buddhism. Together, they have declared the Text to be rife
with abundant tricks and sophistries, bearing no more stance or
justice. This sullied reputation arises from justifying the criticism of
the believers’ misleading attitude. These mental configurations of
the Text can be observed in various Chinese titles such as Lao-
Tzu, The book of Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Te Tao Ching or The
book of Lao-Tzu Tao Te Ching.
Equally, the translators have run a similar course. The examples
of English versions, though relatively new, are derived from Chi-
nese and other sources as well. The first English title is The Specu-
lations on Metaphysics, Policy and Morality of the “The Old Phi-
losopher,” Lao Tzu – translated by John Chalmers in 1868 from
French to English – put “the thought of Lao Tzu into a readable
English dress.” However, he did not realize that his work would
become the model of the practice of copying, just as Lao Tzu him-
self expands into all sorts of Laoism/ists/schools. His Text reaches
a more descriptive scale than the historical Chinese commenta-
tors could hope to achieve. Some of the copies are: Taoist texts,
ethical, political and speculative (Frederick Henry Balfour, 1884),
The Remains of Lao Tzu (Herbert A. Giles, 1886), Tao-Teh King
(James Legge, 1891), Lao-Tsze=s Tao-Te-king, (Paul Carus, 1896,
the first American version and revised in 1913 as The Canon of
Reason and Virtue), The Light of China (Heysinger, 1903), The
Sayings of Lao Tzu (Lionel Giles, 1904), The teachings of the Old
Boy (T. MacInnes, 1927), The Way and Its power (Arther Waley,
1934), The way of acceptance (Herman Ould, 1946), The Wisdom
of Lao Tzu (Lin Yutang, 1948), The Tao, the Sacred Way (Tolbert
McCarroll, 1982), The Way of the Ways (Henrrymon Maurer, 1982),
The essential Tao ( Thomas Cleary, 1991), and The Tao of the Tao
Te Ching (Michael LaFargue, 1992), Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching ( Ursula
K. Le Guin, 1997), The Living Tao (Stephen F. Kaufman, 1998).
The above list is just a small sampling of the existing copies
found in English. Unpredictable numbers of new copies will flour-
ish in the future. To go beyond this fruitful result, the English read-
ers must endeavor to connect to Lao Tzu’s original mind, not oth-
ers’ mindless minding of Lao Tzu. They desperately need the en-
ergetic vibration generated through Lao Tzu, not the linguistic in-
terpretation. They need a direct spiritual sensation passed down
by Lao Tzu. It is to this societal need that we are destined to
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Preface
restore the original image of the text. We wish to capture the origi-
nal state of Lao Tzu’s simultaneously mindful conscious flow, and
to sense the vibration of the wordless uttering sound of Tao: the
voice of our own truly naked sexless being.
Essence Trans-Illuminated
Regarding his relationship to Lao Tzu, Tao Huang states that he
has a direct connection to the the “Old Master,” Lao Tzu himself!
“The transmission of Lao Tzu took place on the Winter Solstice
in1988. He came to me through meditation, and I wrote auto-
matically what my life should be in the West. It was the beginning
of the heart-sealed teaching of my life, or direct spiritual initia-
tion.”
In terms of writing ‘The Door,’ Master Huang explains, “I have
carefully divided eighty-one chapters into nine. In each chapter for
this book, I have selected all the words and phrases in the Tao Te
Ching related to the main topic for the chapter. For example, in
Chapter One, there are 32 chapters in the Tao Te Ching repre-
sented that mentioned or stressed the word Tao. This book is so
important in many ways. Firstly, it is the first in English history that
has the integration of meditation, interpretation and illustration to-
gether. Secondly, there is no Chinese commentary to do so. Thirdly,
we have rearranged the chapter division to present the true mean-
ing of the integration of heavenly power and human power in the
mystic field within us.
“The essence of this project is more experiential than concep-
tual in nature, even though it is laced with all sorts of Taoist con-
cepts. Taoism is all about experience: words are the final elixir,
or the representations of that elixir, being crystallized. They
are like DNA in a living flesh.”
The Door to All Wonders is neither a translation nor a translit-
eration of Tao Te Ching. Even though Lao Tzu’s words can be
translated, certain Chinese words cannot. English has no equiva-
lent words for Tao or Chi; nor does Chinese have its equivalence
for English words such as mind or God. Even though His teaching
has been passed down through literary form, the essence could
not be transliterated. It has to be transmitted through faithful devo-
tion and trans-illuminated through heart awakening. Faith opens
the door to the wisdom mind, allowing the power of teaching to be
illuminated within the golden chamber of the heart.
- 19 -
Preface
We, as ethnic Chinese, have witnessed how the original text of

Tao Te Ching has become proliferated through personal or literary
censorship. Equally, as we are destined to present the teachings
of the Tao in the West, we are also Westernized, capable of navi-
gating between Chinese and English like a universal citizen.
Yet, words serve best for the purpose of conveying the mean-
ings of insightful or enlightened life experience—just like our ves-
sels glorify the power of God through their destined journeys. To
this end, we have digested all the words in His teaching, knowing
how they should be registered in the mind and echoed in the heart.
By the time we reach the point that we can neither translate the
power of the Tao nor demonstrate its virtuous action through words,
we are trapped in a dead-end, lost in the wilderness as the words
are blown off life’s footprints by the cosmic wind.
The light comes from above, opening our hearts; the wills are
charged, demonstrating the quality of teaching. The universal power
transcends the cultural characters as the teachings are relived
through the sacred vessels locked within the heavenly numbers.
The marriage of Tao and Te are completed.
The two-volume text integrates our body and mind, as its eighty-
one chapters seal our nine bodily holes with their shining words
pouring through our channeling fingertips. We italicize them as our
conscious expression marches through topics of all subjects. The
thirty-seven chapters of the Tao become the first five chapters in
our presentation: the five elements in Chinese mind or the five cham-
bers in the mystic apple. The forty-four chapters of Te (the original
double-cross) become the living cross we each carry under the
universal chariot or within the completion of ten symbolized in Chi-
nese.
Note on Transliteration
There are different systems for transliterating Chinese words
into English. For this book, we have opted to retain the spelling of
selected words to remain consistent with the standard used in
Master Chia’s previous books (based on the Wade-Giles system).
We are using the spelling Tao, Lao Tzu, Chi and Ching. In the Pinyin
system, these words would be spelled Dao, Lao Zi, Qi and Jing.
Other Chinese words may appear as spelled in the Pinyin system.
- 20 -
Preface
Cosmic Bridge
The title, Door to All Wonders, comes straight from the last sen-
tence—actually, the last phrase of the first chapter of Lao Tzu’s
Tao Te Ching.
First of all, the door is an eye opening and a conscious connec-
tion with the wonders of the universe, or God’s creation. The ‘Door’
functions as a middle point between the internal world and the ex-
ternal world, between the information within and without—or be-
tween those who have been initiated, ordained, or baptized and
who have the gifts of God but have not established a cosmic bridge
within themselves.
To the Taoists, the bridge is the North Star, the Big Dipper, the
violet color and golden elixir. We do not train people in the other six
hues of the rainbow colors, but only focus on the last one, the violet
color that makes Taoism so special, so lonesome, and so wonder-
ful. We have no time for pre-elementary school, nor middle or high
school or college. We only take the post-graduate course. This is
because in the Taoist belief, each one of the seven rainbow colors
takes one lifetime to complete, if you are lucky enough. That is why
it must take seven lifetime practices in order to produce a Zhen
Ren, Pure Person—or White Horse in Christianity.
Therefore, the door becomes a necessary vehicle for people’s
communication on both sides—such as the teachers, who are al-
ways inside the door, and the students, if not initiated, who are
wondering (or wandering) outside the door. In order to open the
door, the readiness of heart and completion of purification must
take place first. Otherwise, the heart-sealed teachings between
teacher and student cannot begin. Ultimately, the door refers to a
specific realm of consciousness of God, a line connecting two
sides, or a flowing river covering both sides of the riverbed. Shoel
is the word in the Bible.
Taking another example, Shakespeare’s plays are doors, which
are carried out either by readers and writers, or between stage
players and audience. This is the precise functioning of a door, a
cosmic vehicle connecting heart and mind, Xing and Ming, soul
and spirit.
What, then, we have presented you now is our transmission,
as Lao Tzu’s words are italicized as stone-carved letters in the
depth of our conscious flow. You cannot read Lao Tzu here; He
has died into our hearts. You cannot objectify his teachings from
- 21 -
Preface
our transmitted teachings; his words are now our words. What
transmission you will receive depends on how your heart is driven
by your faith.
As you go through the book, read the words as listening to a
storyteller, hearing your inner conscious dialogue, and talking back
and forth dreamingly between your true self and God. Now move
on, cast your eyes upon your hungry souls; the messages in the
teaching will shine upon you.
By presenting the four techniques in Chapter III—“emptying the
mind, vitalizing the stomach, softening the will, and strengthening
the character”—we hope to justify the societal need as we see it.
“Emptying the mind” requires a complete realization of self and
society before the mind can become tranquil and return to its in-
fantile stage. Only when the mind is empty will the body be fat with
love and the spirit be able to present itself. “Vitalizing the stomach”
is filling the stomach with purified Chi. “Softening the will” discusses
the process of fully accepting the body/mind and world by dimin-
ishing the ego anticipation: the will of self-deception/punishment.
And finally, “strengthening the character” is standing up with one’s
authentic character—the true self—and allowing the body to be
dusty and the mind shining. To achieve this is the answer to the
Door to All Wonders: why Tao is always present, the Text always
alive and Lao Tzu always smiling like a child. It is the key to the
Door of All Wonders—open to those who wish to step into the
mystery of life and beyond.
- 22 -
Words of Caution
Words of Caution
The practices described in this book have been used successfully
for thousands of years by Taoists trained by personal instruction.
Readers should not undertake the practice without receiving per-
sonal transmission and training from a certified instructor of the
Universal Tao, since certain of these practices, if done improperly,
may cause injury or result in health problems. This book is intended
to supplement individual training by the Universal Tao and to serve
as a reference guide for these practices. Anyone who undertakes
these practices on the basis of this book alone, does so entirely at
his or her own risk.
The meditations, practices and techniques described herein are
not intended to be used as an alternative or substitute for profes-
sional medical treatment and care. If any readers are suffering from
illnesses based on mental or emotional disorders, an appropriate
professional health care practitioner or therapist should be con-
sulted. Such problems should be corrected before you start train-
ing.
Neither the Universal Tao nor its staff and instructors can be
responsible for the consequences of any practice or misuse of the
information contained in this book. If the reader undertakes any
exercise without strictly following the instructions, notes and warn-
ings, the responsibility must lie solely with the reader.
This book does not attempt to give any medical diagnosis, treat-
ment, prescription, or remedial recommendation in relation to any
human disease, ailment, suffering or physical condition whatso-
ever.
- 23 -
Editor’s Introduction
Taoist Bone
By Dennis Huntington
Taoist Collaboration
The following chapters are the result of the collaborative efforts of
two distinct Taoists. They have different backgrounds in their lives
and different orientations, as they see it, in their practices of the
Tao. Master Chia is like an older brother in some ways, a more
experienced teacher of the Tao in Western cultures. He teaches
an ascending range of practices designed to culminate in the Wu
Chi, spiritual immortality and physical/spiritual immortality. How-
ever, at this point he is most famous for teaching people Taoist
fundamentals for health and inner peace—which include under-
standing, cultivating and gaining mastery of their sexual energy.
The younger Taoist, Tao Huang, commented to me: “Master
Chia has devoted his entire life to the teaching of the Tao, and it is
in him that I see the hope and joy of devoting my life as fully as
possible into the practice and teaching of the Tao. … Sexuality is
the base of everything, but mystic insight is the seed. This is the
ultimate yin and yang, the harmony of body and mind. This is per-
haps the most help Master Chia did on my behalf: He made me like
Jung with his Freudian approach. … I know it is difficult for you, but
that is the nature of life. It is even more difficult for Master Chia this
time, because we simply view and walk the Tao differently. In our
Taoist tradition, we are all in agreement on the oneness of Tao, the
power of Virtue, the duality of Ming and Xing, the trinity of Ching,
Chi and Shen, and the pentagram of all the fives we have—and for
that matter, that the universe also has. How to walk the momentary
individual path among these agreements is the path of understand-
ing, love and mutual acceptance. That is all we have, and that is
the will of blood we have all inherited as long as we call ourselves
Taoists.”
- 24 -
You will find Tao Huang’s commentary on immortality, based on

Lao Tzu’s references to it in the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu is one of
thousands of immortals known in Taoist lore. There are eight fa-
mous immortals, referred to simply as the Eight Immortals. Each
of them is unique in his or her background, style of life and in their
practices for approaching the Tao. Yet, they all share a commonal-
ity of experience as they evolved into the oneness of the eternal,
immortal, universal void of the all-encompassing Tao. While Mas-
ter Chia and Huang may have attained different realms of exper-
tise in their approach to the Tao, their ultimate destination is the
same. We are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of their combined
offerings.
I have elicited responses from Master Chia. His responses
echo—in a sense of yin/yang polarity—the sentiments expressed
above about viewing and walking the Tao differently. His general
characterization of Master Tao Huang’s practices might be repre-
sented by his comment to me one morning. Regarding their ac-
quaintanceship, which began in 1995, he said: “It seems like he’s
always telling me about some experience he had in a dream the
night before.” This comment is consistent with the impression of-
fered in the introduction to Tao Huang’s biography that was pub-
lished in the Ways of Spirit by Dandelion Books in 2000. To wit:
“Tao has shared with me how he works closely with his dreams to
inform his daily reality. In fact, he knows ahead of time when I am
going to call him, telling me he dreamed it the night before.”
These characterizations no doubt reflect Huang’s introspective
efforts in his quest for emotional/psychological liberation, his prac-
tices akin to dream yoga, and his ‘neidan’ meditation practices.
Whereas, Master Chia’s focus in his teaching is all about energy:
Sense the Ching and Chi. Cultivate this life force energy; conserve
it and refine it into Shen. Use the Shen to enter the Wu Chi, to
return to Tao, and to attain immortality. His focus is on practical
cultivation: “You do it; you get it!”
Door to All Wonders contains some descriptions of, and refer-
ences to, Taoist practices. Huang has laid the foundation of the
text with his commentary and practical information related to Lao
Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Master Chia provides complementary per-
spectives and practices refined from his extensive experience of
teaching people from all over the world. The thrust of the book is
directed to the practical significance and ramifications of cultivat-
- 25 -
ing the Tao and Te—regardless of the exercises one may employ
for training. The mindfulness of Tao and Te in our lives and in our
cultivation practices streamlines the effectiveness of all that we
are and all that we do.
Reference Base of Chinese Mystical Culture
Biographical/Cultural Resources
It became clear that I had to do some homework/research after my
first reading of Tao Huang’s manuscript. In the biographical sketch
we read: “… destined to be a healer or shaman—the prophesy
revealed in his family graveyard … previous incarnations—twice a
Buddhist, two lives as a Native American Indian spiritual practitio-
ner … chi kung practice—healed his physical problems … heart-
sealed awakening through Lao Tzu … 26th lineage of the Dragon-
Gate School … spiritual name Valley Spirit.” Though interesting,
these are not typical references that one would anticipate in a typi-
cal biography in a Western cultural setting—not, if you were a com-
pany personnel manager screening a candidate for a job! Like-
wise, if you were someone not familiar with the arts, sciences, and
mythology of Chinese mystical culture, you might raise your eye-
brows.
I garnered further clarification and elaboration to render these
biographical statements more natural and reasonable for the reader
to entertain. In addition, research in the form of reading other source
books supports most of his personal statements as being highly
credible. Further elaboration of Tao Huang’s biographical/cultural
resources that inform his writing is provided in the following para-
graphs.
Cultural Orientation
“Chinese mystic culture was rooted in Taoism, a combination of
everything from sky above to earth below, and all things in the middle.
The details can be found in the text. Taoism provided me a
groundbreaking thinking path—while Western culture opens the
landscape of norms for my liberal thinking, especially the Christ
path of love. I am still experiencing it day after day.”
- 26 -
Prophecy in his Family Graveyard—Destined to be a

Healer or Shaman
“According to Chinese geomancy, or feng-shui, the graveyard where
a person was buried will influence the upcoming four generations.
When the graveyard of the grandfather of Chiang Kai Shek (the
founder of the nationalist party that is now based in Taiwan) was
chosen, the best feng-shui master in that province predicted that
on the third generation there would be an emperor.
“Feng-shui is one of the Taoist’s four practices—weidan, neidan,
fangzhong, and fangshi—and feng-shui is part of the fourth branch.
Feng-shui has two branches, yang and yin. The yang branch deals
with the living structure for those who are alive, while yin branch
deals directly with the graveyard, dust to dust, and ashes to ashes.”
This is the context in which Tao’s personal prophecy was re-
vealed.
Previous Incarnations
“My past life came through meditation—twice a Buddhist, two lives
as a Native American Indian spiritual practitioner. During medita-
tion for the last twenty years, some of the information dealt with
past life experiences, such as incarnations as a Buddhist and as a
Native American Indian. I have even met my former wives while
taking the flesh as a Native American healer. Those are part of the
past ways that have led me into the violet color Taoist practice.”
Chi Kung Practice—Healed his Physical Problems

“Due to my very poor health, at age 19, I began to practice Chi
Kung in my hometown. At first I taught myself by using one of the
early copies of the book, Chi Gong, which had been published in
China in the 1930’s. I found this book in the college library as I
searched desperately for a way to heal myself. A sentence that
struck me deeply was, ‘If you can utilize the Chi from earth and
heaven, then you can have babies, regrow teeth, and change white
hair back to black.’ This was the beginning of my attraction to Chi
Kung, a practice that has remained in my life despite many or-
deals, and the trials that come with the devotion given to one’s
search for the meaning of life.
“During my high school years, I had suffered from chronic indi-
gestion, rheumatoid arthritis, and insomnia. My hair had turned two-
- 27 -
thirds white while I was still nineteen years old. I began Chi Kung
practice with one of Liu Yi-Ming’s students (Thomas Cleary has
translated several of Liu’s books). Within three years of practicing
Chi Kung, my hair had returned to black. Every morning I did a 30
minute standing meditation with my index and middle fingers
stretched out before me, while quietly counting my in and out
breaths. After only a few weeks of this, my insomnia disappeared
and I began to enjoy sound sleep once again. In the third year of
daily practice, my arthritis disappeared. When the healing Chi be-
gan to seep through my fingers and bones, it seemed almost more
than I could bear. As it grew, the healing lifestream permeated my
entire being.
“With Chi Kung as an inner practice, little oxygen is consumed,
while the absorptive capacity of the lungs rises significantly. This is
not the case when engaging in extreme physical exertion, espe-
cially if competition is involved. It is rough on the lungs as well as
the heart, and can be damaging to one’s overall health. Therefore,
I gave up my practice of daily running, which left me feeling ex-
hausted. Chi Kung always left me refreshed and regenerated.
“In 1986, at age 24 (in my birth year of the Tiger), I had the privi-
lege of coming to America as an exchange teacher. During that
school term, I was invited to teach the Chinese language, as well
as Chi Kung at a high school in Cleveland. This was a decisive
year that changed my entire life personally, culturally, and spiritu-
ally. Personally, it awakened me to the path for my life’s journey—
one that would prove to be lonely, but alternately rewarding. Cultur-
ally, I knew that my traditional culture offered something not only for
myself, but also for the entire world. It encompassed the essence
of Chinese medicine and Taoist Inner Alchemy. Spiritually, I had
chosen Taoism over Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity.”
Heart-Sealed awakening through Lao Tzu

“At 3:00 a.m. on the Winter Solstice, 1988, I awoke feeling stuffed,
even though I had not consumed more food than usual. I lit an
incense stick and began to meditate. Very soon, I experienced the
spontaneous movements of all kinds of martial arts forms through-
out my body (I later discovered this to be connected to past lives
as a Buddhist monk and a soldier). I then felt a strong, cold energy
pervading my fingers and toes, and heard a bubbling sound com-
ing from my fingers.
- 28 -
“Afterwards, I lit a second incense stick. A strong feeling urged

me to write to my girlfriend (who is now my wife). I was in a Chi
Gong state through which I experienced automatic writing. The
words that came through me were not my own thoughts, nor were
they in my own handwriting. By the time ‘I’ signed it, to my amaze-
ment and disbelief, the signature turned out to be Lao Tzu’s spiri-
tual name, ‘Supreme Master Lao Jun,’ or Tai-Shang-Lao-Jun in
Chinese. I then felt a huge shaft of black energy rush out of my
body and into the sky.
“I felt overjoyed after going through so many disappointments—
as I had received the Tao and was sealed internally with the power
of the inner alchemy tradition. Later on I learned that this kind of
experience is the norm in Taoist tradition. It is a method of single-
lineage transmission of teaching from master to student. I was,
from that day forward, surrounded by thousands of years of Taoist
tradition, and connected to the sacred teachings through the power
of Lao Tzu.
“I had previously misunderstood the workings of the Tao. The
sacred teaching of Taoism has never been lost; instead, it has
been passed on only to chosen disciples when the time is right. I
am pleased to be one of them, and grateful to bring this tradition
into the West. Lao Tzu provided a second motivation for me to live
in the West, and to become an American.
“I was very happy, and felt very fortunate that I was able to have
Lao Tzu as my Spiritual Master. This became the foundation for
me to become a true Taoist. I could now practice Taoism not sim-
ply from personal beliefs, but from personal connection to and
embracement with a real Master.
“The heart-sealed teaching is the essential method in neidan
practice. Just like a married couple, each is barren, having only
half of the complete heart. When the teacher’s heart and student’s
heart become one, or two souls become one pure spirit, the teach-
ings are given and taken in their own way. This has been charac-
terized by the eighth hexagram in I Ching, where two heads are
cut off—only the two half-hearts merge into oneness. Essentially it
is about two nines, one for our spirit/soul, and the other the cos-
mic/God consciousness. The oneness is the combination of white
of seed/God consciousness and yellow court/sprout of spirit self.
[More discussion on I Ching hexagrams is presented in another
section herein.]
- 29 -
“Also, when the two hearts reach oneness, you cannot tell which
is which. This is the most difficult situation for me to explain: which
part of the exercises are inherently Lao Tzu’s and which parts are
my own understanding or reflection upon his teachings—or
revelation.”
Editor’s Note: For additional commentary on this spiritual
noumenon, there is an English translation, The Jade Emperor’s
Mind Seal Classic.1 The Chinese characters for heart and mind
are the same. Hence, this English translation of the Chinese text of
the Taoist classic on the subject has used the word ‘mind,’ rather
than heart, in contrast to Tao Huang’s choice of terms.
Significance of Winter Solstice: “In Taoist tradition, we have
four big times within a year, Winter/Summer Solstice and Spring/
Fall Equinox. The same way for each day, 11:00pm/am to 1:00
am/pm and 5:00am/pm to 7:00am/pm. These are the four corners
of the year and of the day. The energy is much stronger than at
other times. These times are when either the yang or yin Chi be-
gins, or the yang and yin reach a balance.”
26th Lineage of the Dragon Gate School

“Dragon Gate is a continuation of historical neidan practice, which
emphasizes the Taoist trinity of Ching, Chi and Shen. It is also the
unification of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. What I received
was the path of heart and relocation from family name into spiritual
name—from Zhi of intelligence to Chung of worship, the twenty-
sixth character of Master Chou’s poetic verse.”
Lineage Names: “Chung means honor or respect the moun-
tain. In Taoist tradition, each religious or spiritual founder has writ-
ten a poem, the first word of the poem belongs to the first genera-
tion of that lineage or disciples, and on and on. Chung is the 26th
word written by Master Chou Chuji, the founder of the Dragon Gate
lineage. Also, four years from now, Lao Tzu would celebrate his
2600th year birthday; he was born on the 15th of February in the
Chinese calendar.”
Personal Name: “Tao is the name given to me by my father,
which is different from the word Dao. My personal name means
the rising part of the wave in the sea. I like that name; even though
it is different from the word Dao, in English I can mix it up. Huang is
my family name. In Taoist tradition, we do not change family name,
we only change from generational name into spiritual name, and
- 30 -
we also have the authority to give ourselves a spirit-name, besides

a spiritual lineage name.”
Spirit Name: “Valley Spirit, came to me after reading and medi-
tating on the Tao Te Ching for many years. In Chinese it is called
gu-xuan-zi: gu for grain or valley appeared in Chapter 6 of Tao Te
Ching; and xuan, the mystic purple or violet, is the basic color of
Taoism, which appears in many parts of the Tao Te Ching text. Zi
is for seed or son. Valley is the nature of yin of the great mother;
spirit is the son of God and oneness of spirit—together, it is the
harmony of the Tao. I had the revelation when I was twenty years
old when I read Lao Tzu in chapters 6 and 8. Valley is also referred
to as grain.”
Dragon Gate Initiation: “In 1992, upon my return visit from
America, I revisited the Chincheng Monastery and received my ini-
tiation as a Taoist from the senior monk, Jiang Xingpin. He changed
my family generation name into a religious generation name. My
name was changed from Zhi to Chung, which means ‘exalt and
worship.’ I now belong to the 26th generation of the Dragon Gate
School of Taoism. The founder of the Dragon Gate School, Chou
Chuji, or the Eternal Spring Pure Person, recognized and unified in
his time the essence of the three teachings of Taoism, Buddhism,
and Confucianism. If he could have had the opportunity to learn
and experience the western teachings of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam, I believe the Dragon Gate School would have become more
universal and cross-cultural. This is the future development or evo-
lution of human religious practice on earth.
“There was a deep significance in this new name for me. From
that moment on, I no longer belonged to my biological family. I was
now a member of a spiritual family with a lineage of spiritual an-
cestors in the Tao. The name Zhi belongs to the entire male line of
my generation and was written in my family tree book, which had
been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. After the Revolu-
tion, the family generation name was discontinued.
“All the initiates in the Dragon Gate School carry the same spiri-
tual generational name. I was overjoyed and deeply grateful for the
new identity that had been bestowed upon me. I felt reborn. Only
gradually did I become aware of the deep implications it held for
me. I had to make a choice between a social career and the pur-
suit of my spiritual vocation as a Taoist practitioner.”
- 31 -
Master Chia’s Lineage, Longevity and Immortality

Master Chia has accumulated different aspects of Taoist practices
from a variety of teachers—and continues to actively gather useful
knowledge from a variety of sources. He has integrated his experi-
ence and knowledge into the Universal Tao System of interrelated
practices. However, his main spiritual teacher was Yi Eng.
During my course of training for instructor certification, Master
Chia talked about how he came to receive his spiritual transmis-
sion from his 90-year-old master (also known as White Cloud) in
Hong Kong. He met with him for about twenty days almost daily for
instruction and discussion until White Cloud determined that the
time was right. He then transmitted spiritual energy to young Mantak
Chia to awaken his consciousness and helped him to circulate Chi
in his Microcosmic Orbit. He subsequently taught him the range of
practices needed to open all the channels in his body. They main-
tained regular contact with close personal guidance until White
Cloud had also conveyed those practices needed in order to achieve
the inner alchemical transformations necessary for spiritual mas-
tery, as well. Finally, he authorized young Chia to teach, and he
counseled him to teach Westerners.
What is immortality? Master Chia explained to us that immortal-
ity is the ultimate goal of Taoist practices, but that it is a big leap
from the normal development in everyday society. What is more, it
takes many years of conscious cultivation to achieve the full scope
of physical/spiritual immortality. However, anyone can improve their
everyday life in a practical sense by learning the basic practices.
Just believing and having faith in spiritual/immortal reality is useful
for focusing one’s commitments, but that alone does not get the
job done. If people choose, they can also cultivate their experience
to the higher levels of spiritual attainment—but first things first. What
is important is to be present in this life, learn to transform stress
into vitality and develop compassion through love. Then recycle
that special quality of energy to keep the body healthy and in har-
mony with mind and spirit—and learn to cultivate true nature as
spirit. Then you are open to develop possibilities beyond the cycles
of life and death.
Taoists value health and longevity for their benefits for enabling
a better quality of life. In addition, they are valued because they
provide the strength and time necessary for sustaining the pro-
longed effort necessary to achieve spiritual immortality. Due to vari-
- 32 -
ables in individual circumstances, there is not just one time frame

for everybody; so it is better to have more time available if it should
be needed. Does longevity make one a sage or immortal? Such
questions naturally arise from time to time. Master Chia has re-
sponded to such a question like this: “White Cloud told me his
teacher, my Grand Master in China, was very old, more than 100,
but I don’t know exactly. He had gone to a cave in the high moun-
tains for prolonged meditation involving out-of-body travel in the
higher planes and returning to the source. For that kind of practice,
Grand Master had put wax in his nose and other orifices to keep
out insects and dust. White Cloud had to make sure that the body
was not eaten while his teacher’s spirit was away traveling to source.
There are many stories like this where a faithful disciple or other
attendant looks after an advanced meditator’s body.
“Certainly if a person lives to be very old and has seriously ap-
plied themself in cultivating and transforming energy into spirit, it is
very likely that they could become a sage. It depends on their level
of practice. The same applies for immortality. If they haven’t fin-
ished transforming their energy, they could become a partial spiri-
tual immortal or partial physical/spiritual immortal.”
So what is immortality—does it mean keeping the same body
forever? Not really. Or, is it awareness of your spirit in different
incarnations? No. Though meditators often report an awareness
of past lives in their meditation experience—and this may be use-
ful and interesting—it is not what is meant as the attaining of im-
mortality. One’s soul spirit has not been liberated when it is being
cycled through various incarnations. it is still in need of purification
until it achieves the evolved state of spiritual liberation.
On different occasions, Master Chia has discussed the differ-
ence between spiritual and physical/spiritual immortality. It depends
on the degree of practice one has mastered. The distinction is
easy to grasp. For spiritual immortality, one has achieved the abil-
ity to withdraw one’s purified spirit energy from the body and traverse
the inner regions independently—and merge in oneness with the
eternal source, called Tao or Wu Chi or God, etc. In this state, the
liberated spirit can manifest on the inner planes, but the physical
body has returned to dust, and the spirit cannot return in the physi-
cal form.
Whereas, one who has attained physical/spiritual immortality
has been able to complete the more tedious and time consuming
- 33 -
process of transforming all of one’s physical, soul and spirit en-

ergy into the spirit body during the time of life in the physical body.
Thus, gaining all the powers of spiritual liberation, plus the ability to
manifest at will in the physical form. In other words, in the achieved
state of physical/spiritual immortality, one has mastered the ability
to dematerialize and rematerialize the human body.
Education and Body Wisdom

“Back in America, I found myself avidly studying to integrate spiri-
tual information and practices while desperately struggling with
certain mindsets. Taoists have always questioned formal struc-
tures of authority and hierarchy. Perhaps because of my quite fierce
Tiger character, I decided to discontinue my graduate work at the
California Institute for Integral Studies. More and more I was sens-
ing a clash between my spiritual awakening and the formal aca-
demic structure. They are two strange worlds of their own: one is
original and authentic, and the other is corrupted and egoistic.
“Through my break with academia, I regained a sense of free-
dom that made me feel spacious and joyful. It was as though I
could breathe freely again and discover my creative spontaneity. I
regained my ability to listen to my heart and what I felt in my gut. I
began to reconnect with my sensory awareness, and was grateful
to become aware of the life current in my body and in the universe
surrounding me. I gradually learned to integrate my gut with my
heart and mind.
“In Chinese, the characters for heart and mind are the same,
which reminds me of something I read in Carl Jung’s autobiogra-
phy. When he visited Arizona in the 1920’s, Jung met an old Indian
man whose name was Blue Lake. When Jung asked him what he
thought of white people, Blue Lake said he felt they were all quite
mad. When Jung asked him why, Blue Lake said it seemed that
they were always agitated—incessantly running after things—and
that they could think only with their heads.
“Jung then asked him where he formulated his own thoughts.
Blue Lake did not speak, but pointed to his heart. Jung went on to
say that for the first time in his life, he had met someone who spoke
the truth about Western culture.
“My decision to end my graduate program at the California Insti-
tute of Integral Studies was closely related to the need to free my-
self from the conventional expectations that I had internalized in
- 34 -
the course of my life. My family generation name, Zhi, reflected the

Confucian dream which parents held for centuries, perceiving suc-
cess in terms of fortune, career and profession. The first obligation
of a son was to contribute to the fortune and wealth of his family.
That was the primary way to honor his lineage. The Taoist view
radically challenges the Confucian family culture. It is a way of cos-
mic individualism, since the lineage is restored through spiritual
ancestry to the primordial spirit of our beginning through the cre-
ator of our individual spirits—but not biologically, due to further cor-
ruption.
“The new Taoist name reflected an entirely new perspective.
The emphasis is to honor the spirit and rise beyond the ego and
the boundaries of narrow self-interest that are so encrusted in the
Confucian family ethos and in Chinese society at large. Although
the long period of Communist rule had made inroads into our cul-
ture—in the unconscious of the people and the basic values of the
country—Confucianism remained intact and was even reactivated.
It served to consolidate the power of the Communist Party, effect-
ing the domestication and subservience of the people to its au-
thoritarian command structure. In contrast, the Taoist idea is to
honor not the spirits of family lineage and the power of personal
authority but to embrace the mountain power of the earth mother,
where its power of stillness and spring interact to give birth to all
things and welcomes them home after being lost or after death.
“It is not surprising that the Taoists have been feared, threat-
ened and persecuted—as they question all attitudes viewed as
contrary to nature. Likewise, they question attitudes contrary to
that which spontaneously arises in humans, that which is in align-
ment with the universe. In this context, we can observe that in the
fine arts (such as painting), and in martial arts practice, movement
as a skill and a technique has been systematically expressed in
formal disciplines of teaching and learning. As a result, it tends to
destroy the creative, spontaneous impulse in the learning process.
“The Taoists’ emphasis has been on creating an open energy
space for the cultivation of a natural, spontaneous energy flow as
the intuitive awakening and manifestation of that which is intrinsic
in the wisdom of the body. Hence, we may observe that in Confu-
cianism, as well as in mainstream modern education, there is a
form of domestication of self-reliance, and of multiple originalities
of the expression of self. The cultivation of truthful intention, and of
- 35 -
inner emotions such as compassion, love, caring, generosity, and

service are ignored and repressed. This results in stunting the per-
sonal growth and generating an all-pervasive neurosis and stress,
as the body protests and seeks to be acknowledged and honored
in its true being.
“In the Taoist vision of the learning process, the body memory—
through which the universe and nature express themselves, and
through which we are connected with our biological and spiritual
ancestors—is the seat of intuitive awareness and of the mind as
consciousness. In this view, the mind consciously mirrors the body.
We carry within our body the entire process of the evolution of
humankind and its interconnection with the universe and with na-
ture. In its natural state, our body is in resonance with the universe
and nature through the very crystalline structure of its bones, its
vaults, the feet, the pelvis, the chest, the palate and the cranium,
as well as through its glands and organs.”
Taoist Bone: Spiritual Will
Taoist Story
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching and the Door to All Wonders are about
how to cultivate Tao in our life with Te in order to achieve spiritual
immortality. By the final stage, one must have attained a clear and
unwavering state of spiritual will in order to be successful.
In the original manuscript that I received, a ‘story’ appeared near
the beginning of the first chapter in the section entitled Communi-
cable Tao. In hindsight, I would now characterize it as a symbolic
representation—an allegorical presentation—of a concise sum-
mary of the essential concepts (an abstract) of Door to All Won-
ders. However, my first few attempts at reading this arcane par-
able and other statements and passages in the manuscript left me
feeling exasperated and frustrated because there was not suffi-
cient supporting information. Consequently, I had to try to guess
the meanings intended. As it turns out, Huang told me after I que-
ried him, “The story is the result of my twenty-years searching, as
we all do in each and every stage of life’s journey. Naming is the
power of man, after being capable of ejaculating a spirit inside the
- 36 -
womb.” In this section, we will share some of the interesting back-

ground information that he has given me—plus, more snapshots
of experience from the lives of both authors. I moved the ‘story’ into
this Introduction, at the end of this Taoist Bone section—to be close
to the discussion and background related to it.
In our communications, I referred to it as the story of the Just-
Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old Man. Like myself, many West-
ern Taoist practitioners and readers do not have a meaningful sense
of the “Chinese experieance’--a different cultural reference and way
of thinking. Nor is one likely to be acquainted with other factors in
Tao Huang’s personal life experience.
Inventing the Story

In response to my queries, Tao replied, “That parable story, Just-
Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old Man, is about spiritual will. The
related Chinese character would be Taoist Bone. The nature of
Taoist Bone is about our inherited gift from God, through the mani-
festation of body and mind. The only way to open this bone is the
enlightenment upon death. The bone, by the way, contains all the
genetic information of the body and mind.
“Therefore, it is this Taoist bone coming again and again in the
flesh form, which is announced by the birthing blood and the bat-
tling blood. Are we not battling with each and every breath for this
blooded bone—whether our name, a conscious concept, or the
cosmic mapping? Therefore, the battle of our life is the battle be-
tween blood and bone. We see the woman’s blood either after the
moon or after giving birth. Likewise, we see the blood in the man’s
battle or in the man’s consciousness—we see the cosmic dance
between love and seeing*, between voice and word, and between
country and flag.
“It is such: my spirit-channeling story is as strong as a country
or lineage, and is as strong as a woman’s identification with her
blood. It is to this bloodline that spirit is aligned and God conscious-
ness is mapped.
“After spending twenty years of searching the love within my
body and the will granted by God—called nature’s supply in Chi-
nese or gift from God in English—I cannot find anything that is
valuable inside related to a country’s territory or man’s words. God
is nameless and Tao is nameless.
- 37 -
“A couple of days ago when I turned on NPR [National Public

Radio], a female reporter was speaking on the radio from Chechnya,
in western Russia, saying that she could not understand why the
majority of women were pregnant there. That phenomenon is how
the dead soldiers are being reincarnated into flesh again. That is
the bloodline between man’s battleground and women’s body. The
blood never gets dried up, but circulates from flesh to flesh, love to
love and spirit to spirit.
“What are we doing in Taoist tradition? We carry on the will of
blood. It is the same with every career and profession and makes
no difference in the matter of race or culture or nation—or even
time for that matter. We are the blood flowing animals and we carry
the will of the Cross or Tao and Te on our shoulders and through
our feet.
“If not because of this blood, where are the passion and fire and
stream of flow in life? If not because of the will, what is our connec-
tion to the inner and outer world, between ourselves and universe?”
*Editor’s Note: The above word, ‘seeing’— in the context of “in

the man’s consciousness, we see the cosmic dance between love
and seeing”—carries a significant heightened sense of experience.
In the mental process and experience of people that share a vi-
sual-image-based written language system, such as Chinese and
Japanese, there is a consciousness phase that is different from
sound based writing systems. There is a visual mental process
that is a unique pre-verbal stage of consciousness.
James Legge, in his Translator’s Preface (written in 1882) for
his translation of I Ching, Book of Changes, elucidates this special
quality of ‘seeing’: “The written characters of the Chinese are not
representations of words, but symbols of ideas, and the combina-
tion of them in composition is not a representation of what the writer
would say, but what he thinks. … When the symbolic characters
have brought his mind ‘en rapport’ with that of his author, he is free
to render the ideas in his own, or any other speech, in the best
manner that he can attain to. … In the study of a Chinese classical
book, there is not so much an interpretation of the characters em-
ployed by the writer as a participation of his thoughts—there is the
seeing of mind to mind.”2
- 38 -
Spiritual Will
“The story of Just-Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old-Man is also
a reflection of the door—the life connection of birth and death, the
consciousness dividing into lineages and races and nations. It is
what you will take.
“We must be the slaves of God. To be a slave is to be Job in the
Book of Job. We have been enslaved since birth, having work to do
and taking pilgrimages. So above, so below; in order to be a mas-
ter, first slave. It is all your decision to take your own path, to devote
your own love. How to consume your Chi of love is how to be the
slave of yourself and of God at the same time. But
sadly speaking, we are double slaves—the slave of God and the
slave of man. In order to reach a spiritual state, the death of gov-
ernment/flesh and the death of religion/soul are a must, called two
deaths in Christianity, Crucifixion and Resurrection.
“One more word on slave: It is true that for the entire Taoist path
of internal liberation, we are our own boss and slave in the same
body and mind. But in order to reach a complete liberation, work
must be done, and karma must be dissolved. Otherwise, we would
be still controlled by all realms of shadows—the shadows of col-
ors, cultures, lineages, nations and races. The word ‘will’ is of spiri-
tual will, like a steadfast rock of Peter, continuing the path of Christ
love. It is this will that connects and relates all.”
Background of Developing the Will to Live

“I was born at approximately nine p.m. on the third day of October
1962, in the Chinese calendar. It was the 30th day of October on
the western calendar. I was the third child of my mother and the
fifth son of my father. My father’s first wife left three sons after her
death. The period of 1958 to 1960 was an extremely precarious
time in the countryside where we lived. Few children were being
born at the time. There was so little food that few parents were
inclined to have another mouth to feed. In my birth year, however,
there was a great leap in the birth rate, as the previous year had
been rich in harvest, and China had no debt to pay to Russia.
“At the time, my family in Northwest China was beset by great
poverty, as most families were. The climate in our region, which
lies in the central part of China in the heart of the central plateau,
was quite inhospitable. Because of our difficult situation, severe
malnutrition and poor housing, children were very prone to dis-
ease.
- 39 -
“I weighed less than four pounds at birth. My father, who was a

relatively well-educated person and served as a secretary to the
local community, did not wish to see my mother with more bur-
dens than she already carried. He suggested she put me inside
the “kang” to burn in the fire. My mother told my father, “I cannot do
that—the baby is life.” This was how she saved me. She told me
this story when I was a teenager, and my first reaction was to feel
very indignant toward my dad. My anger lasted no more than a few
hours, however, as I came to understand that my father had acted
as any poor peasant would have under the circumstances.
“After completing college, I was told by relatives that, out of his
dozen grandchildren, my grandfather had loved me the most. When
I was one or two years of age, he would hold me as I napped and
take me on long walks. After two or three hours of walking, we
would arrive home and I would awaken. My brothers and sisters
would envy me my good luck as the recipient of this special act of
love.
“In honor of my mother, I want to say that she gave me all the
love she could, but that did not help to improve my poor physical
condition as a child. I felt desperate and helpless. I recall that when
I had bouts of diarrhea and fever, she would take a bowl of cold
water and stir it up with three pairs of chopsticks. Following this
she would swing the chopsticks around my head both clockwise
and counterclockwise. After that she would turn toward the East,
take the water in her mouth and spit it out on the ground. As she
swung the chopsticks before my face, I would become calm and
peaceful, and immediately feel the heat from the fever in my body
subsiding. I still recall in my body memory that cool flow of water
and the loving warmth of my mother.
“In winter, when a severe cold would set in, the atmosphere
became very dry. Our hands and feet would wrinkle and blood would
seep through the skin. My mother would put a bowl in the center of
the room to collect the urine of the night. At dawn, the urine would
be boiled and she would massage it into the skin of our hands and
feet. It was a very effective remedy. In Chinese medicine, urine –
especially a baby’s – is still regarded as a valuable remedy for
many ailments, particularly abdominal problems.
“When I return to the body-memory of my childhood and village,
a deep sense of helplessness and despair overtakes me. It is not
difficult to relive the sensation of pervasive hunger. We were never
- 40 -
certain of our next meal. At times there was no water to drink.

Under these conditions, your body shrinks and dries out. Simulta-
neously, there is a deep sense of acceptance, of knowing how
nature rules.
“In hindsight, I realize that the lesson was to detach from every-
thing, to have no expectations, and to accept what life offered. It
helped me set aside personal goals and desires, and to follow the
path that was revealed to me. The only permanent feature of life is
change; this is the essential meaning of the I Ching. Only by un-
derstanding change can one follow it and thereby release any at-
tempt to control a situation. Changes in nature are ruthless and
merciless. We, the people on the yellow plateau, cannot now—
and could not then—control and manage nature, even though Mao’s
slogan, ‘Man must overcome Heaven’ was incessantly and loudly
trumpeted into our ears.”
Master Chia’s Life, Different but Parallel

On the point of urine remedies in Chinese medicine, if I may inter-
ject, there is a parallel in Master Chia’s life that influenced his early
disposition towards a life of healing and of teaching the Tao. He
began his life in Bangkok, Thailand, as a healthy baby of Chinese
parentage. He was born in dramatic circumstances during World
War II when American pilots were bombing Japanese targets in
the Bangkok area. His parents, being devout Christians, reasoned
that the Americans wouldn’t bomb a Christian church; so they went
to their church to ensure a safe and secure delivery of their baby,
Mantak.
As a young child, he was a very healthy boy in Bangkok’s
Chinatown. Though he was raised in a devout Christian family and
was surrounded by the influence of Thailand’s pervasive Buddhist
culture, he also thrived in an environment of Chinese Taoist cul-
ture. He was a healthy boy, and he was frequently asked to pee in
a jar so that neighbors could use it as medicine when they were
sick. After awhile, he began to think, “I must be special.” He felt
proud that he could help people get well. From these early begin-
nings, he cultivated his knowledge of natural ways to live a healthy
life and to help others to heal.
While still working successfully as the sales manager for
Gestetner Company’s Thailand head office in Bangkok, he opened
his Natural Healing Center where he applied his skills for healing.
- 41 -
In the late 70’s, he moved to New York City where he had intended
to market a Chi machine (a Chi generator for enhancing the body’s
Chi) that he had invented. But, the American public didn’t know
about Chi; so, there wasn’t a market for this health aid. However,
while plying his healing arts in a health clinic in New York’s
Chinatown, he was later ferreted out by eager American students
looking for a teacher of Taoist practices. The rest is history.
Quest for the Secret Code

Tao Huang continues, “There were two other books that I borrowed
from the college library. One was the I Ching, and the other was
The Interpretation of Dreams, by Sigmund Freud (Chinese trans-
lation). At the beginning of the Chinese Revolution, the I Ching had
been forbidden reading. It was considered by the government to be
a reflection of a pernicious feudal culture and a poisonous, conser-
vative Confucian heritage. I had an unwavering desire to gain a
thorough understanding of the I Ching, which was considered by
the people to be one of the great treasures of China. It had always
been valued as the foundation of Taoist Cosmology, and as the
origin of Chinese traditional wisdom.
“To my disappointment, the study of the I Ching left me feeling
very confused. I was unaware at the time that throughout Chinese
history, the interpretation of this work had provided an ideological
battleground for commentators. It had been the subject of a deep-
seated conflict in the vision and worldview of Taoist practitioners
and Confucian scholars. The Confucian interpretation focused
largely upon linguistic explanation and analytical understanding. The
Taoist version centered on practicality, on understanding natural
events, and deepening one’s conscious process. I was becoming
aware of the fact that the Taoist view of the universe and of nature,
as well as of human relations and Chinese science, was at the
very root of Chinese civilization. Conversely, Confucian ideology
had served, since very early times, as a principal instrument of the
feudal order.
“I also realized that as Confucian culture had become domi-

nant, the Taoist worldview and its theory on nature-related prac-
tices had often been viewed by rulers as dangerous, weird, and
obscure, despite its contributions to science, medicine and other
areas of Chinese culture. I had been quite unaware of the extent to
- 42 -
which the Taoist worldview had been systematically repressed by

the establishment, nationally as well as locally.
“I also began to understand that in the Taoist tradition, the I Ching
was considered a sacred book. It was understood to contain a
secret code that would awaken human consciousness. It served
to reveal one’s true destiny, and provided a key for transforming
and enriching the life force we inherited from our ancestors and
our parents, as well as the energies of heaven and earth. This view
of life as a process of self-transformation—an inner journey—was
rooted in the view that human beings are a microcosm that re-
flects the energies of the macrocosm. In the Taoist view there is no
limit to the self-cultivation of one’s intrinsic creative and spiritual
potential.
“The Interpretation of Dreams had been declared taboo during
the Cultural Revolution. It was viewed as a perverse product of
Capitalism. In traditional Chinese culture, dreams had always been
considered vital to predicting future events, collectively and per-
sonally. Freud emphasized the significance of dream interpreta-
tion as a means to understanding the present in light of the past. In
his view, a key role was played by the libido. Obviously, the Chi-
nese Communist establishment refused to see that its own taboo
on sexuality and puritan attitudes were not so different from those
reigning in Europe at Freud’s time, especially in Vienna.
“Initially, I was quite attracted to Freud’s views. They opened for
me a whole new world, giving me a sense of freedom in the face of
my puritan culture. Yet I also realized that there was a kind of ob-
session in Freud’s ideas. When I undertook my undergraduate stud-
ies in psychology at Cleveland State University, I grew more and
more dissatisfied with his position. I concluded that it reflected a
pathological state in the elite of his time, which he then used as the
basis for his views on sexuality. In my graduate studies at the Cali-
fornia Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco, I realized that
my major objection to Freud was that his view on sexuality was
highly reductive. I cannot deny, though, that his teachings provided
income for psychology professors. I became very uncomfortable
within the academic environment for that reason.
“My Chi Kung practice and its healing effects contributed to my
changed attitude towards Freud. This shift was also dramatically
influenced by my discovery of the work of Carl Jung and his ensu-
ing break with the positivistic European tradition. His liberation from
- 43 -
that mold clearly manifested itself in his discovery of the phenom-

enon of synchronicity (events happening simultaneously that are
not coincidental but predestined), along with his great empathy for
the Taoist tradition. This shines through in his commentary on the
Taoist classic, The Secret of Golden Flower, and in his introduction
to Wilhelm’s first Western translation of the I Ching.”
Story of the Just-Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old-Man

Upon dying, the voice and name are extinguished by spiritual will—
if one has developed it—enabling the person to enter into immortal
and eternal life.
There is a story of will that goes like this: Once, years ago, a
baby came into this world crying tearlessly as its first action. It
soon became aware of the sounds of crying voices coming from
another source. People were mourning an old man who died at the
moment the baby was born. During the course of the night, the
newborn spoke with the deceased in a dream. The baby, ponder-
ing this course of events, inquired, “When I came into this world I
cried, not because I wished to but because I had to. The doctor
said that it was necessary to open my lungs to cause the exhala-
tion that produced the sound of crying. The Buddhists say that it is
a sad thing to be born into this world. But why are living persons
crying for a dead man like you?”
The deceased responded clearly, “The people who are crying
are those who own either my blood or my will.”
The baby then questioned, “Why did no one cry for me when I
came into this world?”
The dead person looked searchingly at the baby and explained,
“See the blood that you are bringing into this world; someone needed
to die in order for you to be born. The voice that you are crying with
is the continuing voice of the one who has died.”
“But why are you not crying for yourself? Are you not sad to be
leaving this world?” the baby wondered aloud.
“I could not speak a word when I exhaled my last breath. All I
have to say has been written in my will.” replied the old man.
“Will you show me your will?” the baby pleaded.
“No, I cannot. You are not my blood. The will can only be ob-
tained by those who have a blood connection.”
Spurred on by the dream, the baby began searching for his cry-
ing voice, the blood-will he inherited. He found that from the sounds
- 44 -
of ma-ma and ba-ba to readable words and manageable num-

bers, all wills are the same: written with letters and numbers. They
vary only in the right to claim and the ways to apply. Generation
after generation, drops of blood have expanded into rivers of blood;
the wills of the blood-flowing-rivers have been written time and again
in the same format acquired through the same process: the willful
ability to interpret. Each will involves blood and willful exchange,
and each exchange involves the death of an older generation, an
older race/culture and the birth of a new generation, a new race/
culture. Yet, the blood remains always the same. The format of
these wills is forever changing with voices and names within the
unchangeable sounds of male and female and with the symbols of
letters and numbers. The sound transforms life as the symbols
connecting the Ideal Image of God with the Realistic Land of coun-
tries.
——— End of Story ———
Get it? Could the baby have inherited the will through the family
bloodline if he had belonged to the man’s family? Not from the blood!
Consider this fact: In heredity, the oldest surviving records of
ideas on the mechanisms of heredity are from the ancient Greeks.
For example, Aristotle speculated that since blood perfused and
nourished the organs of the body, procreation also must be via
blood. He proposed that male semen was purified blood and that
the female genetic contribution to the next generation was men-
strual blood. However, these and other ideas made little or no con-
tribution to the eventual development of our present understanding
of heredity. After the Greeks, there was a 2000-year silence on the
mechanisms of heredity. Genetics as a scientific discipline did not
exist before the work of Gregor Mendel—in the middle of the nine-
teenth century.3
Therefore, the blood image must be a metaphor for something
else. So, how does one get it, spiritual will? Hint: read the rest of
the book on how to purify the ‘blood’ with Tao and Te.
- 45 -
I Ching/Genetic Code Summary
Purpose
Throughout the text in Door to All Wonders there are references to
hexagrams of the I Ching and the Chinese characters that name
or otherwise describe them. We have included these images in
the chapters for reader reference along with the text. Because of
this pervasive presence of I Ching underlying Taoist thought and
culture, we are including a simple introductory summary of the I
Ching structure—as well as its amazing correlation to recent dis-
coveries and developments in modern science. This knowledge
has practical applications, especially in the area of molecular biol-
ogy, the genetic code, our DNA, and the subatomic world of quan-
tum mechanics. This translates into significant power for our life,
our spiritual experience and for the fulfillment of our evolutionary
birthright.
For those of us who don’t have an understanding of the work-
ings of the I Ching or the modern science of genetics, some stream-
lined basics will be presented in this section. The intention is to
give a sense of their basic structure and functions, just enough to
appreciate their value and significance. It is not necessary to have
extensive knowledge in order to benefit from reading the ‘Door.’
In the Preface, Huang wrote: “… Tao Te Ching … The Text con-
tains two sections. … He Shanggong (The Man-On-The-
Riverbank), who was believed to be the reincarnation of Lao Tzu,
divided the Text into 81 chapters. Numbers have always figured
prominently in Chinese philosophy and symbolism. Tao Ching has
37 chapters and Te Ching is composed of 44. To assess this nu-
merically, we see that three and seven is ten, and four plus four
equals eight; together they are eighteen, or double-nine, which when
multiplied equal 81 … the transformation of love and virtue into
Pure-Person (the oneness between spirit-nine of pure soul and
God’s nine of pure spirit).”
We will not attempt to assess the system and symbolism of
Chinese numerology in this introduction. But, we will help readers
who haven’t studied the I Ching to know some basic concepts of
the structure and dynamics of the I Ching. The “double nines” are
number designations (to be mentioned later) of two of the lines
found in the trigrams of some hexagrams of the I Ching. There are
different aspects in the process of reading the hexagrams; the lines
- 46 -
are read from the bottom up. When reading the trigram aspect of
the lines, the lower three lines are regarded as the Earth trigram
and the upper three constitute the Heaven trigram. Each of the
“double nine” lines referred to above is positioned in each of the
two trigrams that make up the six lines of a hexagram.
Perspective
The roots of the Tao go back perhaps 20,000 years.4 The legend-
ary Fu-Hsi (Fuxi) is credited with compiling the ancient wisdom
about 5,000 years ago. He created trigrams with broken and un-
broken lines to represent the eight elemental forces of the universe
and nature, and he arranged them in the famous eight-sided pakua
figure (as seen in the Universal Tao logo).
Eight-sided Pakua with the Tai Chi Yin Yang symbol in the center.
By combining the eight trigrams as pairs of all the possible

trigram combinations, he delineated the structure of the earliest
version of the 64 hexagrams and the system that has come to be
known as the I Ching. (See Fu-Hsi’s table of the I Ching below.)
The hexagrams were later rearranged and written down by King
Wen about 3,000 years ago. This version was further refined by
one of his sons, the Duke of Chou. Confucius and some of his
disciples then edited the Chou version (and added more refine-
ments) about 500 years later—during the time of Lao Tzu.
It may interest the reader to learn that the I Ching was recog-
nized about thirty years ago as having the same mathematical struc-
ture as the genetic code.5 Watson and Crick had correctly de-
scribed the structure of DNA in 1953,6 for which they received the
Nobel Prize in 1962. We will also provide a simple non-technical
- 47 -
summary for the matching structure of DNA, which correlates to

the structure and dynamics of the I Ching.
In 1975, the wave character, the ‘other half’ of the DNA system
was discovered—the half that is complementary to the material
aspect. This implies that there is a universal system of communi-
cation between the cells operating at much higher speeds than the
humoral or neural systems previously known. Ultraviolet frequency
biosignals ‘ride’ on the spirals of DNA and activate specific codons7
(biological information units in the 64-triplet code of DNA—analo-
gous to the trigram combinations of the I Ching). This knowledge
(as stated by Dr. D.A. Popp, discoverer of the wave character of
DNA) leads us to the recognition that spirit can be transformed
from matter, and matter only gains in significance through the spirit.8
Thus, from the Taoist perspective, it seems likely that our spirit/
consciousness can be cultivated to enhance the probability of the
most beneficial possibilities in our lives.
I Ching Lines, Digrams, Trigrams and Hexagrams

The “I” in I Ching generally means change, transformation. There
is also an ancient definition in Chinese that defines it as ‘generat-
ing new life.’ This latter meaning is useful to keep in mind in corre-
lating the structures and dynamics of the I Ching and the genetic
code, DNA.
Tao in manifestation is represented as the interchange of two
interrelated primordial phases, yin and yang. In the I Ching system
of representation, yin is characterized as a feminine, receptive,
contracting quality of energy and is shown as a broken line (— —).
Yang is the complementary component and is a masculine, dona-
tive (giving), expanding energy represented as an unbroken line
(——). In the binary number system, yin and yang is represented
as (0,1) or also written as (0,L)—which is great for computer analy-
sis, etc. The yin/yang aspects, or tendencies, of energy, are not
isolated as opposites, but rather, are conceived as being interre-
lated and working harmoniously for their common good. They are
poles of an interconnected continuum of changing proportions,
shifting by degree in relationship to each other. Thus, they are de-
noted as polarities of a whole, rather than as dualistic and sepa-
rate opposites.
- 48 -
Explaining the methodology and practice of the I Ching,

Confucius said, “In ‘I’, there is Tai Chi (great void), which generates
two poles, which generate four quadrants, which generate eight
octants.” The two poles are the yang (——) and yin (— —) lines.
The quadrants are the digrams made up of combinations of pairs
of yin and yang.
Digrams:
Old yin Young yang Young yin Old yang

6 7 8 9
The digram number shown beneath each pair is the number that is
assigned for that configuration as part of the divination process.
The combinations of the two lines (poles) give rise to the double
duality of the digrams—yin and yang furnish the basic duality or
polarity, and one more line furnishes the additional duality of old
and young.
Adding one more line to the digrams results in eight combinations

of octants—trigrams.
Trigrams:
Ken Sun Li Chien Kun Kan Chen Tui
Kan
Hexagram
When the paired combinations of all eight trigrams are config-

ured, the result yields the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. For ex-
ample, combining two Kan trigrams results in the Kan hexagram.
The eight hexagrams that pair two the same trigrams retain the
same name as the individual trigrams, as in this example. Brief
traditional texts—called ‘Images,’ ‘Judgments’ and ‘Oracles’—in-
terpreting the meaning and structure of the hexagram have been
appended to the hexagrams. The I Ching is capable of self-de-
scription and self-renewal and has a built-in mechanism for avoid-
ing absoluteness—it is a Relativity Theory on a grand scale.
- 49 -
Fu-Hsi’s Table of the I Ching

Upper
Trigram
Lower
2 23 8 20 16 35 45 12
Kun Bo Bi Guan Yü Dsin Tsui Pi
15 52 39 53 62 56 31 33
Kiën Gen Giën Dsiën Siau Lü Hiën Dun
Go
7 4 29 59 40 64 47 6
Schï Mong Kan Huan Hië We Kun Sung
dsi
46 18 48 57 32 50 28 44
Schong Gu Dsing Sun Hong Ding Da Gou
Go
24 27 3 42 51 21 17 25
Fu I Dschun I (Yi) Dschen Schï Sui Wu
Ho Wang
36 22 63 37 55 30 49 13
Ming Bi Gi Gia Fong Li Go Tung
I dsi Jen Jen
19 41 60 61 54 38 58 10
Lin Sun Dsië Dschung Gui Kui Dui Lü
Fu Me
11 26 5 9 34 14 43 1
Tai Da Sü Siau Da Da Guai Kiën
Tschu Tschu Dschuang Yu
I Ching Divination Process

The I Ching is perceived as a ‘world formula’ consisting of 64 pos-
sible hexagrams that symbolize all states of being, or tendencies
of energy orientation. Energy transformations occur in the unend-
ing flow of changes in life from the microcosmic through the
macrocosmic levels of existence. Likely possibilities and probabili-
ties of the outcomes of change may be ascertained—based on
relevant variables present in a ‘snapshot’ of experience at a given
moment in time. These possibilities and probabilities are arrived at
through the ‘oracular,’ or divination, process in association with the
appropriate hexagrams. This conception is the theoretical basis
for describing the dynamics of the Tao in creation. It is the under-
pinning of Chinese mystical culture.
The sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching can also be thought of
as triads of digrams; that is, combinations of three of the four pos-
sible digrams. There are eight possible combinations of three bro-
ken/unbroken lines (resulting in trigrams as seen above). In addi-
tion to reading the trigrams, the I Ching divination process includes
- 50 -
reading the digrams and their interrelated influence within the

hexagrams and in relation to related hexagrams. Likewise, it reads
the significance of individual lines in the context of a specific
hexagram and related hexagrams. [Please refer to Appendix II for
a complete listing of the hexagram configurations and Richard
Wilhelm’s translation of their names.]
The divination process serves to narrow the focus of probabili-
ties and possibilities of transformations and outcomes—which can
never be permanent and final, but only relative in nature. This is so,
because—as Einstein has reminded us with his formula, E=mc2—
even solid matter is a state of energy. The elements of the I Ching
hexagrams represent 64 dynamic states of tension between the
opposites of yang and yin in maintaining a particular state. At some
point in the dual polarities, yang changes to yin and yin changes to
yang, and the states of energy change.
DNA Notes, Basic Concepts and Vocabulary

The biggest biological success story is the elucidation of how in-
formation becomes form. How genetic information flows, or how
genes act, has been called the new paradigm of biology. We present
here some basic concepts and vocabulary of current knowledge
of genetics. Readers may take heart and be inspired with a sense
of the practical probabilities of immediate benefits that one may
influence in the genes. The principles of divination referred to
above—which are determined as statistical probabilities and pos-
sibilities based on known variables and with considerations of
chance and luck—also apply in the realm of genetics. Genes do
not work in a vacuum, but interact with the environment at many
levels in producing a phenotype (the expressed form of a charac-
ter). The relationship of genotype to phenotype across an environ-
mental range is called the norm of reaction.
DNA is the common information storage and expression sys-
tem for most organisms on the planet. It is a system in
which information flows from DNA to RNA to protein. DNA is the
informational basis underlying all the processes and structures of
life. The DNA—DeoxyriboNucleic Acid—molecule has a structure
that accounts for two of the key properties of life, reproduction and
generation of form. DNA is a double-helical structure whose inher-
ent design is such that it can be replicated to make two identical
copies. DNA replication is the basis for all reproduction, cellular
- 51 -
and organismal. So DNA can be viewed as the thread that con-

nects us with all our evolutionary ancestors. Furthermore, DNA
generates form because a code that contains the instructions for
building an organism is written into the linear sequence of the building
blocks of a DNA molecule. We can view this as information, or
“that which is necessary to give form.”
DNA works in virtually the same way in all organisms. Most
genes code for some type of protein: either active proteins such as
enzymes or proteins that play a structural role in cells. A major
landmark occurred in 1953: James Watson and Francis Crick pro-
posed a double helix model for DNA structure. It showed that DNA
could replicate by progressive unwinding of the two intertwined
strands of the double helix and using the exposed strands as tem-
plates for new synthesis. Each one of the two intertwined strands
of DNA is a chain of chemical groups called nucleotides, of which
there are known to be four types.
Each type is composed of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose
sugar molecule, and any one of the four bases—adenine (A), gua-
nine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Two of the bases, adenine
and guanine, have a double-ring structure characteristic of a type
of chemical called purine. The other two bases, cytosine and thym-
ine, have a single-ring structure of a type called a pyrimidine. Be-
cause proteins are strings of amino acids, a specific nucleotide
sequence of DNA (a gene) contains coded information for specify-
ing amino acid sequence and hence protein structure.
In the process of protein synthesis, RNA is a mediator between
DNA and the resulting protein. In the code for RNA—which reflects
the properties of DNA from which it is derived—the base letter T
(thymine) is replaced by U (uracil). A phalanx of ribosomes moves
along the mRNA (m = messenger), each starting at the 5/ end and
proceeding along the entire length of the mRNA to the 3/ end. As a
ribosome moves along, it “reads” the nucleotide sequence of the
mRNA three nucleotides at a time. Each group of three, called a
triplet codon, stands for a specific amino acid. Since there are four
different nucleotides in mRNA, there are 4 x 4 x 4 = 64 different
possible codons. These codons and the amino acids they stand
for are shown in the figure, “Table of the Genetic Code.”
The combinatorial arrangement of triplets of digrams corre-
sponds precisely to the way that the combinations of three bases
in DNA generate amino acids in living cells. The four digrams that
- 52 -
combine in three’s to form hexagrams are analogous to the four

bases, which combine in three’s to form genetic ‘codons.’
DNA is composed of two side-by-side chains (“strands”) of
nucleotides twisted into the shape of a double helix, like a spiral
staircase, with the strands running in opposite directions. In the
double-stranded DNA molecule, the two backbones are in oppo-
site, or antiparallel, orientation. The two chains are bound together
by the pairing of specific bases: A with T and G with C. The bases
of DNA interact according to a very straightforward rule, namely
that there are only two types of base pairs: A-T and G-C. The bases
in these two base pairs are said to be complementary. This means
that at any “step” of the stairlike double-stranded DNA molecule,
the only base-to-base associations that can exist between the two
strands without substantially distorting the double-stranded DNA
molecule are A-T and G-C.
Second Letter
U C A G
UUU Phe UCU UAU Tyr UGU Cys U
UUC UCC Ser UAC UGC C
U UUA UCA UAA
OCHRE
UGA Start A
Leu (STOP)
UUG UCG UAG AMBER UGG Tryp G
(STOP)
CUU CCU CAU His CGU U
CUC CCC Pro CAC CGC Arg C
C CUA Leu CCA CAA GluN CGA A
Third Letter
First Letter
CUG CCG CAG CGG G

AUU ACU AAU AspN
AGU Ser U
AUC Ileu ACC Thr AAC AGC C
A AUA ACA AAA AGA Arg A
Met= Lsy
AUG Start
ACG AAG AGG G
GUU GCU GAU Asp GGU U
GUC GCC Ala GAC GGC Gly C
G Val
GUA GCA GAA Glu GGA A
GUG GCG GAG GGG G
Table of the Genetic Code
List of the amino acids and their abbreviations in the above code.
Ala = Alanine Gly = Glycine Pro = Proline

Arg = Arginine His = Histidine Ser = Serine
Asp = Aspartic acid Ileu = Isoleucine Thr = Threonine
AspN= Asparagine Leu = Leucine Trp = Tryptophan
Cys = Cystine Lys = Lysine Tyr = Tyrosine
Glu = Glutarnic acid Met = Methionine Val = Valine
GluN = Glutarnine Phe = Phenylalanine
- 53 -
At the end of replication of a DNA molecule, two molecules re-

sult. Each of these is a hybrid consisting of one of the parent strands
intertwined with one newly synthesized strand, hence the term
semiconservative. The coded information in the nucleotide se-
quence must be translated in groups of three nucleotides for each
amino acid. In 1966, the complete genetic “dictionary” of all 64 pos-
sible triplet-coding units (codons) and the specific amino acids they
stand for was deduced. Subsequent studies in many organisms
showed that the double-helical structure of DNA, the mode of its
replication, and the codon dictionary are the same in virtually all
organisms, whether plants, animals, fungi, or bacteria. [“Notes”—
gleaned from Modern Genetic Analysis.]
By letting the above-mentioned nucleotide bases T (or U), C, G
and A be expressed by the digrams of the I Ching—this correla-
tion, if substituted in the “Table of the Genetic Code,” yields the
same 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. Thus, the correlations are as
follows:
Concluding Comments
For the sake of brevity, the presentations of both the I Ching and
the Genetic Code were grossly oversimplified and superficial. The
purpose was to provide a sense of the validity and significance of
the I Ching for the uninitiated reader, since it is referred to often in
the text. Likewise, due to the tremendous advances in genetic sci-
ence, it is inspiring to have a sense of how we come to be the way
we are. Consequently, it may also support us in our practices to
know that we really do have the capability to profoundly influence
our health and evolution. By getting the good biosignals humming
and riding up and down those spiral stairways in our DNA, activat-
ing those good codons in our cells, transforming spirit from matter,
and at the same time enhancing the quality and significance of our
physical being—who knows what limits we may transcend!
That’s it! This is as far as we go in the discussion of the corre-
lation between the I Ching and the genetic code. The key to the
structure and dynamics of life in our genes is the same as the I
Ching’s 64 dynamic states of tension between the polar oppo-
sites of yin and yang. It is the same as the wisdom, the cosmology
of the world, embodied in the I Ching that was compiled 5,000
years ago by Fu-Hsi. Except that the I Ching has been further re-
fined and enhanced by spiritually achieved sages who followed in
- 54 -
U= C= G= A=
or T in the case of DNA
(Preliminary trial, symbols exchangeable)
The I Ching transcribed into genetic code.
the millennia since Fu-Hsi. By comparing the charts of Fu-Hsi’s

hexagrams and the Genetic Code’s triplet codons, feel a sense of
awe for the beauty and power of truth in the microcosm in each of
the trillions of cells in your body. As well, sense the polar connec-
tion with the complementary primordial Chi of the universe, the
macrocosm.
Be like Niels Bohr, one of the godfather’s of the modern science
of the subatomic world—quantum physics. The result of his work
and others has confirmed the dual polarity nature of the wave/par-
ticle reality in the subatomic realm of existence. After he had al-
- 55 -
ready elaborated his interpretation of quantum theory—when he

visited China in 1937, he was deeply impressed by the ancient
Chinese notion of the complementarity of polar opposites, which
paralleled his thinking. So much so, that when he was knighted in
his native Denmark in 1947 in acknowledgement of his outstand-
ing achievements—he chose the Tai Chi symbol and the inscrip-
tion ‘Opposites are complementary’ for the motif of his coat-of-
arms.9 Create your own coat-of-arms in your body’s conscious-
ness in the core of your cells and manifest your body wisdom. The
purpose of our Taoist practices is to enable us to be healthy, happy,
conscious, evolving human beings and thereby be able to achieve
life beyond life.
Taoist Practices infused with

the Virtue Energy of Te
Meditation/Exercise. Huang talks about the presentation of prac-
tices in the ‘Door’ from his traditional perspective: “There are two
exercises that belong to traditional practices, five animals and six
sounds. The rest are conscious guiding practices that gear to
awaken specific organs and parts of the body. From inner self to
the highest virtuous gathering, the Tao of seed and the Te of virtu-
ous love will become one, as if body and mind become one.
“I think that coming from the background where Master Chia
has instructed in terms of exercises, it is a bit difficult to capture
the exercise portion in the book. On the one hand, the presentation
of exercises is sort of a reflection or revelation, and there are only
two parts, or maybe three, which I just translated from the teach-
ings of Hua Tue, one of the best known teachers in China; he is a
Taoist and a Chinese doctor. The third one is from Master Chia’s
Fusion of Five Elements. In Taoist tradition, we only reveal half of
the meditation exercise in a pure literal presentation. The other half
depends on the quality of the master and the readiness of the stu-
dent. The purer the energy the master has within, the more power-
ful the exercise will be.
“The most crucial part is that throughout Taoist history, there is
no distraction or distortion upon the pure teachings, which are usu-
ally related to the specific location, the power of earthly Chi, and
the personality of a master. Unless the student’s background is
- 56 -
cleaned, which has to do with family and social life, and unless he
or she shows enough virtue and integrity, the teaching cannot be
revealed. For example, I cannot reveal the exercise on Bigger Dip-
per unless s/he is under initiation and taking full responsibility for it.
I cannot tell a person based on social or family hierarchy.
“The third most sacred part of the teaching has to do with tim-
ing, both the cosmic time and the readiness of micro-time within
each person. Besides the micro and macro time factors, are the
special influences of the Winter/Summer Solstice and the Spring/
Fall Equinox. These yearly time periods of significance reflect the
four time periods within a day, which are 11:00 to 1:00 am/pm and
pm/am, and 5-7 am and pm. This has been summarized in the
phrase: ‘If you catch a day’s time, you master the entire year.’
“The most intriguing situation is the trinity of three dantians (tan
tiens) in our Taoist tradition. Because of the Chi that circulates
between body and mind, and is independent by itself, there cannot
be a single exercise for all. There is no such thing as an exercise
that can open everything. This is why all the pressure points must
be opened, and all the five levels of organs, skin, muscles, zang fu
(glands), bone and bone marrow must reach a final completion
before enlightenment can be achieved.
“Because the body is so complicated due to the ancestral ill-
nesses and social conditioning—and because of the interaction
between body and universe, particularly the inner planets and close
stars out there—each exercise must be treated specifically. It can
be handled only through consideration of an individual’s quality. This
is why in northern Taoist practices, we constantly use mind to guide
the body, which generates movements or exercises as a result of
experience. Also, when the two hearts reach oneness, you can-
not tell which is which. This is the most difficult situation for me to
explain—which part of the exercises are inherently Lao Tzu’s and
which parts are my own understanding or reflection upon his teach-
ings—or revelation. All the italicized words or phrases or sentences
appearing in the book belong to the Tao Te Ching.
“If readers or students have any questions, they must find or
approach us directly in order to clarify the problems. We cannot
just give them the meal and feed them at the same time. Only the
right person can get the essential pictures of exercises. Or, if they
are advanced enough, by reading the words, they get an energetic
vibration right away. Then, they do not need exercises since the
- 57 -
channels are opened already. The above are my suggestions and

personal experiences according to our tradition. We never give
everything away through words. If so, what do we have in order to
live and exist and survive?”
Master Tao Huang’s Bottom Line: “In Taoist tradition, I have only
one background, it is in the power of Lao Tzu. He chose me, and
made me as a faithful dog, a devoted slave, a heart-connected
student. If you question the materials in the Door, go directly and
ask Lao Tzu, and we will reach a mutual silence—the heart-con-
nected, stomach-drumming and brain-smoked passage of the Tao.”
Editor: Dennis Huntington has been practicing the Tao of Master

Chia’s teaching since 1986. He became a certified instructor in the
Universal Tao in 1992, and then began teaching while living in Ja-
pan. He is now a resident instructor at the Universal Tao Training
Center at Tao Garden Health Resort in Thailand. He returns to
Japan regularly to teach, and he is Master Chia’s liaison assistant
for affairs in Japan. He moved to Tao Garden in 1998 to enhance
his practice and teaching of the Tao. He also assists in the pub-
lishing area as a contributing writer and chief editor.
He had an inner voice experience when he was a young avia-
tion electronics technician in the U.S. Navy. The inner voice expe-
rience itself excited his interest, and so did the message—to write
a book. Before he came in contact with Taoist teaching per se, he
conditioned himself with yoga practice. He experienced kundalini
energy as a result of his hatha yoga and pranayama practice. When
he began doing a simple form of meditation, he experienced the
manifestation of the third eye, inner visual experience, out-of-body
and dream experiences before he met any of his formal spiritual
teachers in the physical body. He then practiced meditation of the
inner light and sound current with the guidance of masters from
India.
After studying electrical engineering, science and math as an
undergraduate student, and after a brief stint as an IBM sales rep-
resentative, he entered graduate school at San Francisco State
University where he studied English, creative writing, and educa-
tion. He taught high school English in Oakland, California. While
teaching, he also became involved in the Bay Area Writing Project
at the University of California at Berkeley for teaching writing. He
later lived in Tokyo, Japan, and taught English as a Foreign Lan-
guage before moving to Tao Garden.
- 58 -
Reference Source:
1. Olson, Stuart Alve. The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic (St.
Paul, MN: Dragon Door Publications, 1993), page 37.
2. Legge, James. I Ching, Book of Changes (New York, NY:
Gramercy Books, Random House Value Publishing, Inc., 1996),
page xix.
3. Griffiths, Anthony J. F. … [et al]. Modern Genetic Analysis (New
York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1999), page 18.
4. Ni, Hua-Ching. Esoteric Tao Teh Ching (Santa Monica, CA: Seven
Star Communications Group Inc., 1992), page 2.
5. Yan, Ph.D., Johnson F. DNA And The I Ching: The Tao of Life
(Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1991), page ix.
6. Griffiths, Anthony J. F. … [et al]. Op cit, page 27.
7. Schonberger, Dr. Martin. The I Ching & The Genetic Code: The
Hidden Key to Life (2nd Edition) (Santa Fe, NM: Aurora Press,
1992) pp.9—10.
8. Schonberger, Dr. Martin. Op cit, page 153.
9. Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics, Second Edition (Boston, MA:
New Science Library, Shambala Publications, Inc., 1985), page
160.
- 59 -
Wordlless Uttering Sound: Tao
Chapter I
Wordless Uttering Sound: Tao
Defining the Tao

The word Tao or Dao (pronounced dow) is no longer a strange
term in Western society. Understanding its meaning is paramount
to viewing the magnificence of the Cosmos, tapping into the mys-
tery of the universe, and searching for the origin of nature. It en-
compasses the vast outer reaches of the universe, invisible, un-
fathomable and unreachable, yet retains its remoteness, ancient
and untraceable. It is too irrational to conceive, too abstract to con-
note literally, mystic beyond comprehension. It remains forever si-
lent, unaroused, sublimely peaceful. Before the Tao the voice can
no longer lower its pitch, eyes can no longer project their curiosity,
and movement is halted in its forward journey. The veil of its mys-
tery cannot be pierced. Philosophy cannot define its elusive word.
Science cannot magnify its potential. Technology cannot digitalize
its incalculable number.
To define the Tao is to listen to the silence, observe the naked-
ness and activate the stillness. It can be likened to communicating
with your inner voice, awakening your innate talent, finding a home
with eternal beauty and releasing your full potential. There can then
be no alienation nor intimidation of your ultimate power.
To define the Tao is to catch your breath, focus your attention,
calculate and refine your action, move with care, and make friends
with the enemy. The breath is life’s inspiration, attention forms con-
centration, action results as meaning or consequence and step-
ping forward is the reward. As the enemy recedes in the shadow,
the Tao permeates your aura.
To define the Tao is to stand on the highest mountain peak, swim
in an ocean of love, and soar with the dove in the valley of death. It
is to connect with the power. To sense the Tao is to stand in a cool
spring shower; to view the Tao is to observe from a high tower; to
smell the Tao is to breathe in a fragrant flower. It is to sleep peace-
- 60 -
Chapter I
fully behind a closed door, to peer through a window no more; to

observe first the natural law, and to judge only the mind’s intrac-
table flaw.
To define the Tao can be anyone’s individual response, but is no
one else’s business. To attempt to describe the Tao is a meaning-
less pursuit yet boundless in scope; to rationalize the Tao is futile;
to reject the Tao is to render yourself powerless; to follow the Tao
methodically is despairing; to know the Tao is to leave one breath-
less, to understand the Tao is to be deathless; to walk the Tao is to
be weightless, to ignore the Tao is senseless.
To define the Tao is to chant with Lao Tzu, to laugh with Chuang
Tzu, to analyze Confucius, to understand Buddha, to love Christ,
to listen to Muhammad, to follow Moses, to watch the Above, and
to embrace the Ultimate.
Communicable Tao
Tao can be expressed in many ways through our gifted power of

communication. There are three forms of communication: oral,
written and willful. Among these, oral communication is primary,
resulting from the power of voice: the manifestation of inner con-
sciousness and our spiritual trumpet. Verbalization is our first ap-
proach to living an independent life, finding the gateway to the Tao
through the breath of life and vibration of sound. At the time that
oral communication no longer served our human needs and ex-
pectations, letters and numbers were employed symbolically, mark-
ing the beginning of civilization as a cultural process.
Embracing these two, the voice of will becomes the most pow-
erful force reaching from one person (dead or alive) to the multi-
tudes: the collective will. This sacred passage permits the self to
be expressed, to touch hearts, to justify morality and verify deeds
accomplished. Our inner justice is profoundly different from the
legal practice of justice for the sake of justice. It is a direct spiritual
communication that goes beyond ego-anticipation and social-cul-
ture, an actualization process of human willpower.
Lao Tzu, the Superior Master Lao Jun, is forthright in his teach-
ings of Tao Te Ching, stating that the Tao that is voiced is no longer
that of eternal Tao. The name that is given is no longer that of
eternal name. The Tao that is voiced defines the origin of the uni-
verse through subjective expression. This is, in essence, the com-
- 61 -
municable Tao of inner self that connects deeply to both our micro-
biological and psychological self as well as our macrocosmic and
celestial self. The name that has been written extensively objecti-
fies any subjective expression of this inner voice. Anyone who has
reached her/his prime can verbalize and name. Upon dying, the
voice and name are extinguished by the will enabling the person to
enter into immortal and eternal life.
Inner Voice
Inner voice is the most sacred spiritual vessel. Without this inner
voice, God is not alive, the Tao is not present, and the self is not
active. This inner voice expresses and characterizes the beauty,
the meaning and the strength of life. It is sometimes silent to the
degree that there is no focal point while at other times it is immea-
surably powerful. Yet, we often turn a deaf ear to this inner voice,
refusing to abide by it or even give it credence. We choose instead
to rely on an external world, that of authority and discipline, to de-
fine our life as something meaningful, leaving us with confusion
and distortion of the true meaning.
Fig.1.1 When the hands, heart and mind are unified,

the inner voice speaks itself.
- 62 -
Chapter I
In order to establish a clear relationship with this sacred vessel,

the first set of meditation practices in this book begins with finding,
restoring and listening to this inner voice in any given crisis. The
exercises are:
1. Listen intently to the sound of silence: a combination of spiritual
voice and personal voice.
2. Pay attention to the most immediate direction and clear message:
the manifestation of your inner voice.
3. Verbalize it inwardly, whether or not it makes sense to you.
4. Name it with no preconceived notion.
5. Meditate upon it as a part of the visionary journey of your life
before it actually takes place.
6. Connect your own name with it. See how it conforms to you and
your personality.
7. Make it work for you. It is the divine plan and your decision must
be made now.
Incommunicable Tao
We have discussed the first part of Lao Tzu’s first two sentences:
the Tao that is voiced and the name that has been written. The
second part of the two sentences warns us that the eternal Tao
cannot be voiced and the eternal name cannot be written. It
deminstrates to us also that what has been voiced can never be
the eternal Tao, and what has been given or written can never be
the eternal name. The Eternal Tao can never be expressed
completely and comprehensibly. The moment the mind’s intention
joins with the focus of the heart, the Tao becomes lost. The mouth
cannot express an image, a colorful vision or an awareness of the
total environment while simultaneously penetrating the very subtle
fine line. It is for this reason that voicing the Tao will automatically
and instantly disconnect from the eternal Tao. When an inner
message is verbalized, the speaker is lost and the listener will
interpret the received message according to whatever s/he may
hear, desire or wish. The eternal name is thus lost.
Before something is named, it is subjected to how the observer
regards it. Before Lao Tzu used the word Tao, many other words
may possibly have been chosen. When something is named,
changes occur due to its very nature or the nature of its creator or
user. Thus, the word Tao has become a fixed word with fixed
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meaning, far and away from Lao Tzu’s initial vision, and it is forever
changing. This is why Tao has had many names, God has many
names and we have many names. What has been expressed is
not that which can be further described. No matter how hard we
try, we are bound to fail.
Connection In-Between
Between the mind and the heart, mouth and hand, the communi-
cable and incommunicable Tao, are three bridges we must navi-
gate: the inner voice, the mutual connection and the use of lan-
guage. The first, the inner voice, is exemplified by the baby’s voice.
There is no thinking or reasoning involved; only the sound of the
voice. It is the soul of the Tao, the true innermost spirit of that per-
son at that moment in that particular place and in that state of mind.
The second bridge is the mutual connection between the speaker
and the listener in the state of agreement and/or understanding. It
can be linked by either verbal or nonverbal form. When two people
hold an international phone conversation it is not the content that
matters but the continuous connection between them. Advertising
serves a similar purpose in that it is neither the truthfulness of the
message nor the quality of the products, but the securing of a mass
connection: the truth between demand and supply.
The third bridge is in the use of language. When the expression
is carried with clear and defining language, there will be no misun-
derstanding. The information is clear, as is the understanding of
the listener, successfully serving the purpose of the construction
and usage of language. When two people attempt to communi-
cate using two different languages, their words sound like distinc-
tive animal voices, incomprehensible to one another.
Usefulness of In-Between
Throughout the history of human civilization—the course of mental

objectification—we have evolved from the use of a single voice to
the many faceted forms of oral, written and the digital-computer-
ized audio-visual communication. It is remarkable to realize that
we are now, in effect, moving backward. We simplify the use of
language and shorten the spatial distance in presenting the spiri-
tual communication by means of global telecommunication. The
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Chapter I
methods have changed dramatically, but not the source. We re-

main as we are. Each momentary flash of an idea differs from
other moments, and each individual idea differs from others, yet all
the ideas are but the manifestation of mind through the expression
of soul being guided by spirit. The eternal, invariable, unwavering,
enduring and unchanging Tao is beyond expressing.
How could we then know? Only through our own peace and
desire can we open ourselves to its ever-presence. When we have
peace and serenity, we capture its subtlety. While attracted and
seduced by the passion of desire, we experience its manifestation
as we distinguish it as individual or personal, always limiting it within
our own boundaries. When we are relaxed and free from passion
and excitement, we see beyond the futile pursuit of games being
played. To be engaged in the passion and excitement of the game
being played out is a deviation from our connection with the center
and balance. We are divided when we enact our little scenarios.
We become as two: being and non-being, birth and death, beauty
and ugliness, good and bad. Being and non-being give birth to each
other; difficulty and ease complete each other; long and short mea-
sure each other; high and low overflow into each other, voice and
sound harmonize with each other; and before and after follow each
other. This is how the world is harmonized in great accord. This
ancient teaching enables us to become non-judgmental, non-preju-
dicial and indistinguishable.
“In-between” these two lies the hidden mystery. The mystery
within the mystery is the door to all wonders. This mystery is where
the center, the medium and the equilibrium embrace, balance and
unify from both sides and both ends, while maintaining the middle
ground. It is where the emulation, competition and perfection face
their extremes and opposites in a peaceful manner, and where
beauty and ugliness no longer appear attractive or repulsive, where
good and bad are no longer distinctive.
Nature of the Tao

In order to understand the nature of Tao we must first define nature
itself since Tao takes its origin from Nature. Taoists define nature
as: “I don’t know why it is so, and I don’t know why it is not so; I
cannot make it such, and I cannot make it not such.” The first part
speaks of human comprehension and understanding while the
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second encompasses human ability and capability. An example

would be that a human is neither completely human nor even
human. In Jungian psychological interpretation, a male necessar-
ily harbors the co-existence of the masculine persona and the
shadow of anima. Similarly, a female inherits within her persona
the feminine as well as the shadow of animus. This is the mutual
existence and transformation of their yin and yang characteristics.
The second part of the definition places the human mind and its
capacity in a very natural position. For example we can neither
change a mountain into a river or a river into a mountain. We can-
not prevent a mountain from expanding, as the Himalayas have
done, nor can we renew the ravaging effects of wind and storm on
its surface. In conclusion, in defining nature we can make known a
changing connection with it, but we cannot actually change its true
nature. Consequently, we can neither know nor name the ineffable
Tao. Lao Tzu has explained succinctly that Tao is eternally name-
less, is praised but is unnamable.
Tao: Beyond the Senses
Tao is formless and functions in empty harmony. This empty har-

mony cannot be grasped by the senses. Our human eyes and
ears and hands are rendered helpless in this endeavor. Look into
it, and there is nothing to be seen. Listen to it, and there is nothing
to be heard. Use it, but its use is inexhaustible. When the Tao is
spoken, it is very plain, with no excitement and no stimulation. It is
close to silence and has no flavor at all. How can we become ex-
cited about silence or sense that which is beyond the senses?
Knowing of the Origin of the Tao: Thus

As Lao Tzu reluctantly chooses the word Tao to describe and share
his great wisdom and insight, his direction leads him to an illumi-
nation of the origin of the Tao. From thus, as is explained in chapter
21, he knows the substance and the self-functioning Tao that inex-
haustibly creates all things in their beginning, is the very ancestor
of myriad things in the world. Although not knowing whose son it is,
Lao Tzu is certain that it stands preceding the Heavenly Emperor.
Rephrased in chapter 62, Lao Tzu realizes that by seating and
entering thus, Tao is the conductor of all things: the treasure of the
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Chapter I
good and the protector of the bad. By not rejecting or judging what
is good from what is bad, he is not desirous of being presented
with jade in front of the team of four horses but rather of having
without asking and forgiving the wrong doing.
What is “thus”? It is awareness of self and universe by being
one with the creative force and seeing through what is limpid, after
blunting the sharp edge, unraveling the tangles, husbanding into
light and being as ordinary as dust. Seeing through that which is
limpid is analogous to entering into the realm of the kingdom of
light. Blunting the sharp edge means diminishing all the desires of
heart. Unraveling the tangles is dissolving and clarifying the con-
stant puzzles generated by mind.
When the body returns to its infantile stage and mind is com-
pletely cultivated, one is with the limpid light. In Taoist tradition this
light embraces both universal light and bodily light through the trans-
formation and purification within the trinity of Jing, Chi and Shen.
According to modern quantum theory, photons or particles of light,
have the ability to share their existence mutually. Electrons, on the
other hand, have the ability to exclude each other from entering
their territory. When sexual electrons and light photons are joined,
their union is transformed into golden elixir. This is the meaning of
husbanding into light. As the spirit enters its limpid state, the body
returns to its original quality: dust.
Lao Tzu is aware that the substance of Tao seems boundless
and unfathomable. Since the substance of Tao is not a concrete
form, it cannot be perceived symbolically other than in the sym-
bolic sense. As unfathomable and boundless as it seems, there is
form in it. It can be said that its form is the form of the world: the
image appears but is not yet apparent. Still this form seems bound-
less and unfathomable, there exists matter in it. The matter looks
embryonic and dark, there is essence (Jing) within. The essence
is very pure and complete, and there is trust in it. Because of this
trust, from now to the days of old, its name never dies even though
its name cannot be defined in human terms.
From substance to form, from form to matter, from matter to
Jing, and from Jing to trust, it is as though we are viewing an object
from a satellite or under a microscope. First, when we concentrate
on the outer formation of the world (the substance of Tao), we pic-
ture a great body of land, our continent (form). From this continent,
we focus on a country or region (matter). From the region, an ob-
- 67 -
ject (essence), such as a license plate, can be pinpointed and

projected. The object is pure and complete. As we examine this
same object under a microscope, the space of its substance
appears larger and larger. Its mass accumulates until it becomes
the substance of Tao that forms the chaos of macro/micro-chaos.
Being as large as it is and as small as it is, it remains pure and
limpid, yet ineffable and immutable.
What more do we need other than the trust of the object itself?
It is this very trust that connects Lao Tzu’s heart with the origin, the
substance and the self-functioning of the Tao. Lao Tzu foregoes
human comfort in order to have a trusted connection with the Son
of the Heavenly Emperor. He denies himself the comfortable life
that can necessarily hold but one future: death. He gives up his
mind—the real exhaustive device of life force and himself—the iden-
tity of ego and illusion of mind. What he ultimately receives is thus.
Nothing more than thus and nothing other than thus. What an enor-
mous, powerful and all-consuming thus this is!
Empty Harmony – Action of the Tao
Tao functions in its empty harmony. Harmony is where and how

the matter of the Tao produces, promotes, regenerates and re-
news itself in its constantly full state. Since the action of the Tao is
in its non-formed state, or emptiness, its best harmony is within
itself where nothing is yet produced and nothing can be lost. It also
remains in its constant fullness, wholeness and completion by pre-
serving its unused and potential perfection. When used, it remains
full. Even as the Tao is producing, promoting, preserving and re-
generating at the same time, it utilizes both heaven and earth as its
strawdogs (scarecrow) in order to conceive its formless state of
oneness: nothingness. It functions in its weakness and infinity by
preserving its fullness and perfection. This source is undoubtedly
the very ancestor of the myriad things.
It is equally important to note that Tao moves by returning. As
we know, all things under heaven are born of being. Being is born
of non-being. Being forms the creatures that result from the pro-
cess of the Tao to one, one to two, two to three, and three to all
things. Therefore, the Tao of oneness is the very Tao of oneness,
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Chapter I
and the Tao of all things is the very Tao of all things. This is why we
have the Tao of heaven, the Tao of earth, the Tao of human beings,
the Tao of plants and animals, and the Tao of sand and rocks. This
is why competition of any sort has no value or reality; it is nonexist-
ent in the scheme of things.
In our modern society, we have evolved from animal-eating
predators into self-striving competitors. The gains and losses con-
ceal each other; master and slave thrive on each other; wandering
souls and hungry ghosts abound between heaven and earth. Stress
is the consequence of our society, anxiety is the tactic employed,
and loss of self-esteem is the price we pay. Unless the awakened
mind is re-centered, the soul restored, kindness (Te) enriched, the
self, individually and collectively, will never survive.
Remember the word “return” reminded by the action of “return-
ing”: body to its destiny, mind to its creativity and spirit to its one-
ness. Humankind is returning to earth since humanity takes its
origin from earth. Earth is returning herself to heaven since earth
takes her origin from heaven. Heaven is returning itself to the Tao
since heaven takes its origin from Tao. The Tao is returning itself
to Nature since Tao takes its origin from Nature. This is the ulti-
mate reality: returning is the cornerstone of being Taoist. Only
through this practice can we find the way, the one direction, the
means to returning to our youth, our birth, our source, becoming
one with the Tao. This is the unwavering path leading to the door of
mystery where we will join and be the son who is exceeding the
Heavenly Emperor.
Returning
In Taoist inner alchemy, the empty harmony refers to the Cinnabar

Field or Cauldron where elixir is refined. Cinnabar initially repre-
sents the raw reddish stone used by outer alchemists in the pro-
cess of refining golden elixir. The cauldron is a cooking vessel used
by the outer alchemists, while the inner alchemists define it as the
empty center area in the abdomen. It contains the golden elixir
crystallized from yin and yang Chi between the body/mind and
universe. The yin Chi is in the valleys of the earth and kidneys in
the human body, while yang Chi is in the entire cosmos and hu-
man mind. The yin (water) Chi in our body comes from the blad-
der, ovaries/testicles and prostate gland; whereas the yang (fire)
- 69 -
Chi in our consciousness and spirit arises from the heart and mental
awareness. When these two kinds of Chi (called Kan and Li) are
unified to form harmonious action, golden elixir is produced.
Upper Tan Tien (Upper

Brain) is the Center of
Observation.
Middle Tan Tien (Middle Mind)
is the Center of Consciousness.
Lower Tan Tien (Lower

Brain) is the Seat of
Awareness.
Fig. 1.2 Three Tan Tiens
The Taoist returning practice is that of fusing these two energies.

The key to this is to empty the fullness of mind through emptying of
the heart. To take this one step further, returning means not follow-
ing any outward or worldly direction. This applies as well to sexual
urges, common to us all. We need to practice returning sexual
energy to the chest as selfless love, and to the brain as spiritual
wisdom. For the male, no loss of such precious sexual energy
means no regret and no violence. For the female, when the men-
struation or the blood of sea is absent, the virgin state returns, the
light returns, and power returns. This is what we refer to as return-
ing to oneness: the original consciousness, the original love and
original gut awareness as one. Without returning to this
sacred-state, life is lost, the dream is lost and the spirit is lost.
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Chapter I
There are Taoist practices for cultivating, conserving, recycling

(inward and upward instead of down and out of the body), and
refining sexual energy within the body.
Pineal Gland beneath Crown
(Enlightenment Gland, Gland
of Direction)
Pituitary Gland (Mideyebrow) Yui-Gen (Cranial Pump)

Crystal Room Cavity of the
Spirit Tongue Ta-Chui (Central Control of the
Tendon Connections of the
Hsuan Chi (Throat Energy Center) Hands and Spinal Cord)
Shan Chung (Thymus Gland)
Gia-Pe (Opposite Heart Center)
Rejuvenation Center
Chung Wan (Solar Plexus, Pancreas) Chi-Chung (Adrenal Gland
Center at T-11)-Mini pump
Chi-Chung (Navel, Spleen) Ming-Men (Kidney Point - Door
Ovary/Sperm Palace of Life); Prenatal energy
storage safety point.
Chang-Chiang, Coccyx
Extra 31 (He ding) (Sacral Pump)
Wei-Chung BL-40; extra Hui-Yin (Perineum -
Spirit Energy is stored here. Gate of Death and Life)
Functional Channel Governor Channel
Yung-Chuan K-1
(Bubbling Spring)
Fig. 1.3 Learn to circulate your Chi in the Microcosmic Orbit to assist
mastery of semen retention and transformation of sexual energy.
These practices enrich the quality of one’s life and fuel the pro-
cess of spiritual “returning.” This can be achieved in the context of
celibacy, sexual monogamy or multiple partners—depending on
the individual and circumstances. The key is to merge sexual en-
ergy with loving compassion.
Bellows – Function of the Tao

Since the Tao is all-pervading, it operates on both the left and the
right. It fuses into every corner at all times with full anticipation. Yet
- 71 -
it occupies no space, holds no form. It is like the emptiness inside

the hub that makes the vehicle useful even though it is connected
with spokes. It is like the hollowness that makes the vessel useful
even though the vessel is molded and colored. It is like the empty
space that makes the room useful even though it is framed with
windows, doors, and walls. This Tao is also like the water flowing
in the river, creating both the river flow and its supporting bed. It
embraces both the mountain breast and ocean valley. The flow of
the river facilitates, energizes, operates all things existing on either
side by providing the power of not-having, not-occupying, not-at-
taching and not-framing.
This form of spatial-energized operation is metaphorically de-
scribed by Lao Tzu as a bellows. Whether the matter is leading or
following, strengthening or weakening, enhancing or destroying, the
bellows is the same regardless of what passes through its empty
space. A bellows contains nothing. Its usefulness develops with
the working relationship between what has been put in and what
will then be expelled. Yet, if the input is slow and weak, nothing will
be produced. When the force is too fast or too hard, it does not
maximize the wind flow and could destroy the usefulness of the
bellows. The secret to this practice is gentleness, steadiness and
consistency. The bellows can accurately and clearly represent the
flow of life: one side for the input of the Tao of life and its masculin-
ity, and the other side for the output of the Te of love and its feminin-
ity. The two sides are constantly merging yet standing alone to
generate their harmonious flow.
Fig. 1.4 We inhale the power of Tao into our life

and return it with the virtue of Te.
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Chapter I
Bellows-Like Meditation
Meditation is, in a sense, expanding our mental space into the vast-
ness of the universe. Human life and its existence on this planet
depend on creating and discovering the most useful space to oc-
cupy, then utilizing it fully and gratefully. When a person finds a
suitable space, they will survive and live a long life. This space can
be both physical and mental: a good physical space implies a good
location, good living conditions and a good business opportunity
while a good mental space must have the capacity for flexibility,
allowance and acceptance. These two are equally important and
often difficult to occupy, expand and preserve.
During our lifetime we are all granted a natural space in which
to dwell and make our life meaningful, enabling us to realize a dream
to make the heart joyful, and delight the spirit. Living in this environ-
ment we can exercise our kingship within our own precious king-
dom.
In meditation practice we utilize the bellows—the three precious
spaces—within our body. The first bellows is the function of lungs,
the working breath of life. The second bellows is the perineum, the
gate to all-sea-flow. The third bellows is the third eye, the opening
gate to the reality of mystery. Conscious breathing is the proper
means to effect this procedure.
1. Breath-Related Problems: An array of chronic problems ex-

isting in the chest area and brain—bronchitis, chest pain, tight-
ness of shoulders, poor digestion, neck pain, sleep problem and
more—are the result of poor or improper breathing. If you are
experiencing a sleep disorder and desperately desire a good
sleep, lie on your back, place one foot over the other, and cross
your hands on your chest. Close your eyes and concentrate on
your breath. As you listen to your breathing, you will soon drift
into a deep and restful sleep. Before you realize it, it will be
morning. You will generate more productivity within this creative
environment with less time and effort.
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Fig. 1.5 Breathing into the dream of healing and empowerment

(The position of hands and feet are opposite to each other. If you are
right handed, place the left foot on the top of right one, and vice versa.)
2. Perineum: If you have lower back problems, constipation, fre-

quent urination, poor or irregular menstruation and urination, and
other related problems you must pay attention to the perineum
pressure point. It is the key to a happy, healthy and energetic
life. Kneel down with toes in standing position. Bow forehead to
the floor and place hands together flat on the floor in front of the
brain. Take a deep breath and contract the perineum and muscles
as firmly as possible. Hold the breath and retain the contracting
position for as long as possible. Then release quickly. Relax for
a few seconds allowing the breath to run smoothly. Then begin
the second phase of breathing using the same technique. Prac-
tice this for at least fifteen minutes. This exercise can also be
done whether standing, sitting or lying down.
Fig. 1.6 Connecting to the earth mother.

You may experience pain in all related muscles, joints or or-
gans, as healing commences. Pain is the first step in healing.
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Chapter I
When the lower part of the body is fully open and relaxed, the
entire back, neck and brain will become open and relaxed. You
are becoming your own best doctor. The benefit of this exercise
is beyond measure. Your appreciation of yourself and your life
will expand as you continue this practice.
Perineum
Fig. 1.7 Drawing the energy into the body.

Inhale, hold breath, contract perineum area. Release and relax.
3. Third Eye: In order to open your third eye and expand your con-
sciousness in both waking and dreaming states, practice the
following. Kneel, bend your head forward with hands flat on the
floor and tap the forehead on the floor in rapid momentum. You
may experience temporary pain and dizziness. That is a pre-
lude to the joy that will ensue. When you no longer experience
pain when following this practice, the spiritual eye is ready to
open.
You then focus on the pituitary gland. Inhale and mentally gather
the cosmic light into the pineal gland through the yang third eye
in the middle of the forehead. As you exhale, visualize the en-
ergy being condensed and sent forth to the yin third eye at the
crossing-point between the two eyes. You may visualize num-
bers flashing on your mental screen as you count your breaths.
When you are able to see a white dot, the cosmic door is ready
to open. This is the key tool in Taoist healing diagnoses. When
you develop this ability, you will learn to see and read illness.
Fig. 1.8 Receiving the light from within.
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Mystical Female – Source of the Tao
The tranquility of the valley-spirit of the mystical female is the mother

that creates the root of heaven and earth. Without tranquility, the
source of Tao cannot be retained, the seed of pre-creative force
cannot be nourished and the process of creation cannot be
grounded. The Valley is the base upon which the land and moun-
tains sleep. This valley of tranquility is the mystic gate that stimu-
lates the dreaming wanderers and adventurous actors and ac-
tresses. It provides the echoing wall that responds and resonates
honestly to original voices. It is the abyss that receives the power
of penetration, and it is the graveyard that lays to rest the fallen
bodies and returning spirits. Its spirit never dies but is always filled
with endless vitality. The light cannot expand it, the darkness can-
not exhaust it, no action can burden it and affairs cannot alter it. It is
constant, indestructible, always there, ready to receive, respond,
retrieve, refresh, regenerate and reenergize.
In the very beginning, Lao Tzu instructs us that the door of all
wonders is the mystery within the mystery, the mother of the uni-
verse. He experiences this by engaging in simple practices such
as closing the mouth and nose and taking sustenance from the
mother source—not his biological mother but the mother of the
world. He promises that although the body dies, there is no harm.
He uses two analogies for mouth and door (nose): narrow and
broad. The explanation of narrow suggests that when the mouth is
closed, there can be no disclosure of information. When you know
yourself, no explanation of your being is necessary. No one in this
world understands yourself better than you do. Those who know
don’t speak and those who speak don’t know.
The broader explanation is that there can be no outward flow of
Chi. When the earthly door or sexual organ is withheld, when the
heavenly gate—the mind’s eye—is inwardly preserved, there is a
conservation of spiritual force. By closing your mouth and shutting
the door, there can be no wearing down of life. When opening the
mouth and pursuing your affairs, life cannot be preserved. When
the mouth (or mind’s eye) is closed, and nose (or earthly door) is
pinched closed, one sees what is small. Seeing what is small is
discernment. Through discernment, one can preserve subtlety.
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Chapter I
Preserving subtlety is having strength within. By utilizing this

strength, one can draw on the light for discernment. When the
center of the body is preserved, eternity becomes apparent.
Water: Symbol of the Tao
What is the model of being one with oneself; how does one lose
his selfishness? Water is the answer. Water provides the life force
for all creatures. It nurtures them, satisfies them, sacrifices itself,
and once again purifies itself. Water, on earth, is life. Nothing can
live nor complete its journey without water. This is the power and
virtue of water. This is the material that resembles most closely
the nature of the Tao.
Water is soft and gentle; nothing can compete with it. It occu-
pies more area than anything on the face of the earth does. Water
is weak and pliable, yet nothing can fight against its power since it
remains proportionate as well as ageless. Water is clean and pure;
nothing can contaminate it since it purifies other matter by purify-
ing itself. Water is at peace with nature; nothing can surpass it as
a tranquilizer, since its murky states are stilled by its inner tranquil-
ity. Water is inactive, yet nothing can be more active than water
itself; it is everywhere, ceaseless in its wanderings. Water is non-
competitive, conquers all.
Water is always happy in its present dwelling place. Pouring as
rain and drifting as snow, water travels endlessly through the sea-
sons. Forming dews, storms and glaciers, existing as solid, fluid
and steam, it continues its endless forms of processing. It washes
away all toxic materials that harm living creatures. Being noncom-
petitive enables water to remain at peace at all times. Water joy-
fully speaks its true faith, but our poisonous understanding of it
dispels its tranquil state. Water is content to follow its course, but
our mismanagement of worldly affairs has diminished our course.
Water acts in its own right time; we manipulate our affairs with an
imaginative clock that destroys the natural rhythms of our bodies.
Water dwells within earthly creatures, and reveals itself as the
largest substance on earth. There is no need to demonstrate, prove
or dignify itself. The yielding strategy it employs enables it to be
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flexible, adaptable, and unattached by retaining its freedom. The

ability with which it is endowed enables water to run along both
sides of the stream or river, yet it remains unbiased in its singular
mindset. It trickles or races on, embracing and returning to its des-
tination with no need for refined strategy.
Lao Tzu concludes that nothing in the world is softer and sup-
pler than water. When confronting strength and hardness nothing
can overcome it. Using nothing simplifies. Using water overcomes
strength. Using weakness overcomes strength. Everyone knows
it, yet none can apply it. Following this, the sages’ wisdom tells us:
Whoever can bear the disgrace of the country is the ruler of the
country. Whoever can bear the misfortune of the world is the ruler
of the world.
Lao Tzu and the Tao
On the Tao
Through the reverse process of regaining his youth by transform-

ing his life force into spirit, Lao Tzu expresses that matter or exist-
ing material is formed from chaos, which precedes that of heaven
and earth. Silently and formlessly, it stands alone, never changing.
It is eternal, penetrating every area of the universe, never growing,
never changing, and never dying. It enables itself the mother of
heaven and earth. Lao Tzu said to himself, I don’t know what name
it has. With reluctance, I pronounce it Tao and deem it to be great.
Great as it is, it remains at most a symbolic expression well be-
yond our mind’s comprehension. Symbolically far-reaching, it pen-
etrates the mind’s spirit. Far-reaching becomes returning, like sky
and ocean or earth merging seamlessly at the horizon, then re-
turning to us. This Tao is truly great, and that of heaven is also
great. That of earth is equally great. That of kingship is realistically
great.
Lao Tzu is forming with great caution and meticulous care, the
word Tao. Tao is Nature, which is wordless, nameless, formless
and motionless. No one, not even Lao Tzu, can have a clear, con-
crete, precise and absolute definition of Tao. He is unable to sum-
mon up a portrayal because he believes that knowing that you don’t
know (everything) is superior. Not knowing that you don’t know (ev-
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Chapter I
erything) is a sickness. He rationally states that the best he can do

is to call it Tao. He is certain that it precedes the Heavenly
Emperor even without knowing whose son it is. The word Tao is
simply a sound uttered through Lao Tzu’s mouth. He doesn’t cre-
ate it; he states it arbitrarily. Clearly, Lao Tzu must employ a sound
or a word. When the right understanding appears, words disap-
pear; they are no longer necessary. When the right spirit appears,
understanding disappears. Which would you choose?
Lao Tzu defines himself by saying “people are calling me na-
ture. ”He is neither smaller nor greater than nature is. He furthers
states that everyone in the world says I am great, great without
parallel. Being without parallel is what enables greatness. If there is
a long-standing parallel, it becomes small.
The following are other various self-defining descriptions from
Lao Tzu:
1. I am desireless and without anticipation, like a baby who does
not yet smile, gathering energy together, entering the abyss be-
yond the point of no return.
2. I am a fool at heart, as a water droplet is to the spring.
3. I am alone unintelligent.
4. I alone am dull and unsophisticated.
5. I alone maintain the living essence within. I alone stay with a
unitary source, as if stubborn. I want to be wholly different from
everyone else, by taking my sustenance from the mother
source.
Discipline
I always have three treasures: first is compassion, second is fru-

gality, third is to not act in front of the world. So compassion en-
ables courage. Frugality enables abundance. Not daring to act in
front of the world enables the mechanism to endure. Through com-
passion, fight and win; defend and be secure. When the heaven
establishes itself, it relies upon compassion.
Teaching and Learning
Due to his heartfelt and wordless teaching method, Lao Tzu’s words
are easy to understand and simple to apply. They are easy and
simple because they are plain, nothing further is to be seen or
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heard. Because this is so, his words are few and few people can
understand them. He is precious and his teaching is precious; he
wears shabby cloth but holds a treasure within.
Words have their origin and events have their master. By reach-
ing the ultimate emptiness, concentrating on the central stillness,
he found that all things work together. From this I observe their
returning. He concludes that truthful speech seems paradoxical.
Besides, being overly informed leads to exhaustion, and facile
promises necessarily result in little trust. Because of the discrimi-
nation of this paradox, Lao Tzu comprehends the knowledge to
walk in the great Tao and know there is no reason to be fearful. The
only fear is what is other than that. This is the most profound para-
dox of life. It serves as a powerful spiritual awakening practice and
self-realization practice as well.
Warning
Seeing what desire and ambition invite, Lao Tzu warns that I see
clearly that those who want to take over the world and manipulate it
do not succeed. No one can surpass the wonder of nature. The
sacred mechanism of the world cannot be manipulated. Those who
manipulate it will fail. Those who hold on to it will lose it. If Lao Tzu is
right, the manipulation of scientific exploitation in its many various
forms, including that of us, will necessarily bring about self-de-
struction. As the nuclear bombs and arsenals proliferate around
the world, due to man’s pursuit of profit and power, there could
come a time of total self-destruction.
In regarding government, Lao Tzu asserts that the more prohi-
bitions there are in the world, the poorer the people will be. The
more and sharper the weapons the people have, the more chaotic
the nation will become. The more know-how people have, the more
bizarre things will appear. The more rules and demands that flour-
ish, the more thefts there will be. Instead, just let people enjoy the
food, appreciate the cloth, delight in customs, settle into their living
conditions. The neighboring countries are in sight. The sounds of
dogs and chickens are heard. People grow old and die without in-
terference from each other. Spirits are calling, but bodies are at
peace with nature.
The other warning sign Lao Tzu declares is that whenever people
are afraid of death and are acting contrary, I will catch and kill them;
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Chapter I
who else can act so? People are generally not afraid. Whenever
people are unafraid of death, how can killing be used as a threat?
If fear arises, it will be a great fear. As a result, nobody can kill
the fear of a nation. People will protect themselves out of their own
fear. As for himself, Lao Tzu is never fearful because he has no
place to die.
Advice
To expand on the above paradox, Lao Tzu cautions using the right
lawfulness to govern the country, using nonexpectancy to conduct
the battle, using disengagement to take over the world. When I am
inactive, people transform themselves. When I abide in stillness,
people organize themselves lawfully. When I am disengaged, people
enrich themselves. When I choose non-desire, people remain
simple.
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Sensory Perception
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
How We Perceive
To perceive is to be aware of our surroundings as stimuli by the
means of senses. All living things from plants to insects and ani-
mals possess sensory abilities. Plant life carries the most simple
form of perception, that of transforming water and light through
minerals. All species of insects live on germs and viruses, whereas
animals depend on their five sensory receptors to recognize, iden-
tify and utilize their needs. Plants and rocks are active inorgani-
cally or vegetatively. Deriving from their inherent abilities, animals
have developed inter/intra-organic capacities in order to live ac-
tively and escape safely through their sensors. Their rudimentary
abilities enable them to interact with the five sensors of eyes, nose,
ears, tongue and skin. The human hands and feet as well as ani-
mals’ claws and birds’ wings, etc., are essential to their corre-
sponding senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Humans
have also developed the ability to think and reason, to make and
utilize tools. Although mankind is incapable of running as fast as
jaguars, jumping as high as fleas, flying as high as birds or swim-
ming as well as fish, we are the masters of sensory manipulation,
making the most creative use of all things as well as the most
destructive use.
Along with five senses, all animals possess souls or animal
spirits of that intrinsic and independent power. Taoists call this form
of spirit po, which is instinctive, vegetative, selfish and egoistic.
Just as plant lives range from seasonal to perennial, animal spirits
exist from cyclical to eternal. All animal spirits are cyclical, but the
human spirits, being the most highly evolved, can reach the eter-
nal. All animal spirits are self-protective since they must safeguard
their own existence. Only human beings are consciously aware of
their traits of selfishness and are willing to somehow extend this
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Chapter II
power beyond death. All animals are realistically selfish; only hu-
mans can sacrifice today for the benefit of tomorrow.
When a spirit/soul is regenerated into a physical body, it unifies
its organic ability with the conscious ability to form ego: the master
of the five senses. In the Taoist interpretation, ego, as a powerful
and destructive sensory receptor, manipulates both the biological
and instinctive awareness of po and the conscious and mental
awareness of hun. The human conscious awareness perceives
both the present reality (natural or cultural) and the projected real-
ity (wished or planned). We define a natural presence (such as
time) through a consciously perceived presence (such as a spe-
cific time of a day), and project it into a future outcome (such as
predicting the weather).This is made possible through the interac-
tion of the conscious spirit, the anticipating power, the make-be-
lieve of ego and the foreseeing and fear-controlling capability.
With spiritual discipline we become fully aware of the biological
and receptive presence, the consciously perceived and planned
presence, and the spiritually awakened and transcended presence.
This is the presence of oneness, a composite of matter, force and
the momentum of their interaction. This is the presence of spirit
and its wisdom force. In spiritual manifestation, the world is not
only perceived but perceivable as well. The perceived world is the
realistic world we now inhabit. The perceivable world remains for-
ever present and mystic. Therefore, in spiritual cultivation practice,
the senses are organic and inorganic, biological and psychologi-
cal, instinctive and conscious, egoistic and willful. Our sensory
power represents the power of nature, mind, force, and matter.
Spiritual Sensitivity
Everything is perceivable as it is perceived; Nature in God’s cre-

ation is perceivable and the Tao in life is a perceived journey. In
spiritual discipline, everything has its intrinsic healing power. To
perceive the power of each individual creature is exceedingly diffi-
cult because of its own sacred secrecy and interactive capacity.
On the one hand, when the secrecy is open the sacred becomes
manipulative. When an individual is isolated and becomes naked,
plain is the presence and simplicity is the workstation. On the other
hand, only when one is naked does one reveal its natural secrecy;
only when there is no more magic visible does it conceal the true
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Sensory Perception
magic within: the gift of spirit. Between this paradox lies the nature
of mind and faith, underlining the path of research and returning.
The mind steals as many natural things as possible by explor-
ing their nakedness, disregarding each one’s privacy, giving no cre-
dence to the nature of secrecy, and paying no respect to the beauty
of simplicity. The scientific mind willfully and egoistically locks the
door to any naked entrance through the possible reconstruction of
elements and making the beautiful fruits of motherhood a profit-
able outcome. Equally alarming and tragic is the religious view of
abandoning the body, the love and the flow for the sake of institu-
tional practices, making the sacred power of church (body and
son) deviate itself from its source, love and resource: the sacrifi-
cial power of mother.
The world begins with the mother as its source. When you have
the mother, you know the son. The Mother is the undivided natural
form of Maker, and her creative power is the mechanism of all
creatures and their functions. Knowing this, the smallest and the
subtlest particle of the seed and the son, the orphanage of your
true self, is through your innate experience. This is the understanding
of the science of each individual substance and its function, from
images to ideas to structures and to numbers. This is the source
of our mind’s search, both realization and actualization, and our
returning path.
Fig. 2.1 When the bodily parts work together, the spirit senses all.
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Chapter II
So we must die, as the son and the sacred church, in order to

return to the source. When you know the son, turn back to pre-
serve the mother. Although the body dies, there is no harm. When
you know your true self within, return to embrace your procreative
mother, your divine source and your creativity. This is the mean-
ingful duty of religious spiritual practice, returning to the original
state by embracing the original undivided source. This is the spiri-
tual discipline. Love lies within our receptive minds with our trem-
bling sensations of oneness with God’s love bestowed on each of
us. Truth is not inside the monastery; it is inside our spirit. Faith is
not within a teaching; it is the true magic of the world.
Together, the spiritual sensitivity will be established. There is no
rejection of science before religious belief, and there is no denying
spiritual faith before any experimentation. This is the message that
Lao Zi has provided. This is the power of spiritual sensitivity.
Development of Five Senses
Fig. 2.2 Five Senses
Five senses are developed within the entire animal kingdom, coor-
dinated through the primitive brain, or cerebral cortex. In humans,
the term cerebral cortex describes the thick layer of gray matter
encasing the cerebrum, just as fruit encircles its kernel. The cere-
brum is the largest part of the brain, consisting of two hemispheres
separated by a deep longitudinal fissure. It is the central authority
for sensation as well as for all voluntary muscular activities. It is
the seat of consciousness and the center of the higher mental
faculties such as memory, learning, reasoning and emotions. It
consists of four lobes: occipital lobe for visual association, parietal
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Sensory Perception
lobe for touch and taste, the temporal lobe for smell and hearing,
and front lobe for the motor activities of thinking and reasoning.
All sensory activities governed by the cerebral cortex are cen-
tralized through the thalamus glands and executed through the lim-
bic system—the name being derived from “limbus,” the Latin word
for “ring.” This ringing system enables us to learn and to memo-
rize. This ability is the conductor of sound and its vibrating frequen-
cies, ensuring the person of the next breath, the next meal or op-
portunity. Prior to development of the limbic system, all species
possessed a brainstem that encircled the top of the spinal cord
and was poorly developed, particularly among fish and insects.
The brainstem, even more primitive than the limbic system, di-
rects (as it is preprogrammed to do) the functions of breathing and
metabolism. It controls our stereotyped reactions and movements
as well. It is vital in maintaining our conscious wakefulness and
alertness. The primary functions of life—heart rate, blood pres-
sure, swallowing, coughing, breathing and unconsciousness—are
charged by the brainstem. The alarm system in the brain, the re-
ticulating activating system (RAS) consists of a reticular forma-
tion, subthalamus, hypothalamus, and medial thalamus—with hy-
pothalamus serving the highest purpose of all. It contains many
tiny clusters of nerve cells called nuclei monitors that regulate body
temperature, food-intake, water balance, blood flow, sleep-wake
cycle and the activity of the hormones secreted by the pituitary
glands.
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Pineal Gland
Pituitary Gland
Fig. 2.3 Crystal Room
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Chapter II
The brainstem, in Taoist practice, comprises the first storeroom

of sexual energy as it rises through the spinal cord. It then further
nourishes the pituitary gland and pineal gland in meditation prac-
tice at the second level: transforming Chi into Shen, then Shen into
Emptiness and finally Emptiness into Tao. Its primary factor is its
ability to regulate the hypothalamus gland. The meditators who fast
long periods of time without sleeping are capable of unifying this
gland by constantly drawing light into the brain and body through
the pituitary gland.
By keeping the adrenal hormones at their lowest levels, the in-
ner peace will remain undisturbed. In such a state, the sensory
receptors that are controlled by the thalamus gland, with the ex-
ception of the olfactory, will consciously withdraw. Thus, breathing
activity substitutes for the restfulness of visual and auditory func-
tion. In complete darkness, as is found within caves where the
meditators engage in their highest form of practice, the visual and
auditory abilities become ever more powerful. By drawing the un-
conscious light from the adrenal glands that are being charged by
the primordial sexual energy, the mind sees the light and the inner
ear hears the cosmic vibration within both the body/mind and the
mother earth.
Mysteriously, the cave and the hollowness within the bones echo
each other, making the cosmic vibration visibly meaningful through
the conscious eye. The olfactory becomes the chief organ to sup-
ply the minimal energy needed for the body/mind. Thus the thala-
mus glands are actively shut down. The pituitary gland—the mas-
ter gland for bodily hormones—becomes distilled by the exchange
of energy in the body/mind needed for spiritual awakening power.
The hypothalamus gland alternates peacefully, remaining in per-
fect balance between wakefulness and sleep. The pineal gland,
secreting melatonin to control the subtle bodily rhythms, is alter-
nated by the vibration of earth and the scanning light, no longer
being driven by the instinctive drive from adrenal power and con-
scious awareness of the thalamus gland. In this state, wakeful-
ness is a dreaming state and dreaming consciousness is awak-
ening consciousness. They become the functions of spiritual stars
and planet earth, rather than the rotating power of the earth, the
sun and the moon. This state is the final stage of the returning
process on earth.
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Sensory Perception
With the development of the brainstem, the emotional or

adaptive center emerges, enabling the body to function more ac-
tively both organically and emotionally. The root word for emotion
is “motere”, the Latin verb “to move.” By adding prefix “e” to the
word “motion,” we see the correlation of organic life in circulating
and retreating from its very basic mechanical function.
The Taoists view emotional activities as energy diffusions. The
seven emotional expressions of organic function with the passion
of the heart are closely connected with the seven openings in the
face expressing happiness, rage, sadness, joy, love, hatred and
desirable action. The first six are the organic expressions of heart,
liver, and spleen. The desirable action is the egoistic mental ac-
tion. The primary organ for these emotional activities is coordi-
nated through the function of the two amygdala (taken from the
Greek word for “almond” because of its fanciful resemblance to
almonds). In Taoist tradition, this is the crowning center where both
the light and visual frames register, such as the image of sun or of
a snake. As the sexual power engages with the light above the
brain to form sweet dew, the light in the pituitary becomes gray-
white. When it radiates, the two amygdala glands are activated,
allowing the Chi to circulate on either side of the head above the
ears and around the temples. As the light moves forward, the third
eye—the essential tool for healing diagnosis—will be opened.
Amygdala
Fig. 2.4 Function of Amygdala
The overall functioning of the amygdala is related to the energy

of the kidney Chi (among adrenal glands, kidneys, bladder and ova-
rian/prostate glands), particularly the will/fear expression. Fear is
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Chapter II
the oldest negative emotion. It is felt by all animals, and is even

stronger among humans since they have so little power to protect
themselves, especially the newborn. The longer history required
for organic development makes fear the basis of the entire civiliza-
tion process: to protect ourselves and achieve higher potential.
Kidneys have their corresponding facial locations within the temples
and ears. When your kidney Chi is vibrant and flows freely to the
brain, there is no blockage in either temporal lobe or around the
umbilical cord. The energy flows freely to create pure emotional
vibration: compassion.
The temporal lobes govern all auditory, somatic, and motor sen-
sitivities. The breath coming through the nostrils as well as light
shining upon the amygdala charge these sensory activities. The
adrenal glands, responsible for releasing dopamine, norepineph-
rine and epinephrine, become the seat for true inner stillness. This
inner stillness is opposed to the extremely fearful reactions that
manifest in response to life-threatening situations such as freez-
ing, numbness and immobility. In this state, everything is in the
harmless and loving present. Being neither fearful nor excited, the
heart remains calm with no attachment to anything internal or ex-
ternal. The dopamine’s main effect, increasing the pumping of the
heart and blood flow, dissolves and transforms itself into healing
power. The primary action of norepinephrine, primarily responsible
for freezing the muscular and organic expansions, becomes chilled.
These two catecholamines then coalesce with epinephrine. This
phenomenon increases the production of glucose from glycogen
that is produced in the liver. This results in increased energy to the
eyes and temples, consequently diminishing or greatly reducing
the activity of the gastrointestinal system. The energy coming
through the liver adds additional power to the cerebrospinal fluid
necessary for the cell function in the brain. The breath becomes
deeper, longer and smoother, yet more subtle.
Revolutionarily speaking, when the meditator’s breathing con-
dition becomes as such, animals will retreat from this seemingly
dead body. Rather, they choose to make friends with it rather than
viewing it as a meal. The animals are curious to learn what had
come over their food-supplier. In time they become inspired to en-
ter a life of service to those few highly advanced people. This serves
as one example of the earliest history of domesticating wild ani-
mals. In many cases, those animal friends took on the role of pro-
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Sensory Perception
tectors who fought for their masters. For example, in ancient China
there are many written descriptions of the highly skilled command-
ers and martial artists employing wild animals in battle. This is
perhaps the earliest meditative power exerted by humans in deal-
ing with their predators. Gradually, throughout the history, we have
internalized this skill into a two-sided, built-in self-preservation tech-
nique: positive and negative.
The negativity freezes or numbs the body/mind subconsciously
in its confrontation with danger. The positive side exercises the
human willpower to swiftness and fearlessness as characterized
by kingship, noble men and sages. Action (Te) in its profundity is
like a newborn baby. Poisonous insects and venomous snakes do
not sting it. Predatory birds and ferocious animals do not seize it.
In ancient literature, stories were written about kings, noblemen
and sages as examples of sovereignty, to be regarded by the com-
moners as spiritual or god-like creatures, worthy of worship. They
needed leadership, guidance, a common hope and belief. Since
the majority of the population was unable to survive due to rampant
disease, lack of food or becoming the food-supply of the stronger
wild animals, they were destined to die at a very early age. The few
who survived honed their skills in order to transform their fear and
reverse the prevailing life-threatening situations into a positive out-
come.
According to pre-heaven theory in Taoist tradition, the abdomen
is yang and brain is yin. In the beginning of its life within the womb,
generally within three to five months, the body turns upside down
with the water at the top and the fire at the bottom. This flow is the
function between the North Star and the sun: tailbone and fontanels.
The North Star provides the holy water and spiritual light, while the
sun ensures the biological formative power and the conscious nu-
trients: blood and fire. The tailbone provides and directs the initial
spinning, rotating or swinging power. It also provides flexibility for
the pelvic structure to accommodate the birth process. The fon-
tanels, serving as the cosmic urinary and defecating gates, chan-
nel the communication between the fetus and mother. As a fetus
grows, the nutrients coming through umbilical cord and placenta
shower through the sacral bones to the entire body. The spine be-
comes like a riverbed, allowing the water Chi to flow and nourish
the organs, muscles, tissues, bones and other bodily parts, en-
abling the fetus to rotate, moving from side to side and up and
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Chapter II
down. The ears become as the mouth of this river flow, ready to
receive the vibration between the fetus and mother, and communi-
cate between the skin and the amniotic fluid. The umbilical arteries
and veins within the cord provide the vital energetic circulation of
blood. Unlike other species in the animal kingdom, human babies
hang upside down in the mother’s abdomen until the birth process
begins. Animal mothers give birth while standing on their four legs;
therefore there is no fear of darkness in baby animals. In contrast,
the human baby’s brain is always held vice-like in its mother’s pel-
vis, looking down into darkness, causing the fear of darkness to
become a built-in biological reaction.
Fig. 2.5 Pre-Heaven Life
In post-heaven life, the nine sacral and tailbones are fused into
two, enabling the trunk of the body to stand upright. The resultant
walking ability defines the natural difference between a human baby
and an animal baby. It takes a period of six months or more for a
human baby to develop the ability to stand on its feet and walk,
while only a matter of minutes for a baby animal to do so. However,
later on in adulthood—in cases where lifestyle effects have resulted
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Sensory Perception
in ossification-like conditions in connective cartilage and other

connective tissue between the sacrum and bones in the pelvic
area—the sacrum and the affected bones of the pelvic girdle be-
come effectively fused together. The fused bones prevent inde-
pendent movement of the sacrum, and flexibility of the sacral area
is lost. In meditation practice, if the sacrum bones are not reopened,
there can be no free flow of kundalini power for the total awakening
experience. In higher stages of Taoist meditation practice, we are
told that unless the sacrum and coccyx (tailbones) are reopened,
it is not possible for the neck muscles, cervical spine and throat to
operate freely. The Chi-energy body (fluid state) cannot be upgraded
into the Shen-energy body (illuminating state) until this process is
completed.
Sacral Canal Sacral Foramen
S1
S2
S3
C1 S4
C2 S5
Sacral Hiatus C3
C4
Fig. 2.6 Sacrum and Coccyx
Meditative Perceptivity
Humanity has developed abilities through their evolution to distin-

guish the differences among colors, sounds and smells with the
aid of the five senses. Possessing these facilities, we humans
experience other more subtle senses. Some examples are pres-
sure, temperature, weight, resistance and tension, pain, position,
perceptional and visceral and sexual sensations, equilibrium, hun-
ger and thirst. All these sensations arise from the interaction be-
tween internal organs and the external world. The primary role of
the senses—to ensure our survival and avoid any dangerous and
disastrous situation—enables us to discriminate what is good from
that which is harmful, and what is valuable from what is useless.
Upon optimizing these sensory abilities, we gradually become more
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Chapter II
artistic, instrumental and possessive. We continually strive to im-

prove those abilities to discern or perceive the natural forms, to
make life simpler and more peaceful, ever more meaningful and
wonderful.
In spiritual practice two things are required. The first is to per-
ceive something exactly as it is. This is the precision of accuracy.
The other is selflessness. When the self is absent, the discrimina-
tion and judgment will be absent as well. There can be no space
for duality when the true value of perception is apparent. Passing
judgment is the real poison to our life, our health and our spiritual
environment. True spiritual judgment is selfless: perceiving things
as they are and responding accordingly. In life, all good things are
transformative gifts and all bad things are valuable learning and
transforming materials. Understanding this reality—the meaning
of perception—is the beginning of Taoist awareness practice. It is
being consciously aware that the perception of eyes, nose and
ears functions to form the greatest portion of information. When
we reach the point where what we perceive is ideal to what our
consciousness is perceiving, life then presents its true meaning to
us. At this point, the sensory organs are not only reliable tools but
also valuable conscious and spiritual vehicles. Through this or-
ganic awareness, deeper emotional and spiritual nature will be
awakened and comprehended. Only the true self is needed to
achieve this.
With the aid of light, all things can be seen. To know the Tao, no
special talent is needed and no perceivable knowledge is required.
All things on earth are sacred, gifted and selfless. To know this is to
know your true self and how to apply the skill of spiritual percep-
tion. With this device, we can know not only the worldly appear-
ances we observe but also their hidden messages. Then oneness
is achieved, making human perception a joint venture between our
biological, emotional and spiritual world within as well as the exter-
nal world negotiated by the mind and heart. The perception of the
world, of the Tao and of God is then achieved as life flows on of its
own accord.
Sensory Receptors
Do you know why all sensory receptors are located in the front of
the body? It is to direct us to move always forward, using colors,
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Sensory Perception
sounds, tastes and pressure till our body finally dies. From its very
beginning our life is lost until death returns to take us. During the
day, we march forward. At night we return during sleep. However,
when sleeping on our backs, we block our spiritual communication
as dream-work replaces spirit-traveling.
Fig. 2.7 Sensory Receptors
When you learn to see things through the back part of your brain,
listen to sound through the center of your brain and breathe through
the navel, you become one with yourself and the universe. If you
cannot do so now, following the techniques outlined here will show
you the way. They will guide you through the outside world into your
inner world, not through hopes gathered in the forefront of your
imagination but with the dreams held back in your subconscious
mind. That is the meaning of meditation: returning to oneness.
Vulnerable Sensory Organs
Mawangdui Text
Five colors blind the eyes. Racing and hunting madden the heart.
Pursuing what is rare makes action deceitful. Five flavors dull the
palate. Five tones deafen the ears. This is the content taken from
chapter 12 in the Mawangdui texts, believed to be the original and
least articulate copies now in existence. Mawangdui is the name of
a village in South-Central China where the earliest known texts
(two copies altogether) of Tao Te Ching were unearthed from a
Han tomb by Chinese archaeologists in 1973. There are over sixty
chapters in the standard version, which differ in words and phrases
and sentence arrangements from the original Mawangdui texts.
For example, the standard version lists the “three fives” first (five
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Chapter II
colors, five flavors and five tones), followed by Racing and pursu-
ing madden the heart, and Pursuing what is rare makes the action
deceitful. The standard version rigidly and forcefully places the
“three fives” together through the “mental word processor” of logi-
cal reasoning. It disguises the tragedy of human interaction with
simple calculation: compressing the human experience in a short
summarization. The artistic demonstration in the standard version
loses the most vital point: the position of heart and the center of
action.
Compared to the standard version, the Mawangdui texts show
more originality and are less wordy and polished. This expresses
the nature of Tao, responding naturally by ignoring completion and
perfection. Grand perfection seems lacking, yet its use is never
exhausted. Grand fullness seems empty, yet its use never comes
to an end. Grand straightforwardness seems bent. Grand skill
seems clumsy. Grand surplus seems deficient. This is an honest
reminder of how we should avoid becoming entrapped and being
satisfied with momentary limitation. Hopefully, through this natu-
rally inspired and personally experienced reminder, we will walk
through this chapter and the entire book with grace, realization and
liberation.
Most importantly, the Mawangdui’s arrangement in chapter 12
has its own conscious sequence. It is not in the logical art of lan-
guage but spoken to the natural conscious order: a combination of
intuition and rationality. It explains the process of using our imme-
diate senses of colors, heartbeat and excitement first, followed by
sounds, smells and flavors. It concerns itself with the organic in-
teraction of self with the world. It treats the mental reflection of the
world’s appearance and other qualities as an interactive and in-
separable unity to be acquired from both biophysical experience
and conscious understanding. This is the nature of all recorded
wisdom traditions.
In Lao Tzu’s spiritual conscious order, the sentence five colors
blind the eyes reveals the eyes as one of the primary sensory re-
ceptors. Colors are the first visible objects in the universe and the
most powerful natural stimuli. Their significance is so important to
our life, both biological and artistic, that we dye our fabrics with
colors, stain utensils with color, paint our rooms and houses with
colors, and express ourselves through colors. And we are the con-
sumers of colors. When colors, as the spectrums of light, enter
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the heart through eyes, the heart is fired and maddened, and the
body is driven by the “go for it” message. Racing and hunting com-
mence. Completion then comes into play since our survival de-
pends on the colorful fruits of mother earth. The more rare an ob-
ject is, the more intensely the body/mind pursues it. Pursuing what
is rare makes action deceitful: the beginning of human sinfulness.
The word “rare” is used in reference to the most sought after stimuli
since that which is rare pleases the heart, satisfies the ego, esca-
lates the position and increases the value. Cheating, fighting, dis-
guising, lying, envying, admiring, appraising, degrading, denying,
hiding, exaggerating, labeling, disregarding, abusing, humiliating,
killing, on and on endlessly. All for the purpose of pursuing five
flavors and enjoying the five tones: the rewards of racing and hunt-
ing. As the eyes are blinded, palate dulled, ears deafened, the body
becomes toxic and the mind numb. In spiritual discipline, the body
is the ‘cycling’ temple of the spirit. The mind is the directing wind of
spirit. Their vital force or spiritual elixir should be used for two pur-
poses only: to give birth to God’s beloved and spiritually connected
children, and to return us all to the true nature of self: the spiritual
and Godhead self.
Five Elements – Sum of Stimuli

Since we are exposed to the stimulation of matters and forms of
this world, their invitations can become inescapable. The colors,
sounds, smells and motions of natural substances and their vari-
ous forms constantly “invade” our micro-biological matter and form.
When we follow the natural pattern of day and night, we awaken to
the shadow part of the light produced by the sun at dawn (the
darkest time) and again in the morning just before sunrise. It is a
powerful alarm clock ringing in our unconsciousness. When the
persona of the sun, bright and glaring in its light, is activated above
the earth, the body hair of the earth—plants and flowers and trees—
are holistically massaged by its soft, gentle yet subtle and penetra-
tive invasion. And we are hopelessly vulnerable to its immense
power; we revel in it.
It is this invitation from nature that allows us to go with the flow
of the outside world. This ability is innate to us and there is no need
to develop it. It is a given. Going with the flow is an optimistic re-
sponse that deals with a notion of selfless anticipation and mindful
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engagement as expressed in Eastern philosophy and religion. The

Chinese have summed up the world or universe as being com-
prised of the forms that are pictured or symbolized with five ele-
ments (“forms” or “appearances” or “phases”). These five elements
are charged by the two opposite yet coexisting yin and yang forces.
All natural things, in the Chinese mind, are immersed in this
“quantumized mechanical bang.” For example, the five seasonal
changes (spring, summer, late summer, fall and winter) produce
five colors (green, red, yellow, white and black) and five flavors
(sour, bitter, sweet, tart and salty). They activate five tones (call,
laugh, sing, cry and moan) through the five facial organs (eyes,
ears, nose, mouth and tongue) and five internal organs (liver, heart,
spleen, lungs and kidneys) as well. In turn they are charged by the
kidney Chi produced from five kidney organs (two inner kidneys,
two outer kidneys and one sexual organ). All these fives are
conceived within the bodily five elements (a body with two arms
and two legs); expressed with five emotions (anger, joy, worry, sor-
row and fear); and manifested with five fingers. The five fingers are
the ultimate inspiration that completes the structure of theory-making
practice: the yin-yang-five-element theory symbolizing the cosmo-
logical and mythological structure of the universe within ourselves.
Pressure upon Five Senses

Our life cycle is determined by the interaction of eternal and exter-
nal stimuli. The initial excitement then emerges as competitive action
that will reap the rewards of food, drink, sex, and being surrounded
by possessions and values. They become our status symbols.
The Chi is further consumed in dealing with dual reactions such as
happiness and joy or anger and frustration. The war begins and
the life grinds on to the end. This is what Lao Tzu has surmised as
the reason people are not serious about death is because they
seek the burdens of life.
The sensory organs gradually become vulnerable as they suc-
cumb to their burdens. During much of the time the organs can do
nothing independently. They merely facilitate our means and the
derived benefits. They are driven constantly by internal demands
and external pressure. As the five receptors become jammed, the
sixth sense—the bodily sense—is scorched by the fire, and the
seventh sense—conscious awareness—is cluttered by the words
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and beliefs. Naturally, these things never entice us, please us or do

harm to our sensory organs or us. We cannot be slaves to either
materials or sensibilities. Since large or small, many or few, re-
wards or punishment, are all being done through Action, we must
practice non-doing, engaging in non-affairs and savoring non-fla-
vor. This action is the real product of the mind and heart. The mind
pursues and the heart rewards. There is no need to hasten our
own demise by driving ourselves to defeat.
In following this practice of non-doing, we must give attention to
each and every stimulating agent, whether internal or external.
Everything that exists exerts its neutral position, which is altered
by how we utilize it. According to Taoist inner alchemy and Chi-
nese medicine, colors, flavors and tones may cause an organic
imbalance, which could then lead to emotional turmoil and spiritual
distortion. The five colors, flavors and tones impart corresponding
internal organic reactions, including biological, emotional and intel-
lectual orgasm. When the pressures exerted by these stimuli be-
come overwhelming, there will be a blockage to the sensory re-
ceptors of eyes, ears and mouth. The inner organs will then be
harmed: anger frustrates the liver; hate causes rage in the heart;
worry eats away at the spleen; sadness depresses the lungs; and
fear distills itself in the kidneys. In like manner the high frequency
brought on by shouting or blatant noise can inflict damage to the
heart; drinking can poison the liver, pornography leeches away at
the kidney Chi. Then much needed energy is required to detoxify
and restore the body/mind to its normal state.
Speaking in further detail, the liver for example, has the emo-
tional attributions of kindness and anger. When a person’s liver
Chi is pure and strong he is kind and passionate. Should the liver
Chi be deficient, terror can be experienced. An over abundance of
terror-Chi produces anger. As the anger backs up in the liver, the
mind becomes deranged, losing its control and clarity. Muscles in
the genitals contract and cramp. Constant expansions of the chest
and rib cage area bring about the onset of palpitations, irritability,
quick temper, obsessions and excessive dreams. Deadly conse-
quences may loom on the horizon.
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Stop Victimizing your Sensory Organs

We now understand the vulnerability of our sensory organs and
the need to balance them. Rather than honoring and respecting
them, we burden them mercilessly with self-abuse. When the eyes
become tired, we continue to look. When the ears are jammed
with excessive sound, we continue listening. When the stomach is
full, we continue to eat. The eyes become shortsighted and the
ears deafened. The body loses its sense of balance and one’s
health is at stake. As a result, the more you cling to, the more you
lose. In the sense of Tao, this is said to be eating too much and
acting too much. What should we do?
Away from Motivational Stimulus

We are easily bored and grow tired of our routine and surround-
ings. This motivates us to seek more stimulation. At times we are
so highly motivated by the drive of our ego persuasion that we
reach for perfection. Searching for answers to the purpose of our
life journey is the highest form of motivation to be cultivated. We
are what we are. Living through what we are is the answer, but we
sometimes refuse to accept it. When Buddha became enlightened,
his dream-come-true teaching attracted many followers and has
continued to do so for generations. Yet, his teachings arouse dog-
matic behavior in some and rejection in others. The dogmatic be-
havior fixates upon the word of realization; rejection pays no re-
gard to suffering. Buddha is enlightened but his teachings are only
partially there. How then can we search the way to enlightenment
through Buddha or his teachings?
When we refuse to accept the truism that we are what we are—
and in our momentary need, we are compelled to add colors, la-
bels and meanings—the ego-mind believes that if we are highly
determined we can be anything we want to be. This is how we
dream and teach our children. We then empower our ego to de-
mand and direct our actions instead of listening to the warning
signals and devoting ourselves to virtuous action. Credentials,
marriages and other artificial practices retard and destroy our sa-
cred sensitivity, our going with flow. This is the exorbitant price
extracted by our egoistic demands. If our minds are not constrain-
ing the living environment, they do not get bored by life. Because
they do not get bored, there is no boredom.
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Being Productive: Ego’s Weapon
During the course of our continual forward march toward civiliza-

tion, we become emotionally entrapped. We are intellectually en-
couraged to believe that being productive is of value and the rea-
son to live. Since our productivity must be measured according to
given standards, we look into all manners of what we consider to
be desirable goals: positions in social, political and religious orga-
nizations. Upon achieving these positioned comfort levels, we feel
justified for having paid such a high price.
As individuals we are always alone and bear no measurable
traits. Within an individual life, the ego cannot attain inner satisfac-
tion; it requires an “expanded” environment. This drive pushes the
body/mind into an arena of activity within groups and organiza-
tions. Then ego devises endless lists of names and titles to deco-
rate ego-defined body/mind. As these groups and organizations
prove their existence, legislate and demonstrate their power domi-
nance, the newcomers—young and old—struggle to become a
part of them. The social organizations become fully established,
firmly entrenching the future generations. This feeds their desire
for more security, getting more education, and meeting higher stan-
dards of civilization: being more productive. At the same time
schools, corporations, churches and many other establishments
process this mentality of “being productive” passionately, force-
fully and violently. In so doing they can attract each other, abuse
each other, and ultimately destroy each other. The assumption of
“being productive” implies that we must make a good impression,
be young, smart, creative, hardworking and most importantly, obe-
dient and pliable. The social organizations are anxious to “hire”
these qualities and make full use of them. Their expectations are
that we will improve, become more efficient and productive in or-
der to set an even higher standard of success for others to follow.
Those that follow us proceed to compete with us and eventually
take over our own hard-won illustrious positions. What is happen-
ing? We have sold ourselves to the highest bidder.
Few people live with ease. Among the extremely talented and
high-ranking professionals, their ego allows them to be used and
exploited to the fullest as they consume the average and cast off
the worthless. The extremely talented ones have achieved ever-
lasting “social” status. Even though they are few, they fall into two
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distinct groups. Those in the first group purify themselves within

and forget about the existence of the world because they are en-
lightened and have always been. They are themselves and not
themselves: what they are as themselves is what others cannot
know or don’t want to know; what they are not as themselves is the
way they are known. Plato, Lao Tzu, Shakespeare, Rumi,
Beethoven, Einstein, Van Gogh, and others are among this select
group.
Those in the other group sacrifice themselves and unify them-
selves with God and the hearts of people or individuals: Jesus Christ,
Mohammed, Buddha, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Washington, and
Martin Luther King are examples. These individuals cannot exist
by themselves, and their followers will live in the wilderness with-
out their image and guidance. Who is the greater: you or someone
in these two groups? Three makes the great.
Sickness of our Persuasion
Idea of Ownership
In the realm of ego life, there is no word strong enough to equal it.
There is never enough of anything. Ego uses a great deal of physi-
cal and mental space to fill and store its ambitions and to preserve
and expand its possessions. Consider the physical space it occu-
pies as an explanation. There is no way to measure how big is big
enough. An apartment may not be as good as a house, a house
not as good as a mansion, a mansion not as good as a country, a
country not as good as the kingdom of mind. Worse yet, the insa-
tiable individual ego projects and transforms itself into a collective
group ego.
The idea of ownership is no more than social approbation and
culturalized ego possession. When a person owns a decent house,
they proudly announces ownership. The papers are signed and
legally approved. This person never realizes that the first master
owner of the house is the earth mother herself. The present owner
can trade the house, but cannot take the “ownership” away with
them. From the dawn of early civilization, our ancestors realized
that owning land means owning all the possessions on it, i.e., food
and water. The pride and power of ownership have been and will
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always be marked in one way or another on the earth itself. All

creatures living on earth will fight for food, sex, and shelter. Only
humans have lost the beauty of flow by accumulating things and
declaring ownership. This ownership then extends from the head
of a family into a tribe and ultimately into a country. As the head of
the family finally becomes the king, the president, or highest offi-
cial, his personal rules become the far reaching rules of a coun-
try—called government—the second master.
The land of a country has been watered and washed down and
will continue to be, by its patriotism. Yet, all the blood is directed by
the third and the most powerful owner: the mind of the ruler. Own-
ing the mind means owning the body, the land and richness of life.
From the wisdom and intellectual mind, all is created and all others
are manipulated. In our modern day society, intelligence and tech-
nology become the main source of the power structure to trans-
form natural resources and raw materials into commercial goods.
Many third world countries, while lacking in well-trained intellectu-
als and well-equipped technology, have more natural resources
but are poor. There has never been a time in human history during
which the mind is more precious and invaluable than it is today;
mind is profit, especially an intelligent mind. There has never be-
fore been a time when man made materials are more valued than
natural products. For example, a plane or a rocket is much more
highly priced than a piece of jade or a diamond.
Similarly and exquisitely, the ultimate owner of our minds is the
heavenly father: God. The lands of heart, mind and earth are all His
creative belongings. God doesn’t need a physical space, a piece
of land. God resides in the land of the heart and within the owner-
ship of faith. Heart is the vast land of mother, light is the most pow-
erful mind of God, and Love is their product. We are all the slaves
of our body/land, and our mind/master. Mother Goddess owns this
land, and father God controls this master.
Tragically, for thousands of years, all three religious organiza-
tions in the West have declared themselves the ultimate owner of
this Holy Land: Israel, the kingdom of heaven. This has no bearing
on the land itself, but is the declaration of “mental seal” of owner-
ship. The world of land is enormous, the world of God is every-
where, but the “mental seal,” the true owner is here on earth, stand-
ing before you. Moses, Jesus Christ and Mohammed established
themselves in this Holy Land. Their followers have been fighting for
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Chapter II
their own master and their own God. Their “mental seal” has be-
come a mixed entity of religious ownership and national censor-
ship. They fail to realize that they all worship the same God; their
masters are children (within the same family lineage) of the same
God. Are they fighting for their hearts or their egos? Are they wor-
shiping their hearts or their faith?
Be Content with Enough
Once ownership is established, business deals are made to en-

hance the growth and maintain ownership. The possessive ego
never wants to “stop” since ego serves only its possessiveness.
Therefore ego cannot distinguish between name and body, body
and possession, or whether life or death holds more meaning.
Which is more cherished, the name or the body? Which is worth
more, the body or possessions? Which is more beneficial, to gain
or to lose? Extreme fondness is necessarily very costly.
Name can be changed; the body will die. Neither is truly cher-
ished. Since the body will necessarily die, what is the value of it? If
the ego can be completely abandoned, how can it be possessed?
Since gain and loss complement each other, how can we have
one without the other? We come from nothing and we have noth-
ing. We gather nothing on our journey to death other than our own
energized deeds. What we gain is what we will lose. The more we
gain, the more we will lose. The more you cling to, the more you
lose. The hope and the loss are equally important and mutually
proportional; each hope generates a loss and each loss is a loss
of energy driven by/toward hope.
So in order to know the world, do not step outside the door. In
order to know the Tao of heaven, do not peer through the window.
The further out you go, the less you know. Door doesn’t refer to the
door of a house, church, temple, or an office. Structurally, door is
the image of a space occupied by self. Behaviorally, door stands
for the initial step toward action: a coordinator between head and
feet, a reminder of the conscious eye. Spiritually, the door is a gate-
way through which the lost soul finds its way home, the wanderer’s
spirit embraces the mystic field, and the eye of wisdom interacts
with the flesh of mystic creation. In Taoist tradition, the phrase “en-
tering the door” is employed to express the initiation of a student.
The last student is called the closing-door-disciple, permitting the
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master to transmit everything to him and then announce his retire-

ment. Equally, when we go outside the house for food or adven-
ture, we know we must return. The further we go, the further away
we are from home.
The window represents the attractive beauty and sensational
mystery. It is the pull of the wanderer, the intention of soul, the
readiness of action, the patience of heart, the agitation of passion,
and the defense of protection. A window cannot reveal God’s im-
age, but only projects our own reflection. It draws the connection
but denies the action. It invites without permeating and accepts
without releasing the information. It peers through curiosity, directs
our anxiety, leads to suspicion, is examined by the untrustworthy
and guided by the wanderer.
A wanderer never leaves his room: the border of his true nature.
Yet he wonders about the usefulness of his room, the meaning of
his border, and the value of his nature. A wanderer does not con-
cern himself with his appearance; he is inside his image. He
marches across the landscape of fresh-smelling soil. He never
considers himself to be affectionate, but always loveable. His mind
has stepped outside rationality and his heart is faithful to his spiri-
tuality. He does not search in his journey, but only measures within
each step. He never stays inside his house, but is always at home.
The window reflects his own being, and the door connects his spiri-
tual consciousness with his overall behavior. He looks at the all but
sees the one. He listens to the cosmic vibration but hears the si-
lent wave. He rubs his fingertips for the sensational feelings of in-
ner calling. He expresses his loving tenderness by crying for any
peaceful solution.
The Door to All Wonders is wide open, whether the wanderers
are at home or wander and dream breathlessly. The body is the
door and the feet are the ensuring doorsteps. The mind is the win-
dow as spirit reflects its virtuous freedom within the dancing soul:
the dreams of wonders.
Beyond Ego Persuasion

Our ego attempts to play its game between our body and mind, the
cosmic body of memory. Ego is very conscious of this. During our
life span we experience three kinds of memory: biological, psycho-
logical, and spiritual. Biological memory is our instinctive behavior.
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Chapter II
Sensory perception is, mostly if not entirely, biologically determined.

How to breathe, see, listen, sustain and procreate is all built into
our biological memory. Psychological memory is the master game
of ego. It stands between mind (soul) and heart (spirit), gliding back
and forth, up and down. Due to this, ego does not need to be mor-
tal or immortal. It is the transmission between beauty and ugli-
ness, the “speaking man” between good and bad, and the “benefi-
cial character” between justice and injustice. Ego occupies the
largest space in our world, much larger than our biological self,
and larger than our human soul can encompass. When some-
thing extraordinary occurs and the egoistic conscious effort can
neither anticipate nor let it go, it will cause psychic conflict leading
to a physical defensive reaction. This is because ego doesn’t want
the hun—the conscious soul—to anticipate; nor the po—the in-
stinctive soul—to become reactive. Ego knows and controls the
po very well but never trusts hun. Many chronic problems, some
organic ailments, and all the psychosomatic symptoms are caused
by this conflict.
When the psychic conflict becomes more intense, ego will go
to any extreme to keep po’s reality alive. This situation is similar to
a person clutching something valuable, but having no ability or skill
to make use of it. If the ego’s tension is released, it will create a
valuable spiritual journey, a deep realization, a total internal cleans-
ing and a new freedom of life. Many traumatizing events become
transformed to bliss for those who have mastered them. The
mechanism is our conscience, love, compassion, kindness and
faith. The conscience is one of the highest forms of activity that the
soul can conduct. There is a connection between soul and spirit
on the conscientious level, but spirit is free and permits hun to
conduct most of activity with stillness of spirit, insight and swift-
ness. Love, compassion, kindness and faith are the greatest as-
sets in spiritual practice. This capacity to express with strong en-
ergy is the qualified character of extraordinary leaders, both politi-
cal and religious. Those with this kind of character serve as a
magnetic field to draw people’s hearts together. They are given a
sense of belonging with a wish and hope for the future. Under the
supervision of spirit, all realms of conflicts will be dissolved through
virtuous acts, such as acceptance, forgiveness and inner trust.
The highest form of socially recognized self-identity is the full
display of self and self-related knowledge guided by dignity. Pre-
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serving face, keeping face behind the ego and being fearful of los-
ing face are the best qualities of dignity. The roles of manager,
faithful follower and fundamental nationalist belong to this category.
They find themselves in the combined role of self-identity and dig-
nity and willingly sacrifice their lives for it. These kinds of people
make excellent leaders because they have a sense of deep inner
psychic connection as well as the ability to direct their spiritual
power to their followers and energizing them. When they become
deenergized, however, they can be like a hungry dog, a killer with-
out mercy or shame. Dignity is next to spiritual willpower, but the
latter has no need to prove and qualify itself. It has already been
qualified by God and proven by spirit.
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Chapter III
Chapter III
Walking the Way:
Spiritual Cultivation
In the previous chapter, we dealt with the descending and suffus-

ing order of the evolutionary process being undergone by our sen-
sory receptors. These have since become characteristic to us.
Our intent at this time is to explain how these characteristics merged
from being different to being the same through the process of re-
turning practice.
It commences with the simple practice of walking—a natural
process—that follows the development of inner strength. As the
legs gain enough strength to stand upright, the child begins the
human way of walking, thereby abandoning the animal mode of
crawling on all fours. Thus, the pilgrimage begins and cultivation
begins. The art of walking the way does not apply to the physical
act of walking, but centers on our drive to follow our dreams and
achieve our goals: the journey of our soul. On this journey, although
each step forward may prove difficult, it leads necessarily and natu-
rally to the next: geared always toward the final restful eternity. To
die but not be forgotten is to be immortal is the heart of Taoist
pilgrimage.
Taoism has accumulated only a handful of documented teach-
ings but provides endless practical and advisable suggestions. They
contain few rules to be followed but offer rich and invaluable direc-
tion. There are no commandments to obey but only mindful heart-
felt revelations to be explored. Many enlightened teachers are here,
ready to guide your pilgrimage, to help you understand your body,
and to teach you how to distill your mind. You will then awaken to
the harmonious flow of universe where you will dwell within the
procreative state.
The teaching focuses essentially on the purification of Jing-Chi-
Shen into its final product: the elixir of pure-person. Jing is inter-
preted as the essence of our biophysical body. Chi manifests as
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psychopersonal energy between body and spirit. Shen represents

the cosmic/wisdom spirit. The elixir is the particle that manifests
as the true self. Pilgrimage then emerges as a Chi-gathering prac-
tice, or cai-Chi with “cai” meaning “collect, gather or pick up.” Thus,
the spiritual pilgrimage becomes the practice of plucking and gath-
ering the Chi of dews, pollens and elixirs from flowers, mountains,
spirits and stars, into the jing-body: the vessel of spirit.
Fig. 3.1 Small Mystic Field (Xiaochu) of 9th Hexagram
Fig. 3.2 Larger Mystic Field (Dachu) of 26th Hexagram
In Chinese, this jing-body is called “chu,” constructed with strokes

of “xuan” meaning “mystic” and “tian” meaning “field.” All living ves-
sels are mystic fields. In I Ching, there are two mystic fields: Small
Mystic Field (Xiaochu) of 9th hexagram and Larger Mystic Field
(Dachu) of 26th hexagram. Xiaochu deals with the animal body and
its spirit while Dachu refers specifically to the human body and its
spirit. How to integrate these two fields into oneness of spirit with
universal Chi is the essence of Taoist inner alchemy. Without earth
mother’s field, we would be unable to live on fruits and vegetables,
corns and seeds. Yet, without liberating ourselves from our own
animated field, we cannot sustain the source of mother, and our
spirit would be unable to walk through the way of beauty, values,
justice, longevity and immortality.
The complete Taoist pilgrimage consists of learning the pro-
cess of planting a seed of pure-person in our two mystic fields:
body and soul. This is accomplished through the practice of gath-
ering, circulating and crystallizing the yin-yang Chi of the universe
in our energy centers: cauldron, yellow court and crown. Through
this practice of calming the desire of the heart, abandoning the
minding mind, and tranquilizing the confused spirit, these three
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Chapter III
conscious realms will be unified into one-spirit within the cosmic

void.
In order to merge three into one, we must be in harmony with
two. Just as the book Tao Te Ching has two distinct sections, Tao
and Te, our spiritual practice concerns the application of the seed
of Tao—spirit self, and the kind action of Te—virtuous deeds. As
the seed and love become one, we are our true spirit. This chapter
is devoted to learning to purify the small/animal field so that the
spiritual field can be retained. The exercises include:
1. How to reopen the Chi-blocked meridians, joints, muscles, or-
gans and intra-organic functions;
2. How to gather and store Chi;
3. How to transform our body into the likeness of a mother’s womb
(a harmonious empty valley) where the son (seed) of oneness
becomes unified in the cauldron (the stomach).
Our first approach will be devoted to the theoretical foundation
of the cause of Chi-blockage as well as the purpose of cultivation.
Chinese Psychospiritual Somatology
Historical Picture
The heart of Chinese culture lies within the energetic connection

and symbolic understanding of intuitive sensitivity as it manifests
through mindless concentration and visual imagination. Rationality,
however, serves as the primary mechanism to facilitate the intuitive
picture of the energetic emptiness in the universe and its harmony.
The minds of the Chinese cultural innovators were not programmed
by rational creativity and speculation; they were screened with
meditation awareness and awakening understanding. With such a
mental function nothing logical or analytical can be withheld. It is
within this realm that the early cultural formations, such as I Ching
and prehistorical shamanistic Taoism, were construed upon
cosmic dimension. They would first draw all the natural symbols
such as sun, earth, mountains or lakes, into their viscera. Then
they gathered the fluctuating and flattering energies of concrete
symbols such as wind, thunderstorm and rain into the body/mind’s
energetic channels: meridians. Finally, they allowed the body/mind
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Sensory Perception
to permeate carnal organs within the body as well as ethereal

organs within the universe.
Instead of passively attuning themselves to the mystic function
of symbols, the cultural followers were empowered to devote their
lives to producing “golden elixir”. This was carried out by utilizing
earthly substances such as metals and minerals, or through internal
Chi-practice. The first group, called outer alchemists were the first
scientists to work as a group. Unfortunately their most triumphant
productions turned deadly, poisoning dozens of emperors as well
as many others. Their methods also advanced the hand-knife-arrow
weapons into the devastating explosive weapon of gunpowder. In
the meantime the second group, the inner alchemists, focused on
inward Chi cultivation by gathering the worldly Chi field into the
cauldron, thus producing the refined product: elixir of pure-person.
The Chinese have a clear and insightful theory concerning all
natural beings on the face of the earth. This theory advocates that
water/fire have Chi but no being. Grass/trees have Chi and being
but no consciousness. Birds/animals have Chi, being and
consciousness but no righteousness. Human beings have Chi,
being, consciousness and righteousness. Sages/holy men can rise
beyond the limits of human freedom. Non-beings (water and fire)
are the invisible substances used to construct beings. Beings are
the biomechanical formations between earth and heaven. Human
beings or Homo sapiens stand firmly on two legs with feet planted
on the ground, facing the sky. The body/mind is itself a cosmic
body, a cosmic tree, and a mystic field. The five fingers on each
hand represent the five elements of universal construction as well
as underlying phenomena, thereby connecting the earthly kingdom
of five (monera, protista, fungi, plantae and animalia).
The three concrete elements of water, fire and earth (dusts),
coalesce with two other intermediate elements: wood and gold.
Fire descends from heaven. Water rises from earth. Earth stands
on top of water. Wood represents the soft, watery and murky
element of evergreen. Gold forms a hard, dry crystal. All plants are
devoid of the gold element, whereas animals have all five elements.
All plants and most sea creatures are devoid of blood. Their bones,
if any, are very soft. Only animals possess all five elements: bodily
water, conscious fire, the governing element of muscles and glands
(earth), the constructive element of blood (wood), and skeletal
element of proteins and mineral (gold).
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Between the process of asexual procreation and sexual

reproduction of all earth creatures, human beings live in their own
distinctive pattern. They are not influenced by temperature as
alligators are, nor are they transsexual within the hetero-sex as are
plants, nor from one to another as certain fish. Rather, human eggs
are influenced by the moon and their aging process is expressed
through transforming heavenly hair—brain hair—from whatever
colors they may be (black, brown, reddish, etc.) into white. This is
why we are not only psychosomatic but also psychospiritual.
Animals possess an animated bodily spirit that manifests only on a
somatic level such as the fluctuating cycle between waking and
sleeping, consuming food and enjoying climax. Only human beings
are capable of engaging with spiritual mates and marrying God/
Goddess.
Three Mystic Fields
In the human body there exist three mystic fields. They represent
the flesh of Lower (xia) Tan Tien, the soul of Middle ( zhong) Tan
Tien and the spirit of Upper (shang) Tan Tien, all concerned with
abdominal, chest and brain fields. The human voice carries three
characteristics—individual, regional and linguistic—that originate
from and return to the fourth: silence. Likewise, these three energetic
fields are further connected with four other fields, two arms and
two legs, open and closed through nine holes: seven in the face
and two at the bottom of the trunk. All the fields are channeled by
the energetic nerve lines in the body—meridians—for a total of
twenty: eight for heaven and twelve for earth. These are the
components representing the steps to be encountered and walked
through. They are the given messages to be revealed along the
pilgrimage.
There are three stages to be followed in the oriented practices
of these energetic fields. The first stage is the gathering of Chi at
the cauldron or the Lower Cinnabar Field inside the stomach. This
Chi will produce a “Pearl,” vitalizing the stomach (with Chi) as Lao
Tzu has expressed it. The exercise is xia ozhou tian or Microcosmic
Orbit. Sexual organs in the Lower Cinnabar Field represent the
power of biological production in concert with spiritual liberation.
Although we are born with a mechanical and manipulative ability to
design and produce many things, without the kidney Chi we could
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not exist. The energy center for spiritual life is in the abdominal
area. The brain is but an empty storage space waiting to house all
our thoughts and desires. To vitalize the stomach is to retain
physical health and mental stability, while abundant kidney Chi
furnishes the drive to make life meaningful and practicable socially,
politically and spiritually.
In the second stage, through the fusion of five elements, the five
psychosomatic Chi are unified into a single psychospiritual Chi:
Love. Heaven and earth combine and allow sweet dew is the literal
representation. This results from gathering yang Chi in the universe
and bringing it into the Yellow Court at the Middle Cinnabar Field
where it harmonizes the Chi lifted from cauldron into a Pearl. The
color yellow refers to earth or golden season of spleen: the energy
distribution center. Microcosmic Orbit and Six Healing Sounds are
purposefully designed for this stage. In this psychosomatic center,
nutritional materials (e.g. air, food and water) absorbed into the
mouth and nose are generated into Chi-form, necessary to maintain
bodily equilibrium. This manifests through corresponding organs
as emotional attributions and supplementary personality
characteristics. The challenge is how to transform the emotion
into motionless, how to change personal into impersonal, and how
to purify selfish love into selfless love. The practical solution is inner
marriage between twin souls where negativity no longer exists,
where no more karma needs to be met, where there is no more
dual existence of male and female, where only the true selfless
self of pure-person and oneness are apparent.
In the third stage, the sweet dew “invites,” “attracts” or “steals”
God’s creative force of spirit in the Upper Cinnabar Field. The golden
elixir or pure-self will result in preparation for flight. This stage is
characterized as “the three flowers unify in the head and the five
Chi return to the ethereal state,” the state of the Tao since Tao is
beyond danger even when the body perishes. When a meditator
reaches this state, they will literally “see” the three different flowers
at these energetic centers: Buddha is seated on the lotus flower;
Jesus Christ adorns the snow-flaked flower; and Lao Tzu embraces
the star-shaped flower. In this psychospiritual center, shen is the
residence and master of hun (the heavenly spirit submerged in
human soul form) and po (the earthly animated soul form). It is
where the secret of natural mechanism is disclosed and their
mechanical copies (mental products) are researched.
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The brain, of itself, does not produce energy. The so-called

psychospiritual energy is essentially supplied through the
biomechanical energy from the lower center, the psychosomatic
energy from the middle center, and the light from above. The
undeniable fact is that the brain is the most energy-consuming
organ of the body, pleasing the desirable assistance of po—the
animated spirit—through the dissolving of life force or libido for
pleasure. The mind makes human beings the most sexually active
animals on earth, engaging in sexualized fantasy, imitation and
manipulation. During the mature stage of life, eyes fire the sexual
desire; mouth transforms the sexual expression; and voice emits
and expels the precious kidney Chi. All this is due to the powerful
domination of po and the conscious anticipation of hun. Hun
activates the kidney Chi through the power of the liver and the
memory cells in the brain. Po controls the lungs that transmit the
kidney Chi in conjunction with the heart.
The Taoist way of life is to direct the treasured life-force
downwardly/outwardly only for the purpose of procreation. At all
other times preserve it upwardly/inwardly to nourish the brain and
rejuvenate the bone marrow. In this manner, by reversing the act of
the Tao, you choose the road to restoration of the pure-self.
Two Openings
In Taoist tradition the inner marriage is the performance of the inner
cosmic dance between virgin boy and virgin girl. This is made
possible by closing the heavenly gate and the earthly door. The
condition is pure love or Christ Love, the state is eternal, the
substance is light, the seed is virtue, and the result is pure-person.
Virgin girl is Mother: colors, creation, purification, yin, chromosome
Y, snake, lake and mountain. Virgin boy is Father: light, power,
transformation, penetration, yang, chromosome X, dragon, thunder
and star. To experience the inner marriage is to know the cosmic
marriage, to enjoy the eternal love, to act through selfless love, and
to preserve the cosmic Chi.
The two openings in our body/mind are the heavenly gate—the
third eye—existing at the top, and the earthly door—perineum
pressure point—at the bottom. The bottom opening is locked before
the pubic stage begins, and closed after menopause or with the
absence of sperm, but opens fully in the productive stage and when
sickness manifests.
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Fig. 3.3 In spiritual practice, keep the earthly door

locked by opening the heavenly one.
When the power of perineum is locked within, the energy will

travel upward through the spine to the top part of the front lobe,
which is open in its infantile state. Many people have the ability to
lock up the lower opening in order to utilize their kidney Chi for
higher purposes. Some examples could be rock stars, singers,
politicians and priests. The top one can open occasionally during
shen’s pure states of consciousness, such as altered
consciousness, profound religious experiences, peak meditative
and creative states, or lucid dreaming states.
Perineum
Fig. 3.4 Perineum in the Female and Male Bodies
These are the only occasions in our human life during which we
experience a sense of living with God. In the history of human
evolution (both evolution and involution), as well as in religious
experience, scientific findings and the creative arts, all trace their
origins to this mystic source.
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Reactionistic Map
In Taoist mentality our entire life, troubled by its inevitable illnesses,
is determined by the interactive results of Chi circulation of jing-
chi-shen and hun-xin-po.
Jing-Chi-shen Hun-Xin-Po
Chi works between Jing and Shen just like xin (heart) balances
the forces of hun and po. By applying Lao Tzu’s Tao-Te-form-matter-
jing-trust, this suffused model assures us that heaven (the nature
of Tao) within us is Te, and the earth within us is Chi. When the Te
flows forth and Chi pervades everywhere, being forms. The origin
of being is jing. When two jing(s) are joined together, they become
shen. What comes and goes with shen is hun, and what goes
back and forth with jing is po. Jing, shen, hun, and po are the four
names of the fundamental building blocks in the structure of Chinese
biology, physiology, psychology and spirituality. Shen is the pure
yang shen or spiritual form residing in the head, while hun is the yin
shen or human soul. Jing is the biological substance of the body,
and po is the animated soul of jing within the body. Aside from
these four building blocks, Chi is the power source, and xin is the
working mind. Everything operates through the Chi; anything that
goes through the body must also go through the mind.
Looking at the concept of Chi in the traditional Chinese view as
well as libido in modern psychology, we see the diversity of this
energy manifested in two cultures. In Chinese, Chi is universal and
organismic, collective and individual, biological and spiritual. In
psychology, particularly Freudian psychology, libido is nothing other
than self-directed sexual pleasure and its gratification. The misuse
of Chi or libido contributes to both the Taoist idea of loss and
Freudian psychoanalytical concept of neurosis. Yet, to the Taoists,
Chi, especially concerning sexual energy or life force, is the most
precious treasure in the world; any misuse of it causes irreparable
damage to life. In Freud’s opinion, this portion of Chi is gratified
either by artistic and intellectual romance, or suppressed in daily
life as a sickness. There is no middle ground. The Taoist approach
can make a valuable contribution to modern psychology and spiritual
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practice, whereas Freudian pathological analysis offers little to

enhance Taoist cultivation practice.
The only known psychologist with a sense of the Taoist flavor
was C. G. Jung. He had the insight that Taoist practice would be a
special science (1931), but he did not realize that the concept of
hun and po was far greater than his symbolic terms logos and
anima could imply. He didn’t agree with Wilhelm’s idea that hun is
equivalent to his idea of animus, and was also unaware that hun
never dies. Hun and po are not only distinguishable psychic factors,
but are diversified organic dynamics. They represent the
touchstone between the pure self and the egoistic self and are
distinguishable in terms of psychosomatic functioning. It is very
interesting to see that the character of hun consists of the strokes
of “cloud” and “wraith,” and that the character of po consists of the
strokes of “white” and “wraith.” The basic stroke “gui” for “wraith”
or “dead ghost” in the characters hun and po is combined with the
strokes of “white” and “heart.” The “white heart” here indicates the
image of a person before death, the white or pale face, symbolizing
the death of spirit, or white horse.
According to Taoist interpretation, when spirit (shen) resides in
the body after birth, it has its dualistic functioning of soul: the fire-
Chi of hun and water-Chi of po. Hun is the spirit of Chi while po is
the essence of body. Accordingly, all sensory activities, e.g. visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic, are animated from po. Conscious activities,
e.g. intuition, insight, and panoramic awareness, are generated by
hun. Again, in Chapter 10 of Tao Te Ching, the word “spirit” in
donning the spirit and soul and drawing them into Oneness is the
translation of the Chinese character of yin, which is hun. Hun is
the seed of endless reincarnation. It can be a person or a ghost,
saint or sinner. It arises before the body exists and departs after
the body ceases to breathe. Hun is independent: always moving
and wandering, coming and going, cycling unceasingly, enduring
without exhaustion. The headquarters of hun is the liver and it
originates from shen in the brain, the base of the day-time-yang-
Chi or manifested consciousness, and the source of desires from
the organs emerging as emotions. Hun is the embodied soul or
human spirit, the outward manifestation of heavenly yang Chi in
the bodily caged yin form. When hun becomes the organic
functioning inside the liver, it is grounded: creative, planning, and
capable of changing and exerting action. It is also vigorous and
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penetrating, attractive, and at the same time, mistrusting,

mysterious, and illusive.
The center for po is the lungs and it originates from both the
kidney-Chi—the Water-Chi as the substance of bodily existence—
and the energy supply through the umbilical cord. Water-Chi is
bodily yin Chi Po is the receptive, productive and obsessive action
of eating, sleeping, and sexual reunion of animated spirit. Lungs
replace the umbilical cord in post life to channel the earthly yin
breathing of air. Po is the center for “gross” bodily activity (food,
sleep and sex) and the night-time-yin-Chi manifestation, namely,
dreaming consciousness and other murkiness. When a person is
controlled by po, metaphorically speaking, the po becomes a living
ghost inside the body. The body sickens; the mind becomes
callous, egoistic, possessive and obsessive. Hun’s bodily yang Chi,
the conscious activation of warming, caring, kind and open-minded
character, is replaced by po. The po person is greedy, rude, jealous
and disguised.
Three Hun Seven Po
The spirit, at the onset of its independent life, radiates in the

form of three spiritual souls—(hun) on the left governed by Wuying,
and seven vegetative souls—(po) on the right governed by Baiyuan.
Hun forms a triad structure. The three spiritual souls are the tranquil
spirit, embryonic light and dark essence. They exist as three
corpses or three insects. The one hun in the head is obsessed
with the pursuit of treasure: the pure and harmonious spirit. It drives
the mind into darkness. The center spirit of the second hun is excited
and enticed by the five flavors: the transformation of yin Chi of
embryonic light. It is trapped by excitement and rage; lacking in
kindness and clear consciousness. It makes one cunning and
possessive and invites trouble and punishment. The third hun at
the bottom is driven by sex, food and sleep: the essence of mixed
yin Chi. It destroys the pure yang Chi and eventually exhausts the
life force. Jing is infused into physical form where it collaborates
with primordial Chi.
The seven po(s) are as follows: the first one is the dog cadaver;
the second is the hiding arrow; the third is the black yin; the fourth
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is the gluttonous thief; the fifth is the strong poison; the sixth is the
abandoned seduction; and the seventh is the diseased lungs. These
seven po represent the seven emotional attributes, leading inexorably
to possessive action and self-destruction. In biblical tradition they
are the seven bowls or seven deadly sins. As Lao Tzu questioned
which is more cherished, the name or the body? Which is worth
more, the body or possessions? Which is more beneficial, to gain
or to lose? This bespeaks of the desire and drive of egoistic heart.
By getting nutrition from the spleen and stomach (the energy
center for digesting food), the light from sun, and the air from lungs,
the psyche or xin has the necessary tool to produce blood: the
kinetic energy supply for the body from the embryonic light. Xin is
the origin of human desire (for the basic bodily existence) and action
(mobility). The Chinese concept of xin for heart is “xin originates
from matter and dies with matter.” If there is no light outside the
world, xin cannot be conscious of itself; if there is no biological
form of bodily existence, xin has no need to live with po’s instinctive
behavior of estimating things and being protective. Po or ego is a
very powerful concept but is empty on its own merits. Its powerful
nature goes to Western culture, which is active, demanding,
dominant, pragmatic and controlling, whereas the Buddhism’s
empty view and Taoism’s non-minded, non-egoistic action in the
East stress the usefulness of emptiness. Since ego is directly linked
with the subjective conscious self I, it surfaces through the
consciousness of hun and subjectivity of po to manifest with xin’s
passion and obsession. It is from this observation that we draw an
equation that xin and nao (brain) are the Chinese equivalent of
heart and mind.
Ming Xing
Xin Nao
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When the biological memory for food and water is stimulated by

light upon shen’s tabula rasa, memory of xin becomes
consciousness (yi). When the consciousness is preserved, it
becomes will (zhi). The transformation of will is thought, or the
thinking process (si). When thought is extended by the will, it
becomes a plan (lu). When the plan is projected upon matter, it is
the manifestation of intelligence (zhi). And intelligence is the source
of longevity, which means dying but not be forgotten. This is how
we function psychologically and why we exist beyond our biological
life. This is the Chinese map of xin and nao, or “biopsychology”
and “neuropsychology” as you may wish to call it. It is not a rational
glittering; it is the flow of Chi, a combination of cosmic wind and
breathing air.
The last two words concerning psychospiritual faculty are the
destiny of life (ming) and the natural character of life (xing). These
two words are the principal characters in the Taoist manner of
walking into the spiritual terrace of cosmic mind. Xing is the
character, the personality and the spiritual quality a person within
ming, aside from ming and beyond ming. It is concrete, dynamic,
essential, characteristic, penetrative, representative, symbolic,
becoming and divining. The destiny of life ming is formative,
structural, mechanical, realistic, accepting, obedient, surrendering
and submissive. Xing is what a person exemplifies, and ming is
the manner in which they embraces life. Xing is the essential
construction of a person while ming is their potential activity during
the course of life. Xing is the governing body of a society with ming
operating as the social and cultural practice. Xing is the land and
ming is what the land produces. Xing is the light and ming is its
colors.
Two Orbits
The Chinese discovered the energetic channels—meridians—

based on the practice of meditation, acupuncture, massage and
spiritual healing. These meridians can be charged and recharged
by the two internal orbits: xiaozhoutian (Microcosmic Orbit/Circle)
and dazhoutian (Macrocosmic Orbit/Circle). Xiao means small or
little; zhou is a 360-degree circle; tian indicates heaven or day, and
da connotes big or large. The Medical Microcosmic Orbit circu-
lates between the Governing and Protective Meridian. Its Medical
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Macrocosmic Orbit completes all the meridians which is Taoist

Microcosmic Orbit. Taoist Macrocosmic Orbit is the oneness be-
tween the body/mind and the universe. They both exhibit two major
techniques: “Waterwheel Irrigation” and “Building the Bridge.”
“Waterwheel Irrigation” is for the purpose of preserving the yin
sexual Chi (from the sperm of ejaculation and the eggs of men-
struation produced from the invisible yang sexual Chi) from being
manifested outwardly. “Building the Bridge” in Taoism means to
restore the Governing and Protective Meridians to its fetal state.
When these two meridians are connected meditatively via the
tongue, the bodily Chi circulates inwardly to receive the fresh Chi
and outwardly to discharge the useless Chi. Balance is then re-
stored and sickness disappears. The technique is to press the tip
of the tongue against the harder palate (convex edge extended
from the root of upper teeth) during breathing.
The detailed practice for Microcosmic Orbit requires that during
inhalation, the meditator visualizes a white line moving from the
Lower Cinnabar Fields down to the Sacral Pump, up to the Cranial
and then contracts the muscles around the anus. As the Chi flows
up to the pituitary gland in the head it activates the healing power,
opening up the spontaneous knowing and interactive abilities as
they form golden elixir. While exhaling, follow the line from where it
has stopped in the pituitary gland and divide it into two lines. Then
move them down in front of the ears to the joints between the up-
per and lower jaws. The two lines then meet inside the mouth at
the tip of the tongue. Through the tongue, the merged line moves
down to the lower jaw, throat, neck and chest into the Middle and
Lower Cinnabar Fields, where it becomes an energetic drumming
process.
Fig. 3.5 Circulation of Small Heaven
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During inhalation with the Macrocosmic Orbit, the mental con-

centration begins at the Lower Cinnabar Field. As it travels up to
the chest it divides the line in two in order to connect the armpits
with the three hand-yin-meridians that run to the fingers. Round
the fingers with the “line” from the small finger to the thumb in order
to join the three hand-yang-meridians. Then move the lines up the
outside of the arms, merging them together at the C-7 and up to
the head. During exhalation, mentally draw the yang Chi from
heaven to the crown point of the head, down through the spine to
the tail bone. Then separate the line into two. Move each line down
along the three leg-yang-meridians to the feet and around the toes.
Then return the lines to join the three leg-yin-meridians up to the
Sacral Pump. As they merge together as one, the white line travels
up to the Lower Cinnabar Field.
Fig. 3.6 Circulation of Big Heaven
Heart of Troubles
Carnal Body – Root of Trouble

Life is always troublesome, regardless of how the individual is
bounded by it. Suffering is the central theme in Buddhist philoso-
phy; sinfulness is overly emphasized in Christianity; Taoism val-
ues the trouble as you do the body. Why so? If I did not have a
body, where would the trouble be? Body doesn’t understand the
meaning of suffering; it is the conscious mind that embraces all
feelings, sensations and the meaning of suffering and sin. The ego-
istic mind deals with it as an intellectual concept. To the religious it
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is an effective inducement to the cause. This explains the reason

that many religious followers actively blind-side their true selves in
misinterpreting the nature of life. They are unable to cast off their
negative memory, experience and attitude; they choose to retain it
through fear of the unknown. They fail to understand the obvious
sameness of both sides and equal ends: merging with extremes
from black to white, carefully embracing virgin boy and virgin girl
within.
Body is the structure of human physical existence, the founda-
tion of mind and spirit, as well as the beauty of the form. Without
the bodily form being taken there can be no communication with
the growth of mind, spirit and culture. Without the body, materialis-
tic and spiritual possessions would have no place to dwell. With-
out the body, the beauty of human life would be devalued into the
state of dust blowing in the wind. Human life would cease to exist.
It is without question, beyond any rationality, that the body is the
most beautiful object in the world: the source of attraction for love,
longing and marriage, biological and spiritual.
Body can also be regarded as the most valuable treasure in the
world; when it is strong and healthy, we have the best of all worlds.
When the body grows old and dies, it is no longer of this world. If
we value the world as we do the body, we can be entrusted with the
world. If we love the body as we love the beauty of the world, we can
be responsible for the world. This means that body, in its image of
the world, is the greatest treasure in the world. The price that mind
assesses to the body is essentially the price the body has set for
itself (Ask any movie star, top athlete, political candidate; what is
their set price?). Through the practice of traditional and long-held
beliefs, Taoists regard their bodies with the same equal and re-
spectful attention they do the country. A country has a physical
foundation (land, rivers and forests), emotional characters (culture
and customs), and a spiritual origin (the founding fathers and moth-
ers). The same truth applies to each and every individual. Body is
the foundation for personality and emotional qualities that reflects
the inner self. Faith is the heart of connection. Unfortunately, we
often display beauty by masking the real source: ugliness. Com-
munications may reach the point where ugliness reigns and sick-
ness arises. Everyone recognizes beauty as beauty since the ugly
is already there. Real beauty is the blending of good and bad, per-
fection and imperfection. This is the immeasurable power of hu-
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man communication, the aggregate of all things good and bad,

learned and experienced, realized and mysterious. It is the power
predominately yet mysteriously exhibited in our most valuable art
objects; they harbor not only their natural quality of “fine art” but
both explicit and implicit ugliness and imperfection as well.
Formula for Six Healing Sounds
The theory and practice behind the six words formulas are that
natural sounds can vibrate our inner organs by stimulating the or-
ganic receptors and their corresponding centers. The expressive
sounds are then connected with the desire of the heart toward the
objects that produce sound. For example, when the feeling is grief,
due to either blockage of an inner organ or stimuli from the outside,
the voice resonates between low frequency and low force. When
the feeling is joyful, the voice resonates in tones from smooth and
steady to noisy and excited. Extreme positive or negative creates
disharmony within the organic system. The six words we discuss
at this time are the six healing sounds being paired to either replen-
ish or dispense with the inner blockage of Chi in the six paired
organs.
Translated Traditional Chinese Text and Personalized
Teaching for Westerners. The nature of the six sounds has to do
with the five organic (vital organs) sounds, beginning with the lungs—
plus the triple-warmer sound, like “Y” as the English vowel. Each
organ has three sounds: the neutral where the organ generates its
own purest expression and dual sounds where the Tao and Te, or
inhalation and exhalation are used, or the mental sound/physical
sound, or male/female sounds. That is why in the six healing
sounds, there are two distinctive sounds.
The six healing sounds presented in the text herein are the di-
rect translation from Hua-to, one of the greatest Taoist (and medi-
cal) doctors in China. And, in the beginning of his title, he used Lao
Tzu’s spiritual name—tai-shang-lao-jun, “the Supreme Master Lao-
Jung”—as the title, just like most of the writers of Buddhist litera-
ture do in honoring the teachings of Buddha. The six sounds are
about twelve meridians connected to twelve organs. Consequently,
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the sixth [dual] sound presented in the text of this section refers to
the relationship between the bladder and the gallbladder, which
comes from a medical context. The other sixth healing sound, the
triple warmer sound—used in the Universal Tao System—is not
related to any particular organ; it is not included in the text discus-
sion. It is hard to say whose system is authentic unless our organs
are clean to produce their own authentic sounds. The five vital or-
gans each are connected to an associated organ(s) as well as to a
sense organ. For example: heart, small intestine and tongue.
In the chakra system, the first five sounds connect to the first
five chakras, from sexual organ to vocal cord; the sixth is about the
third eye sound, the awakening of the Goddess’ sound within. Only
when the five Chi-sounds are completely integrated and reach a
perfect silence, can the sixth sound arise; it cannot manifest by
itself.
Also, the first five sounds are about the five animal kingdoms, or
the five senses within humans. The human sound, which is the
spleen sound, connects the four animal deities—Green Dragon,
Red Phoenix, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise—through the Yellow
Court (spleen, pancreas and stomach). The spleen is the largest
node of the lymphatic system, technically not an organ—but due to
its importance in the immune system and, energetically, in Chi-
nese medicine—it is regarded as a vital organ. As the triple-warmer
is activated, the trinity of the hun is also activated, thus connecting
the three Tan Tiens: the upper conscious, the middle emotional,
and lower physical. When the hun connects the four animal dei-
ties, the seven is completed. The crown is awakened.
Since the translation is strictly literal, and Master Chia’s teach-
ing is personal, whether created by him or transmitted from an-
other teacher, the six sounds he is teaching are the six neutral
sounds. Master Chia has simplified the sounds by using the Inner
Smile process for neutralizing negative energies in the respective
organs before activating the appropriate sound and physical posi-
tion. The processing of emotions is different from the descriptions
in the translated text. Also, he has further streamlined the proce-
dure by activating each vital organ and its associate organ—there
is a recognizable interconnectedness—at the same time (i.e., lungs
and large intestine). Each sound is then performed three to six
times as needed for maximum benefit.
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The sounds are always performed in the creative cycle of

energy relationships of the five elemental phases of energy
(which correlate to the characteristic energies of the organs).
Thereby, the supportive relationship between the primary vital or-
gans as well as their associate organs is maintained. Since the
kidneys (bladder) support the liver (gall bladder) in this creative
cycle sequence, the relationship between the bladder and the gall-
bladder meridians is activated—as mentioned in the sixth sound
(triple warmer) of the translation. In the Universal Tao teaching, the
triple warmer sound is included as the sixth sound to provide the
harmonizing and unifying benefit in the Three Tan Tiens. Thus, the
sequence for performing the healing sounds in Master Chia’s Uni-
versal Tao system is as follows: lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, spleen,
and triple warmer.
The translated text of the traditional Chinese description of Six
Healing Sounds is juxtaposed with the simple illustrated instruc-
tions for each vital organ sound and the triple warmer sound taught
in the Universal Tao. There are apparent differences in the proce-
dures and qualities involved in the translated text version and the
Universal Tao presentation of the healing sounds. Therefore, for
the graphics illustrations, the hexagrams shown correspond to
the description in the translated text. Since the teaching of
the sounds shown in the illustrations is based on the simple
qualities of the five elements, we will identify the dominant
quality of the chi for each sound by naming its element and
the trigram that represents that element. Hence, lungs, metal (qual-
ity of the high mountain), ken (gen); kidneys, water; liver, wood;
heart, fire; spleen, earth; and the triple warmer for the Three Tan
Tiens is not associated with any specific element.
1. Map of the Lungs (si-sound is for replenishing and hu-sound

is for dispensing): The lungs are the Chi of the Dui (lake)
hexagram, the essence of gold and the color of white. The lungs
master po (animal soul) by transforming themselves into a
seven-inch-long jade infant. Their spirit is the white animal that
protects the body. Lungs connect internally to the large intestine
where they master the nose externally. Their emotional expres-
sion is that of saddness, emanating when they are losing their
po. The lungs are thin and bright, and have little endurance
against the cold. When they are white, there is no existing dis-
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Sensory Perception
ease. A sound in the large intestine indicates a blockage of Chi.

A frequent xu-sound (wheezing) signals a debilitation of the lungs.
The lungs master the Seventh Palace: the Golden Gate. At 7:00
a.m. on the first day of the fall season, the meditator should sit
facing west, perform the beating-heaven’s-drum exercise seven
times, and swallow the jade well’s stew (saliva) three times.
Then close the eyes and concentrate on the Tui Palace (mouth).
Allow the white Chi to enter the mouth, and swallow three times.
The infant spirit will be tranquil; the hundred demons will not
invade the body, and the soldiers cannot use weapons.
Fig. 3.7 Lungs are the Chi of Tui (Lake) Hexagram
Rotate your palms

and bring them
up above
your head.
Become aware of
your lungs and
smile into them.
Mouth Position for Close the
Lung Sound eyes; breathe
“Sssssssss”. Close normally;
the jaws so that the smile down to
teeth meet. Draw the lungs.
the corners of the
mouth back.
Fig. 3.8 Lung Sound and Exercise

Metal element (high mountain) Ken
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Chapter III
2. Map of the Kidneys (chui-sound is for dispensing and si-sound

is for replenishing): The kidneys control the essence, the Chi of
the Kan (Water) hexagram, and their color is black. They are
circles. One of their names is “ferment.” Their spirit is a white
deer, and it transforms into two foot-long jade infants. The myriad
things are ruled by the essence, developed by the will, perfected
by the purity, and harmonized by the tranquility. The kidneys are
connected to the bones, and their facial organs are the ears. If
the back cannot stretch, the kidneys are cold. At 7:00 a.m. on
the first day of the winter season, sit facing North, clicking the
golden roof five times, drinking with the jade-well three times,
breathing in the black Chi of the Mystic Palace (ovaries/pros-
tate), in order to nourish the jade infants. The spirit is harmo-
nized and the body is at peace. This enhances longevity.
Fig. 3.9 Chi of the Kan (Water) Hexagram
Round the lips, making the

“Choooooo” sound one
makes when blowing out a
candle after the initial “ch.”
Become aware Hook the hands
of your kidneys. around the knees.
Close your eyes and

Press the middle abdomen toward the kidneys. smile down to the kidneys.
Fig. 3.10 Kidney Sound and Exercise - Water Element, Kan
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Sensory Perception
3. Map of the Liver (xu-sound is for dispensing and chui-sound

is for replenishing): Liver is the Chi of the Chen (thunder)
hexagram, the essence of wood, and the color of green. The
liver controls hun. Its spirit is dragon-like, and it transforms into
two seven-inch-long jade infants: the green one clings to the
dragon and the yellow one holds jade-dew. One who wishes to
age in peace must return to the eminent tranquility. The liver
connects to the tissues and fibers that compose the muscles.
The eyes are the liver’s facial connection. When the eyes
become hot and reddish, something is amiss in the liver. The
liver controls the spring and manifests as the essential Chi of
spring. The bloom of myriad things follows the Tao of yang Chi.
At 3:00 a.m. on the first day of the spring season, sit facing the
East and click the teeth three times. Inhale seven times. Hold
the breath after each inhalation. Inhale the green Chi of the Chen
Palace (liver) three times, then swallow it. This nourishes the
two infants of the liver.
Fig. 3.11 Liver is the Chi of the Chen (Thunder) Hexagram
Push out
at the
heels of
the palms.
Become aware Push more
of the liver, with the
smile. Raise right arm.
the hands out
to the sides.
Exhale on the sound
“Shhhhhhh”.
Close your eyes

Release the and smile down
intertwined to the liver
fingers.
Press out
with heels
of the palms.
Fig. 3.12 Liver Sound and Exercise - Wood Element, Chen
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Chapter III
4. Map of the Heart (ker-sound is for dispensing and xu-sound is

for replenishing): The heart is the Chi of the Li (Fire) hexagram,
the essence of fire, and the color of red. Its spirit is rosefinch
and it transforms itself into an eight-inch-long jade maiden (the
heart organ). To pacify the spirit and perfect the form (body),
one must return to essential harmony. The heart connects to
the small intestine, and controls the blood. The tongue is its
corresponding facial organ. When blood circulation is obstructed,
it shocks the tongue, which in turn is insensitive to the flavor.
When the heart becomes disturbed, the xu-sound (panting) in-
creases.
Fig. 3.13 Heart is the Chi of the Li (Fire) Hexagram
Assume the same

position as for the
Liver Sound.
Become aware
of the heart;
smileinto it.
Open mouth,
rounded lips
Open your mouth somewhat,
Push more with the left arm. round your lips and exhale on
the sound “Hawwwww”.
Fig. 3.14 Heart Sound and Exercise - Fire Element, Li
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Sensory Perception
The heart controls the Ninth Palace, the alarming gate. When
it is harmonious, the form is perfect. At 7:00 a.m. on the first day
of the summer season, sit facing the South, clicking the golden
roof (upper teeth) nine times, bubbling the mystic well (saliva),
then swallowing it in three even portions. Concentrate steadily
on inhaling the red Chi at the Li Palace (heart), then swallow the
red Chi three times in order to nourish the jade-maiden in the
spiritual Li mansion. When the spirit is pacified, the body is at
peace. Though a hundred disasters may arise, they can bring
no harm.
5. Map of the Spleen (hu-sound is for dispensing and ker-sound

is for replenishing): The spleen is the Chi of Ken (Mountain)
hexagram, the essence of earth, and the color of yellow. It is like
the cover of a tub. Its spirit is phoenix-like, and it transforms
itself into a six-inch-long jade maiden.
Fig. 3.15 Spleen is the Chi of the Ken (Mountain) Hexagram
Spleen
Press in with
the fingers,
more to the
left side
under rib
cage.
Exhale on the sound
“Whooooooo”.
Become aware of the spleen.
Close your eyes
& smile down
Feel the sound to the spleen,
in the vocal pancreas
chords. and stomach.
Breathe into the spleen,

pancreas and stomach.
Fig. 3.16 Spleen Sound and Exercise - Earth Element, Kun
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Chapter III
The spleen connects to the eminent yin, and its correspond-

ing facial organ is the mouth. When its appearance is moist and
soft, there is no problem. The spleen has no fixed position, as
do the other inner organs. It changes within an eighteen-day
period during each of the four seasons. At 5:00 a.m., sit at the
Central Palace (triple warmer, thymus) and avoid breathing five
times. Practice the beating-the-drum exercise seven times, and
then imagine the yellow Chi of the Central Palace, and swallow
it. Drink the jade-dew in order to reach a sublime state. Humans
depend upon the Tao of heaven to regulate vital Chi. Preserving
the essence of one’s sexual Chi attains longevity. Concentrate
on the pearl-pond (mouth) and drink the jade-juice (saliva), the
harmonious Chi will then regulate all the meridians. Hold onto
essential source, sustain purity, and eliminate aging. This pro-
cess is called the secret formula for concentrating on purity and
sustaining longevity.
6. Map of the Gall Bladder (xi-sound is for dispensing and xu-

sound is for replenishing): The gallbladder is the essence of
gold, the Chi of water, and the color of blue. Its spirit is tortoise-
like, and it transforms into a foot-long jade maiden, who is very
brave. The gall bladder connects to the bladder. When its color
is dark blue, there is no problem. During the first month of every
season, sit facing the Mystic North and inhale the black Chi into
the mouth, swallowing the Chi of the jade-well nine times. Ec-
stasy and anger do harm to the personality; sorrow and joy dam-
age the spirit. When the spirit is damaged, life is endangered
and the innate personality is destroyed. Cultivate the personal-
ity in order to generate Chi. Preserve the spirit in order to rest
the heart. When Chi is pacified, the body is balanced, the es-
sence is perfected, and the heart is rested. This is the formula
for cultivating purity, preserving spiritual essence, and enhanc-
ing longevity.
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Sensory Perception
Triple Warmer
1. Lie down on your back.

2. Close the eyes and take a deep breath, expanding the
stomach and chest without strain.
3. Exhale on the sound “Heeeeeee” made sub-vocally, as you
picture and feel a large roller pressing out your breath.
Upper
 Warmer
Middle
 Warmer
Lower Exhale on the sound

 Warmer “Heeeeeee”
Beginning at the top of the chest.
Continue down through the chest.
Ending at the lower abdomen.
Fig. 3.17 Triple Warmer Sound and Exercise -

Three Tan Tiens, No specifice Element.
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Chapter III
Desiring Heart
The Owner of the Troubles
The desiring heart (wang xin) is a joint venture between soulful

spirit hun and animated spirit po. Xin is the ruler of the body and the
master of the human spirit. It is the foundation of self and the tra-
jectory of egoistic mind. Xin exists with material things and dies as
a result. The reversed situation would be “out of sight, out of mind.”
This is because of its device, the eyes. Eyes are the window of
hun and po, and tears are the manifestation of joy and of loss. Xin’s
stimulus comes from the eyes and the eyes are the medium and
connection between light and energy, and colors and passions.
The heart reflects the materialistic world and the inner state of mind.
Bio-somatically speaking, the blood, our main energy supply, comes
from the nutritional Chi of spleen and stomach. Under the stream-
ing of solar light that enters through the eyes as well as the body,
the nutritional Chi changes its color into red and then distributes
itself throughout the whole body.
In the eyes of Taoism and Chinese medical theory, the heart of
the mind is the shen that is stored in the heart and governs all the
activities of the body/mind. The pure function of shen, which is
spiritual, suffuses into mentality and connects with the emotional
organs. Intuitive knowing, complete anticipation and subtle under-
standing are the picture of shen. Conscious thinking or reasoning
and moral conduct are the services of shen. The triangular organic
connection of shen is heart, eyes and brain. Brain is the headquar-
ters; heart is the energy supply; eyes are the expressive outlet.
The organic (biological) nature is that five zang (liver, heart,
spleen, lungs and kidneys) and six fu ( stomach, bladder, gall blad-
der, large intestine, small intestine and the triple warmer) are con-
stantly vying for energy. As a result, there are six desires (color,
sound, fragrance, texture, flavor, thought or reaction). Color is the
desire for sex; sound is the desire for voice; fragrance is the desire
for smell; texture is the desire for touching and skin connection;
flavor is the desire for food; and thought or reaction is the desire for
attention and understanding. According to Taoist practice, those
biological behaviors are not instinctive. Breathing is the most in-
stinctive behavior of the body. Meditators can gradually reduce the
frequency of breathing to that of the earliest embryonic breathing
stage. The following exercises are designed to achieve this pur-
pose.
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Sensory Perception
Frolics of Five Animals
Wu Chin Xi
As one of the most popular holistic exercises, Frolics of Five Ani-

mals (daiyin) has circulated among meditators, healers and mar-
tial arts practitioners for thousands of years. Modern bionics and
animal research rely on the same resource from animals. By ob-
serving the natural behavior and activities of animals, the corre-
sponding human organs and abilities will be awakened. The an-
cient sages could stretch their body and bend their necks like a
bird, allowing the energy to circulate outside the skin and inside the
body so that the sinews and joints remained smooth and flexible.
Its purpose is to relax the body, eliminate bad Chi, strengthen physi-
cal power, and heal disease. This is the way to challenge disease
and the aging process of life.
Tiger’s Game: Drop to the ground with

both palms and feet flat on the floor, rock
forward and draw backward three times.
Then stretch the back upward and for-
ward as high as possible without allow-
ing the palms and feet to leave the
ground. Then raise the head up to face
the sky, walk forward and backward
seven times with both hands and feet on
the floor.
Fig. 3.18 Tiger Form
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Chapter III
Bear’s Game: Lie down on your back holding the knees with both
hands. Raise the head and lean over to the ground alternating both
left and right side seven times each. Then squat on the ground
with hands pushing down on the ground. Do seven times each, left
and right.
Fig. 3.19 Bear’s Form
Deer’s Game: Stand on all fours, both hands and feet, stretch the
neck up, move the head to the left three times and then to the right
three times. Then, while moving the head to the left, stretch the
right leg. While moving the head to the right, stretch the left leg.
Following this, stretch the neck and tuck in the head three times.
Fig. 3.20 Deer’s Form
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Sensory Perception
Monkey’s Game: Hold onto a supportive object, raise and lower

the body seven times. Then hook the feet around the supporting
object and swing the body forward and backward seven times. Sit
and hold both feet with hands, then touch them to the head seven
times.
Fig. 3.21 Monkey Form
Bird’s Game: While standing, raise one leg and strenuously stretch
both arms while raising the eyebrows fourteen times. Do the same
with the other leg. Sit, stretch out the legs, hold the feet with hands,
and move each foot forward and backward seven times.
Fig. 3.22 Bird Form
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Chapter III
Vitalizing the Body
The cultivation upon transformation marks the gradual process of

walking the way of the Tao. It must necessarily begin with a healthy
condition (physical, psychological and spiritual), self-awareness
and self-trust. With inner trust, action will be willful, practice will be
diligent, and learning will be the inevitable result. This walking pro-
cess time and again reexamines, reevaluates and redirects the
self: a scientific practice in its spiritual discipline. The fundamental
requirement for this cultivation is developed with the aid of sensory
and visual abilities. They will enable you to transform the negative
perceptual reaction into a positive one.
In the Taoist view, the positive refers to the yang force, the mas-
culine energy of heavenly light, while the negative is consigned to
the yin force or earthly formative energy. A common misconcep-
tion in Western society holds that the mind is programmed and
reinforced by only that which is considered good, positive, produc-
tive and beneficial. The outcome between positive and negative
forces becomes a rationalized expectation, a desire-driven
aspiration, and a constant turmoil. While one side is seemingly so
desirable, marketable, healthy and valuable, the positive itself be-
comes a negative and the other side is distanced, fearful of being
troubled, suspiciously incomprehensible, frightened of acceptance.
It menacingly approaches evil, the monster, the sickness, the loser,
and death itself.
This situation should not be misconstrued as the manifestation
of its dualistic nature. It is due largely to the absence of rational
mentality from its physical sensibility and the mental visualization
created by the mind. In Taoist practice, without physical sensitivity
and mental visualization, cultivation is seen as nothing other than
mechanistic movements and mental hallucinations. The body must
learn to feel its various energetic patterns and their circulation, just
as the mind must be “visible” in order to “imagine” the energetic
patterns of colors, lights, organs, and cells. Therefore, cultivation
becomes an artistic performance. The colors of the sun, moon,
mountains, rivers, as well as organs and the meridians are the
instrumental requirements. Mental concentration represents the
canvas; energetic visualization and biological circulation are the
tools, pens and brushes; and body/minded reaction is surrendered
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Sensory Perception
to the readers or audience. The entire cultivation forms the learn-

ing process of spontaneously knowing, readily evaluating, and timely
readapting and reinforming the unpredictable certainty.
No one values us more than we ourselves do; no one knows us
better than we ourselves do. Maintaining a strong and healthy body/
mind prevents disease from establishing a foothold. The greatest
mystery of disease lies in the fact that all negative conscious struc-
tures are causes of illnesses, not the cellular formations toward
illness. Cells are not the root of the problem since cells derive from
non-cells. Consciousness is the underlying root of all, both health
and illness. Viruses are neutral, a bridge between health and sick-
ness. Medicinal treatments cannot cope with them all. Cultivation
provides the power. Mind over body is not only the most ancient
formula but also the most powerful and practical.
Emotional Mood – Activation of Troubles
The weather condition of our life—the mood—is mostly organis-

mic. The seasonal changes, colors, sounds and flavors in the out-
side world, are invasively stimulating to our seven facial
openings. Through the five organic transmitters, the five mood
stimuli connect with their internal organs (wuzang) by responding
psychosomatically. In Chinese medicine, there is no single head-
quarters for mood and emotional characters; they are scattered
through the area between the trunk and the brain. This differs from
Western theories in the fields of phrenology, psychology and neu-
roscience that stress the mental connection, the power of brain.
The energetic meridians in the body are multi-dimensional and cre-
ate a functional interaction between the body/mind and the uni-
verse. These energetic patterns are the personality, character,
mood, emotional attribution and vibrational love. Meridians have
been subjectively experienced, transpersonally applied, and me-
chanically diversified depending on specific energy supplies (physi-
cal, mental and electronic). Historically, before herbs were medita-
tively tested and clinically prescribed, meridians were the main com-
munication tools or symbols between the healers and their pa-
tients.
The Chinese understanding of mood and its emotional
functioning is organically connected and holistically manifested.
In the West it appears to be more biologically determined and
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Chapter III
psychologically interpreted. Stress, in terms of the Taoist

explanation, is a mixed reaction between desire and mood. If there
is no desire, the mood is stable. If the desire is high, strong and
pervasive, there will be an overwhelming emotional reaction. When
the organs can no longer regulate each other, the bad Chi alters
the healthy bodily condition. Somatic disorders and psychosomatic
symptoms appear as stressful characteristics in the body/mind.
Formula of Five Emotional Colors

The purpose of this exercise is to visualize, by drawing the univer-
sal energetic color forces. The negative, imbalanced or disharmo-
nized Chi will be either exhaled or transformed, and the positive
energetic forces are then restored. Emotional organs become har-
monized and pure.
1. Kidneys: Visualize the bright blue light in the sky above; draw
the light mentally into the kidneys; let this virtuous energy of
gentleness permeate the kidneys. Form it into a virgin boy or
virgin girl and let the virgin child breath out the blue-color-breath
as a deer. Then form the water element force within the body
into the image of a big, black or dark blue turtle (the Black War-
rior) which will then capture the deer. Place the turtle on the
back of the body as the protective animal.
Fig. 3.23 Kidneys: Shown projecting to the Back and attracting

the Turtle Earth Force of the North.
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Sensory Perception
2. Heart: Visualize the bright, red light above the head and in the
sky and draw the color mentally into the heart. Feel the illumi-
nating message, the virtuous love, joy, and happiness in the
heart. Form it into a virgin child and let it breathe out the red-
color-breath as a red pheasant. Then form the fire element force
within the body and let the red pheasant embrace the force.
Place the red pheasant at the front of the body to serve as the
protective animal.
Fig. 3.24 Heart: Shown projecting to the Front and attracting

the Pheasant Earth Force of the South.
3. Liver: Visualize the bright, green light above the head and in the
sky and draw the color mentally into the liver; let this pure, virtu-
ous energy of kindness penetrate the liver. Form a virgin child
and let it breathe out the green-color-breath as a green dragon.
Then form the evergreen wood element force within the body
and let the green dragon embrace the force. Place the green
dragon at the right side as the protective animal.
Fig. 3.25 Liver: Shown projecting to the Right and attracting

the Dragon Earth Force of the East.
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Chapter III
4. Lungs: Visualize the bright, white color above the head and in
the sky and draw the light mentally into both lungs; let this virtu-
ous energy of encouragement pervade the lungs. Form it into a
virgin child and let it breath out the white-color-breath as a white
tiger. Then form the universal creative force—white—within the
body and let the white tiger embrace the force. Place the white
tiger on the left side as the protective animal.
Fig. 3.26 Lungs: Shown projecting to the Left and attracting

the Tiger Earth Force of the West.
5. Spleen: Visualize the bright, yellow color above the head and in
the sky and draw the light mentally into the spleen; let this virtu-
ous energy of fairness and openness vitalize the spleen. Form
it into a virgin child and let it breathe out the yellow-color-breath
as a yellow phoenix. Then form the earthly creative force—yel-
low—within the body, and let the yellow phoenix embrace the
force. Place the yellow phoenix at the top center of the head as
the protective animal.
Fig. 3.27 Spleen: Shown projecting toward the Above and attracting
the Phoenix Earth Force of the Middle.
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Embracing Oneness
Chapter IV
Embracing Oneness
As you begin walking the way of your pilgrimage, your body will be
gradually detoxified and vitalized, the mind distilled and tranquil.
Life history, whether at the present time or since the beginning of
its ageless spiritual core, becomes a vibrating tool for the pilgrim to
teach and people to follow. His preaching voice and welcoming
arms draw the gathering crowds and clarify the confusion while
his wordless teaching and inner discipline generate trust and el-
evate the spirit. The pilgrimage of spiritual walking is both a purifi-
cation process and a liberating time, as well as an inner journey
and an expressive path. As the pilgrimage continues its course,
the body and mind begin their inner and ultimate marital relation-
ship. Within this true spiritual family, the feminine role of realistic
attendance harmonizes with the masculine role of self-disciplined
guidance. The experiential journey and awakening path walk side
by side, promote one another, and refine each other to produce the
pure-self. All the personal, social and ancestral relationships are
vehicles facilitating this inner sacred relationship. This is the un-
dertaking of the real task of your own pilgrimage, walking with your
own past within the confines of your own family.
Fig. 4.1 37th Hexagram (Family)
In I Ching, the 37th hexagram (Family) expresses this notion

precisely, the family of two seeds: the conscious head and instinc-
tive head of man within the family of sun, solar light above and
solar wind below. In this hexagram, the wind constantly blows the
fire at bottom, spreading nutrition to all the living creatures and
serving as a guiding angel to the existing souls on earth. The func-
tion of wind in Family is obvious: to awake, guide, direct and disci-
pline. As described in the Chinese dictionary, the character “wind”
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Chapter IV
represents the driving force that gives birth to worms and para-
sites.” A biological worm normally takes eight days to transform
itself. An annual cycle takes eight wind-periods to blow from one
Winter Solstice to the next. The eight wind periods within a year
guide accordingly the eight moon phases within a month, with 45
degrees in each phase, manifesting together daily, with 45 days in
each period. This all lies within the power of eight, the shao (young)
yin, the sheep, and the separation after union. The Chinese char-
acter “ba” for eight indicates the separation of the union from six
(liu) and the breakthrough of seven (Chi). Its structure depicts two
persons sleeping back to back. This is also the power of eight
hexagrams in I Ching, the trinity of the harmony of yin and yang, the
inner and outer connection of the four corners of the world, and the
manifestation of three. Tao gives rise to one. One gives rise to two.
Two gives rise to three. Three gives rise to all things.
The meditative power of wind, representing upper trigram in
Family hexagram, is located in a northeast direction: the trigram of
Ken (mountain). It applies to the gentle, warm breezes of gentle
spring wind. It represents conscious awakening, tender loving,
peaceful awareness, and careful direction. Wind is the inhalation
of cosmic breathing while light is that of exhalation. In our body,
wind represents the respiration of lungs, the wheel of the thighs,
the drumming of the ears, and the vibration of temples. The per-
sonal wind is the conscious sensation and reflection; physical wind
is the psychic direction; family wind is the father’s guiding role;
social wind is the governing principle; inner wind is the holy fire/
water, or the spiritual mind. In the worldly sense, wind represents
the direction of physical sensation, the degree of cosmic vibration,
and the intensity of interaction between light and its form: the void.
In contrast, the fire, being at the bottom position, represents the
power for purification and transformation. Heat generated through
fire must be in a condensed flowing form to allow its flame to purify
all things along its awakening course: a combined task of inner
consciousness and biological process. The inner consciousness,
representing the spiritual wind and stillness, chills down or heats
up the intensity of loving fire, thereby ensuring purification, comple-
tion, and transformation. Meanwhile, there must be a place to pro-
duce the heat.
Fig. 4.2 50th Hexagram (Cauldron)
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Embracing Oneness
This place is called cauldron (50th hexagram), the family kitchen

within the body, an empty center in the abdomen. This center is
neither an organ nor a gland, but the imaginary space in between.
Cauldron is the invisible spiritual womb, the holy embryo. The holy
water of biological fluid is contained within the cauldron with con-
scious fire of love boiling and cooking beneath it. The stillness
guides the individual process with its relaxed posture and focused
awareness. The internalized heat boils the biological water—sexual
fluid—into elixir. Without this, self is lost, family is in turmoil and
society becomes chaotic.
Walking the way in this lifetime can be likened to walking through
the jungles, undergoing trials and puzzles of life by restoring your
own child-like free-flowing nature. This is referred to as returning to
childhood and becoming a “born-again,” the process of embracing
the Oneness, or knowing the son and holding onto the mother, or
donning the hun and po and drawing them into Oneness. Oneness
is the first and the oldest child of Tao, permitting all manifesting,
total embracing, subtle penetrating and complete managing. This
Oneness is the seed of whole, concord and integrity. It is the single,
pure, primary, primordial and illuminating yang Chi of the Universe.
It is also the hermaphroditic Godhead, or the androgynous womb
of the world. The activity of embracing is a process of gathering
energy through the concentration of mind: a psychospiritual pro-
cess of unifying heavenly and earthly Chi. The purpose of preserv-
ing Chi is to unify both sides of the complete self, a biological pro-
cess of returning to an undivided form of androgyny. This is the
“pure matter” of Oneness: the necessary preparation to complete
before entering the heavenly realm.
Perceptual Unification of the Oneness

The practice of unifying all perceptual faculties is a practice of uni-
fying the feelings, sensations, inspirations and wisdom into one:
one-sense, God-sense, true sense, and pure sense. It is a total
and comprehensive body/minded awareness, complete and spon-
taneous interaction, subtle and penetrative knowing around. It is
comparable to seeing one’s entire history from birth to death, en-
compassing the known and unknown. In high stage meditation prac-
tice, the six senses (visual, auditory, smell, taste, touch and think-
ing) must be united. All aspects of a person, biological, emotional,
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intellectual and spiritual must be unified into one perception: the

combination of original spiritual perception and actual realistic per-
ception. The spiritual perception is the highest form of perceptivity
as well as the guiding principle of knowing and understanding. The
actual realistic perception we can aspire to is the most reliable and
trustworthy perception. The underlying path is the experiential jour-
ney: the divine meaning of the wisdom tradition.
Taoist Approach
The gut feeling is the most instinctive common experience shared

by all, whether it arises as doubt or misunderstanding, trust or mis-
trust. The information is immediately perceived with no time or
opportunity for organic interaction and emotional counter-play. This
is the cleansing, the formation and the flow of the world. In this
perceptual and perceived environment, all the five sensory abilities
and five organic functions are completely centralized. The three
energy Fields are in one place, with no mental distraction and no
spiritual wandering. As the opening at bottom is closed, the sexual
Chi flows upwardly and inwardly. Lao Tzu has summarized this as
thirty spokes joined at one hub, yet it is the emptiness inside the
hub that makes the vehicle useful. Thirty spokes refer to the five
facial organs (eyes, ears, nostril, mouth and tongue), five internal
organs (liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys), ten fingers and ten
toes. The one hub is the one spinal column of vertebrate, particu-
larly the tailbone, which connects to the empty center of heart.
This is based precisely upon the numerical changes of universal
orders appearing between the River Chart (He-tu) and the Luo Draw-
ing (Luo-shu).*
Fig. 4.3 River Chart (Hetu) Fig. 4.4 Luo River Graph (Luoshu)
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Embracing Oneness
When the cosmic completion of ten was eliminated because of

corruptive creation, the three rings from the River Chart were com-
bined as a single ring in the Luo Drawing. Thus, birth (inhalation),
life (transformation) and death (exhalation) are integrated between
the original creation of ten (1 + 2 + 3 + 4) and the outer ring of thirty
(6 + 7 + 8 + 9). The outer ring of thirty is the meaning of thirty
spokes.
*Mystic Chart of I Ching, Hetu, or the River Chart

The only difference between Eastern mysticism and that of the West
lies in the difference that in the east the numerical construction is 55 while
in the west it is 76 or 78.
The total number presented in Hetu is 55, and it has four rings. In the
center is the cosmic five elements. Surrounding the five is the completion
of ten, in all realms. Then, outside the ten is the company of another ten,
the sum of one to four, as the four corners of the universe and internal
construction of universe within. The outer layer is thirty, six to nine, which
is what Lao Tzu referred to as thirty spokes in chapter eleven.
The original God’s completion changed from Hetu to Luoshu, the Luo-
drawing. The ten in the second ring are destroyed, due to the cosmic
corruption. The three outer rings are blended into one ring as a result of the
change of direction. Three in the left and seven in the right becomes the 37
seven chapters in the Tao Te Ching. This is due to the change of the cen-
ter—the seed in the middle accompanied by the four numbers around. So
only 45 is left in the Luo-drawing, which is the magic box of nine, the
arrangements are: 2-9-4 are in the top role, 7-5-3 are in the middle role, and
6-1-8 are in the bottom role. As for this order, any of the combination is 15,
or three-fives, which are the Confucian’s teaching of three disciplines and
five orders.
Also, mystic power of eight extra meridians are arranged as follows:
First, there are four or eight in the lower dantian (Tan Tien), two adrenal
glands work together with two ovarian/testicle glands, two kidneys working
together with small/large intestines. The center is bladder, the fifth or elev-
enth one. This is the original map of eight meridians, depending on the
thrusting power, the power of will and sexual expression, going either up-
ward/inward, or downward or outward. If it is the internal power, it is the
spiritual procreation; if the second, it is the offspring.
As these eight meridians move up, there are two other sets of eight
circulating in the brain. Among them the thalamus, hypothalamus and
pituitary glands are the triad of three in the brain. If they are controlled by
the amygdala, it is the emotional, intuitive and psychic awareness. These
four glands work together with the four ventricles inside the brain.
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Words have their origin, numbers have their meanings, and

events have their leader. Lao Tzu seldom used numbers in his
teaching, but all the numbers he did choose to use in Tao Te Ching
have precise meanings. For example, the phrase “ten and three”
represents a genetically coded and cosmically numbered journey
of life within the completion of ten and trial function of birth, life and
death. Ten in Chinese culture represents the completion of
numerical functioning coming after nine, which is the biggest and
highest cardinal number. Ten and three represent the numerical
order of universal manifestation. All matter lives within the cycle of
birth, growth, death and rebirth, within the cyclical manifestation of
ten and three. Without ten, there will be no complete and perfect
presence of matter with its myriad forms and motions. Each stage
and every state is perfect in itself, but hardly permanent because
stage and state are ever in constant flux. Yet all the perfection as
well as the shifting variations are within the mechanism of the uni-
versal secret coding system: three from one. This is the way the
universal matters transform themselves from the cyclical and in-
carnating process of production into the recycling and reincarnat-
ing process of repetition. On and on, over and over, ceaselessly,
there is never a resolution. This is the nature of the heavenly prod-
uct, the completion of ten. This is also due to the universal cyclical
number of three that contains the mechanisms of yin and yang
and their harmonious flow: the representation of multiplicity. Acts
upon/within good timing is an accurate characterization of the flow.
(*Continued)
If the three glands are controlled by the pineal gland, it is spiritual,
wisdom and intellectual power. The four lobes surrounding the brain are the
illuminating, echoing coming through these four glands. So now we have
two interactive maps of eight extra meridians, between emotion and body
or between wisdom and body. The two sets of four in the brain are the
mystic functioning of 44, the volume of Te.
This is the nature of transforming seven emotions and six desires in our
Taoist tradition. As the positive emotions are transformed, they become
the wisdom illumination. As for the negative emotions, they become the
virtuous and mystic awareness practice. So, Tao and Te are unified, and
body and mind reach their final marriage.
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Scientific Manipulation
The historical development of science is based upon the rational

mind, dogmatic institution and religious practice of Western cul-
ture. When the rational mind becomes the defining line between
yes and no, when dogmatic institution separates man from God,
when the religious practice condemns human beings as sinful by
nature, institutional religious worship is transformed into personal
scientific devotion. Rational dogma becomes scientific law. Mental
products replace natural products. The position that the rational
mentality takes is that “yes” is absolutely “yes” and “no” is abso-
lutely “no,” having no connecting link. This mentality of separation
and isolation gradually arrives at its dominant position in the history
of human evolution. Its fine line becomes the lineal notion of univer-
sal law; its method and technical device become the social justice.
Consequently, communication in our complex society thrives on
the usage of scientific vocabularies, rational hypotheses and sta-
tistical lies. Those who are unfamiliar with the terms are often clas-
sified as uneducated and alienated indigenous beings.
In our present time, the power of science can often supply in-
stant gratification. Yesterday’s scientific fact may be disproved by
tomorrow’s new theory derived from a different calculation through
a more advanced technology. It is a merciless pronouncement, a
dream-catching imagination, and an ultimate self-rejection. The sci-
entific measurement is based upon the repetition of research and
recycling between the two as well as the statistical calculation and
evaluation of one and three: one is the discovery stage; three is the
marketing practice; two is the marriage between subjectivity and
objectivity. This is the abstract point, the rational law, and the fine
line of scientific view as it results in a distortion of our natural rhythm.
Harmony is diversified into classification and categorization, and
flow is the commercial advertisement and stock fluctuation at the
expense of a natural cycle. Lao Tzu’s statement of acting upon/
within good timing becomes an old-fashioned concept, one that is
easily discarded. We have locked ourselves into a pattern of self-
destruction, forgetting that our advancement relies on going with
the flow, on adapting and coping with changing circumstances.
When an unexpected turn of events occurs, we are woefully un-
prepared to accept the changes. As the situations become more
chaotic and beyond our control, the boss blames the employees,
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the employees blame the bad road condition, and mind blames the
natural “disasters.”
When science discovered the growth hormone, its potential
appeared to be unequaled but quickly went awry in experimenta-
tion, having developed as a malignancy in the stomach. Those
affected could choose to either live with their condition or take drastic
measures, including surgical removal of the resultant tumor.
With the invention of the digital satellite cable communication
system we could watch TV (our own image) in our home. Yet this
advanced technology is hardly more than the small mirror carried
in a woman’s purse. When scientific knowledge led to the inven-
tion of machines such as automobiles, the poisoned air of the ex-
haust system leached into our lungs. It then escalated further, de-
veloping into our present smog-filled polluted atmosphere that in
turn led to an array of disabling diseases.
When the scientists buried their nuclear waste in the ground, it
seeped into our drinking water and contaminated the soil that grows
our food and the home where we reside. With the invention of bottled
formula, babies were deprived of nature’s perfect nutrition that would
enable them to develop a strong immune system.
Finally, organic receptors are extended by technological
equipment; organic malfunctions are replaced with transplants. Sat-
ellites replace the welcoming open invitation of God in His heav-
enly realm; telemarketing becomes the biophysiological gratifica-
tion; technological reinvestment and advancement become the ul-
timate psychospiritual gurus. All the mechanical techniques we
have accumulated throughout our civilization, especially from the
modern scientific revolution, are at the very least partially removed
from the natural phenomena of change.
Directed by the mind’s anticipation, natural reaction evolves into
mental projection. The world shrinks, dominated by competition,
verging on the catastrophic. As science progresses and matures,
its natural limitation will invite a backlash, the ultimate punishment
for manipulating the sacred mechanism of nature.
Belly – Energetic Bank of Oneness
Lao Tzu ascertains that belly is the method of being. Belly is where
God’s tombs—sacral and tailbones—rest, how the Chi of life is
directed, and why we exist and continue to be. Through the navel
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or the Old Gate in Biblical tradition, life is given. Cosmic knowledge

of corruption becomes a biological mechanism, eternal life evolves
into the two worlds—living reality and dream reality—charged by
the changing modality of presence.
When the energy gathered from above the head (the universal
Chi) and below the feet (the earthly Chi) is stored at the Lower
Cinnabar Field, it becomes a process of unifying all into Oneness.
This is the only purpose as well as the habitual activity of Lao Tzu’s
daily life practice to sustain from the mother source; experiencing
the meaning and usefulness of Oneness. In daily life, the Lower
Cinnabar Field becomes an energetic bank that generates the body
and mind to act in a harmonious pattern rather than a reproductive
device to discharge the vital force. In this “field,” the kidney “water”
provides the basic nutrition for the body and mind by circulating its
Chi up and down along the Microcosmic Orbit in the same manner
as well water or a mountain spring.
Fungi – Food of Oneness
In Taoist tradition, a fast is a discipline used to cleanse the body. It

has been applied since early times to abstain from grain consump-
tion, to enable the body to return to its nomadic diet of herbs, fungi
and mushrooms. This ancient practice of abstinence is called
“Bigu,” with “bi” defined as “be away from” or “cut off”, and “gu” for
“valley” or “grain.” Grain in meditation practice is considered a solid
food. To consume this heavy food hinders the practice of advance-
ment, making it more difficult or even impossible.
Each herb is a natural plant with its own energy quality of color,
flavor and energy substance. By taking natural herbs and mush-
rooms, the body will return to its light condition allowing the Chi of
air and light to easily enter and flow through. When water com-
bines with air and light, the body receives the average adult re-
quirement. The minerals in the body do not fluctuate at the same
speed as vegetative elements. They are the basic substances and
building blocks of the body, and fungi are most beneficial because
they belong to the earliest family of biological formation on earth.
By consuming this, the physical body, the most highly developed
organism on earth, will revert to its original fungus state. You will
come to rely more directly on the Chi of heaven and earth—oxy-
gen, hydrogen, nitrogen and different particles that constitute heat
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and light—to replace the ordinary food consumption. This is the

practice of hibernation (as some animals do during winter season)
and metamorphoses (transforming worm-state bodies into flying
beings). Taoists follow this path. Meditating in caves, they will di-
rectly absorb cosmic yang Chi as well as air, water molecules and
minerals. Meditation becomes the sum of all life activities.
Gehong, a famous Taoist Master of the second century, wrote
the first summary on the Taoist fasting practice of using natural
elements such as fungi and herbs. He stated that those who con-
sume plants are good at walking but dumb. Those who consume
meat are more powerful but tend to be aggressive. Those who eat
grain are intelligent but do not live long. Those who eat fungi be-
come spiritual and will not die, because the spirit never dies.
Vision of Oneness
Lao Tzu realized that when he centered himself, sensory recep-

tors became useless before the “eye” of the Tao. Look for it and
not see it, it is called invisible; listen for it and not hear it, it is called
inaudible; reach for it and not touch it, it is called intangible. The
invisible, inaudible and intangible is the manifestation of the Tao.
Our bodily mechanical tools for seeing, hearing and touching are
limited to the formal and materialistic environment. They manifest
only through the appearance of the Form, the multiplicity of One,
and the creation of Non-being. The nature of Oneness, at any level
and any time, is beyond our bodily communicable capacity. The
invisible is the fine color that eyes cannot see. The inaudible is the
subtle vibration that ears cannot hear. The intangible is the pure
appearance that the hands and bodily skin cannot touch.
Pure color is beyond reckoning even if our eyes were endowed
with the maximum capacity for sight to visualize as clearly as a
microscope or a telescope. Our ears may be equipped with digital
audio devices to enhance sound, yet subtle vibration is beyond our
detection. Our hands reach beyond the tangible appearance of
matter, yet we cannot grasp pure appearance. These three are
beyond reckoning since Nature’s true state is beyond any mechani-
cal calculation employed by our human mentality. Yet, when these
three are merging together, they are One. As for this One, there is
nothing above it remaining to be accounted for, there is nothing
below it that has been excluded. Ever searching for it, it is beyond
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naming. It returns to no-thing. Its state is described as no state, its

form is described as formless. It is called the vision beyond focus.
Follow after it, and it proves endless. Go before it, and no begin-
ning can be found.
By employing the Tao of today, we can manage today’s affairs
and know the ancient past. Nothing is old and nothing is new. Ev-
eryday is the same day, and every year is the same year. Every-
thing is here now and completely present before us. We have no
need to study history to know the past, to live the present, and to
predict the future. Whether yesterday was inaudible, or today is
intangible, or tomorrow will be invisible matters not at all. This is
the power of knowing around and the spiritual presence practice.
Psycho-Spiritual Unification
The Taoist cultivation practice is psycho-spiritual in its nature. Will-
power—the best weapon of mind—is essential for the transforma-
tion of the spiritual upon the biophysiological. Without psychologi-
cal unification, the energy cannot be centered and crystallized. For
example, the endocrine and immune systems, so essential to our
existence, would dissolve into nothing more than superstitious in-
stitutional practice. The Oneness of yin and yang cannot possibly
be reunited. Therefore, psychological transformation is a means
and a must. Through this transformation, the process of drawing
the spirit and soul into Oneness has its necessary outcome. The
biophysiological nature of yin (female) and yang (male) will inevita-
bly return to their complete and unified Oneness: androgynous unity.
Biophysical Oneness – the Androgynous Self

In theology and spiritual practice, sacred water has been an ines-
capable topic. Primarily, it is used to purify the body and cleanse
the spirit, which is accomplished through various religious ceremo-
nies. There is a similarity in the conventional practice of Taoism in
the aspect of healing. It defines the sacred water as the combina-
tion of bone marrow and hormonal fluid. In the depths of esoteric
cultivation,sacred water or essential Jing from the Lower Cinnabar
Field (cauldron) responds to the challenge of the sacred spirit. The
pure person or androgynous self is then stored at the Middle Cin-
nabar Field (thymus/heart) through the fusion of five organic Chi.
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By understanding the male and holding onto the female, we see

that heaven and earth combine and allow sweet dew. When the
essential Jing of kidney Chi along the spine reaches the cerebrum
in the brain it will invite the conscious fire by gathering the ethereal
breath: the pure light. The mixed yin essence and the ethereal breath
unify to produce a material we call nectar, sweet dew or sacred
water. As this nectar flows down into the mouth, it is no longer
saliva but jade-fluid, prepared to assimilate with thyroid and par-
athyroid glands for the purpose of purifying the five organic Chi in
the chest.
The most effective times to purify sacred water and produce
sweet dew are: eleven p.m. to one a.m., three to five a.m., and the
emerging state of sexual arousal, what ever time that might be.
From eleven p.m. to one a.m., the earthly yin Chi is replaced by the
solar yang Chi. From three to five a.m., the kidney meridian acti-
vates kidney Chi, releasing both the essential sexual Chi produced
and the leftover materials (urine and bowel activity). It is the time
when the spirit power overtakes the ghost power. Yet, the sexual
arousal state, called “huo-zi-shi” or live-eleven-one period, is the
most precious time to practice the sacred water gathering.
Exercises:
1. For the male, place the thumb and middle finger of both hands
together, then visualize the “head” of the standing penis. When
the penis is relaxed, visualize your two testes with two eyes.
After this, rest the conscious mind at the level of the cerebrum.
The sexual Chi will then be reabsorbed.
2. For the female, massage the breasts as you visualize the clitoris
and follow your breath. Then draw the sexual Chi from the clitoris
upward following a line (the white line) to the central point between
the breasts. Following this, connect this portion of Chi with the
thyroid and parathyroid glands. Store the final Chi—mixed at
the center between the second and third ribs—behind the
sternum, that is the center of lungs and thymus gland.
This crystallized Chi will cleanse the psychosomatic
problems caged in the chest, reduce the amount of flow during
the period, and invite the virgin boy (spiritual light) into the flower
to produce the spiritual seed: golden elixir.
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Embracing Oneness
As Lao Tzu has illustrated, understanding the male and holding

on to the female refers to biological construction of yin and yang.
Understanding the pure and holding on to the impure refers to the
state of yin and yang. And understanding the white and holding on
to the black refers to the appearance of yin and yang. The flow of
the world, the cleansing of the world and the formation of the world
are the three natural characters of yin and yang. Yin is female: the
impure and black; yang is male: pure and white. The flow is the
combination of pure and impure: the formation of black and white.
The childhood is the unification of yin and yang: a simple state of
cleansing and having an ongoing sufficed action that does not stray.
This state is also an infinite state of the returning act of Tao; the
mechanism is to simplify the action of pure yang and impure yin.
From within the murky comes the stillness. The feminine enlivens
with her milk. The seed of stillness is alive within the murky matter,
the mother. In turn, the life force—milk—is produced to nourish the
growth of a life: the transformation of seed. The mother has the
murky body, draws the stillness, and produces the substances of
the Tao: sacred water and milk. Keeping such a Tao, excess is
undesirable. Desiring no excess, work is completed without
exhaustion. From this, Lao Tzu says that the sage makes it the
head ruler. By doing so, the great ruling never divides.
Psycho-Spiritual Oneness – the God like Self

The religious notion of marrying God is described by Lao Tzu as
donning the spirit and soul and drawing them into Oneness. Then
the true self will never depart. This translates as: through reserving
the action of flowing energy, the desire is reduced; through the
process of gathering heavenly Chi, the conduct of po will be con-
trolled. When there is a peaceful mind, hun’s mental conscious
activity will return to shen’s pure conscious state: the ability of know-
ing and the capacity of anticipating within and without. This return-
ing is the act of Tao.
The psychospiritual Oneness is based upon the combination of
biophysical Oneness and the heavenly yang Chi. It is pure light or
the unified three states of color: the formal state (constructive state)
of the golden spiritual light, the cleansing state (creative state) of
the white evergreen blue, and the mechanical state (returning state)
of the procreative universal white force. The psycho-spiritual One-
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Chapter IV
ness is an energy manipulation process based upon the quality of

virtue and its deeds produced. The person who works according to
Tao unites with Tao. In the same ways he unites with Te. In the
same ways he unites with loss. Uniting with Te, the Tao becomes
Te. Uniting with loss, the Tao becomes loss. Tao never loses but is
transmitted into either Action (Te) or loss. If your purpose in life is
the acquisition of material things, especially the prominent name
and possessions accumulated, you will inevitably end up with loss.
If you want to unite with the Action of Tao, you will lose everything
but not the Action of Tao. If you want to be united with Tao, you will
lose everything but not the Tao.
We can disregard our mental projections and appraisals to con-
centrate on making a right judgment of the reality of nature, em-
bracing and uniting with it. There is little difference between a pa-
triot and a killer, a party and a gang or a saint and a sinner. Since
each depends upon the other for its existence, all that matters is
the “fine line” where one is standing. This “fine line” is the intention
of mind guarded by soul, heart and spirit, and the action of the
body/mind process. If the intention is selfless, there is no cause for
concern. Just be who you are and do what you must. You can save
someone’s life through kindness or destroy a relationship by mis-
using the kindness. You can save someone’s life through justice or
kill him by restoring the established justice. If an action requires
you to step with the right foot, then action with the left foot will bring
trouble.
Mystical Female
The body is a mystic field, whether male or female. There are three
areas representing the mystic female. The first area is that of the
perineum where the biological seed of love that gives birth to new
life is received. The second area is in the thymus gland for receiv-
ing the love of light and the lost self. The third one is the pituitary
gland that receives the cosmic power and spiritual understanding.
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Embracing Oneness
Pituitary
Fig.4.5 Well Valley, Thymus and Pituitary Glands are the Mystic Triad.
The first area exemplifies the oceanic, unconscious and life-

death state. When a practitioner concentrates on the perineum
pressure point and muscles, they will experience the union be-
tween a vagina and its partner penis. For the female practitioner,
when the energy runs directly from perineum to vulva and to clito-
ris, the heat generated from contraction will naturally run into the
ovaries to internally transform the eggs into useful substances to
sustain her body.
In regard to the male, all the muscles around the perineum pres-
sure point should be open and in a relaxed state. Restrained and
tightened muscles signal all chronic conditions, e.g. lower back
pain, sciatica, premature ejaculation, impotence, fear, low self-es-
teem and poor mental performance. Most importantly, lower sexual
energy results in poor mental function and vice versa.
The second area, for opening the gate of unconditional and self-
less love, lies in the thymus gland. When the thymus gland lacks
resource of itself, it reveals the traits of selfishness and discrimi-
nation and egotism. While unifying with the lost love, this gland
becomes the sacred vessel in which to manifest a consciously
selfless and blissful love. Anyone who has not unified with the lost
love within, will become the loser in a love relationship regardless
of past history. Any long-term relationship requires constant sacri-
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fice that in turn provides the opportunity for liberation and growth.
Marriage, both biological and soulful, is a false promise underlying
a karmic blockage between the two, and an opportunity to trans-
form it. Neither participant can live what the other must and neither
promising soul can satisfy the other lost soul. Terminating a rela-
tionship before transforming the karmic blockage will bring disas-
ter to both the self and the ongoing relationship. A promise, in itself,
demonstrates a precise lack of self-esteem and trust. Spirit has
no reason to promise anything. The ultimate union—spirit and
love—cannot live up to the high standard of self-promise and sworn
vows.
In the third area, the most rewarding experience is awakening
the unconscious that is stored in the abdominal area and the emo-
tional love residing in the chest. This can occur when the active
mind is stilled and the pituitary gland is calm as its hormone-direct-
ing functions are balanced and minimal. In sustained conditions of
darkness meditation (such as in a mountain cave), this desirable
subtle effect is especially profound when the pineal gland becomes
the energy center—the entire biological process of life is altered.
The triad relationship among spirit, love and pineal gland will cre-
ate the finest marriage on earth and in heaven: oneness.
Nature and Culture of Psychospiritual Oneness
The time of year doesn’t matter as long as we can gather energy

from the outside world. If we are capable of knowing, we have no
need to protect ourselves. When we are united with Oneness, it is
not necessary to name it. If we call it God, Brahma, Allah, Nirvana,
the Ultimate, Tao, or “whatever” is immaterial. This is the nature of
psychospiritual Oneness as experienced and embraced by all en-
lightened individuals, from the time of the earliest religious founders
into the far-reaches of the unknown future. They have no need to
be embraced or revered. They care only about their potential to be
one with the Tao, not of our expectations, beliefs and values. They
examine us with subtle understanding, offering no response to our
demanding minds and adorned bodies. They are so immersed in
remaining in this state that they value it more highly than they do
their own lives. All they require from us is our readiness.
What we must first know and understand is the prerequisite
demand of total commitment to the connection between them and
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Embracing Oneness
us. The enlightened ones are the images, the pictures and the
lights seen by our envisioned spirits. They can transform a certain
power within us, but cannot maintain our physical bodies. Neither
can we depend entirely on them. We must feed ourselves, which
involves gathering the Chi and cultivating ourselves. Never think
that because we believe them, they will supply us with everything
we need. Know that our ego mind will not please them. There has
been no evidence that any religious founder or a spiritually enlight-
ened person did not need to first experience his biophysiological
process from birth to death. What we are struggling to learn today
is how to integrate their life experiences and fundamental teach-
ings within our daily practice. A sage, a true spiritual doctor, can
help us open the door to the wondrous core of our longings, but to
do so we must surrender to our true nature—our complete self—
to absolute freedom and creative spontaneity.
Religious practice is partly cultural ramification; religious beliefs
are culturally defined ideas. In Taoist terms the goal of entering the
Tao is to be One with Tao. Certain useful cultural practices are
shamanistic healing and I Ching counseling. The most powerful of
these cultural aids are the Tao and yin/yang, but they are neither
culturally concluded nor limited within their own cultural framework.
Living beyond culture and self is the ideal model of Taoist
cultivation towards psychospiritual Oneness.
Historically, our ancestor(s) lived with only one connection, one
faith and one belief. The connection is between the self and uni-
verse, the faith is between the self and God, and the belief is the
pure spiritual knowing and the mental conscious practice. Since
we have the connection between our biological parents and spiri-
tual parent, we have more detailed beliefs than faith and more
mechanical techniques than beliefs. We have moved from the river
banks to the ocean beaches, and have shifted from a spiritual con-
nection to scientific imagination. Our spring water is now a mixed
drink, the spiritual belief becomes a scientific paradigm, and the
mental connection develops into a mechanical operation. There is
more pollution than there is untouched nature. There are more
activities—a mixture of good and bad—than pure conscious acts
and virtuous deeds.
The greatest task in cultivation is the restoration of this. It can
be accomplished by focusing inwardly where intention and per-
ceptual awareness become totally interactive guiding steps. When
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the organic functions are centralized, and their organic appear-

ances merge with universal light, the “eyes” will see naturally the
internal organic colors, their metabolic functioning, the past experi-
ences and future events. The “ears” will hear the vibratory activi-
ties of natural phenomena. The mind regains its shen’s ability of
knowing by unifying hun and po as well as reducing xin’s demands
and po’s desire. Working hard for continuing existence will be re-
placed by active meditation practice. The daily conscious state
and nightly dreaming state will merge into one. Sex life will be inter-
nally balanced and neutralized. Name and fame will be expanded
into the image of universal activity. Possession and obsession
transform into kindness, caring and giving. Out-of-body experience,
near-death experience, extrasensory perceptions, being one with
the universe, stoppage of time, and finally being One with God will
be the accumulating grand experiences.
Three Oneness
There are three types of reunions in life experience. They are namely:
biophysical marriage, ideal connection, and spiritual reunion com-
monly called “marrying to God.” The biophysical marriage is the
connection of the yin and yang kidney Chi. Climax is its peak expe-
rience, followed by the products of offspring. The ideal connection
is the mental communication between yin type of humanly hun and
yang type of universal mechanism. The peak experience is the
insightfulness and thorough mental clarity. The products are the
ideas, thoughts and all the manifested products dealing with un-
derstanding of nature and the evolution of civilization. Spiritual
marriage is the connection of bodily pure yang force and heavenly
yang force. The peak experience is bliss. The products are pure
persons or God’s children.
Among these three, the first reunion is the earthly one of a couple.
Though they enjoy the process and experience Oneness, the act
is a simultaneous exchange between death and birth. The One-
ness is the reunion of the two suffused, separated and manifested
entities of yin and yang, of male and female, of anima and animus.
It is originally, in itself, the complete Oneness, which is also three.
As for the ideal connection, the subjective side is the pure inter-
nal connection between mental flash and light, self and thought,
insightfulness and experience, hun’s soulful consciousness and
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Embracing Oneness
shen’s pure consciousness, idea and reality, and reality and eter-
nity. After these subjects are transformed into letters and num-
bers, tools and machines, their end result is totally unlike its origi-
nal form. The process is ongoing from individual identity to profes-
sional practice, from self-discovery to social justification, from in-
ternal understanding to culturalization. Their duality exists between
voice and order, conscience and justice, convenience and prac-
tice.
It is this individual action and the cultural process that gives rise
to inventions, which become highly prized and valuable, but serve
only to make our lives more miserable. In life, we have innumer-
able choices but they are all based on the parents we chose. In
society, we can enjoy freedom but perhaps not its cultural prac-
tice. In government, we speak out with conviction concerning our
personal views but have little to say about its political structures. In
worship, we can be entranced with esoteric experiences but can-
not openly challenge any religious belief. We could blame our par-
ents for our imperfections just as we could blame society for im-
posing its standard but limited cultural practices, which are based
upon the mental creativity, discovery, legislature and sanction of a
limited few.
This is why the Taoist cultivation opens still another door, a new
road for those who are unhappy with restraints inherited from their
parents and their society, for those who long to be themselves. To
be a Taoist is to have the smallest mind, make the least number of
choices and enjoy the most freedom. The only choice to be made
is to follow in the footsteps of the sage, going backward and being
One with the Tao. It is not another mandatory rule; it is reverting to
the original unified nature where we are meant to be. The life of a
sage creates no social ramification since he lives beyond social
qualification and cultural limitation. This is why being One with Tao
means abandoning the egoistic mind and self-inhibited culture.
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Power of Keeping the Oneness

To move forward is to have the actual experience of psycho-spiri-
tual transformation. Without this valuable experience the transfor-
mation will appear to be a fictitious writing. It will be interpreted
from the standpoint of liberal arts, and the writings will be treated
as the writer’s creative thoughts rather than a truthful and earthly
experience. Of course, one could still maintain that visualization is
a tool for both creative writing and meditation practice. Without any
hands-on experience, it would be a difficult task to differentiate be-
tween the scripture of the phenomenological results of meditation
and the literature viewed as fictitious scenarios. Generally speak-
ing, most people enjoy reading fiction rather than religious or medi-
tative material.
The main difference between meditators and writers is that
meditators have no need to record the experience as has been
done traditionally by all the esoteric religions. Jesus, one of the
best meditators in the history of the world, wrote nothing himself.
The purpose of writing is not the importance of the material itself
as much as the preservation and passing on of the tradition. To
those who do so, writing is their livelihood. If their writings are not
published, staged, or screened into TV or movies, they have no
profession.
Another consideration is that some meditators may be writers,
and some writers may be meditators. However, not all meditators
are writers and not all writers are meditators. A good meditator has
no need to write, since meditation is not based upon linguistic abil-
ity and writing skills. All that is needed is a good heart and a self-
less faith followed by diligent practice. Heart carries the faith into
diligent practice. By contrast, a good writer should be a good medi-
tator. It is in the practice of meditation that thought surfaces, quality
is ensured and the mind can express the meaning of words. Medi-
tation experiences are based solely upon the careful preservation
of retained Oneness.
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Embracing Oneness
Oneness – Child of the Tao
Ultimate
Stillness
Yang Creation Yin
Super Cluster Super Cluster
Tai Chi
5 Elements
Milky Way Galaxy
Earth
Fig. 4.6 Wu Chi - The Universe
Oneness is the first and oldest child to which the Tao gives birth.
Existing within this oneness are the co-dependent, co-existent and
co-supportive forces of two. This two is the harmony of yin and
yang. When yin and yang unite, combining their opposite forces,
three—the son of all sons, the copy of all copies, and the seed of
myriad things in the world—is produced. This is the evolutionary
process defined as Tao gives rise to one; one gives rise to two; two
gives rise to three; three gives rise to all things.
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Chapter IV
When Tao enlivens, it fuses, suffuses and diffuses into the form
of matters. The function of the Tao is the fusion within harmonious
emptiness. The role of the Tao is taken over by the Action (or the
virtuous Te) since Tao is lost into the harmonious existence of yin
and yang. Through the goodness, kindness and nourishment of
action by the Mystic Female or Divine Mother, matter enters into
existence. This matter is the seed of all matters. It is the mecha-
nism that generates and regenerates all existing matters. Matter is
the form of the world, while mechanism is the operation of the
world. In our everyday existence language is the mechanism of
mind; cooking is the mechanism of the stomach; books are the
mechanism of the scholar. Words and ideas are the mechanism
of intelligence, machines are the mechanism of science, the sur-
geon is the mechanism of bodily reconstruction, nonattachment is
the mechanism of a healthy mind, and illumination is the mecha-
nism of spiritual enlightenment. Most importantly, sex is the mecha-
nism of life and death.
From the earliest beginnings of our human form, the original
mechanism has been the single, pure, primary, primordial and illu-
minating yang Chi: the seed with the potential of suffusing into two.
This seed carries the potential of the co-existence of Father-Mother
or Progenitor-Progenitrix as well. The loving force of Chi draws
them together into a temporal union, thus giving birth to the three:
the origin of our biological self. Chinese mythology tells us that
human beings have existed since the earthly Mother received Chi,
God’s sexual energy of illuminating light and cosmic orgasm. She
felt suddenly a complete orgasm (sexual, emotional, intellectual
and spiritual) within herself. Her two children, brother/husband Fuxi
and sister/wife Nuwa, became the common ancestors. Nuwa es-
tablished the first law in China to abandon the practice of marriage
between siblings as a result of their tragic experience. Fuxi went
on to devise the practices of worship and accounting, as well as
the understanding of the Eight Diagrams. He taught his children
how to fish and hunt.
The incestuous taboo between siblings is the most forbidding
disclosure of our common secret: we are all brothers and sisters.
Our parents as well as our grandparents were brothers and sis-
ters. For this reason any sexual activity is religiously sinful. It sheds
light on why, generation after generation, we have been constantly
and continuously searching, trying to unify yet constantly and sadly
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Embracing Oneness
failing. The separated and lost Self opens its arms, always inviting
us into its embrace, always elusive, finally rejected. We cannot
grasp it. The sacred mechanism of the world cannot be manipu-
lated. Those who manipulate fail, those who hold on to it lose.
The hidden truth is that we all have the male and female selves
within us: the brotherhood and sisterhood of our biological ances-
tor. We are as lonely as widow and orphan without support. Widow
is our Great Mother, and orphan is her child who is not being sup-
ported and cared for by its heavenly Father. But Lords and rulers
name themselves these. Any individual who is crowned becomes
the ultimate orphan on earth and in that country, since no one else
can sit in his chair and no other person can speak for him: only
God. He speaks to the people on behalf of our creator God. This
chair is the ultimate prison on earth, more solitary than spirit. Sage
will never occupy the palace; he could never be happy nor even
exist in such a self-restrained position.
Outcome of Cultivation
Lao Tzu has written with detailed and poetic expression about the
nature and the history of attaining and preserving the Oneness. He
summarizes the lives of those in the past who have attained One-
ness through natural phenomena of human experience. His defin-
ing words are: by attaining Oneness, heaven is clear. By attaining
Oneness, earth is at peace. By attaining Oneness, the spirit is
quickened. By attaining Oneness, the valley is filled. By attaining
Oneness, the king puts order in the whole world. All these result
from Oneness. Without its clarity, heaven is liable to explode. With-
out its peace, earth is liable to erupt. Without its quickening, the
spirit is liable to die out. Without its fullness, valleys are liable to
dry out. Without proper esteem, the king is liable to fall. Esteem is
rooted in the humble. The high is founded upon the low. This is why
the lords and rulers call themselves widows and orphans without
support. Is this not the root of being humble? Much praise amounts
to no praise. Without preference, being is as resonant as Jade and
as gravelly as stone. Yield, and retain integrity. In the depths there
is stillness. The hollow enables the plentiful. The old gives way to
the new. The small allows for increase. Excess breeds confusion.
Therefore the sage holds oneness as the shepherd of the world.
The quality and meaning of life is all contained in the One. As
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Chapter IV
the Chinese have philosophically defined it: one is all and all is one.
We have one life to live on earth at this time, regardless of the
history of our past or the hope for the future. If we waste it or de-
stroy it, there is no more chance at this life. Life is regarded as a
very serious matter. If we do not open ourselves to this solemn
truth, we will lose our spirit-self in our downward spiral to our ulti-
mate destination: death. Lao Tzu has wisely concluded that the
reason people are not serious about death is because they seek
the burdens of life.
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Chapter V
World of the Sage
What is a Sage?
Historically, the sage has occupied the highest intellectual position

known to man, being possessed of the deepest moral responsibil-
ity while harboring the least material objection. A lonely figure, he
holds the position between Truth and knowledge, transforms from
wise to holy, evolves from the cyclical life to the eternal void. He is
regarded as a legendary male figure, concerned only with sustain-
ing purity and the completion of yang Chi: celestial energy. He dis-
dains the firmly embedded and gender-biased view taken by the
masses. We view the sage as the culmination of wisdom and im-
mortality. Through his understanding being passed down to us, we
are able to judge between the decisive acts of human beings and
that of God. We are made aware, in our earthly existence, of the
defining line between heavenly spirits and earthly souls. Because
of him, we can rise above our circumstances in this human life;
they are nothing, superceded by the dream of a heavenly life.
In this context the Chinese mind regards the sage as the most
revered individual between heaven and earth, the Ideal Model for a
human being to emulate. Taoist inner alchemy cannot teach us
“what” a Taoist is, but opens the mind to many “ways” in which to
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Chapter V
become a Taoist, as transmitted to us by the sages themselves.

From the legendary stories of the birth of the first human beings to
that of the highest position in the country—the first emperor (Chin-
Shi-Huang-Di 259—210 B.C.)—there has never been another
individual source. The sage speaks from God’s exalted tone, acts
on behalf of God’s will, and represents God’s most favored child.
Taoism is, at most, a native religion but not a national one. From
the ideal connection between man and heaven to the realistic prac-
tice between the power of ego and the freedom of mind, there has
never been a national, dogmatic and institutional religion in Chi-
nese culture. Being controlled by political power and the Confucian
ethical practice, the Chinese people have been denied freedom of
action but have always employed freedom of the spiritual mind.
In the book of Tao Te Ching, the term sage is the most fre-
quently used, appearing in twenty-one chapters. In those chap-
ters, Lao Tzu depicts the sage walking through his human life within
sagehood. He places a greater emphasis on the importance of
being a sage than he does on the meaning of hearing of Tao. A
sage is a meditator who has mastered the cultivation practice of
body/mind into that of a newborn baby. He is a carrier of kindness
whose moral nutrition is utilized in the people’s hearts but not clearly
understood in their minds. He is a ruler in the world whose conduct
imparts a state of being, whose position is lowly, and whose method
is utter simplicity. The mechanism of the intellect is elevated into a
mechanism of universal manifestation. The intellect is wise when
there is no desire in the mind; while captured by demands, it be-
comes crafty. The act itself is kind when there is no competition;
while searching for perfection, it becomes possessive. Thus, when
Lao Tzu is describing a sage, he employs the qualities of “wise,”
“kind” and “Wu Wei,” which are interchangeable definitions in their
depiction of sage.
Lao Tzu calls himself a sage. For example, the method of his
cultivation practice outlined as emptying the mind, vitalizing the
stomach, softening the will and strengthening the character, is la-
beled as the sage’s governing method. The following expressions
are further examples:
1. Sage is for the belly not the eyes.

2. The sage wears shabby cloth but holds a treasure within.
3. The sage holds Oneness as the shepherd of the world.
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World of the Sage
4. Therefore the sage says: When I am in-active, people trans-

form themselves. When I abide in stillness, people organize
themselves lawfully. When I am disengaged, people enrich
themselves. When I choose non-desire, people remain simple.
To be a sage and to live a sage’s life is neither easy nor impos-

sible. It is a life devoid of desire, ambition, name, competition,
wealth, and possessions. The sage bears a wonderful name called
immortality, a quality that cannot be defined socially and culturally.
To reach immortality is to become self-effacing. Exercising only
the right conduct of speech and action, doing no more and no less
than what is required. It is acting at the right time with the right
person within the right space, expressing no self-explanation and
no self-advertising. Voice is the complementary vehicle of action;
Tao is transformed into the virtuous Te of kindness. The term Tao-
ism can be construed as “obscure,” “abstract,” “ethical” and “force-
ful,” but a sage’s behavior illuminates the Tao as alive, active, and
achievable.
Sage’s Physical Condition

Sage is the individual, collective and universal persona under which
the trilogy of Tao, the meaning of Action. and the role of human
being are uniformly embodied and characterized. Upon examina-
tion of the practical result of cultivation, we see that a sage’s body
is an androgynous Chi body. With this invisible capability, a sage’s
body is in unity with the mind, not a burden of perceptual and ener-
getic limitation. Because of this total infusion, a sage’s body is a
friend of life, not an object to be displayed. With its unique ability to
rejuvenate, a sage’s body is a womb for producing a self-like baby,
not a treasure to be preserved. Its completion and singularity serve
as a cinnabar field to cultivate God-like self, but not a golden elixir
to be held and treasured. As Lao Tzu continues to expound: Re-
laxing the body, the body comes to the fore. Beyond the body, the
body comes to the fore. Beyond the body, the body exists of itself.
Not even relying on selflessness enables the self to be fulfilled.
The definition of relaxation is comparable to the Buddhist idea
of readiness: no sickness, no frustration, no restraint, and no ex-
pectation. It is the overall meaning of presence. “Coming to the
fore” doesn’t mean that the caretaker’s role is removed from the
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Chapter V
mind, allowing the body to wander without direction, racing head-

long to the edge of a cliff, nor is it expecting the body to confront
risk with no assistance. “Coming to the fore” is permitting the body
to by-pass mental calculation and expectation, being free to move
with its own rhythm, at its own pace, measured with its own
strength, and in its own time. Thus, the mind reaches beyond the
body, yet, the stillness within holds it at bay.
When the body comes to the fore on its own, poisonous insects
and venomous snakes do not sting it. Predatory birds and fero-
cious animals do not seize it. Its bones are soft and its sinews
supple, yet its grasp is firm; without knowing the union of male and
female, its organs become aroused. Its vital essence comes to
the point; crying all day, its voice never becomes hoarse. Its har-
mony comes to the point. The central and essential location ar-
rives in the right environment at the right time, engaged in the right
bodily conduct. This is why the mind must be removed, relaxed
and returned. The arousal of organs supplies the power of willful
penetration to grasp the central attention, and to voice the harmo-
nious organic vibration. Softness creates the space of firmness,
grounding generates the pointing power, and homesick crying is
the voice of sobering souls.
Because the sage values the world as he does the body, he can
be entrusted with the world. Because he loves his body as he
loves the beauty of the world, he can be responsible for the world.
As strength, will and harmony is achieved, the value of body is
displayed; the meaning of the country is revealed in its beauty: the
treasure of sacred vessel. The sage, with his quiet strength and
intrinsic value, bears the disgrace of the country and becomes the
ruler of the country. With grace and beauty, sage bears the misfor-
tune of the world and is the ruler of the world.
On Water
Four meridians in the Chinese system are related only with water
flow in and out of the body/mind. They are: bladder meridian, belt
meridian, yin chiao and yin wei meridians. Ren, kidney and thrust
meridians are also closely related to the water function.
In Taoist healing practice, the first step is to reopen and rejuve-
nate the thrust and belt meridians. They are the first set of Kan
(water) and Li (fire): without water, without kidney fluid and bodily
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World of the Sage
stream; without fire, without adrenal power and intellectual capac-

ity.
The next step is to open the yin chiao and yin wei meridians.
The Chinese character chiao means “leap” or “jump”or “jiggle,”
while wei means “surround” or “circle” or “gather.” These two me-
ridians are engaged with the water function of life from plants, fruits
and trees to animals, humans, and cosmic spirits on earth. In plants
and trees they start at the root. Then they rise internally through the
trunk to manifest as flowers and fruits. In the human body these
two meridians are set in motion from the inner ankle and shin,
traveling upward inside the legs and at the front of the body. Through
the neck, wei remains within the thyroid and parathyroid glands
while chiao travels to the eyes. Each side of the body contains one
complete set of these meridians.
Fig. 5.1 Meditating to activate the wei meridians (inside lines) and the
chiao meridians (outside lines).
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Chapter V
Exercises dealing with Four Meridians:

1. Place both hands, palms facing and connecting with the navel.
Visualize a small white dot in the middle of abdominal area.
2. Mentally roll this small white dot forward and down, then back-
ward and up with the rhythm of the breath. Inhale, visualize this
dot moving forward and down, exhale backward and up to form
the minutest circle. Continue this practice allowing the circle to
become a bit larger each time. It will literally draw the testes
Chi and ovaries Chi up to the chest when the count reaches
49.
3. Stay for a while to experience the warmth and heat in both the
abdominal and chest areas.
4. Work backward from the previous exercise. Inhale, visualize
the energy set in motion from the largest realm and moving
down. Exhale and move up. After 49 times, it returns to the
original white dot.
A: Beginning Level B: Advanced Level

Fig. 5.2 Circulating the oceanic water within.
5. Now, feel the energetic change occurring in the body. Then in-
hale, press the hands flat against the front part of the abdomi-
nal area. Feel the connection of the front and back joining.
6. Hold the breath and feel the intensity of the air pressure or heat
or warmth or whatever sensation appears.
7. When you can no longer hold the breath, exhale and let the
pressure inside the abdomen escape.
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World of the Sage
8. Practice 5, 6 and 7 until you can feel the heat and steam liter-
ally fusing in the body.
Fig. 5.3 Condensing the Chi with hands.
9. Open the hands. Inhale, gently moving the heat around the belt
meridian crossing the pelvic bone. Exhale and place the thumbs
touching the tip of the pelvic bones (ilium) on either side. Join
the hands together with four fingers from either side.
10. Feel the energy circulate for awhile before returning the hands
to the navel area. Begin this practice again until you feel the
energy circulating evenly in the entire abdominal area.
Fig. 5.4 Circulating the Chi through Belt Meridian.
11. Open the hands with palms facing the ground. Send the Chi
from the palms down to the feet. Inhale, gather the energy up
and into the belt meridian area. Exhale, feel the circulation within.
12. When you have sufficient energy surging up across the belt
meridian, it will naturally move further to the chest and brain
area. The highest point where the hands meet should be paral-
lel with the eyes.
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Chapter V
13. By the time the body is literally cooked, place the palms face up
to the sky. This will cool everything down at once.
14. Massage any desirable areas in the body/mind.
Fig. 5.5 Circulating the Chi between heaven and earth
Sage’s Mental Condition

The description of the mentality of a sage can become extremely
wordy. A small sample could be: simple, clean and pure, penetrat-
ing, adaptive, flexible, careful, serious, kind, faithful, witty, experi-
enced, nonjudgmental, non-competitive, self-fulfilled, self-realized,
self-actualized and self-effacing. He also has the benefit of being
aged and is physically withdrawn from desirable action. This can
be summarized in Chinese, as encapsulated in four clusters—Wu
Wei, Wu Zheng, shan and xian—translated as “non-desire” or “non-
action,” “non-competition,” “kindness” and “wise.” We will review
these one by one.
Wu Wei
Wu Wei has been an ideal phrase in Taoist philosophy, very close

to the notion of “being” in Western philosophy. Combined with the
character wu for “no” or “not” and character wei for “act” or “be-
come,” the phrase can be translated as “inaction,” “non-action,”
“in-active,” “not acting,” “non-doing” or “actionless,” depending on
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World of the Sage
the most suitable for the situation. Wu Wei doesn’t suggest “stay
put,” “motionless,” “numb” and “without doing anything.” Nor does
it mean “not to engage action” or “not to be mindful.” The essential
meaning is “not to act desirably,” “not to engage egoistically,” and
“not to become possessive.” Its thrust is the use of psychological
action over philosophical speculation; leaning more toward mind-
ful engagement than rational projection; reflecting spontaneous act-
ing rather than mechanistic involving.
Through living in actionless engagement and preaching word-
less doctrine, Lao Tzu discovered that the myriad creatures act
without inquiring, nourish without possessing, accomplish without
claiming credit. In ordinary life, we are educated and trained to
project a possible outcome before taking action, to foresee a planned
result through action from ego-guided emotional sacrifice. We ex-
pect the acceptance of social values for an accomplishment be-
fore it is achieved. But when the ego is in remission the mind does
non-doing, engages in non-affairs and savors non-flavor. Not even
relying on selflessness enables the self to be fulfilled. When the
self is active, the work is done, the body withdraws; this is the Tao
of heaven. As the Tao is all-pervading, it operates on both the left
and the right. Success is consequent to all affairs. It does not pro-
claim its own existence. All things return, yet there is no claim of
ownership, so it is forever desireless. This can be called small.
This is because mind can seek what is difficult with ease and effect
what is great while it is small. From natural observation Lao Tzu
realized that the most difficult things in the world are done while
they are easy. The greatest things in the world are done while they
are small, since what is easy necessarily entails difficulty. Thus
the sage, through extreme trials, ends up with no difficulty.
All things return, yet there is no claim of ownership, this can be
called great. It is accomplishment without claiming credit that makes
the outcome self-sustaining. The idea is essentially to become
aware of the undeniable difference between an accomplished
affair called success and a desirable result named success. The
sage accomplishes greatness in not planning a great thing and not
acting great; as it turns out, he accomplishes what is great. Through
non-action, the sage does not fail. Not clinging, he does not lose.
The cultivation outcome experienced by Lao Tzu is when I am
‘in-active,’ people transform themselves. When I abide in stillness,
people organize themselves lawfully. When I am disengaged, people
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Chapter V
enrich themselves. When I choose non-desire, people remain

simple. The word “I” represents the pure spiritual entity and the
word “people” encompasses the combined act of po’s bodily need
and hun’s conscious activity. Lao Tzu’s statement can be inter-
preted thus: when the self is in-active, the body transforms itself;
when the self abides in stillness, the body organizes itself; when
the self is disengaged, the body enriches itself; when the self
chooses non-desire, the body remains simple. Because he has
rid his mind of murkiness, hun is prevented from playing its role.
Shen regains self-awareness, self-clarity and self-expressiveness;
po is no longer obligated to possessively supply the energy de-
mand for the “whiteness” of bodily bones and fat. Desire and de-
mand disappear naturally.
Wu Zheng
The character zheng means far more than to “strive” or “compete”

as demanded from the ego. It further represents mental confusion
and intellectual challenge as in “disputing,” “arguing” or “debating.”
The meaning of wu zheng is “not to strive for what is beyond self
and not to pursue what does not belong to self.” People are in-
clined to project a negative attitude toward the transliteral meaning
of “non-competition.” The term “non-competition” represents a per-
son torn between two extremes: being magnanimous, overly gen-
erous and too accommodating, or conversely being too capitulat-
ing, withdrawn, vulnerable, soft, and feeble. The person could also
be someone lacking confidence, self-respect, having no self pro-
tecting qualities and exercising no reservations. This is the ideal of
quietism and passivism but unlike the nature of Tao. It is not the act
of water, nor the complete expression of wu zheng: no giving in and
no giving up. Everything deserves what it gets in return and every-
thing should receive its due naturally, without manipulation.
Equally, when the sage abandons extremes, extravagance, mul-
tiplicity. He desires not to desire and does not value goods that are
hard to get. He learns not to learn, and restores the common
people’s losses. He is able to support the nature of all things and
not daring to impose action. Then what is the point of competing
and what is the purpose of competition?
In Mawangdui texts, the standard phrase of Wu Zheng in chap-
ter 8 Text A is youjing. In Text B it is youzheng. You means “have”
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World of the Sage
and jing is “tranquil.” Whether the second character is either “tran-

quil” or “competition,” the first character means, “has” and not “has
not.” The full sentence in Mawangdui texts can be translated as
water is good at benefiting all things, yet it actively competes. Who
can prove that water doesn’t compete; who is to say that water is
not active? In human history people try desperately but unsuccess-
fully to control floods: the madness of rushing water. Untold num-
bers of lives, human and animal, have drowned and been obliter-
ated by the fury of flooding. Water is the most active and powerful
matter on earth, the very reason it can retain its inactive state. The
special application is that when water retires to undesirable places,
the stillness within the water embraces and balances all the com-
petitive measures, leaving nothing undone. Thus, it is near the Tao.
As the cultivation goes through the last loss, there is no negativ-
ity remaining as the desire and danger of mind is transformed into
subtle awareness. The final competition will not be about gains,
success, name and possessions, but the death of them all. Who-
ever overcomes death overcomes life, whoever lives beyond death
lives beyond life. Sustaining the source of mother, the sage real-
izes that as soon as he exists for others, he has more. As soon as
he gives to others, he has more. So the Tao of heaven benefits
and does not harm. The Tao of humankind exists and does not
compete. At this level, the sage is able to manage the loss that
causes all losses; he uses all negative influence as the treasure of
teaching. Thus, being a good warrior does not entail power. A good
fighter is not angry. One who is good at overcoming the enemy
does not contact him. One who is good at leading people acts hum-
bly. This is called the Action of non-competition. This is called leading
people. This is called the Ultimate as old as heaven.
Shan
In the text of Tao Te Ching, the character shan is equated to “kind,”

“good” or “compassion,” even though its original meaning in Chi-
nese is simply “kind.” There are characters depicting “good” and
“compassion” in the Chinese language, yet Lao Tzu strives to il-
lustrate fully the meaning of shan. He emphasizes that kindness is
the virtue of action: the sage is kind to those who are kind, he is
also kind to those who are not kind. It is the kindness of Action
itself. In this regard, the kindness of Action is not judged by the
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hun’s conscious activity, nor is it preferred or disregarded by po’s

ego anticipation. The performance of kindness should not be en-
hanced for the purpose of personal gain, nor should it be with-
drawn if personal or social recognition is not forthcoming. Kind-
ness is the representation of the grand master Tao.
By employing kindness the sage has the ability to perform good-
ness. Consequently, no one is left out and no talent is wasted.
Those who are slow or weak are encouraged and supported by
kindness, whereas those who show talent and are quick-thinking
will unfold and explore their full potential through kindness. Lao Tzu
calls this being in the tow of enlightenment. For everything that is
good is the teacher of the good person. Everything that is bad
becomes a resource for the good person. No need to honor the
teachers. No need to love the resources. This is because both yin
and yang are emerging from and being generated by this action.
The body and mind are the double mirror; the inner consciousness
and outer behavior view themselves; love and insight are the dual
action of oneness. As a result, the sage dwells in good places,
draws from good sources, supplies from good nature, speaks with
good trust, governs with good rules, conducts with good ability, and
acts within good time. For this reason, there is no competition,
there is no concern.
By employing kindness, the sage acts with compassion (shan).
Through compassion: fight and win; defend and be secure. When
the heaven establishes, it always relies upon compassion. Clearly
he is saying that if the sage must fight, he has nothing to fear, no
concern. He must make a careful and complete judgment of his
surroundings when confronted with danger. He must defend him-
self and others; there can be no miscalculation, nothing can be
neglected. All that should be protected is secured.
Xian
The term Xian in Chinese is equivalent to sage (holy man) in En-

glish. Among all the existing languages, the Chinese character xian
is perhaps the clearest visual description for the life of the sage. It
is composed with strokes of “human” (ren) and “mountain” (shan).
In the ancient structure of language, the human stroke appears at
the top and the mountain stroke at the bottom. It translates as
“human stands on the top of a mountain.” Mountain is the ideal
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World of the Sage
location for man, whether sleeping, meditating or for viewing. Noth-

ing on earth is higher than a mountain. Only the wind, clouds, and
the standing tower of a human form can loom above the mountain
peak. When the character was later rearranged, the “human” stroke
was placed at the left side, and the “mountain” stroke was set at
the right side. Perhaps the change was made because it symbol-
ized cold, dry, windswept, and lonely. Or perhaps the emperor re-
sented a human form other than his own occupying the highest
position on earth. He ordered the linguists to reconstruct the char-
acter, placing a prone sage sleeping side by side with the moun-
tain. In this position there was no one standing at the top to threaten
his image. His prestige and unequaled power were restored. The
emperor could then fully enjoy his family life and resume conduct-
ing his business affairs within his palace, reigning supreme.
The soul seeker, the wandering pilgrim, anyone on the spiritual
quest prefers to dwell in a mountain cave rather than a warm house
or grand palace. Mountains are the symbols of life on earth. The
earth without mountains could be compared to a mother without
nourishing breasts. Mountains contain a vast amount of nutrition
for the survival of all earthly creatures. The flow of nature enables
the natural formation of rain and snow, the activity of clouds and
winds, the circulation of dry air and exuding moisture. They are
formed in the range and scope of latitude, the degree of warmth
and cold, the condition of light and shadow. In the exchange of
bright and darkness, the lanterns of sun and moon, and the cycles
from summer and winter, we continue to exist.
The generating, developing and transforming power of earth lies
in the vastness of mountains. In contrast, valleys are their resting
ground, echoing place, and rejuvenating resource. The image be-
tween a mountain and a valley is similar to the images between life
and death: male and female, heaven and earth, being and non-
being. Because of mountains, the gravitational force generates the
winds and clouds, rain and snow, plateau and plain, sufficing the
needs of all creatures. Thus, they are the most sacred places on
earth. In their nurturing atmosphere consciousness is expanded
and sickness is detoxified. Walking the way becomes the returning
journey; external search becomes internal embracing.
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Chapter V
Fig. 5.6 24th Hexagram (Act of Harmony)
The son returns home as expressed through the 24th hexagram.

This returning process is a unification process, an act of harmony,
a restoration of totality, and a combination of heaven and earth.
The unified oneness need never return to its separated state—the
polarized structure—but remains with the harmonious act. It dem-
onstrates the action of selflessness, never that of selfishness. It
does not extend only to the nearest points within the dimension,
but merges with the circle of oneness.
The nature of xian in Tao Te Ching concerns wisdom and holi-
ness. The inner ability of a sage is that he is wise by nature. His
outer intellectual manifestation is the wisdom he produces. Being
wise is a virtue while generating wisdom is a mental capacity. To
be wise is to have the innate ability, to have the wisdom is to ac-
quire the ability to act, judge, express, demonstrate, and produce
the holiness and intellectual work. Only those who are not slaves
to life are wise to the value of life defines the true wisdom power. It
is thus that the sage exists without ownership, accomplishes with-
out holding on. It is thus, without desire, that the wise see, and
holiness returns.
Holiness is the unified Oneness of shen: the union of spirit and
ghost. Spirit gives and ghost takes; spirit benefits and ghost harms.
Lao Tzu illustrates the wisdom and kindness that the sage holds
and embraces by saying that: Governing a large country is like
cooking a small fish. If Tao is used to manage society, its ghost will
not become spirit. Not that ghost is not spirit, but that the spirit will
not harm the people. Not only does the spirit not harm the people,
but neither does the sage harm the people. As those two do not
cause harm, so they are united in Action.
This is the single chapter in which Lao Tzu discusses the differ-
ence between the spirit and ghost. Powerfully illustrated, it sorts
out the most complicated meanings. The first sentence explains
that cultivating the whole body is like smelting the watery jing. Its
literal meaning is how to heat up and crystallize the fishy-smelling
sperm and eggs. When the Tao is used to govern the mind, hun
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World of the Sage
and po cannot take over the power of shen. Because of the eternal
fire, ghost can not steal the passionate love; and due to the inner
stillness, spirit cannot destroy the innocent virtue. The body will not
be hungry for the fire of love and the mind will not chase away the
inner stillness. Thus, the wise see.
Calming the Mind
Pursuing the Tao
Pursuing the Tao is an act of spiritual cultivation. Without the Tao, it

is impossible to walk the way. Without the Tao, cultivation has no
source, no root, no power and no meaning. To pursue the Tao is to
become centered within speech and conduct, to be grounded with
a foundation, to be resourceful with Mother Nature, and to be har-
moniously balanced between subjective action and worldly affairs.
This is what Lao Tzu has experienced and explained to us: hearing
the Tao brings a loss day by day. Losing more and more until inac-
tion results. Inaction results, yet everything is done. Managing the
world always involves non-engagement. As soon as there is en-
gagement, there is not enough of it to manage the world.
Why has Lao Tzu experienced a total loss while listening to the
silent Tao? He uses the eminent way of pursuing the Tao as a
model in order to illustrate the meaning behind the Tao. When an
eminent person hears of the Tao, they practices it faithfully. This
practice brings a big loss, because knowing the Tao seems costly,
entering Tao seems like returning, and becoming equal with Tao
gives birth to paradoxes. It takes living life to know the Tao. Enter-
ing the Tao is consuming the life force you have been given; be-
coming equal with the Tao sits with two legs, grabs with two hands,
views with two eyes, grounds with two feet, dances with two hearts,
and sleeps with two worlds. All that is the paradoxical nature of
body and mind.
Heaven is eternal, and earth is long-lasting. But gusty winds do
not last all morning, cloudbursts do not last all day. What makes
this so? Heaven and earth will not last forever, how could a human
being last! Existing with the eternal Tao of the self and the tempo-
rary breathing of the Tao within us is the true duality, true paradox.
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Chapter V
With each breath the sound and meaning of the Tao is exercised,
thus one hears the Tao. By hearing and entering the Tao through its
returning process, the thirst for knowledge is quenched by the light
emitted through the gate of heaven. This ensures a complete “know-
ing around,” a literal phrase used by Lao Tzu. Worldly others are
known to us, enabling the self to become rich with what the world
suffices. When one no longer feels compelled to be a knower, the
sickness is over; enlightenment is achieved. Yet, knowing remains
constant: a spontaneous interaction between the self and the envi-
ronment. It cannot be taught, repeated or recorded. There is no
need to attempt to explain the inexplicable and to search for invis-
ible. This is why Lao Tzu concludes simply that to know oneself is
enlightenment.
Knowledge that is shared, taught, repeated and recorded, is no
longer that of self-knowing. It is simply a learning process; not alive,
present, spontaneously interconnected with the mutual-action of
self-knowing around. To know others is to be knowledgeable, albeit
limited, bounded, restrained. Our limited knowledge is never suffi-
cient to explore the comprehension and understanding of others.
Shared knowledge merely promotes further searching, reaching
out to grasp the power of mastering and endless control. In this
manner, pursuing knowledge becomes a consuming desire, a fixa-
tion, and a possessive action. It is upon this mental persuasion
that Lao Tzu kindly advises that to know what is sufficient is to be
rich. He also distinguishes the actual knowledge the mind has ac-
quired from the mental appraisal we form on being knowledgeable.
He states that knowing that you don’t know (everything) is superior
and not knowing that you don’t know (everything) is a sickness.
Only hearing and entering the Tao can be known.
Our ability to obtain everything now and know that anything that
is returned to us is the manifestation of true paradox. Eminent ac-
tion is like a valley, complete understanding resembles being dis-
graced, vast action seems yielding, action that builds up seems
remiss, pure integrity seems perverse, the great square has no
angles, the great talent matures late, the great voice sounds faint,
the great image has no form. The Tao is praised but is unnamable.
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World of the Sage
Embracing the Simplicity
Observe the plain and embrace the simple. This is the way of hear-
ing and entering the Tao. Plain is the foundation of diversity, com-
plexity, uncertainty, and unpredictability. Simplicity is the initial stage
for growth, expansion, development, and completion. The thought
process of causality and the desire for results are cast out when
these two are embraced. Learning based upon the meaning of
nature will be simplified with total, mindful engagement. Lao Tzu
clarifies this as: It is easy to sustain what is at rest. It is easy to
plan for that of which there is not even a sign. Total awareness,
mindful cautiousness and complete anticipation can be applied to
sustaining the planning and minding with mind. Prevention becomes
proactive before the fragile breaks and the minute disperses. One
should act upon it before it exists and regulate it before it becomes
chaos. From this, a little sprout grows into a massive tree, a clod of
earth is constructed into the rising of a nine-story building, and a
single step is accumulated into the climbing of a thousand-fath-
oms.
Knowing the above, Lao Tzu warns that though simplicity is
small, the world cannot treat it as subservient. If lords and rulers
can hold on to it, everything becomes self-sufficient. Heaven and
earth combine and allow sweet dew. Without rules, people will natu-
rally become equal. At the outset, the rule must be expressed.
Once it exists, stop speaking of it. The result of not speaking of it is
to be eliminating danger. In a manner of speaking, Tao is to the
world as the rivers are to oceans and seas.
However, those who impose action upon it will fail. Those who
cling to it lose it. So the sage, through non-action, does not fail. Not
clinging, he does not lose. The common people’s engagement in
affairs fails prior to success. They project proactive results from
the outcome forcing the action to become burdensome and pains-
taking. They have been so accustomed to this process that all
activity strives only to meet the standards that society has set. We
are admonished to give as much careful attention to the end as to
the beginning, then the affairs will not fail. It is on that account that
the sage desires not to desire and does not value goods that are
hard to get. He learns not to learn and restores the common
people’s losses. He is able to support the nature of all things and,
not daring, to impose action.
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Chapter V
Also, simplicity allows proactive measurement. As Lao Tzu has

envisioned: Seeking what is difficult with ease and effecting what is
great while it is small, since the most difficult things in the world are
done while they are easy. The greatest things in the world are done
while they are small. Because of this, the sage never plans to do a
great thing. Thus, he accomplishes what is great. Facile promises
necessarily result in little trust. What is easy necessarily entails
difficulty. Thus the sage, through extreme trials, encounters no
difficulty.
Richness of Frugality
With plain as the vision and simplicity as the measurement, frugal-

ity becomes the single most useful device. Since frugality is the
most direct and effective calculation of energy consumption, waste
would be eliminated, and there would be no debt, no recycling, no
regret, and no punishment. This is why “loss” is very necessary
from Lao Tzu’s point of view. When the cost of ego is reduced to
zero and when bodily metabolism functions at its provisionary state,
energy is consumed for the benefit and goodness of others. Thus,
frugality ensures the simple way of life and simplicity can be fully
exerted.
Frugality has no connection to the selfish strategy of meanness
or greed. Meanness and greed transform a person’s mental ob-
session into reality. Meanness has its source in fear and obses-
sion; obsession feeds on meanness and greed to occupy the space
of selfishness. The entire world then becomes an endless source
to satisfy the lust of selfishness, abounding in worldly manifesta-
tion. Frugality is the direct opposite. There is no energy waste de-
rived from selflessness. The negative “loss” transforms into posi-
tive “gain,” the pure gain. Lao Tzu applies this to the construction
of a society by saying that: For governing people and affairs, noth-
ing is better than frugality. Only frugality enables the pre-empty
measures. Pre-empty measures mean a great accumulation of
Action. A great accumulation of Action leaves nothing to be con-
quered. When nothing needs to be conquered, no-boundary is
known. When no-boundary is known, it allows the country to exist.
The country, existing from its source, can endure. This is the Tao
of having a deep root, a strong stem, a long life and an enduring
vision.
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World of the Sage
When frugality is maintained at home, one is perfectly grounded

with the source and heaviness that are rooted within the manifes-
tation of light. One quietly preserves the tranquility that masters the
restless life. One is steadfastly reaching the ultimate emptiness,
and absolute in concentrating on central stillness. It is only through
such qualities that all things work together. There is no bad luck, no
backfire, no punishment, because one has no expectations, has
done nothing wrong and wasted nothing. One has no need to gain
anything or fear losing anything. The harmony of the world becomes
a true friend, the real knowing-around, and the indisputable resource.
Non-Dualistic Mentality
Emerging through the “door” of the mysterious action is the co-

dependence of the dualistic aspect as well as the process of both
mutual construction and mutual destruction. Do not be victimized
by either of these. It is a mystic attraction, the highest and purest
quality of human perfection—love—shapes life’s destiny. Beauty
becomes the primal attraction for human desire, and good is the
finest fixation for the activation of this desire.
When one searches only for this beauty, one stigmatizes the
ugly, and when one’s conduct is guided by goodness only, one
acts within the behavior of prejudice. When people see beauty as
pure beauty, they view the ugly disparagingly. In valuing the good
as purely good, their judgment is based upon their idea of bad.
When the universal manifests through the division of two from one,
each side should live upon the opposite as well. The interaction of
connecting and separating from these two sides of oneness makes
one truly individual. This in turn makes an individual a non-indi-
vidual. Beautiful or ugly is but two sides of the same coin. How
much difference is there between beautiful and ugly? It is a fine
line. Oh, that unstoppable glory of heart and the disgust of mind!
Based on these paradoxes, Lao Tzu proposed that being and
non-being give birth to each other, difficulty and ease complete
each other, long and short measure each other, high and low over-
flow into each other, voice and sound harmonize with each other,
and before and after follow each other. Yet, we need individual char-
acter as a measuring ground between individuality and totality. Since
disaster is what fortune depends upon, fortune is what disaster
subdues. Who knows a final outcome? There is no right lawful-
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Chapter V
ness. Government tends towards the extreme. Kindness tends

towards evil. People have been familiar with this for a long time.
Because of such changes and transformations, mindful action
should be rounded without cutting, be compatible without punctur-
ing, be straightforward without trapping, be bright without dazzling.
This does not indicate that there is no heavenly “justice.” The
net of heaven is broad and loose, yet nothing slips through. Large
or small, many or few, reward or punishment, are all done through
Action. This is the measure of virtue and right judgment. Because
of virtue, internal conscious intention and external physical perfor-
mance are integrated, and nothing is left behind. A good traveler
leaves no tracks. A good speaker is without flaw. A good planner
does not calculate. A good doorkeeper does not lock the door, yet
it cannot be opened. A good knottier does not use binding, yet it
cannot be undone. What this means is that we need to know how
to interact without imposing ourselves or being locked in by our
mental projection. There should be no mental imprinting left be-
hind; thus, no sickness results. This differs from the common sense
approach of doing something and then letting it go. It is a matter of
clearing off the steps before one slips and falls. In order to reach
this state of being we can only be what we are, and know—be
aware of—what is around us. This is all that we can do.
Since hanging on to it will cause overflow; better to let go. Forced
consent does not endure. He who boasts of himself loses his
stance. He who displays himself is not seen. He who justifies him-
self is not understood. He who lashes out does not succeed. He
who builds himself up does not endure. The natural outcome is: He
who does not display himself is seen. He who does not justify him-
self is understood. He who does not lash out succeeds. He who
does not build himself up endures. Therefore, only the spirit of non-
competition makes things non-competitive. So the old saying,
“Yield, and retain integrity.” is but a few words, but when rightly un-
derstood, integrity returns.
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World of the Sage
Quality of Sage’s Life
Capacity of Natural Rejuvenation

In the world, the sage inhales. This sentence characterizes the
manner in which the sage lives his life. In order to live in the world,
he gathers the energy through inhalation, not from any other source.
This inhalation is not the shallow and surface breathing done through
the nostrils. It is the embryonic and total body breathing. This breath
of life is the nutrition, breath, information, and the wisdom. This is
why the sage knows the world without stepping out of the door (the
gate of life), knows the Tao without peering through the window
(eyes), and smiles like a child. This is called unifying the world of in
and out. The world of in is the source and the world of out is the
mechanism. They exist between matter and energy, structure and
motion, process and procedure. Source is the breath of life, the
nutrition of vitality, and the energy of light. Breath is the state of
vapor, vitality is the state of fluid, and light is the state of solid. Light
is the central focal point, vitality is the generating force, and air is
the inclusive space. By inhaling in this embryonic way, the vast
space and minute presence are instilled in the flesh, the aware-
ness, and interaction. The world is known, Self is charged, and
action is pure and simple in itself.
Suffusion of Self
For his worldly presence, the sage keeps the mind simple and is
always without mind. Simple mind is the heart of kindness and not
the intellect of mind. Simple mind is no-mind—the largest expan-
sion of mind—and the highest clarity of mind. No-mind means no
ego-mind. The expansion is the fusion and expanse of mind spread-
ing over and around all angles and trajectories in its image, whereas
the clarity of mind refers to the purity of spiritual quality. This is the
practical side of cultivation: how the sage lives for the world and
not for himself.
How? First of all, the sage keeps the mind simple: no distrac-
tion of attention, no waste of energy, and no confusion of mind.
Secondly, by keeping the mind simple, he projects his mind into
people’s minds and lives, their minds become as his mind. To clarify
this matter, Lao Tzu comments: Nature has no benevolence, it
treats all things like strawdogs; the sage has no benevolence, he
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Chapter V
treats his people like strawdogs. Thus, since the sage wants to
elevate the people, his speech is down to earth. Since the sage
wants to advance the people, he positions himself at the back.
When he is at the front, people do not harm him; when he stands
above, people do not feel pressure. The whole world supports him
without tiring. Since he does not rely on competition, the world has
nothing with which to compete.
Thirdly, there is no restraint and no fixation of the mind or for the
mind. When mind is fixed and constrained, boredom follows. Mind
is then constantly changing, shifting, questioning and demanding.
This is the power of ego and the karma of restraint. Not constrain-
ing the living environment, they do not get bored by life. Because
we do not get bored, there is no boredom. Therefore the sage is
self-aware but not introspective, he has self-respect but does not
price himself. He rejects one and takes the other. Because of this,
when the sage lives for the people of the world, his mind is as open
and adaptive, as are the people’s minds. The hope of people is his
encouragement and their sorrow is his misfortune. When people
want him, the sage is already there, waiting; when people need
him, the sage is the pillar that braces them. How could the people
live without him and how could they distance themselves from him?
Wisdom of an Old Boy

The ancient sages of Tao are subtle and mysteriously penetrating.
Their depth is beyond the power of will. Because it is beyond the
power of will, the most we can do is describe it. Thus, full of care,
as one crossing the wintry stream; attentive, as one cautious of
the total environment; reserved, as one who is a guest; spread
open, as when confronting a marsh; simple, like uncarved wood;
opaque, like mud; magnificent, like a valley. From within the murky
comes the stillness. The feminine enlivens with her milk. Keeping
such a Tao, excess is undesirable. Desiring no excess, work is
completed without exhaustion.
In this chapter, Lao Tzu vividly illustrates the psychospiritual qual-
ity and biological balance that the sage retains. Even though the
sage returns to his infantile spiritual tranquility and lives within a
refreshed bodily condition, he is vastly different than when he has
in his childhood state. The similarity lies only within the descriptive
nature. There is no other developmental stage available or suitable
to categorize sagehood other than childhood.
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World of the Sage
In his Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1965), Jung commented

that: “Lao Tzu is the example of a man with superior insight who
has seen and experienced worth and worthlessness, and who at
the end of his life desires to return into his own being, into the
eternal unknown meaning. The archetype of the old man who has
seen enough is eternally true. At every level of intelligence this type
appears, and its lineaments are always the same, whether it be an
old peasant or a great philosopher like Lao Tzu. This is old age,
and a limitation.” From his own experience, Jung also experienced
the transformation from the “alienation” that separated him from
the world into his inner world where he experienced an “unexpected
unfamiliarity.”
The word “old” in this context refers to the nearly completed
state of biological manifestation, to the psychological memory, and
to the personal and social experience. It traces the quality and en-
richment of life’s journey. It is also the last stage before death. The
life ahead is a “limitation” itself as Jung has so succinctly charac-
terized, but an old boy has lived through death mentally and spiritu-
ally. Without fear, the world being viewed before the old boy’s eyes
differs greatly from that of a newborn boy. The old boy is not sick-
ened about the world, but simply withdrawn; separating from the
attraction of the eyes to become that of the heart. What attracts
the eyes are the state, change and manifestation of forms, while
the attraction of the heart is the formless, changeless, and unfath-
omable eternity.
At this point, the unexpected unfamiliarity experienced by Jung
is replicated by Lao Tzu’s description. The main difference be-
tween an old boy and a newborn boy is the life experience. Being
cautious while crossing the winter stream is a pre-measured con-
scious awareness. Being attentive means being aware of and fo-
cused at the same time, while being reserved means being humble
and acknowledging. Spreading open is the unrestrained mental
space, simplicity is the ability to remain refreshed and energized,
opaque is the quality of being Oneness within and without, and
magnificent is the ability of retaining, recycling and rejuvenating the
oneness within.
Being cautious while crossing the winter stream implies two
meanings. One is to be cautious about unionhood of oneness be-
tween light and water, male and female. The other is to be more
cautious before the success. If there is failure, the entire effort will
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Chapter V
be in ruins, the entire cultivation practice becomes fruitless. Who

laughs last laughs best! In I Ching, these two cautions are vividly
expressed between 63rd hexagram Ji Ji and 64th hexagram Weiji.
The first caution is expressed in the top line of 63rd hexagram. “He
(the fox) gets his head in water. Danger.” The unionhood between
fire and water is a cautious and dangerous action. This is the sa-
cred mechanism of nature.
Fig. 5.7 63rd Hexagram (First Caution)
The second caution is illustrated in the definition of 64th hexagram,

where the little fox gets his tail in the water while crossing the win-
ter stream. Symbolically, the tail and sacral bones (“the waterwheel”)
hold the sexual energy that is to be completely transformed into
spiritual elixir or the pure-person.
Fig. 5.8 64th Hexagram (Second Caution)
The wise is old and new, experienced and refreshed, knowl-

edgeable and humble, ready to die and ready to fly. He has a memory
of life but is not restrained by memory; he has the richness of life
but is unbounded by the meaning of life; he values the quality of life
but is far removed from the unity of life. He is a teacher and friend,
guide and companion, destroyer of the old and protector of the
new, a battery for generating anything and recharging or rejuvenat-
ing everything. He is a body of soul and a heart of spirit, an attor-
ney-at-law and a justice for the situation, a speaker for the nation
and a symbol for the human race. He speaks in a voice without
language; is native to a country without nationality; occupies a body
without mortality; possesses a mind without mentality.
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Uplifting Te
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te
To arrive at Te (de) or “Action” comprising the second section of

the Tao Te Ching, can well prove to be a long yet fruitful journey. In
the book of Tao Te Ching, the sections of Tao and that of Te (Ac-
tion) are interchangeable. The Te section in the Mawangdui texts
appears in the first part of the book, followed by the Tao.
This division holds true in several other translations. From the
Taoist point of view, they differ only in terms of the order in which
they are approached first: that of meditation or cultivation. Tao is
based on meditation; Te is rooted in cultivation. Meditation is for the
body/mind whereas cultivation is a treatise on virtue and conscious
mind. To meditate is to gather and circulate Chi; to cultivate is to
abandon the ego and to purify the consciousness.
In Taoist inner alchemy, they are equally important. To manage
both simultaneously would be challenging indeed, rendering the
practice unrealistic and the meaning of inner alchemy dogmatic.
The practice of distilling the mind can appear daunting when the
body is truly hungry. It would be equally unmanageable to purify the
body if the mind was not fully prepared to offer the proper environ-
ment.
During meditation and cultivation practice, both Tao and Te tread
the same path during inhalation since Te has not yet been suf-
fused. The Tao suffuses above the sky and inside nothing. Once
the Tao of eternal seed is born, the descending order is complete
and the action of Te takes place. It is the arrival of the ascending
order of returning; exalting and honoring one’s own action that rises
above physical and mental attachment. Lingering in this action is
the Chi: energy of love and breath.
In this context, Tao is invisible and Te is visible; Tao is intangible
and Te is tangible; Tao is inhumane and Te is humane; Tao is mo-
tionless and Te is lovable; Tao inhales and Te smiles. Because of
this esoteric transition, matter is visible, form is tangible, substance
is manageable, and trust is reliable. They are all the virtuous
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Chapter VI
expression of the Te resulting from the emerging power of the Tao.

The exhalation of Te is the sum of all human activities that have
been conducted with moral judgment and supervised by the spirit.
Therefore, in concert with the kind action of Te, all are inspired,
encouraged and uplifted; every action is honorable, respectable,
and powerful. In the last exhalation in life, the purified shen gathers
the elixir or remaining relics lingering in the body, and guided by an
enlightened master or an angel, expels this refuse through the top
of the head instead of the mouth or nose. This transpires only after
kind action has been completed and all debts have been paid. Un-
less these conditions are met, the person will die as either a hun-
gry ghost (if po dominates hun), or a wandering ghost (when hun
overtakes po).
This task can be endeavored by cultivation as well as medita-
tion. When the seven pos are energized by the power of the Big
Dipper and the three huns are unified into Oneness, the egoistic
self and dualistic existence of body and mind are united into shen’s
spontaneous interacting and knowing with nature. The meditation
of love, which is the energy of self-preservation, will be transformed
into the cultivation of kind action, qualified by kindness, goodness,
harmony, impartiality, integrity and the holiness of Te (Action). Love
will no longer be a mental projection of biological and ideal connec-
tion to social habits, but a true and honest self-love. As the power
of meditation and the outcome of cultivation generate kind action,
the sage integrates and embraces nature’s act and human action.
Now we will explore the definition of Te, or kind action.
What is Kind Action?
Use of Language
Unlike the word Tao whose original transliteration remains the same
in English, the character Te was handled in another manner. In
1864 Chalmers presented the first English meaning of Te as vir-
tue. Since then, Te has been interpreted as character (Lin Yutang,
1948), intelligence (Balm, 1950), or integrity (Mair, 1990), as well
as the transliteration Teh (Shrine of Wisdom, Manual No. 8, 1924).
But what is Te? From the Taoist point of view, Te is what Tao “drops,”
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Uplifting Te
“descends” and “falls upon.” After several years of meditating on

Te, I still failed to derive a true understanding. Then one summer
night in 1995 a dream message was revealed to me.Two Chinese
characters appeared in my mind’s screen—Tao drops. That con-
forms perfectly in the content of Lao Tzu’s description: When Tao
is lost, it becomes Action. The word “lost” represents the com-
plete dissolution and transformation of evolving from one state of
being into the next. The original Chinese definition of “loss” is “to
lose from hand,” meaning to “discharge” or “abandon.” When the
infinite Tao is surrendered into active Te, it then becomes corrupted
and visible. Te represents the highest state of the transformation of
Tao into matter and substance, retaining the highest honor from
the essence of Tao.
This descending process is quite similar to the English mean-
ing of virtue: a supernatural power or influence exerted by a divine
being. It is further verified by Lao Tzu’s interpretation of Te as “mys-
tic action” (xuan te). This is how it was originally defined. Whether
supernatural or mystical, it is only a matter of mental cognition.
The essential meanings are the same. The discrepancy encoun-
tered is that, in English a divine being, by its nature, is a totally
different being than a human. There is a clear-cut distinction be-
tween being holy or divine and being human and ordinary. The “lit-
eral sense” is that a human being could never possess supernatu-
ral status in this life. Only a divine being can be classified as super-
natural.
Contrary to this, Taoism doesn’t specify this power (according
to nature), or supernatural power (according to human beings), as
the patent symbol of a divine being. What matters is your desire
according to your mind’s intention. What is natural to nature is su-
pernatural to man; what is natural to adults is supernatural to chil-
dren; and what is natural to a billionaire is supernatural to a street
beggar. It is clearly the projection of mind and the persuasion of
mental desire.
The mind discriminates first whether or not there is a clear-cut
demarcation. Lao Tzu explains that the person who works accord-
ing to Tao unites with Tao. In the same way he unites with action
(Te). In the same way he unites with loss. The power of Tao
becomes the seed of life, emerging as the elixir of virtue or
evaporating into nothing. Thus Tao saves the spirit or loses the
earthly life. Returning home with virtue is saving the spirit; march-
ing forward toward the grave is loss.
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Chapter VI
The original linguistic meaning of Te in Chinese is to “ascend,”

to “rise” and to “elevate,” indicating “the uplifting of the human spirit
rising from earthly carnal body into pure spiritual action without
conscious influence and egoistic obsession.” In English, it is a
“moral practice or action; conformity to the standard of right; moral
excellence; integrity of character, upright of conduct; rectitude, mo-
rality.” (Webster’s New International Dictionary of English Lan-
guage). Though the English definition and explanation of virtue fits
the linguistic meaning of Te, virtue is not something simple, plain
and present that can be adapted to human action. Action, to the
Taoist, is a simple, spontaneous and interactive engagement be-
tween body and mind, vision and actual performance; it is the judg-
ment of good and bad, and the conduct of divine and ordinary. Na-
ture acts, humans perform; nature presents, humans exhibit; na-
ture reveals, humans display; nature manifests, humans conduct;
nature shows, humans behave; nature embraces, humans value;
nature integrates, humans dissolve; nature unifies, humans sepa-
rate.
It is from this point that we choose, as best we can, the word
“action” for Te in our translation. Within this reasoning, virtue, to
the ordinary mind, is something remote, pure, and out of reach. It
is a completion of goodness over and above human action, an
ideal of sacred purity unseen by the colored eye. It is a moral qual-
ity suited only to a divine being. Virtue is something that we can
think about and strive for, but cannot perform. Visualize it but can-
not perceive it; comprehend mentally but cannot engage physi-
cally; magnify it but cannot jump into it.
This ascending order and returning process deal precisely with
the transition from “small mystic field” into “large mystic field.” The
small mystic field is that of the carnal world and animal kingdom.
The large mystic field encompasses the spiritual world and cos-
mic universe. Obviously, small mystic field deals with small mind,
the selfish, egoistic and cultural mind. The large mystic field houses
the individual, conscious, selfless and cosmic mind. Energetically,
the small mystic field deals with biological instinctive actions of
self-preservation and survival. It has no concern for the world other
than what the desirable eye seeks, the hungry stomach craves,
and the gross sensation pulsates. In the large mystic field there is
no self-sustenance or self-minded view, no self-conscious action;
self is everywhere and in every action.
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Uplifting Te
Fig. 6.1 Small Mystic Field (Xiaochu) of 9th Hexagram
Fig. 6.2 Larger Mystic Field (Dachu) of 26th Hexagram
These two fields are fully explained in I Ching between 9th and
26th hexagrams which contain an identical lower trigram: the cre-
ative power of Cosmo and the invisible light of heaven. In the 9th
hexagram, the upper trigram is wind representing the heavenly or-
der, conscious awareness, and instinctive behavior. Mobility, agita-
tion, unsteadiness and unreliability are its characteristics. Cloudi-
ness, murkiness, rigidity and scattering are its tendencies. Mind is
windy with no clear mental picture. There are clouds but no rain,
wandering but no awakening, only confusion with no self-under-
standing. The external character is refined but there is no awaken-
ing of the inner character.
In contrast, the 26th hexagram shows us that wind is replaced
by mountain, agitation by stillness, mobility by self-action, unsteadi-
ness by steadfastness, unreliability by trust. When the mountain
grounds the spirit and nourishes the soul, the mind is clarified, the
body purified, the attitude made flexible, and the result completed.
This is accomplished by the establishment of grounding upon
mother earth’s fruitful breasts, relinquishing reliance on manmade
products.
The self is never lost, the energy is never exhausted, and spirit
is never dead. As the last line indicates: “one attains the way of
heaven.” “Not eating at home” and “crossing the great river” are
the most accurate depiction of the 26th hexagram. Its translation is
that a sage is never bounded by the food prepared in the house. He
sustains himself from the mother resource. He does not rely upon
family in order to continue his existence but is everywhere in the
world. He has no need to be protected and comforted by the shel-
tering house, he is clothed with the light, he breathes the vital force,
and settles down in the universe. This exemplifies the highest medi-
tation state: the fasting state.
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Chapter VI
Fig. 6.3 Chinese Character Te
In the construction of Te, the right side of the character is com-

posed of four characters, “hand,” “vessel,” “one” and “heart.” This
part of the character can be expressed as: “The single heart sup-
ports and directs the vessel of the body carried by hand.” Truly, the
body is the most sacred vessel, and the hands are the most pow-
erful and useful tools. Yet, without heart there is no foundation;
without the single-minded heart, there is no transformation. The
right part is a meditative state in which hands are unified with the
bodily vessel and guided by the single devoted heart. This action is
accompanied by the careful steps of walking, executed by the
thighs—not legs, as represented by the left side of the character
Te. Therefore, the activity of hands—picking and gathering food
and putting it into mouth—is freed from being responsible for the
bodily vessel. The one Chi of heaven is then the procreative force
in the cauldron sustaining the vessel and satisfying the heart. Hands
are held together as in a meditative state. The five elemental Chi is
charged by the mountain dew. The action of conscious vibration is
donned with the cosmic light. The changeable are viewed, the un-
changeable are reflected. The world is in its perfect order and the
body/mind is in its perfect harmony.
There is one remaining Chinese character that expresses the
meaning of the Te. Its composition is “straightforward” and “heart.”
The character “straightforward” for “zhi” is composed with “ten,”
“eye” and “bend/curl,” meaning “looking and examining with gazing
eyes and intensified back.” Ten is the visual image that covers
eyes and extends from the nose to the eyebrows, or the Y portion
of the eye. This implies that, “The eyes are inside the heart, and
the heart is inside the spiritual consciousness, the spiritual
conscious is inside the character of nature.” Everything is there
and nothing is there. All the lines, angles, joints and points are pen-
etrated, vaporized, purified and transformed by the fire of light.
Husbanding into light is what Lao Tzu has experienced, a match-
ing fire between consciousness and light. This is the magic play of
a sage within the good fortune of returning to the Tao and the power
of the Te.
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Uplifting Te
Uplifting Te
According to the descending order, even if nature’s act is inhu-
mane, impersonal and impartial, there must be kindness granted
into human souls via spirits. This enables human beings to per-
form “texing” or “the character of Te,” as well as to exercise “falu”
or “law” and “justice.” If one fails to obey the fa, there will be punish-
ment from government. If one does not have the “texing,” the pun-
ishment will be the bad luck and bad karma carried out by one’s
inner conscious decision as judged by the law of heaven. Even
though you cannot describe the texing, you can sense it. You can-
not verify the texing but you can wait the result of it. You cannot
exalt the texing but you can follow your heart-consciousness. You
cannot find a rule to validate the texing but your gut sensation knows
it all. This is because the marks of profound action follow only from
the Tao. This is why sage accumulates nothing other than kind
action: cultivating and uniting through kind action, honoring and being
rewarded or punished only by kind action.
In the ascending order, spirit unifies with action, preparing to
rise and be elevated. The path has been cleared. Consciousness
is no longer a series of single-minded dots and flashes. Ego fails in
it role as ruling monster of life. A person’s action is kindness itself.
The mentally fixed projection of searching for truth is replaced by
kind action: the truth of experience and expression. Spontaneous
and interactive action between humans and nature is the reality of
truth. Lao Tzu’s meditations have been revealed as: Being at peace,
one can see into the subtle. Engaging with passion, one can see
into the manifest.
In practicing kind action, love is no longer a conscious game
played by ego. It no longer functions as an obsessive mental long-
ing, an uncontrolled emotional outburst, or in continual soul-search-
ing. Prejudice is overcome by the human freedom to act: the vul-
nerability of ego and the interaction of shen. The more valuable
ego deems itself to be, the more spontaneously will shen act out.
When they work smoothly together, empathy will be the mutual
outcome. Sympathy becomes mutual encouragement. Pity re-
verses itself to merge as the fearless act of loving. Negative emo-
tions do not hurt people and positive emotions cannot drag them
down. Since all these emotional attributes are purified into com-
passion, there is no burning sensation manifested through com-
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Chapter VI
passion, and no compression found within the compassion. Kind

action is: present and not firing, remote and not distancing, timing
and not expecting, precious and priceless, generous and not self-
ish, sincere and not accusing, plain and not degrading.
Accumulation of Te
Nature of Kind Action
When the nature of selflessness is restored through the medita-

tion of Love, the output of action is in itself kind and trustworthy,
beyond what the rational mind has defined. The reliability of truth is
to follow the mental configuration of truth and to trust the reality of
possible change of truth. The process is kind and the inner quality
is trustworthy due to the transformation of Love and the total re-
spect of Inner-Love. When the universal loving energy is gathered
within, the biological need and psychological satisfaction are ful-
filled, thereby leaving no room within the body and mind for desire
and demand created by ego. Self-trust is established and con-
scious fear is relinquished.
When the sage (pure-person) uses the universal loving energy,
his action is both kind and trustworthy as Lao Tzu has stated. He
is kind to those who are kind and he is also kind to those who are
not kind. It is the kindness of Action itself. He is trustworthy to
those who are trustworthy and he is also trustworthy to those who
are not trustworthy. It is the trust of Action itself. There is no need
to demonstrate (itself) or to prove Action for the sake of Action
(you). People will say “yes” or “no” but it makes no difference to
Action. Through kind action, both kind and unkind people are uni-
fied. Those who are kind transform those who are not kind; there is
no separation between what a kind person is and the kindness
itself. Those who are not kind benefit from those who are kind, and
kindness itself is then underway. Through kind action, people, trust-
worthy and untrustworthy, become centralized. Those who are
trustworthy improve themselves and know there is more trust in
the future. Those who are not trustworthy disprove themselves,
yet trust welcomes them along the way.
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Uplifting Te
Capacity of Kind Action
Through Love, kind action becomes endless, inexhaustible and

unfathomable. Lao Tzu emphasized that eminent Te is like a val-
ley, since valley-spirit is deathless. Kind action is the very nature
of Mother’s power of creative nourishment: a combination of self-
less love and self-sacrifice. Lao Tzu has experienced that com-
plete understanding (of it) resembles being disgraced: a state of
smallness, simplicity, integrity, peace, non-competition and non-
action: the ways of the Tao. Being small allows for growth, expan-
sion, and development. It is the most effective way to conserve
energy since the small itself consumes minimal energy. Once the
humbleness of honest heart steps in, the opportunism of egoistic
mind is cast out, and the desire for achievement and appraisal
becomes illusory.
Simplicity is the way to direct your life; it is always apparent and
clearly directed. There is no confusion to deal with, no mind jug-
gling, and no disguise. With no attachment, each minute detail and
quality of smallness will manifest. Meanwhile, just as with a new-
born baby, smallness requires your full attention, the finest care,
and the highest precautionary measures. Any slight of mindfulness
or unintentional carelessness could cause an immediate unfore-
seeable disaster.
Realizing this, everything manifests by itself; even the method
of simplicity is absent. Any prerequisite such as knowledge, calcu-
lation, and intellect is eliminated. Thus, suffusing without simplicity
is eliminating humiliation. Without humiliation, peace arises.
Through peace, one observes that vast action seems yielding,
because it never acts within a straight line, but twists, rotates with
the activation of a whirlpool. Action that builds up seems remiss,
since it is neither dutiful nor deceitful. Idleness and stupidity are
evident in its natural makeup. Pure integrity seems perverse. It
invariably results from the co-independence and inter-contradic-
tion of yin and yang.
From the understanding of these experiential descriptions, Lao
Tzu further concludes that: The great square has no angles; the
great talent matures late; the great voice sounds faint; the great
image has no form. Such is called mystic Te. For that reason, all
things worship Tao and exalt Te. The worship of Tao and exaltation
of Te are not conferred, but always arise naturally.
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Humiliation
Humiliation is one of the most devastating emotions one can face.

Lao Tzu describes that “Favor and disgrace surprise the most.”
The word disgrace is synonymous with humiliation, a reaction no
one wishes to experience. When humiliation occurs, the conscious
mind is completely darkened and filled with despair, placing the
recipient into a despicable state with no opportunity to hide or es-
cape. Personalized words and fruits of God are completely stripped
away. They render one valueless, seemingly non-existent. On the
other hand, it evolves into the most valuable time to examine one-
self objectively, to face the situation with grace and understanding,
to become like a child, and glorify God once again. The recipient
owes thanks to the person invoking the humiliation.
The essence of getting in touch with humiliation is to purify one-
self from all the distorted aspects of life, discovering that the true
meaning of life, both simplistic and mysterious, will run its course.
Following is the meditative passage to engage.
1. Mentally picture the scene that precipitated your humiliation.
Feel the presence of that energy vibration.
2. Stay with the pain and suffering. Hold as long as possible. Then
release it and be liberated.
3. Do not be angry and frustrated about your humiliation. Look
into it objectively. What does this humiliation mean? What was
its purpose?
4. Handle the humiliation just as you do the wind blowing or the
daily events that are long forgotten. They are nothing and should
never be pondered as anything special. It does not suggest
that blowing wind and daily events are nothing, but that all things
existing in life are normal and nothing about them is special.
5. Then consider why someone chose to humiliate you. Draw an
equation between the two of you, destroying the rigidity within
you that disables you to be open to new and unexpected things.
6. Position yourself as President Clinton in his most grievous po-
sition. Think of yourself personally and not professionally. You
will find more truthful traits in human nature than in professional
individuals.
7. Then observe which of you has received the greatest benefit
from the situation. You will find that in being humiliated is at-
tached to expectations, a certain knowledge that underlies a
lack of self-esteem and freedom.
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8. Allow your humiliation and your mind to be painstakingly puri-
fied in the same way that your body could be objectively exam-
ined and the source of its illness surgically removed. The full
realization of this humiliation process has the same connota-
tion as having your identity, position, esteem and self-worth ex-
cised.
9. Decide if you will allow your body/mind to heal itself, or do you
prefer to cling to the pain for reasons you may not be fully aware
of?
10. The lesson is to free yourself from burdensome situations. Be
aware that further humiliations may be in store, but now you
are better prepared to deal with it should it arise.
11. Once the decision is made, take immediate action to clean and
purify the body/mind.
Accumulation of Kind Action
To many people, the word “accumulation” is associated with wealth,

knowledge, possession, and personal power. This association is
established for the mistaken purpose of self-protection by the de-
mands made to forego gratification. They are borne of the nature
of fear, the emotion that ultimately consumes one’s life-force. Ac-
cumulation becomes ever more burdensome—obsessive, single-
minded, prejudiced, evil, stressed, burned-out. As they expand, so
too, will the problems inflicted on the body/mind. Gradually, living
becomes only more difficult, and looming death is even more prob-
lematic.
Lao Tzu asserts that accumulation, literally, means frugality. He
has pointed out that for governing people and following the heaven,
nothing is better than frugality. Only frugality enables the pre-empty
measures. Pre-empty measures mean a great accumulation of
Te. A great accumulation of Te leaves nothing to be conquered.
When nothing needs to be conquered, No-boundary is known.
Clearly, when frugality is the measure of daily life, one neither
indulges in extravagance, nor allows selfishness to control. There
should be no pollution in energy consumption; no ego anticipation
in action; no contamination of heart; no confusion of mind; and no
negativity arising through action. Then the pre-empty measures,
can become the conductors of life. The literal interpretation of the
pre-empty measures is “gathering (eating) Chi ahead of time.” To
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realistically apply this concept is to fill the stomach with Chi before
food is absorbed, and to restore the tranquility of spirit in the mind
before ego pounces. There will be no elements of time limitation,
competitive environment, or other pressures that forge a person to
pursue with most gains ahead of others. The mentality of precau-
tion and proactivation destroys the environment of selfness. The
pre-empty measures embrace selflessness, existing before the
matter, through kind action, and within the Tao.
Through frugality, the mind occupies itself with the material of
universal energy. The mentality of universal space and the action
of universal timing are uppermost in the mind before self-identity
takes place. Self-identity is tied to self-esteem. With self-esteem
comes self-dignity. Self-identity ensures the growth of self-esteem
which then elevates itself to the position of self-dignity.
Self-dignity is totally opposite to ego-dignity. It is the self-center
and self-interest. We all need these attributes to center ourselves.
No one can do this for us. We must like ourselves if we expect
others to like us. The conscious center of self-dignity is none other
than conscious awareness. It exists for the sole purpose of abid-
ing by the nature of kindness. Self-dignity is viewed as awareness,
not an attained position. It is a state of openness with no self-re-
straint. It has no dignity in itself, but functions as an energetic cir-
culation.
It is not surprising that dignity releases us from our last impris-
onment before opening the spiritual door. Dignity has greater power
than ego. By clinging desperately to dignity, ego maintains its stay-
ing power behind selfishness, ethnic identity, and belief patterns.
When dignity occupies the crown of mind, the spiritual mentality of
forgiveness, acceptance, generosity, kindness and compassion is
lost. In abiding by the rules of administrative orders meted out by
dignity, the entire world is under mechanical control.
In a world of me-first, above all others, how can we begin to
contemplate the accumulation of kind action! With selfness at the
helm, the standard definition of moral deeds is nevertheless based
on the possession of a few immortal and divine beings. This appli-
cation has no bearing on the unconditional, selfless, and universal
Love that is already stored within the deepest layer of pure is-ness.
Universal love is attained as the final destination of selfness exist-
ing by itself, having been released from its last stronghold. This is
the real nature of Mother’s mystic action, the Reality of Mind’s real-
ization, the Truthfulness of Nature’s act.
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Ji Te
The phrase ji te is used to represent the homework for spiritual

practitioners: the blissful suffering of cultivation practices, and the
objective measurement of any meditation outcome. The word “ji”
means “accumulate.” Ji Te is accumulating Te, the most challeng-
ing homework in all spiritual practice, more demanding than medi-
tation and more difficult than sharing and giving. It is a constant
purification process based upon the discipline of frugality as de-
scribed above. Te is an objective energy entity but not a concrete
object to be identified and possessed. It is the accumulation of
kindness, loving energy and self-sacrifice. Ji Te is the transforma-
tion of the biophysical body into the loving Chi body. It is instrumen-
tal in elevating sexual and emotional Chi into loving and liberating
Chi. It is a lesson in building an invisible energy world based upon
deep conscious understanding and spiritual penetration.
In Chinese, Ji Te is the process of establishing the quality of
Texing or Te-character. Without an accumulation of Te, there is no
objective quality to be perceived by others. It is this accumulative
practice, day after day, event following event and trial after trial, that
dissolves the ego, purifies the body, and distills the mind. Whether
one is spiritual or religious, an ethnic Chinese or foreign born, Ji Te
exists as the objective reaction to one’s actual being in all things.
The highest concentration of material in both Buddhist and Taoist
literature is devoted to Ji Te and Texing. In Taoism, it is said that
36,000 works of ji-ing the Te must be performed before one can
think about transforming Shen into Xu. That appears to be an inor-
dinate amount of homework, but is a necessary discipline. It is not
insurmountable.
In our society there are many meditation techniques to learn,
many skills to master, many opportunities for status seekers. Ji Te
can be taught but not learned since once something is taught it is
already secondary. You cannot process Ji Te; you simply sacrifice
your life to its practice. It is more painful than any sickness, more
degrading than humiliation. It entails more suffering than the nature
of suffering itself. Yet, any one wishing to overcome oneself must
first overcome these “blockages.” Are you ready to begin?
The accumulated Te of a master will be applied to her/his spiri-
tual name. It belongs to the master. Nobody can give someone
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Chapter VI
else Texing, even though they may be the recipient of its loving
kindness and hospitable generosity. Texing is very selfish; it hon-
ors only the one who honors it. That is the nature of spiritual ener-
getic circulation. Any student desiring to build a good reputation in
the practice of Texing will quickly learn that it cannot be mastered
by learning from others. It must be a process of self-mastering. Ji
Te and Texing belong only to the spiritual world. They are the feng
shui of cosmic kindness, representing the mystic Te in kind action.
Equilibrium of Kind Action

Lao Tzu uses two words—eminent and inferior—to identify the
chasm between non-minded, non-ego-anticipated natural action
and self-minded, ego-persuaded and task-oriented action. There-
fore, eminent Te is inaction and disengaged. For that reason it is
constantly and eternally active, and nothing is left unfulfilled. Infe-
rior Te never stops acting. For that reason it is inactive. It is the
action of self-mindedness and illusion of ego-mind.
When eminent action descends into inferior action, that which
is cemented in self-engagement rather than spontaneous action
and eminent righteousness, it then reverts to the mind’s engage-
ment. When eminent righteousness engages, judgment steps into
the picture, reducing the results of engagements. Once righteous-
ness is dispersed, eminent justice engages but does not respond
adequately to situations. For that reason it is frustrated. When Tao
is lost, it becomes Action; when Action is lost, it becomes benevo-
lence; when benevolence is lost, it becomes justice; when justice
is lost, it becomes propriety. Propriety is the veneer of faith and
loyalty, and the forefront of troubles. Foresight is the vain display
of Tao and the forefront of foolishness.
Justice indulges in self-justification and cultural protection in
social life. It bears no resemblance to kind action. It is based upon
self-aggression and the counteraction of that aggression. Fairness,
in the practice of justice, no longer exists as fairness. The more
effective, protective and intelligent measures and calculations are
established by the stronger sources of justice. Before the strong
arm of justice, the fearless are in jeopardy and may lose their lives,
but later, the karma of reaction surfaces. In the face of justice, the
fearful can survive before final judgment is pronounced. Their physi-
cal bodies are temporarily protected, but their hearts cry out. As
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justice employs more and more procedures, society becomes

more chaotic and disordered. That is not the nature of Tao; that is
not kind action.
There is a clear-cut difference between moral discipline and
social justice. Moral discipline is the conscientious measure of vir-
tuous deeds carried out through love and kindness that has been
balanced by the sacred mechanism. When love and kindness are
remiss, the mind reacts unconsciously. Killing, stealing, lying, and
all manner of “wrongful” behaviors arise. They serve the purpose
of taking advantage of others (and ultimately the self) in a failed
effort to compensate for their deficiency of love and kindness.
From this comes righteousness, the standard judgment of moral
conduct. When righteousness is lost in ego’s dominance and ag-
gression, religious/political rules flourish, shaping social behavior
by its own standard of righteousness. Righteousness then be-
comes the priority of social justice, the measurement of specific
action. Kind action is transposed into dogmatic rules and social
prejudice. When moral discipline falls into the category of social
justice, moral conduct is replaced by social conduct: a set of col-
lective activities initiated by certain individuals. A selective group
has been approved to positions of authority by the collective mind.
Moral discipline becomes a rational principle. The unconditional
and selfless love descends into the conditional connection of self-
ish love. Kindness is the tool for attraction and compassion is the
guise for ego gratification. Everything is lost in the maze of crude,
ruthless, dehumanizing and rationalized rules being gratified and
protected by the ego. In the midst of kind action and justice, saint
and sinner exercise the extremes of good and bad: one saves as
the other destroys.
People must understand that the quality of inactive kind action
must be restored before love can pervade unconditionally. Then
there will be no wrongdoing, no “moral” excuses, and no more
social justice. The mind is lost and judgmental mind is lost. That, in
itself, is kind action.
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Chapter VI
Cultivation upon Kind Action
Nature of Cultivation
From the perspective of the mind, cultivation begins in the self and
ends with no-self. It is the transformation from mental engagement
to full mindful awareness. The Taoist’s perspective is that cultiva-
tion begins with no-self and culminates in universal-self: the golden
elixir. No-self refers to the pure self that is not colored by the ratio-
nal and intellectual mind, nor is it distracted by the desirable and
egoistic heart. It is the power of wisdom mind as well as the space
of pure heart.
When intelligence arises, there is great deal of manipulation.
The very act of the canny, obsessive and hallucinative mind of this
intellectual proliferation makes individuals unhappy, people calcu-
lating and society chaotic. Lao Tzu’s statement was verified by C.
G. Jung’s professional experience as described in his biographical
literature, Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. He related that “In
my experience, therefore, the most difficult as well as the most
ungrateful patients, apart from being habitual liars, are the so-called
intellectuals. With them, one hand never knows what the other hand
is doing. They cultivate a ‘compartment psychology.’ Anything can
be settled by an intellect that is not subject to the control of feel-
ing—and yet the intellectual still suffers from a neurosis if feeling is
undeveloped.” (1961, p. 145) The intellectuals can never bring in
harmony what they think with what they feel. They cannot internal-
ize their thoughts through conscientious Te before acting analyti-
cally. They walk through a narrow tunnel—the logical process—
that is the neurosis of Western intellectualization or civilization in
general.
It is only when the intellectual capacity can still itself that the
desirable heart is suppressed. Only when the egoistic mind is dis-
pelled can the true self take its rightful place. Peace and tranquility
are the structure of mind’s illumination, whereas originality and wis-
dom are the content of the mind’s true intelligence. This intelligence
is far beyond what cultivation and persuasion can reach. It is linked
with every individual’s pure and uncarved innate ability. When this
ability connects to its source, it becomes the universal-self.
In order to achieve this, one must master the self, the seed of
the Tao. Cultivate the self, treat the self by the standard of self, and
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Uplifting Te
the action is pure. Self is such an entity that it subjectifies the form
of body/mind. It objectifies subjective images and visions with ra-
tionalized meanings and linguistic expressions. It further takes in
images that body/mind receives and expresses through action that
body/mind has internalized. It focuses on awareness, listens to
the heart, speaks through the mouth, projects through mentality,
and battles with non-self and false-selves. It is demonstrated by
the body, conducted by mind, valued by justice, protected by
selfhood, and greatly admired by the ego. When all these bits and
pieces of selves are unified and crystallized through the nature of
Tao, there is no difference between individual selves and others’
selves; there is no separation between inner self and outer self;
there is no space between pure self and no self.
Selfhood is such that individuality cannot exist where self-aware-
ness does not exist. When the self is not understood, the true-
being bears no specific meaning. But when awareness is self-
bounded, the selfish comes to the fore. If the meaning of aware-
ness is held only subjectively, there is no interaction or communi-
cation, only the constrained, isolated and frozen body. Should such
a self be open to the public, it would be viewed as a disposable
self, an unwanted blowing wind, a contaminated virus. If such a
self should be desired by the public, it is deemed an ideal object, a
mental connection or a wishful longing. Staying in this mode be-
comes boring, lonesome, and suspended. Moving outwardly with
it is troublesome, exhausting, and boundless. Identifying with it is a
fixation and letting-it-go becomes directionless. This is the poor
selfless self, the self-bounded selfhood.
One way to treat the self is by understanding it according to the
standard of self. Treat it as an objective entity, with no physical,
emotional and mental attachment, whether as a carnal body, a
conscious being or God’s given specialty. Once this is out of the
way, there will be a clear and thorough understanding of the color,
texture, quality and usefulness of that self. Since Tao is suffused
and blended within that self, it must be acknowledged as the only
role model for the family in society and on earth.
What is inside and what is beyond will manifest uniformly. Within
is the pure and true nature of that self. What is beyond is the bound-
less embracement and unification with the world of universe. When
the identifiable self is pure, the mental space is boundless. It goes
to family, community, nation and world. Cultivate the family, the
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Chapter VI
action is plentiful. Cultivate the community, the action endures.

Cultivate the nation, the action is fruitful. Cultivate the world, the
action is all-pervading.
Cultivation takes the same path and covers the same territory
with the notion of objective treatment. This objective treatment is
the mindful and meditation concentration on that object embraced
by the self. To quote Lao Tzu: Treat the family by the standard of
family. Treat the community by the standard of community. Treat
the nation by the standard of nation. Treat the world by the stan-
dard of world. Self is the world and the world is Self. Cultivating the
self, establishing the family, governing the country, being peaceful
with the world, and harmonizing into the Tao of nature are the ways
of thus.
Lao Tzu asks himself “How do I know how the world is such?”
By uttering one word “Thus.”
Entering the Mystical Te
When self is pure, it finds a supportive environment where it is able

to enter into the space of mystic action within mystic action. Self-
embraced mystic action is not mysterious, but rather plain and
simple. Since the action of that mystic action is begetting but not
possessing, enhancing but not dominating; (It) enlivens and nour-
ishes, develops and cultivates, integrates and completes, raises
and sustains. It enlivens without possessing. It acts without rely-
ing. It develops without controlling.
Taken further, Lao Tzu uses the conceptual entity of mind—
knowledge—to tap into the mystic action. Knowledge, to Lao Tzu,
is acquired mental information driven by conscious desire or ego-
istic persuasion. Knowledge is something that, at most, can be
used to facilitate the mind by entering into the constant mindful but
never minded information: the changing continuity with its spatial
formation and timely manifest. Under this condition, one is required
to have the ability and capacity of knowing around. However, it is
not for the sake of pursuing the knowledge that is the very
etiological and pathological nature of sickness.
His use of country connotes a double message. One is an indi-
vidual body with bones and flesh, governed by the mind. The other
is an independent nation with the land and its people being gov-
erned by a ruler. In the non-egoistic form, empowering oneself to
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Uplifting Te
take over a country has the same meaning as taking control of

one’s self before the ego-mind intercedes. Body is the country; the
mental space occupied by the mind. No one can control the natu-
ral emptiness created for both the vastness of individuality and the
visionary land to be conquered. This mental space is what distin-
guishes a human life from that of an animal. Whether the space is
an individual configuration or a national territory, whether the en-
ergy in that space is for loving or governing, whether the energy
which conducts the space is bio-sexual only or psycho-bio-sexual
as well, the mental space remains the same. If you value the world
as you do the body, you can be entrusted with the world; if you love
the body as you love the beauty of the world, you can be respon-
sible for the world
In a sense, knowledge is the energetic circulation, vibration and
evaporation that conducts that space. Since energy is never fixed
or dead, knowledge can be considered similarly, even though it is
not as vibrant and enlivened as energy. It must be applicable, re-
newable, kinetic, and available. It does not exist as a fixed form but
as a changing pattern; not a mental possession but a gift experi-
enced; not a trademark but disposable garbage. It is not a pure
virtue as the mind apparently treats it but a destructive monster in
the beguiled mind’s realization.
To obtain knowledge is necessary, but to have it is devastating;
to apply it requires skill, to possess it freezes the mental adaptabil-
ity. When the mind is not inured with knowledge, the mind is an
empty “rock.” (Even empty, it is still as hard as a rock; too difficult
to influence and too hard to change.) While conditioned with knowl-
edge, the mind becomes a slave to that knowledge. Trying to ob-
tain it is an obsession; not demonstrating in front of mind decreases
the price the mind has paid for it. Knowledge does not price itself
but is ever at the mercy of mental occupation; it is not valued for its
own virtue but by the ego’s demand, and it is not fixed in any given
action but constantly stained by conscious obsession.
When the nature of knowledge is understood by the mind, trans-
formed and transpired by the mind, mystic action then will be seen
in the eyes of the mind, viewed through the vision of mind, fused
into action of the mind. Mystic action does not comfort the habits of
mind nor satisfy mental confirmation of knowledge. It does not serve
the needs of ego’s demands. It can be fully experienced but can
never be thoroughly explained; completely envisioned but never
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Chapter VI
absolutely understood; mindfully anticipated but never analyzed with

detail. Mystic action is mindless in its nature but mindful in the hu-
man spirit. It initiates itself into the originality of human nature but is
beyond the capacity of the seeking mind. It is always there by itself
but is never quite there in the analogy of mind. It is there when the
mind is busy but never when the mind is preoccupied. It is very
plain but remains forever a mystery to the potential of human mind.
Kind Action – Only Measurement

When unconditional love is replaced by self-interest love in the world
of human communication and relationship, it will necessarily give
rise to dislikes and animosities. It is nearly impossible for one who
harbors this attitude and mentality to change they mind. As a per-
son becomes more selfish, animosity feeds on itself. The longer it
exists, the further it escalates. When this negativity becomes un-
bearable, the expression is hostile, indignant, and resentful. Vio-
lence can precede its final outcome, serving as a protective de-
fense mechanism. Under these conditions, reconciliation is effected
only when the situation can be dealt with beneficially. However, the
real problem remains unresolved. Lao Tzu declares that reconcil-
ing a great hatred necessarily entails unsolved hatred. How can
this be kindful?
This type of situation has been amplified by the peace negotia-
tion in the Middle East. Hatred between the two nations has been
deep and strong. The scars from this centuries-old-violence are
so severe and evident that this deeply rooted hostility cannot or will
not be reconciled by means of political talks and land bargaining. In
this ancient battle ground innocent souls have been fiercely fight-
ing one another while the land bears witness and washes away
the blood. Who can promise to rule the forever changing unchange-
able land? Who can benefit from bloodshed, the owner or the slave?
The separation of two factions in one nation is comparable to
the separation between two mountains. The mountains, rising
above the mouth of the valley, share their foundation and energy
resource, and are content with their own valley existence. The space
in between is so wide they cannot stand side by side, but they
remain inseparable. Each mountain stands upon its own indepen-
dent ground base, yet they both have the same valley-bottom.
Lao Tzu’s observation of the matter is that the sage honors the
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Uplifting Te
left-hand tally but does not blame people. Left-hand tally is the stub
kept of the record of the initial agreement. It is a promise of both the
initial contract and the mindful hope for the result, but not the prom-
ise that no change can be made. The sage, of course, honors this.
Should the sage hold fast to the tally and fight for the sake of an
empty agreement? He should not, and he never does. Instead, his
mind is open and his heart is open. Before kind action, he holds
onto the tally. Before kindless action, he holds onto openness. That
is the virtue of trustworthiness. That is the virtue of Loving. That is
the virtue of kind action.
Before kind action, tally is always useful, not in itself, but be-
cause kind action makes it useful. Before kindless action, tally is
the stone wall, the confronting distance, the initiation of violence.
As previously discussed when selfish love holds the position, noth-
ing else matters. What is the use of keeping one’s promise? It has
already been promised by and for selfishness. Love our enemy as
we love ourselves; our enemy is the very hatred of our own self!
This is the symbolic representation of difference as two indi-
viduals, two nations, and two countries. This is the application of
how we are all inseparable. Male and female are different but they
need to sleep together; two races are two different families, but
they must share the same land; two countries fly different flags but
they share a common territorial line. The Tao of heaven is imper-
sonal, it enhances those who are kind. It is the genuine Love and
unconditional Love that ties two people together. It is kindness and
generosity that binds two families together. It is the vision and im-
age that unify the two nations. This is the only way we can over-
come the problem of “hatred.” There is no other choice, not now or
ever.
Conditional love is unstable and unreliable, subject to change,
varying from love to hatred; unconditional Love has no boundary,
no territory, no limit, no self. It is the ideal transformation of cultiva-
tion. Because of its unwavering love cultivation harmonizes people
and nation, pure-person and universe, one and all.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7
Between Palace and Temple
Fig. 7.1 34th Hexagram (Good Fortune)
The sixth line, at the heading of the 34th hexagram in I Ching, indi-
cates that: “When the goat butts against the hedge, he can neither
move forward nor go backward. Nothing further is served. Diffi-
culty brings in good fortune.” In this line the hedge represents both
the divine religious orders and the institutionalized governing laws.
People, as represented by the goat, are trapped in their country of
residence as well as their temple of worship. Their spiritually trans-
formed seed of goat (pelvic bones) in structuring the abdomen, is
restrained by the blood of flesh and the passion of fire. Marching
boldly forward defies the laws of the governing country (body), and
falling back is against the natural rules of transcending power
(sleeping spirit). They (sheep transformed from goat) live in condi-
tions that will necessarily evoke a Revolution (Ge) of 49th hexagram.
Fig. 7.2 49th Hexagram (Revolution)
An authoritative government (the instinct within) has already been

established in the previous hexagram, 48th the Well (Jing), the cos-
mic hollowing well, resulting from revolutionary reaction (God’s cor-
ruption). This is symbolized as the pelt of an animal (slavery needs)
that, through its use over the course of years (sacrifice), has lost
its resiliency (the Chi of love), become softened (tamed), and con-
sequently shed its original character (the spirit power). In like man-
ner, time and change give rise to revolutionary action, a new begin-
ning (a dreamed hope). Without this, man comes to a standstill,
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having been brainwashed or butting his head against an unyielding

wall of laws. A new system must replace the old as symbolized by
a new pelt being brought in. Man must garner his forces and skills
in order to advance his life in his ongoing search for freedom.
Fig. 7.3 48th Hexagram (the Well)
This 49th hexagram is a composite of the clinging mentality and

firing attitude of Li accompanied by the joyous mentality and spon-
taneous attitude of Dui. Li represents the abdomen (large intes-
tine), the middle daughter, and happiness. Dui represents the
mouth, the youngest daughter, and the faith. This hexagram illus-
trates the abdomen’s clinging need for food to secure the body.
The mouth is required to be expressive for the soul to be retained.
The middle daughter clings to her physical reality of security and
safety, and the youngest daughter desires spiritual freedom and
spontaneous expression. When happiness greets faith, constant
revolutionary action is invoked. The revolution arises from the ex-
pression of spirit and soul, through biological vibration and spiritual
illumination. It is defined by governing laws and spiritual orders,
legislated in palaces and temples, and rewarded through spiritual
people.
How to restrain the clinging mentality of the soulful attachment
is the function of a governing body. The mind must be stilled for the
body to liberate itself from this obsessive clinging. How to purify
the joyous mentality of spirit into its deep wisdom power is the
function of transcending power. The spirit must be distilled to allow
wisdom to manifest. This is the difficulty surrounding body and
mind, people and spirit, state and church.
This is the state of entrapment, the condition of imprisonment
and the situation of difficulty that necessitates revolution. This per-
vading atmosphere of battling can trace its origin to the revolution
between heaven and earth, fire and water. Lake of chest is faced
with the challenge of drying up, and abdomen is in imminent dan-
ger of starvation. The conscious meets the challenge of verbal
exhaustion, while the unconscious is threatened by instinctive urg-
ing.
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Chapter VII
Fig. 7.4 17th Hexagram (Following)
Fortunately, the 49th hexagram can be carried on by the function

of Cauldron (Ding): 50th hexagram. This journey is following through,
as indicated by the third line of 17th hexagram: Following (Sui). The
line expresses that “If one clings to a great man, s/he loses the
little man. Through following, one finds what one seeks. Good for
dwelling and preserving.” In this description the little man/boy rep-
resents one who is immature and in a lower position. The great
man embodies the unyielding position and its eternal quality. One
will abandon childish actions by further seeking high spiritual qual-
ity. What one loses is what one has already experienced and di-
gested; therefore, there is no need to cling. This is a powerful mes-
sage to surrender to the inner truthful spirit in the process of dis-
solving all superficial actions and beliefs. One can then stay within
the pure orphan state by sustaining the source from the great
mother.
Lao Tzu has described the life situation of the orphan by further
suggesting that they needs not seek gain from losing, nor loss
from gaining. This is how we must live together. In both political
and spiritual life, we must harmonize the care-taker role of govern-
ment—the Goddess’ role—and the wisdom power of church—the
power of God—into inseparable and undivided oneness. By prac-
ticing such, people will be unified with their spirits, and government
and the divining order will be integrated. Drawing Chi together into
harmony is the father of teaching. No one saves people; they save
themselves. No religion can liberate spirits; they reach enlighten-
ment by themselves.
Taoists declare: “My body is the country, and my mind is the
king. My life is controlled by me, not by God.” They devote them-
selves to the Taoist approach that exclaims “I want to be and get
pregnant by myself.” This is why Taoism can never become insti-
tutionalized. The essence of Taoism has remained unchanged since
its emergence in ancient China. Whether an emperor favored or
disavowed the Tao, its teachings are steadfast, simple yet pro-
found. Its essence endures. There have been some that tried to
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establish the Tao into a rigid and concrete entity, but were inevita-
bly met with failure. At one time in the past, there was a verbal and
literal confrontation between Buddhism and Taoism, although no
violence occurred, and no lives were lost.
Lao Tzu exclaims I want to be wholly different from everybody
else by taking the substance from the mother source. When the
inner alchemy practice, meditation and cultivation, arrive at kind
action, the body has sufficient energy to sustain itself, the mind is
pure enough to allow shen to conduct daily business. The medita-
tor is thus capable of performing kind action in society by loving
“the people” and governing “the country.” Loving the people is lov-
ing the energy (Chi), governing the country is governing the body.
Body is the image of people; love is the energy of people; military is
the means of managing the energy, and kingship is the holy crown
of true self.
In Chapter 58 Lao Tzu explains that when the government is
silent, people are sincere. When the government is intrusive, the
state is decisive. The word decisive is guai in Chinese or jue in the
Mawangdui texts. Linguistically, jue means to decide, to make a
choice or to confirm. Jue was extended from guai whose meaning
was to split, separate, break-through or resolve. The character guai,
which is the 43rd hexagram, is the only one that Lao Tzu has ap-
plied from the teaching of I Ching: Resoluteness (Guai). The char-
acter guai initially means to separate, break apart or split material.
It is composed with the strokes of hand and object, indicating that
hands break an object into pieces.
Fig. 7.5 43rd Hexagram (Break through)
This was perhaps the earliest method of distribution: breaking

and dividing the objects with hands and distributing them evenly or
with preference among family members. When the meat was
cooked, the head of the family broke it apart into small pieces for all
family members to share. Later still, the guai came to represent
the emperor’s jade seal. The seal had a carved edge and could be
handheld through a hole bored for this purpose. Or as a protective
measure it could be worn around the neck with a decorative silk
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Chapter VII
thread. In the history of human development, the earliest method

of decision making and material distribution of guai has been gradu-
ally extended into linguistic format to outline laws and rules and
justice practices. The material objects (such as meat) were re-
placed by the decisions or choices made by mind and the written
words. Official documentation began to circulate within the court
and state.
Lao Tzu advises that when the government is intrusive, the state
is decisive, referring to conditions between the governing body and
its state affairs. The head of the family becomes the ruler of a
state, and the family matters are expanded into state affairs. In-
stead of directly punishing or rewarding members with the power
of hands, letters and documents became the slapping power, will-
ful acknowledgment, and disguised congratulations as the rulers
began to hire officials and executors to carry out their orders. The
more intrusive the government became, the more rules, regula-
tions and legislation were enacted. More official documents and
orders were distributed in the state, proliferating rapidly into what
exists in government today.
As the 43rd hexagram has indicated, and as a rule of natural
order, the primary decision arises from either masculine or femi-
nine perspective. The old man, the horse, heaven, the father or
husband represents the lower trigram, while the youngest daugh-
ter, the sheep, the concubine, the beauty or the vampire repre-
sents the upper trigram. The decisiveness of heavenly power serves
as the base of cosmic foundation, while the indecisive joyful lake of
beauty is the creative transition. This eternal order represents the
ultimate demarcation between wisdom and youth, stillness and
passion, understanding and feeling, penetration and creation, and
separation and unification: the unique unqualified cosmic struc-
ture.
Externally, people represent food, material, and energy circula-
tion, while country represents hands, mentality, and wisdom power.
Earth produces food, mother gives birth to all creatures, and love
makes everything commence and flow. This is the power of yin:
the virgin, the receptivity, and the resurrection. Hands are the mak-
ers of all things, mind is the decision of all things, and wisdom
power is the light of all things. This is the power of yang, the cre-
ation, the penetration, and the separation.
In true spiritual life, therefore, the mind must be decisive, the
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body transformed, and karma purified. This is the cosmic Chi Kung
practice, the third stage of Taoist inner alchemical practice: trans-
forming Shen into Xu. The mind should no longer be selfish, the
soul no longer egoistic, sensation no longer scattered, and body
no longer contaminated. We then have the most desirable mar-
riage, the highest unification, and the most peaceful harmony. The
inner body/mind is in harmony to process food and interact with
the environment. The decisive mind never wavers from aware-
ness of inner stillness and inner sacrifice. Chaos must be put in
order. The striking footsteps must be firm. Any alarming distraction
must be registered subconsciously. One’s facial expression should
be serene, yet severe and firm. One’s lack of creativity (represented
by the skin damage on the thigh in the fourth line) should be awak-
ened by spontaneous inspiration rather than anticipated participa-
tion. Poisoned meat must be eliminated, the weed-covered land
must be cultivated, and the sickened body/mind must be purified.
This is the literal expression of the Guai and the practical applica-
tion of this chapter.
Loving the People
What are “People”?
People are of both a unified and a collective body/mind. People are

what a country is all about: a single and unified entity of land and
population. Land is where people are born, live and die. Altogether,
people make up the population and become the caretakers of the
land. As a collective body/mind, society is made up of necessary
habits, customs and rules. These three are the richness of a na-
tion, since they comprise and embrace color and flower, beauty
and attraction, discipline and order. People are the citizenry of the
land and rivers, they are love and benevolence, justice and trouble-
makers; people are the destroyers.
We are told that the sage has no benevolence, he treats his
people like strawdogs and the sage is always without his own mind:
utilizing the people’s minds as his mind. Only when the sage is
free from benevolence and mind, can he manage benevolence
objectively and be mindful of the people’s minds. The sage is the
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Chapter VII
source of mind, and people are the active mind. Benevolence is

the internal balance. The deeper the sage is connected to the
source, the more mindful are people’s actions. As they become
more mindful they also become more faithful and loving toward
their source. Since the sage has faith in himself and in the people,
no distrust or mistrust can be discerned. Only benevolence mea-
sures. When faith is weak, there is distrust—especially in the worth
of speech. Results speak for themselves.
In the context of nature, the reason why rivers and seas have
the capacity for kingship over all the valleys is that they excel in
lowliness. That is why they have the capacity for kingship over all
valleys. Thus, since the sage wants to elevate the people, his
speech is down to earth. Since the sage wants to advance the
people, he positions himself at the back. So that when he is at the
front, people do not harm him. When he stands above, people do
not feel pressure. The whole world supports him untiringly. Since
he does not rely on competition, the world has nothing with which to
compete. The sage is neither a political nor religious leader, but a
combination of both. He has the least ego but balances the
emperor’s enormous ego. This can be illustrated by the history of
the Chinese political structure and its religious practices. The motto
of an emperor in the Chinese mind is “to act on behalf of the Tao of
Heaven.”(ti-tian-xing-dao) The mixed role he plays, the ambivalent
position he holds, the limited power he exerts, and the political fan-
tasy of which he dreams, positions the emperor as both a human
being and a heavenly emperor. His ego power circulates endlessly
as he merges in his autocratic monarchy.
The Taoist beliefs become the inner vision that the emperor can
only imagine and the outer attraction that he is able to demon-
strate. The Confucius discipline becomes the customary rule that
enables the emperor to launch his political execution and exercise
his moral restraint. Taoist ideas give him the freedom, and Confucius
disciplines provide him with security. To the Chinese people, the
heavenly emperor’s power is as directive and active as the
emperor’s orders, but the emperor’s spirituality is no greater than
that of the citizenry. It is the presence of egoistic power and the
invisibility of spiritual fantasy that gives rise to the emperor’s unlim-
ited role. It is this conditioned reality and unrestrained spirituality
that provides the people only a limited position within which to settle,
but an open space to explore.
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How to Love People
To love people is to be unselfish and have a non-minded aware-

ness, intention, attention and engagement. When the ego-self and
its selfishness are expunged from mind, the heart is open, the love
is all pervasive. To love the people is to have kind action and to
have enough adequate faith within kind action. When there is ad-
equate faith, people live happily and die gloriously. Faith allows the
sage’s mind to be as pure and clean as that of a child, and the
people’s minds to be clear and simple as an uncarved log. The
sage’s smile is the hope within people’s hearts. The full display of
his vital force is the wish carried in the people’s minds. This spon-
taneous action is the undisplayed direction followed by the people.
Lao Tzu advises: Do not exalt intelligence and people will not
compete; do not value rare goods and people will not steal; do not
display for public view and people will not desire. Get rid of wisdom,
abandon intelligence, and people will benefit a hundredfold. Get rid
of benevolence, abandon justice, and people will return to filial pi-
ety and kindness. Get rid of skill, abandon profit, and thieves will
disappear. These three are inadequate. This always makes people
not know and not desire. This always makes the knower dare not
act. So just let things be. Observe the plain and embrace the
simple.
How to take care of People

Employing the Unknown Virtue
According to Lao Tzu’s strategy: Those who practiced Tao in olden

times did not enlighten people, rather they made them simple. No
one can bestow enlightenment upon another. Enlightenment must
be an individual journey over universal land. When people live their
simple life, they become enlightened along their own God-given
journeys. Lao Tzu further explains the reason for this by saying:
What makes it the hardest to govern the people is what they al-
ready know. It becomes most difficult to govern the people be-
cause of their knowledge. The more knowledge people have, the
more bizarre things appear.
To know what one knows is a gift. This inward process is a
procedure that seeks the connection, a way of tapping into God’s
creative mystery. Knowledge is a mental product, a seed of mind.
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Chapter VII
To have knowledge is to have skill. To be able to know is a human

skill, to be capable of knowing around is a human mentality; to
obtain knowledge is to obtain the ego possession, and to transfer
the knowledge is to transfer the ego obsession.
The best way to deal with knowledge is to abandon it; the best
way to deal with the knower is to become grounded with the still-
ness of the unknown. Using knowledge to govern the country, knowl-
edge itself becomes the thief of the country. Not using knowledge
to govern the country, knowledge itself is the action of the country.
Always realize that these two are the model for ruling.
Formula before the Fear
There is a story behind this formula. When Genghis Khan marched

through the land of China, killing was the purpose as well as the
reward. He was astonished and awakened by Chiu Chuji’s per-
ception that “People are unafraid of death.” Quoting directly from
Lao Tzu. Chiu Chuji was the founder of the Dragon-Gate School of
Taoism (1148 - 1227). The underlying message is that you cannot
kill all the people, because people are fearless before the power.
They are the power. When fear arises, it will be overwhelming.
Fear can lead to the death of an entire race of humans and their
nation. The tragic experience and homeless life style recorded in
Jewish history follows this concept.
Whenever people are unafraid of death, how can killing be used
as a threat? When people take up arms to battle against the will of
their honest heart in a selfish action, they must be taught a lesson.
This holds true as well when they use their desiring heart to achieve
their personalized “perfection.” The discipline of killing in accor-
dance with nature’s law is based entirely upon people’s action and
the results of that action. Whenever people are afraid of death and
are acting contrary, I will catch and kill them; who else can act so?
When people are fearful of death yet themselves become killers,
they perform the duty of an executioner. This is like doing carving
for a master craftsman. Doing the carving for a master craftsman,
how could one’s hand not get cut?
The message is to let the killers kill each other. Since the duty of
an executioner is to exercise his natural law, he is destined to kill,
thereby exercising the discipline of the ruler, as well as freeing the
innocent from the task.
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Practical Success
Success is determined by self-accomplishment toward affairs

through the inner power of dedication, determination and will. With-
out inner accomplishment, there can be no social recognition of
success. Success is consequent to all affairs. It does not pro-
claim its own existence. Why cleave to it? In Taoism, success is
about the personal liberation upon energy transformation with no
acknowledgment of social appraisal. Since the value of life itself is
constructed within kind action, there is no need for social recogni-
tion. It is within the people’s hearts, and its reward is the final out-
come, that of becoming immortal.
In regard to the majority of people, their engagement in affairs
fails prior to the success. They are either lost within themselves or
they exhaust themselves before they reach success. To quote:
“Give as much careful attention to the end as to the beginning;
then the affairs will not fail.” It is on that account that the sage de-
sires not to desire and does not value goods that are hard to get.
He learns not to learn and restores the common people’s losses.
He is able to support the nature of all things and, not daring, to
impose action.
Governing the Country
Nature of a Country
The nature of a country within a society is as concrete and subtle

as the given name of an individual. The image of a country is as
fragile and delicate as the fleeting thoughts transpiring in the mind.
The structure of a country is as tangible and existential as one’s
personal identity, and the heritage of a country is as strong and
firm as the belief of a seeker.
Within any given country, land is the soil, mountains are the
breasts, rivers are the blood stream and people are the residents.
Youth is the flower, intellect the attraction, and culture the adorn-
ment. The country is customized with various structural patterns
and decorative colors. The army is the protector and the govern-
ment is the destroyer. For a country, environment is the body, king
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Chapter VII
is the mind, people are the consciousness, religion is the con-

science, government is the ego, founding fathers are the spirits or
the worshipers. Within a country, people are the essence, culture
is the vitality, and administration is the spirit. People must engage
with a peaceful mindset and be at ease with themselves for the
land to be cultivated and the country healthy. When the culture is
vital and energetic, the mind is nurtured and the country is rich.
When the administration is clean and simple, society is well pre-
served and the country is tranquil.
A country is the identity of a strong ethnic group that is fore-
shadowed by weaker ones. A small country is a small family, and a
large country is a large community. The territorial line between coun-
tries is like a projection of thought, an image of mind, an identity of
ego, a sign of victory, a call to attention, and a protection from fear.
The gates within the line are wide open and as smooth as the
communication between two lovers. The walls between the line
are as firm as the belief systems of two distinguished cultures.
The light shining through the line is as bright and joyful as our indi-
vidual dreams, and the fire burning upon the line is as hot and
flaming as a cultural expectation.
The territorial line itself is the mark of a war, the bloody stain left
by the sacrificer, the victorious declaration of the winner, and the
surrendering confirmation of the loser. The territory is where the
nationality is defined and passports are required. It is where poli-
tics rule, immersed within their own inseparable boundaries. It is
where the bodies of two nationalities attract one another, the minds
of two languages communicate in one way or another, and the
seeds of cultural unification give birth to one another.
The line itself is as subtle as the flow of two different streams of
consciousness and as broad as the projection of the mind’s eye. It
is the longest distance the ego can cover with acceptance; the
final proof that justice can demonstrate and protect. It stands be-
fore the eyes when ego speaks forth, but is hidden behind a curtain
when consciousness flows through. It is why two nationalities can
exist with each other and two cultures can meld. The life of an
individual, a family, community, nation and culture is the demarca-
tion of this territorial line. What powerful marks the mind has been
drawing! What a beautiful inspiring flag the ego has been waving!
What a comfortable state in which the people are caged!
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Ways of Governing the Country
Governing a country can be as complex a process as healing one’s

physical illness. When the body is in harmony with the mind and
environment, the resulting state is that of health. When dealing
with illness, the mind must take responsibility for seeking its own
cure. Working through sickness allows for further growth and trans-
formation. Living with sickness allows one to understand the mean-
ing, distance and duration of life. Working through the self and seek-
ing professional help are the two ways of solving the problems.
Working through the self has always been the primary hope,
method, and task. With no internal demand, there can be no pro-
fessional help; without the need to break through, the spiritual help
that is forever present becomes remote. By liberating from these
two, one reaches the ultimate freedom and enlightenment. The
body must live and die; the soul must be drawn into the eternal
marriage of love and peace.
In matters of government, Lao Tzu suggests: Not constraining
the living environment. They (people) do not get bored by life. Be-
cause we do not get bored, there is no boredom. All problems within
a society are created by the confusion and conflict of mind, thus
generating legal practice and military interference. The more pro-
hibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people will be. The
more rules and demands that flourish, the more thefts there will be.
Lao Tzu sharply criticizes the failure of a government by stat-
ing: The reason people are starving is because the government
taxes too much. This is the reason for starvation. The reason people
are hard to govern is because their leaders are actively engaged.
This is why they are hard to govern. The reason people are not
serious about death is because they seek the burdens of life. This
is why they are not serious about death.
It is critical to know that the mind exhausts the bodily energy in
the same manner that the government exhausts people’s energy.
On the one hand, government flourishes from the actions of its
people. Without people, the government is an empty ego form and
its administrative office becomes an empty funeral chapel. On the
other hand, government is the powerhouse of involved people seek-
ing the burdens of life because of their enslaved needs and the
collective wishes of their government.
Lao Tzu has also proposed that: Governing a large country is
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like cooking a small fish. Use the right lawfulness to govern the
country. How do I know this is so? When no-boundary is known, it
allows the country to exist. The country, existing from its source,
can endure. The role of a government is to integrate the diversified
social elements into a grand harmony without judging or valuing
the goodness of intention, efficiency of process, quality of the prod-
ucts, and resultant teachings. The character of government is an
invisible mind with kindness and a visible body with force. It is the
fusion of will and the penetration of power. It should be a beautiful
harmony of simplicity, not a diversified organization of complexity.
This is the right lawfulness, the art of cooking (frying) a small fish,
that each and every soul swims in the oceanic body.
Whoever understands the people’s needs knows how a gov-
ernment should govern. Whoever stands on the people’s side wins
the war, and whoever envisions the picture of a clean, healthy, pro-
ductive and harmonious environment, is capable of taking over the
power of beauty. When the country is in big trouble, there arises
patriotism. Whoever can bear the disgrace of the country is the
ruler of the country. Whoever can bear the misfortune of the world
is the ruler of the world.
The story of Gandhi serves as an example of this statement. He
might not have read Lao Tzu or the book of Tao Te Ching, but it
makes no difference to either Gandhi or Lao Tzu. What Gandhi did
was not for himself although the power emerged from his inner
self. What Lao Tzu stated was not for his benefit even though it
“came” through his own mind.
Mutual Existence of Countries
A great nation flows downwardly; it is the mother of the world, and

the integration of the world. The mother is always tranquil and over-
comes the male by her tranquility; so she benefits the world. A
great nation relies on a low position to take over a small nation. A
small nation, being in a low position, is taken over by a great na-
tion. So being lower allows for taking over or being taken over. Be-
ing a great nation only desires to unify the people. Being a small
nation only seeks people’s business. They both get what they want,
but the greater is in being the lower.
A big country opens her mouth to the sea with her main stream
body. Her position is naturally lower than the smaller countries that
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have only small rivers running miles to or away from the sea. A
small country or nation is already in the lower position. It lacks the
resources to expand. With no valuable resources, her most im-
portant and only business is her people. The small country of Ja-
pan has emerged as an economically powerful nation by thriving
upon her people’s business: the collective power of mind.
The application of international relationship is not to stomp upon
the divisions but to whirl around them, not to draw the line but to
flow along the line. The cultural dots are already there and the ra-
cial lines have already been there. The coating of cultural dots can-
not be covered up since they are the cultural image and personal-
ity. How can one understand modern Western culture without the
aid of a scientific approach? How can one engage in Indian mysti-
cal practice without first knowing Yoga? And how can one under-
stand the Chinese mind with no knowledge of Chinese philoso-
phy?
With the same reasoning, one can walk along the racial line, but
find no way to cross it. The line is invisible. Inside that invisible line
the race is a sleeping lion. The line cannot be crossed without
destroying its existence. If the mind is open, the line becomes vis-
ible; the space around the line vibrant. Everyone can walk through
or even step on the line. That is the nature of mutual and neutral
co-existence. That is the nature of the communicative heart of
human beings, the bearers of the greatest potential existence on
earth.
Military
Nature of War
War is the final result of mental conflict, the breakthrough of ego

confrontation, the reconstruction of distorted justice, the restora-
tion of absent conscience, and the redistribution of the power struc-
ture. When there is a conflict or confrontation due to misunder-
standing and mistrust, the tension and heat may accelerate to the
degree that antagonism and contention are the only reality. This
can escalate, resulting in war as the best or only solution. When
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Chapter VII
power is used excessively, as it is in any aggressive invasion, as

coercive, obsessive exploitation and suppressive punishment,
these abusive actions culminate in war. Ultimately, the power holder
will necessarily be overpowered by the persons or parties that had
been suppressed and oppressed. Similarly, when opposing armies
clash, those who cry win! Stiffness and callousness are the com-
pany of death. Softness and suppleness are the company of life.
The powerful army will not win. A stiff tree will break. So stiffness
and callousness stay below. Softness and suppleness stay above.
This observation explains that war is the only means to exchange
the power structure, thereby restoring peace and uplifting human
conscience. By its very nature, war is self-destructive. If there were
no blockage, no misunderstanding, no ego obsession, no holding-
on, there would be no war. War is itself the sign of demonstration
from individual involution to group evolution, from self actualization
to cultural civilization, and from inter-personal hatred to the social
expression of that hatred. To understand the nature of war is to
understand the nature of human inner conflict between conscien-
tious spiritual awareness and the unjust action of ego, between
submission to the power of body and the full display of the power of
mind.
War is, in effect, an evolutionary process of changing the hu-
man adaptive strategy from passive reaction to aggressive con-
trol. This applies to both natural and social environment. War evolves
from the destructive character of egoist aggression, whereas peace
arrives through the constructive nature of human spirit. The old
habits and systems held firmly for generations must be severed to
allow the new to exist. The process of change is extremely difficult.
It may take a war to forcefully demand the transition, ensure the
change, and announce the new order.
The process of war can be recognized as twofold, with both
positive and negative experiences as the outcome, regardless of
extenuating situations. As the boundaries of attachment are bro-
ken in order to enter into the freedom of unknown, the future is
uncertain and unpredictable. It can be as destructive as the decay-
ing and deforming process of any material existence. War is too
painful and shattering for anyone to be required to experience its
ravaging consequences. It is devastating to be at death’s door in
the prime of life, witnessing fallen comrades cross its threshold.
Within the war zone, there is no glimmer of mental anticipation;
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only gunfire, the sound of explosions causing untold destruction,

the crying of hearts, the burning of flesh, and the drifting ashes.
The underlying fuse for this erupting conflict was ignited by the
power of ego, the power of mind gone mad. Since war has no
conscientious evaluation and appraisal, it disregards any social
justice. The person who launches war justifies himself to protect
his ego.
If war could be justified, Jewish people would not have been
denied their right to reside in Israel for these many years. The
American Indians would not have been forced to live on reserva-
tions. Nothing matters in war except who is defeated, who is victo-
rious. To the victor goes the power to demonstrate justice; to the
defeated that have forfeited survivorship goes the preservation of
justice which will ensure future revenge.
When the country being invaded has the wherewithal to defend
and protect itself, the invasion is thwarted. If they have no defense,
it is no longer an invasion but an act of submission to the invaders.
The invaders display their power and authority. Whether native or
invader they are all the same before the power flow of nature. War
is fair to everyone. If the position of power is over, the present power
structure cannot endure. If it is the time for another power to take
over, it cannot fail. Neither side is willing to be subdued. Nature
itself must force the issue of power.
When the inner conscience is alive in everybody’s heart, there
will be no war. However, when war is necessary, the side with in-
ner conscience stands the greater chance of victory. This is not to
say that the lack of a motivated inner conscience will necessarily
precipitate a loss. The final solution depends on who is granted the
power by the turn of nature. Nobody can change this or influence
this immutable fact. Call it the power of God or the justice of God;
this turn of nature is beyond man’s manipulation. The Mongolian,
Arabian, Manchurian, the Europeans and the Japanese have all
tried to invade the land of China. They all failed; there is no possible
way for them to take it over and keep it for themselves. No one can
take away “the beauty” from the king unless he is willing to share it,
and no one can take care of “the beauty” other than the king-beast,
the perfect match to the beauty of the human flower.
This is the truth, the fact and the justice of the animal world, of
which we are an element. The stronger, quicker and more intelli-
gent hold the seat of power. The weaker, slower and less intelligent
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Chapter VII
form the masses. They are relegated to carry out the more menial
tasks, to be subservient. The financially poor, the mentally retarded,
the uneducated live out their natural life span. Consequently, the
richer, stronger and smarter must take charge of their submissive
partners lest might they be overtaken by new invaders who emerge
from the ranks. Lao Tzu revealed that: When opposing armies clash,
those who cry win! In world history, Rome, Persia, China, Mongolia,
France, England, all enjoyed their time of glory. America is now
having its time. Can it last?
On this subject Lao Tzu proposes: Using the Tao as the rule for
governing the people, do not employ the army as the power of the
world, for this is likely to backfire. Where the army has marched,
thorns and briars grow. Being good has its own consequence, which
cannot be seized by power. Achieving without arrogance, achiev-
ing without bragging, achieving without damage, achieving without
taking ownership. This is called achieving without force. Matter
becomes strong, then old. This is called “Not-Tao.” Dying young is
“Not-Tao.”
Military – Strong Army
Military signifies the best preparation of ego protection and the final
defense against the fear of death. Lao Tzu states implicitly that:
The strong army is the mechanism of bad luck. The elements of
the world may oppose it. So those who have ambitions cannot
rest. Therefore the nobleman takes his place on the left side, and
the commander on the right side. So the army is not the nobleman’s
weapon. As a mechanism of bad luck, he uses it only as the last
resort. Then the best way is to use it quickly and destructively. Do
not enjoy this. To take delight in it is to enjoy killing people. Those
who enjoy killing people do not attract the favor of the world. The
good inclines to the left, the bad inclines to the right. Thus the intel-
ligent officer stays on the left, the army commander stays on the
right. Speaking in an image of sadness, after killing the people,
every one stands in mourning. Victory is celebrated as a funeral
service.
Lao Tzu has taken a humanistic stance by treating the army as
the last resort and not the best display. The left position is the aus-
picious one while the right side indicates bad luck. By its very na-
ture, winning a war is based upon the death and surrender of oth-
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ers. Of course, the victory should be celebrated as a funeral ser-

vice. The personification of patriotism is at most an extension of
selfish love. It does not entail a picture of fairness and non-partial-
ity. Also, war is the extreme of competition; both the winner and
loser have mixed feelings of accepting the reality, there is resent-
ment and dissatisfaction. A sense of fear and uncertainty about
the future lurks on the victorious side and a strong will for ven-
geance and retaliation arises on the losing side.
The ultimate reality, as Lao Tzu explains, is that even if weap-
ons are far more numerous than people, they are not used. The
more and sharper the weapons the people have, the more chaotic
the nation will be. Let people be serious about death and enjoy a
long journey. Though there are carriages and boats, they are not
useful for travel. Let people return to use the technique of knotting
the rope, to enjoy the food, to appreciate the cloth, to delight in
customs, and to settle in their living conditions. The neighbor coun-
tries are in sight. The sounds of dogs and chickens are heard.
People grow old and die without interfering with each other. How
beautiful such a picture of country and people is: the simple gov-
ernment and plain citizens. If all people mind their own way, are
mindful only of their own business and content with themselves,
then everyone’s mind is at peace, the whole world flows harmoni-
ously at the pace of a peaceful state.
Mentality of Winning
Being a good warrior does not entail power. A good fighter is not
angry. One who is good at overcoming the enemy does not con-
tact him. One who is good at leading people acts humbly. This is
called the Action of non-competition. This is called leading people.
This is called the Ultimate as old as heaven. When there is an
absence of power, the mind preserves its total clarity and aware-
ness. When a person is not angry, there is no emotional distur-
bance before the action. When there is no confrontation, there is
no exhaustion of energy consumption. When the mind is humble,
the people are encouraged and the work is done.
Lao Tzu further explains that I dare not be the host, but rather a
guest. I dare not advance an inch, but rather retreat a foot. This is
called performing without performing, rolling up one’s sleeves with-
out showing the arms. By not holding on to an enemy, there is no
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Chapter VII
enemy. There is no disaster greater than having no enemy. Hav-

ing no enemy almost destroys my treasure. What Lao Tzu is say-
ing is that one should never underestimate anything, especially the
enemy. In the use of military force, overestimation loses an oppor-
tunity and underestimation loses the war. Being a host welcomes
the war, being a guest conducts the war. In advancing the body is
exposed; in retreating the body preserves the resource. The body
must be relaxed, the mind must be disengaged. Exploring this,
before action, the mind anticipates without expectation. During con-
frontation, the body/mind is actively engaging without losing its
ground. When the battle is over, no scar is found on the body and
there is no memory remaining in the mind.
Military Strategies
Use the unexpected to conduct the battle. Use disengagement to

take over the world. This is because when you want to constrict
something, you must first let it expand; When you want to weaken
something, you must first enable it; When you want to eliminate
something, you must first allow it; When you want to conquer some-
thing, you must first let it be. This is called the Fine Light. The
weak overcomes the strong. Fish cannot live away from the source.
The sharp weapon of the nation should never be displayed, nor
should it be traded. Treasure is something that should be kept
secretly and preserved carefully. When it is displayed, it invites
manipulation, its secret is exposed, rendering the treasure value-
less. Nor should the treasure be considered an economic gain; it
is an act of self-betrayal. Judging how effectively America keeps
its military weaponry under wraps—a closely guarded secret—we
can understand that displaying it would be an open invitation to the
enemy. There may be a monetary gain to some, but it would prove
to be self-defeating action. We would create an unthinkable back-
lash of retribution. Can we afford to pay the price of such a back-
fire? Can we secure ourselves safely behind our best defensive
mechanism?
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Kingship
Widow or Orphan?
What the world hates is the widow and orphan without support. But
lords and rulers name themselves these. Widow, on the one hand,
is the mother without a husband. She lives with the nature of Moth-
erhood; welcoming the power of penetration. She enjoys the un-
selfish care-taking, provides the needed nourishment, and returns
finally to her frozen empty-womb state where the egg again be-
comes milk.
Orphan, on the other hand, is the son whose mother gave birth
to him. He remembers only the sucking but the source is no longer
there to sustain him. He holds the memory of his father inside his
blood without the conscious awareness of the father’s identity. So
he returns to the mountain and sleeps inside the cave. The memory
of sucking is restored with embryonic breathing; his mother’s im-
age is vibrating within his body, and his father’s spirit shines inside
his heart. His mother cries tearfully, expressing the people’s joyful-
ness. His father laughs willfully, demonstrating the people’s faith-
fulness. He becomes the Oneness of One.
Supportiveness of the Tao
Tao is eternally nameless. Though simplicity is small, the world

cannot treat it as subservient. If lords and rulers can hold on to it,
everything becomes self-sufficient. Heaven and earth combine and
allow sweet dew. Without rules, people will naturally become equal.
At the outset, the rule must be expressed. Once it exists, quit say-
ing it. The result of not saying it is to be without danger. In a manner
of speaking, Tao is to the world as the rivers are to oceans and
seas.
Tao is eternally nameless. If lords and rulers would abide by it,
all things would evolve of themselves. What evolves desires to
act. I, then, suffuse this with nameless simplicity. Suffusing with
nameless simplicity is without humiliation. Without humiliation,
peace arises. Heaven and earth regulate themselves. Simplicity
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Chapter VII
refers to the procreative stage that ensures the maturity and com-
plexity with the primary vitality. It serves also as the returning and
revitalization that channel the changes merging from maturity and
complexity. Unifying this notion of the Tao endows one with a peace-
ful mind, a happy life, and a full stomach. What more can be needed?
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longevity and Immortality
Chapter VIII
Longevity and Immortality
In this chapter, we gather all the energy in the brain or “niwan,”

which is one of the many Taoist terms for brain: with “ni” for “mud”
and “wan” for “elixir.” When the brain is in a state of emptiness,
numerous holes in it will open and connect to the cosmic power,
emitting cloud-like cosmic smoke. Then Te becomes the root of
heaven unifying all that surrounds it. The brain serves as the cos-
mic water base or sacred lake, inviting the highest spiritual cultiva-
tion, unifying the five element-Chi into Wu Chi state.
The pure spirit or elixir or pure person flourishes in this sacred
undercurrent like a rootless lotus flower. The brain serves as the
temple of minds where all likened individuals gather to promote
their mutual understanding, affection and growth. Brain is not the
root of ego and instinct, but the mason of spirit and wisdom. The
eight sections of brain skull represent the back of a tortoise. The
nine palaces (holes) in the brain connect the tailbone and sacrum
allowing the pure flow of Chi in the body/mind. When the abdomi-
nal Chi is gathered and purified in the brain, the nine palaces con-
nect further with the nine stars in the universe, thereby providing all
the necessary nutrition required by the body/mind.
Fig. 8.1 45th Hexagram (Gathering)
In I Ching, this notion is expressed by the 45th hexagram: Gath-

ering Together (Cui). As we learned from a powerful and represen-
tative decision rendered by a sage, all the spirits gather together to
purify their wounded souls and cloudy minds. A temple is built to
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Chapter VIII
pay tribute to ancestors, thereby unifying all the spirits, body/minded,

enlightened and abandoned, into one family. This family represents
our common spiritual foundation, the mutual connection and our
common destination.
This is the transition from “Guai” to “Cui” where the heaven
trigram in “Guai” transforms into earth trigram in “Cui.” Earth rep-
resents the cosmic mother, the root of heaven, and the creative
womb of universal creatures. In 43rd hexagram, the spiritual mind
is elevated to follow a higher spiritual path. One’s needs are dimin-
ished, instinctive behavior is abandoned in order to embrace the
power of Te. When Te unifies all the spirits within her family, the
spiritual mason and the lost souls are unified. Spiritual flowers and
fruits are produced, longevity is ensured and immortality results.
This can be envisioned as the transition from order to work, from
discipline to obedience, from self-realization to self-actualization.
Therefore, longevity is the order, the discipline and the self-realiza-
tion. The immortality is the work, the obedience and the self-actu-
alization. Longevity is a wish and immortality is the result of the
wish. Now let us explore this wish.
Tapping the Gate of Longevity
Reasoning, Out
In the history of mankind, longevity has been the most common
desire of the mind. There is no greater wish of the mind than to
attain spiritual immortality. Longevity is an infinite mental desire
that drives the finite existing body beyond its natural duration. This
desire can be traced to an unpredictable miscalculation of the ex-
act duration of a natural life cycle. It may also have its source from
an excessive push from the transcendental spirit. The miscalcula-
tion is due to the faulty information being driven by ego anticipation.
The push is an attempt made by spirit to escape from the exist-
ence of the trapped body and mind as quickly as possible.
Only a small minority of people can master the use of predicting
one’s physical life journey. The masters of meditation can do so. A
good doctor can predict the final outcome of a clinical patient’s
duration based upon pathological evidence. A clear-minded per-
son may get a small sense of it as foresight. Yet the spiritual life is
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independent from that of physical life. The body has no choice but
to die, but the mind can choose when to release a final exhalation.
The willful anticipation of mind plays an important role in terms
of the overall situation of death and dying. If a person has made up
they mind to commit suicide, no one can prevent it. The unfinished
jobs that have been devised by the mind must be updated or dis-
placed before the spirit departs the body and this world. The deci-
sion comes from within. The proper approach is to live life fully
without fighting against the nature of death. This can be illustrated
from the life stories of Buddha or Jesus, both of whom were reli-
gious founders as well as superior masters of meditation. Buddha
once ate poisoned meat to hasten his last breath; Jesus was cru-
cified after his last meal. They each knew what awaited them: to
liberate from death through mastering the spirit’s way.
A life span of several hundred years was not uncommon for
ancient Taoist sages. For example, Guang Chengzi, the Yellow
Emperor’s guru, lived over one thousand and two hundred years
according to Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tse). Yet longevity cannot replace
immortality. One needn’t live a long physical life in order to achieve
immortality. Wang Chunyang, the founder of the Complete-Reality
School of Taoism, lived only to the age of fifty-eight years.
Distilling the Mental Clouds
When the ego retreats completely, the body is able to live its fullest
physical life journey. When the mind disappears completely, the
immortality or the native spiritual eternity, becomes fully present.
Longevity is the process of changing within unchanging, while im-
mortality is the character of the sameness of unchanging within
the changing. Changing from and toward unchanging could never
be predicted by the ego. In unchanging within the changing, the
mind can never experience emptiness within nothingness. The
unchanging is the union of black and white; the changing within is
the transformation of rainbow bridge, the racial distribution of man-
kind. Understanding the white and holding on to the black enables
the formation of the world. Being the formation of the world, ongo-
ing action does not stray. When ongoing action does not stray, it
returns to the infinite. This simplicity takes shape as a mecha-
nism. The sage makes it the head ruler. Great ruling never di-
vides.
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Chapter VIII
The formation of the world is constructed within the mecha-

nism; great ruling is what governs it. This is the mechanism of life
and death, birth and rebirth. From sunrise to sunset, from night to
day, it is a sleepless resting continuity of free changing process.
From male to female, white to black, fire to water, it is the power of
penetration. From female to male, black to white, water to fire, it is
the power of receptiveness. Penetrating and receiving continues
with no sign of beginning or end. The two never stray apart from
each other: the Oneness within, the formation of the world. This
action comes from nowhere, is present and exists everywhere.
There is nothing above it still to be accounted for; there is nothing
below it that has been excluded. Ever searching for it, it is beyond
naming. It returns to no-thing. Its state is described as no state, its
form is described as formless. It is called the vision beyond focus.
Follow after it, and it proves endless. Go before it, and no begin-
ning is found. Employ the Tao of today in order to manage today’s
affairs and to know the ancient past. This is called the principle of
Tao.
Calling upon the Valley Spirit
As our mind begins to work, we understand the workability of the

world. When our mind starts changing direction, we make sense
of the change in our changing world. When our mind ceases to
change, we conclude that changing is unchanging. That is all we
know, is all we have ever known. Our conscious minds are torn
between the two sides of the unknown, the infant and the wise.
When we connect with one side, the other side is extended into a
projection from dreams to wishes to plans. While following the other
side, an immediately experienced story is revealed as an ageless
and legendary mystery. The mind is, thus, a tangible entity within
an infinitive reality. The consciousness in-between leaps to the
heaven and falls to the earth; the unconsciousness languishes in
the underworld, and the superconscious soars into the ethereal
world. Fatherless spiritual light is too magnificent to hold, with cos-
mic wind spinning with countless corruptive seeds. Abysmal deep
valley darkness is too frightened as it courses its deathless jour-
ney, an endless trickling stream flowing into the bottomless sea.
Lost in a maze, the mind’s eye searches alone. Still in an able
body, but with sickened mind, hungry eyes and mournful voice, it
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retreats from the past only to return again to a meaningless life.

We march forward on our hopeless journey to face the non-exist-
ing reality of death. What can the mind do, what is it capable of
becoming?
This unchanging reality beyond the anticipation of mind is the
nature of the Tao, the birth of universe, and the valley-spirit of Great
Mother. Lao Tzu has characterized that valley-spirit is deathless; it
is called the mystical female. The gateway of the mystical female
is called the root of heaven and earth. Hovering, it seems ever-
present. Put to use, it is never exhausted.
Visioning Immortality
The nature of unchanging before the Oneness with no birth/death

is the longevity of Nature and the immortality of the Tao. To define
this more clearly, longevity deals with form, both transforming and
deforming. It exists between birth and death, growth and retire-
ment, moving forward and turning back. Immortality reveals the
presence of everlasting eternity. Lao Tzu realized that what makes
heaven and earth eternal and long lasting is that they do not give
birth to themselves. It is this that makes them eternal and long
lasting. He further explains that reaching the ultimate emptiness,
concentrating on the central stillness, all things work together. From
this I observe returning. All things under heaven flourish in their
vitality, yet each returns to its own root. This is stillness. Stillness
means returning to its destiny. Returning to its destiny is stead-
fastness. To know steadfastness means enlightenment. Not to
know steadfastness is to act forcefully. Acting forcefully brings di-
saster. Knowing the steadfast implies acceptance. Acceptance is
impartial. Impartial is regal. Regal is heaven. Heaven is Tao. Tao
is beyond danger even when the body perishes.
In this chapter, Lao Tzu is examining the Tao through mindful
observation by returning to the total stillness of that rooted destiny.
He finds that destiny moves along its steadfast course without be-
ing troubled by the mind; that is the realization of being enlight-
ened. Knowing this is the mind’s acceptance of being with the im-
partiality of the kingdom of heaven. This impartiality is being with
the body of the Tao, a process of returning, a backward movement
towards its procreated state, no-being and nothingness. Our mind
never questions another sunrise after saying goodbye to the sun-
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Chapter VIII
set, but it dreams of a wishful returning. Yet, the mind doesn’t need
to be regarded as being balanced as you would a checkbook, a
time recorder. Body/mind’s rhythm has the capacity to handle the
necessary business of life just like the motion of the sun and the
waning and waxing of the moon. Time takes care of itself. There is
no need to remember everything and there is no need to hold onto
everything. That is the child of the Tao: the renewal of change. The
sun, moon and earth are more conscious of their actions and ac-
tivities than anything we could ever impose upon them. This is the
process of acceptance; this is the ability of staying with the stead-
fastness; this is the regal mind, the body of the Tao.
Moving along the Living Reality
Nature of Changing
All that we experience is change. From the conscious marriage

between our parents to the formation of our independent individual
life process; from the flash of an idea to its concentrated form of
thought; from that internalized thought to the expressive activity;
from a programmed activity to an extended wish beyond the final
productivity; they are all the evolutionary process of involuntary
changing. Nature never acts, since it is always the same; Nature
never stops acting because it never remains the same within its
changing form. Lao Tzu continues by saying that: Gusty winds do
not last all morning, cloudbursts do not last all day. What makes
this so? Heaven and earth will not last forever, how could a human
being last!
On the surface and linguistic levels, the sentence “Heaven and
earth will not last forever” appears contradictory with the sentence
“Heaven is eternal, earth is long lasting.” The love imbued in hu-
man nature is different than specific loves guided by emotional,
mental and conscious desires. This illustrates the difference be-
tween the pure presence of spirit (shen) and its ever-flowing mo-
mentary conscious activity. It also clarifies the difference between
faith and belief. That which is present is long lasting. That which is
beyond mental calculation and ego anticipation is the all-pervading
Love. That which is beyond rational evaluation and experiential judg-
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ment is the faith that goes beyond the depth of life testament. Faith
is individual/universal while belief is personal/cultural. A scientist
will follow the guideline of a scientific belief system. At a Jewish
funeral ceremony, their customs and rituals are followed. Upon
entering a Buddhist temple, you observe the rules being followed
within the temple. But transpersonally and cross-culturally, the sci-
entists, the Jewish people, and the Buddhists have the unspoken
trust within, individually and universally. This trust within is called
“faith,” which is unconditional, collective and universal. A belief is a
set of experiential habits, rationalized rules and mentally pro-
grammed systems within a cultural milieu, while faith is more subtle,
deeper and much more pervasive and inclusive. It envelops the
Love and the eternity of Nature.
Eternal faith never dies whereas experiential belief must die.
Only after each timed and experienced belief dies and transforms
can the mind return to its child-like state, awake from sleep, be
humble and ready to face whatever may come. But one thing re-
mains constant: all the living reality becomes a cosmic reality, but
each must exist, die and move on. Glory or failure, gain or loss, are
nothing but constant change. Take it easy, relax and let it go.
In the meantime, each movement is an enlightened journey. If
the mind is not present and the body is not ready, repetition and
continuation must take place until the mind is free, the body is ready
to sleep. This is the glory of living reality and the grace of enlighten-
ing reality. Live fully, die completely. Then move on without looking
back just as though nothing has happened. This is the true para-
dox of Lao Tzu’s teaching. To practice this requires purity, inno-
cence, and humility. This must be the right expression, right under-
standing and right attitude.
To Suffuse Oneself with Presence
How to suffuse one’s mental content with presence is the major

issue of cultivation, or the application of wu wei, inactive action,
non-minded action. To know what is sufficient is to be rich. Or know-
ing what is sufficient averts disgrace. Knowing when to stop averts
danger. This can lead to a longer life. To suffuse one’s mental con-
tent with presence is to allow fully the presence of spirit engaging
with the constant, moment by moment unification of both
biophysiological action and psycho-spiritual behavior. A total
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Chapter VIII
mental awareness is needed with no inquiry into the meaning and

result of each activity. No hypothesis is necessary prior to the ac-
tivity, no desirable control is exerted toward the outcome of the
activity. To love and to be loved is the effective practice of being
fully present. When the reality of presence is absent or blocked an
energy imbalance and deficiency is created. The mind manifests
with wishes and longings for the loss of the connected loving pres-
ence. If the disconnection continues to exist, hope is lost, depres-
sion darkens the mind, suicidal desire or action is provoked as the
richness of life dwindles away. It is like a beautiful flower withering
away. This is what Lao Tzu called extreme fondness is necessar-
ily very costly. Yet, the fondness is a feedback resulting from the
energetic quality of either light or darkness. To be fond of the spiri-
tual path will sacrifice the physical life but free the self, while to be
fond of the dark force depletes all, pleases only the hellish world.
Instead of being fully engaged with the presence the mind be-
gins to close off its environment as the ego advances. This is the
nature of animated egoistic activity in its fear of losing the connec-
tion. The ego augments further pressure to the biophysiological
action. Through this process, the psycho-spiritual enrichment of
living, of “being with the presence,” descends into ego obsessive
control. The richness of life is replaced with the desire of becom-
ing materially rich. Through obsession the ego attains satisfaction;
through possession the mind avoids being lost in the reality of na-
ture. The transcendent nature of reality becomes that of mental
configuration, the knowledge the mind requires and the materials
the mind possesses. Going with the flow is mystic and living with
habitual configuration seems always lacking. The vision of heaven
is distant, the mindset reality is too hellish. Living is meaningless;
dying seems unsatisfactory. Lao Tzu has professed that the more
you hang on to, the more you lose. This refers to actual objects to
which the mind clings as well as the very act of clinging. Objects
represent images and are the symbols of that clinging behavior.
This is the drive that depletes the Chi or life force that channels the
body/minded equilibrium.
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Reversing the Process of Entropy
When people are born, they are soft and gentle. When they die,
they are stiff and callous. When myriad things, grasses and trees,
are born, they are soft and tender. When they die, they are with-
ered. So stiffness and callousness are the company of death. Soft-
ness and suppleness are the company of life. No existing research
in the field of gerontology can be found in the works of Lao Tzu, yet
on the nature of gerontology, he achieved a complete understand-
ing of the subject. Based upon the natural observation and episte-
mological investigation, he managed to survive the returning stage
from growth back to childhood, going beyond the life process of
birth and death. Because he could not find a place to die physically,
he experienced that harmony is eternal.
Tao is the harmony of yin and yang. For human beings the ear-
liest “being of harmony” between heaven and earth is the eternal
nature of that pure self, the unifying of yin and yang. Through the
evolution of human growth and development the yin Chi, funda-
mental in our Great Mother, and the yang Chi descending from the
Ethereal Father (God’s spirit) marry into the pure harmony. How-
ever, they lose the essential balance through their children: our
original biological parents. Due to this we rarely get in touch with
the true nature of eternal harmony. Rarely we experience the bliss-
fulness of that harmonious beauty, with the possible exceptions of
having biological sex, the embracing the two souls, or entering into
the abysmal place where our Great Mother meets with the Ethe-
real Father.
By its very nature, human sexual activity always advances for-
ward to the point of no return. When two people are attracted the
activity may begin with an embrace. This harmony unifies the two
lost souls into the beginning of a new product: three—the com-
bined self—child. Two things then transpire. One is, as Lao Tzu
has described when things reach their climax, they are suddenly
old. This is “Non-Tao.” “Non-Tao” dies young. As a result, the cli-
max itself exhausts the life force and pushes physical life toward
its “old” stage. The climax announces itself the prime of life growth
and development. Through sexual practice, the life force is lost
either into condoms or wombs—for people who do not practice
Taoist sexual energy cultivation and conservation.
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Chapter VIII
Crown
Jade Pillow
C-7
T-11
Cauldron
Sacrum
Perineum
Fig. 8.2 Sexual energy is drawn up the spine to the crown, refined in the
Microcosmic Orbit, blended with positive organs’ Chi and stored in the
Cauldron. Internal Achemy begins at the Cauldron.
Fig. 8.3 The Taoist Practices of Healing Love open the Way
to experience the Greatest Freedom. Refined sexual energy is use for
improved health and for spiritual alchemy in creating our spirit body.
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The only gain is possibly the bodily experience stored within the
memory, preparing to be replayed anytime the mind wishes to ini-
tiate a climax. Children are sometimes the byproducts of that ex-
perience.
In addition to that, love becomes a loss; sexual life is a loss;
having children is a loss. Living through married life is not condu-
cive to finding the lost part of the pure self: the harmonious One-
ness. The initially loving relationship has been transformed from
the romantic stage of searching for the other Chi, the other side of
Oneness, the very lost part of Oneness. It is initiated into a com-
mitment to maintain the relationship and accepting the responsibil-
ity of raising the children and keeping the self-promise alive. Only a
few married couples are true soul mates. When it is obvious that
the relationship cannot lead to eternal satisfaction, when it cannot
be granted by social recognition, the marriage can be dissolved.
Though the searching is continuous and endless searching, the
lost self can never be retrieved. People then blame love as the
scapegoat even as they continue the futile search. They blame
their spouses and their children. The search for the lost part of
Oneness is curdled into hatred, and the initial passion for reunion
of the two takes a turn toward revenge. They are looking in the
wrong place.
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Chapter VIII
Reconnecting the Source of Longevity
The source for longevity is within the body, not as a physical womb
but a spiritual one. Taoists call this spiritual womb. the “cauldron.”
The right method to “cook the cauldron” is not to search outwardly
for love from others, but to search within the naked and abandoned
self. It is the method of going back to the state in which we are all
orphans, in the very depth of our body/minds. It is here our Great
Mother became a widow after giving birth to both of us, male from
our Ethereal Father and female from Herself. The spirit and breath
belong to the Ethereal Father and the body and blood belong to our
Great Mother. When we are able to preserve the beauty and attrac-
tion of our Great Mother, we preserve one-half of that Oneness by
embracing the other half that is already within us. When we reach
that place, we acknowledge the prime virtue of our Great Mother,
recognize Her innate loneliness, respect Her single-minded devo-
tion, and reconcile the numb feeling of Her blood-sucking action.
This is the real application of donning the spirit and soul, and
drawing them into Oneness. The spirit is the very seed of that lost
half, and the soul is the very essence of our biological self. Spirit is
yang and soul is yin. When they are embraced, Oneness is pre-
served. We are the children of our great Mother and the Ethereal
Father, and since we are the sons of God, His yang Chi is instilled
within our body/mind. Knowing harmony is discernment. Enhanc-
ing life is equanimity. Generating vitality through mind is strength.
Life is enhanced through universal vitality, the will of searching for
the lost part of self is strengthened; and the act of discernment is
eternalized. This is the most authentic harmony that one can
achieve. This is the true meaning of returning, and the most prac-
tical application of unifying the two into Oneness. To act with deter-
mination is to have will. Not to lose one’s substance is to endure. In
the matter of cultivation and transformation there is neither gender
nor biological difference. We are all the children of our parents; we
are all the sons of God.
The two separated parts of the pure self, the co-existence of
harmonious Oneness, are the widow and the orphan. The widow
is the essence of earthly yin, and the orphan is the descended and
transformed heavenly yang seed. This has been detailed in the
fifteenth hexagram of I Ching, Modesty (Chian). In this hexagram
the youngest son of the Creator, the representative of heaven on
earth, retreats to the mountain. He drinks the heaven’s tear—the
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rain and spring water in the mountain—the basic substances of

life. It is here that the orphan—the son—meets his mother—the
widow—who is the mountain spirit. This is why the hexagram is
defined as the handle of the Kind Action, the reverer of light, and
the ruling of manner.
Fig. 8.4 15th Hexagram (Modesty)
Lao Tzu’s description of this hexagram is when you know the

son, turn back to preserve the mother. Although the body dies,
there is no harm. Closing your mouth and shutting the door, there
would be no wearing down of life. Opening the mouth and pursuing
affairs, life cannot be saved. Seeing what is small is discernment.
Preserving subtleness is strength. Using the light enables one to
return to discernment. Without losing the center of the body is called
penetrating the eternal.
When the widow and the orphan are embraced, the son knows
the relationship between male of spirit and female of flesh as the
most intimate love relationship of brotherhood and sisterhood. Har-
mony is then acknowledged and united, unified and embraced, re-
served and preserved. They can be as close as they wish, and
they can be as distant as they need to be. They are the One, the
Oneness, the complete harmonized pure self. The relationship
within and in between is then expanded, no longer restrained by
the role-playing. The relationship is extended, no longer the small
world of caged frozen selves. The relationship is transformed; self
and image are no longer separately defined. Children are the world
of Love. All the people are brothers and sisters. Love is both the
image of inner vision and the passion extending to the depth and
the remoteness of the universe. Compassion is both the need of
inhalation and the action of exhalation. Bliss is the penetration and
blossom from within. Kindness is giving and receiving. Desire is
no longer stressful, wisdom is no longer staged. The renewal and
refreshment in relationships is harmoniously granted. The ego is
lost into unconditional Love and conditional awareness. The mind
is expanded into universal understanding. Action itself is the ex-
pression of life’s journey.
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Chapter VIII
Longevity to Immortality
Walking through the Death
We all die just as we are dying at this moment. Our parents’ wish
has died into our life and our wish will die, or has already died into
endless future generations. This dying wish is the specific act of
love. We are constructed with the form given us (physical, mental
and spiritual) and the formless form we have within. Form is com-
posed of everything about our individual being, from hair to nails.
Formless form is the collective seed (sperm and egg) granted by
our Great Mother. Form must die, but formless form never dies. It
is the very nature of energy transformation. At a subliminal level,
matter and energy are inseparable. They are two of the One and
One of the two. It is form because of its innate completion and
perfection; it is not form because of its changing and transforming
quality. The fire never extinguishes itself, and each fire’s glow must
be extinguished. The water is never dried up, yet each water mol-
ecule evaporates. We are going to die, yet we will never die. Who
dies? It is the dying transformation of body/minded form. The body
must die and mind must die.
For those who are good at preserving their lives—Walking
through, not avoiding rhinos and tigers, entering battle without wear-
ing armaments—the rhino has no place to dig its horns. The tiger
has no place to drag its claws. The soldier has no place to thrust
his blade. Why is this so? Because they have no place to die.
Living between birth and death is subject to the control of soul (mind)
and flesh, between ten and three. Living beyond the cyclical forma-
tion of death is the integration of ten and three, making the comple-
tion complete and trinity return. The completion of the son of God
and the maker of His trinity become one again, the true spirit.
Open to Longevity
There are two kinds of longevity: biophysiological and psycho-spiri-

tual. The Confucian family spanned five hundred generations ac-
cording to the existing genealogy, with members scattered all over
the world. Psychospiritual longevity is the ideal formation of psycho-
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spiritual creations, inventions and discoveries. Human beings, in-

dividually and collectively, are possessed of longevity and immor-
tality. Our form is always that of a human body and a mind with
wishes and dreams. Our form is never the same one lifetime to
the next. It changes and we are all different yet existing within the
Sameness of that change. We die individually time after time ac-
cording to the longevity of that Sameness. Anyone desiring to
achieve longevity must live through their longevity. If someone is
searching for immortality, they must live through the mortality of
their longevity. No one but yourself can understand your willful de-
termination; no other person could answer to your personal desti-
nation. Do not reply with yes or no to any circumstance, simply live
through all that comes. “Yes” is the structure and body of the Tao
while “no” is the meaning and functioning of the Tao. The structure
and body of the Tao is the longevity of the Tao in our being, and the
meaning and functioning of the Tao is the immortality of the Tao
without our being.
Longevity lives formlessly within each form; immortality exists
beyond any meaning generated by mind. When each form lives
fully there is no form held back; there is only the formless transfor-
mation. The mind seeking its own meaning becomes meaning-
less itself. This is the living Tao with form through formless form.
This is the functioning Tao with meaning above the meaningless.
Is that Tao really formless or meaningless?!
Lasering into Immortality
To die consciously and willfully is to have lived through the con-

scious awareness of hun or to be discharged from the morbid ob-
session of po. Otherwise, the mental configuration of death and
dying is like the blowing of wind, the changing of temperature, the
movement of sunlight, or the flowing of consciousness. During the
last exhalation, if hun’s mortal conscious awareness stays with
po, it will merge into the earthly energy pattern of a ghost. It will
pass through the gateway of mouth, nose or even ears, regardless
of its being good or evil. This energy pattern will never associate
itself with the third eye or crown point. If it is good, it is a wandering
ghost; if it is evil, it is a hungry ghost.
The mortal conscious awareness of hun discharges itself from
po by returning to its original format of shen. By embracing the
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Chapter VIII
light, this individual spirit crystallizes itself into golden elixir or spiri-
tual being, like an intensified and condensed beam of laser light.
Among living individuals, the high spiritual masters, whether reli-
gious or shamanistic, have the capacity of a laser light. They emit
the bursts of light energy as a form of selfless love, pure heart,
total awareness and passionate action. The beam of crystallized
or concentrated pure light within those masters is comparable to a
beam of condensed or intensified pure light produced within a la-
ser machine. Many people have no consciousness of death in our
human history regardless of any specific religious belief. “God loves
me” is not a hallucinatory mental formation or grandiose conscious
wish. When love is purified selflessly and completely, it is the pure
self and pure love of God-self within. The spiritual body is light and
spiritual motion is love; its body is formless and its action is death-
less.
This is what is meant by Lao Tzu’s statement that: To die, but not
be forgotten, is to be immortal. Death is nothing other than a mor-
bid and consciously fixed memory; death itself is a pure form of
fear, an inability to release that habitual obsession. The mind thinks,
the ego controls, the final deed is done. To be immortal is not a
form of desensitizing, but rather a pure sense beyond the physical
and mental. It is a sense of both conclusion/inclusion and integra-
tion/embracement leaving nothing pushed aside or left behind. There
is blissful satisfaction within and no fear of being alone. Wishes
are no longer needed and dreams are infantile memories. There is
no sense of who is dead and who is alive; no awareness of living
and dying. Soaring from life is not a sadness—one has passed
through the forgiveness of heart and the attachment of mind. Con-
sciousness becomes a mirror and ego is nothing other than an old
habit. This is lasering with pure light, being with pure light, returning
to the complete self and God’s Love. This is the application of be-
ing immortal and entering immortality. Lao Tzu calls this the Tao of
having a deep root, a strong stem, a long life and an enduring vi-
sion. Root is the source and stem is the form; life is the act and
vision is the light.
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Your Choice Matters

Whether you want to stick with mortality or be with immortality is
entirely your own choice. The Heavenly Father gives you the light,
heart and consciousness. The Earthly Mother gives you your body,
kidneys and instincts. You are embraced by light. Freedom of choice
is given to your heart, the freedom of action granted to your mind,
and the freedom to channel the energy is there for the taking. If you
follow your mental attributes, you will chase after ideas, rise and
fall with your emotions, protect your beliefs, and sleep fitfully with
nightmares. Let the light shine through you to live with compas-
sion, be uncontrolled by the primary matters of sexual conquest as
well as the secondary matters related to ideal connections. If you
can bear to dwell with your sleepless inner mate, remain untroubled
by your mind’s unbearable loneliness and desirous longing, then
you can live with inner peace. You can know with pure awareness,
enjoy working with the changing character of nature, and be happy
with your sacred relationship. Lao Tzu emphasizes that: The per-
son who works according to Tao unites with Tao. He adds simply:
Only those who are not slaves to life are wise to the value of life.
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Chapter IX
Faithfulness
Longevity is the foundation of Taoist tradition, while immortality

serves as the utility. The foundation is a vessel in which to facilitate
the harmonious existence of spirit in the body/mind. The utility is
the process of inner connection, inner understanding and inner
transformation being built upon the foundation. The process of build-
ing and maintaining the most useable foundation exists mutually
with the process of cultivating and crystallizing the Tao of harmony
(water and fire). Water stands for the earthly substance, and fire is
the cosmic substance. They are beautifully expressed by the two
hexagrams in I Ching, number 34 and number 63. In the 34th
hexagram, the thunder shakes above the heavens, indicating pen-
etrating power arising from its own creative wisdom. The name of
this hexagram is Dazhuang (Ta Chuang) or Super Great, with “da”
meaning “big” or “large,” and zhuang expressing “great” or “mag-
nificent.” Linguistically, the character zhuang is composed with two
strokes, the chopped bamboo branches “pan” and soldier “shi.”
Pan is used for measurement, and shi represents the strength.
The character shi consists of ten and one, representing the comple-
tion of affairs. “Zhuang” indicates that a man should have attained
by his thirtieth year an established goal, a constructed family, char-
acterized strength and wisdom.
Fig. 9.1 34th Hexagram (Power of the Great)
This hexagram is the combination of holy father and holy son.

Father represents the spiritual order, the creative discipline and
the sacred mechanism. Son represents the power, youth, strength
and passion. The introductory explanation is: “During the ancient
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time the ancestors slept in caves and lived in the wilderness. The
sages later elevated these conditions to palaces and houses. They
were constructed with a ridgepole above the ceiling, to allow the
wind and rain to be blown from the eaves and not into the house.
They called this Dazhuang.”
The symbolic meaning is that the sage does not walk the way
that is incongruent with established orders. The orders are the
guiding principles necessary to accumulate Te. Houses and pal-
aces represent the vessels for the existence of the physical body,
family, and for the nation as well. Churches and temples are the
vessels for the existence of ethereal body, soul and spirit alike.
Law and justice, as represented in number 43, are the building
blocks for a harmonious social life where each individual body can
find its safety in society. Rules and disciplines, however, represent
the vessels or cauldrons used to establish a foundation for the
enrichment of the spiritual life. They are the safeguards for the
inner conscious activities. Without the house, family has no place
to stay; without temple, spirit has no room to dwell. Without laws,
society is in chaos; without discipline, spiritual life is aimless.
Meanwhile, however, how to liberate oneself from all the estab-
lishments and habits is the true meaning of spiritual liberation. This
is accomplished with both Liberation (Ge) of 49th hexagram and
“self-purification,” which is Splitting (Bo) of 23rd hexagram. Revolu-
tion allows new vitality to flourish in society. Through self-purifica-
tion, life is transformed. Therefore, the need to overcome oneself
becomes the greatest challenge. Laziness, indulgence, pride, fixa-
tion, lack of discipline and self-control, agitation, anxiety, fear and
all the external projections are the trials encountered along the path.
Any improper indication or implication can hinder the progress of
the path. These roadblocks are spiritual mirrors. By constantly
observing these signs, one begins to see oneself clearly. God be-
comes the focus of the eyes, leaving self behind. Each and every
action leads inevitably to its final destination as the external speech
becomes an inner discipline, and as the external action becomes
an inner reflection. That is faith being practiced within and without.
Fig. 9.2 49th Hexagram (Revolution)
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Chapter XI
Fig. 9.3 23rd Hexagram (Splitting)
Two substances, water and fire are required to build such faith.
In this life, we are constructed with water and charged by fire. We
all possess these two basic substances that, when managed har-
moniously, allow one to live a happy family life and fully enjoy the
spiritual life. The partner and the soul mate are there. Self and love
are there. God and Goddess are there. This is perfectly illustrated
by the hexagram number 63, Completed (Jiji) (Ji Chi). The first
character “ji” stands for “finishing the meal.” It can be interpreted
from the characteristic construction as “wolfing down the rice with
spoon.” The left side of the stroke is constructed with “white” and
“spoon,” indicating “rice” or “millet.” The right stroke means “wolf
down.” The second “ji” means “enhancement” or “succeed.” It is
composed with a water stroke on the left and “organized” or “or-
derly” stroke on the right side. It is initially a river name. Thus, the
term of this hexagram can be interpreted as “wolfing down one’s
success” or “finishing the order.”
Fig. 9.4 63rd Hexagram (Completed)
There is a striking difference between the common usage and

inner alchemical practice in dealing with this hexagram. The com-
mon usage is to finish up oneself or exhaust oneself. The top line
of the hexagram expresses “Head is in the water. Danger.” Of
course, a person with his head in the water is danger in drowning,
but this could be applied to other dangerous situations as well. In
inner alchemical practice, this hexagram is an ideal unification.
Within the hexagram are two water trigrams and two fire trigrams
(Each hexagram in I Ching can be further divided into four trigrams
from the bottom line to the top line, representing the images of the
four worlds within). The two combined sets of trigrams represent
the Inner Love Dancing and the Cosmic Bath. With the Inner Love
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Dancing, masculinity and femininity are eternally unified, dancing

together forever. In Cosmic Bath, the “orphan” and the “widow” are
embracing. Holy seed and cosmos are united. As the double mar-
riages are completed, spirit returns. Understanding is the key to
achieving this state. Faith is the means. Understanding is a neces-
sity for the speech, and faith is required for the inner trust. This will
be revealed in this final chapter.
Initiative Engagement of Faithfulness: Speech
Nature of Speech
Originally the need and desire for communication began with the
voicing of our inner vibrant state of energetic circulation, express-
ing our inborn and intuitive sense with a wordless uttering sound:
Tao. It is a form of revealing the true state of connectedness be-
tween self and no-self. The self has no need to be revealed, dis-
closed and displayed whereas the no-self seeks desperately to be
spoken, expressed, and understood. It is analogous to an eruption
of earth’s stomach—volcano—while her peacefully standing moun-
tains are connected to her inner stillness. The true mind has no
need to communicate, but the minding mind never ceases com-
municating; the true mind is the pure and crystal clear sky, the
minding mind is the moving clouds and stormy weather. The true
mind is the pure consciousness of mind where there is no need to
be conscious of itself. The minding mind is the symbolic interpre-
tation and linguistic understanding of that mind, it is unceasingly
conscious of itself and never reaches the state of complete-pure-
consciousness. Thus, the human’s intrinsic urge to speak is
“weathered” by the minding mind resembling the nature of speech,
composed by the usefulness of speech, and emerging as the com-
municable human and communicative mind.
We began with the wordless sound Tao in the first chapter, and
we must now speak conclusively about its characteristic manifes-
tation called speech and the voice produced. Voicing is the body/
mind’s first natural, habitual and instinctive action. It is also the
primary speech before creative or intellectual participation. This
pure, honest, humble and innocent voice is the “sound of Tao,”
simply opening the mouth and voicing through. This initial voice
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develops into the “symbolic structure of Tao.” It is a combined char-

acter with two sub-characters of head and foot. Head manifests
the speech from conscious thinking to outward expression, which
is characteristic of voice as well as handwriting. Feet walk and
dance, walking for pursuing and dancing for healing. Voicing and
dancing are harmoniously circulated through the body/mind as and
over an active inaction, while walking and writing carry the body/
mind into active engagement. It also signifies that the head initiates
and directs the bodily action carried by the feet.
To ask the meaning of this voice is to ask the meanings of sounds
of thunder, earthquakes, rain, bird-song, or any natural vibrations
that come through natural phenomena. We hear them and know
them. There is no need to understand or interpret. Understanding
is engagement and interpreting is disengaging from that which has
already been engaged. To interpret such is like weaving with bodily
dizziness, acting with mental fuzziness, and smiling behind the
intellectual cunning.
Our feet normally respond to whatever the mind orders; they
are responsible for maintaining groundedness while providing se-
curity and transportation for mental actions and physical activities.
One head and two feet are the trinity or triangular diamond of body/
mind between heaven and earth. One head and two hands are the
trinity or triangular diamond of body/mind that manipulates the
mechanism of heaven and earth. The head’s action is an actionless
action that acts without engaging, moves without marching, talks
without walking. It is the weightless clouds and colorless spirit that
execute this actionless action. The action of feet is an active en-
gagement; it engages without knowing, marches without direction
and walks without stopping. It is the intellectual mind and biological
body engaged in action. When paying a visit to a friend, it is the
mind making the visit. The mind drives the body to its destination
as the body transports the mind for the engagement. When per-
forming the act of physical love it is not the body that creates the
excitement but the mind pushing the body/mind into climax. When
someone thinks to murder, the hands don’t understand what the
killing action means. This action is the configuration of mind.
When one head and two feet act harmoniously, the feet do not
work independently. They are the One since they must work to-
gether, and neither completes an action by itself. The quality of this
trinity or triangular diamond is that it leaves no space for projected
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Faithfulness
or specified activities, such as mental creativity, conscious ma-

nipulation, personality configuration, and emotional expression. Nor
does it separate the body from the mind by dividing the total har-
monious energy circulation into small, stagnated or dynamic pieces.
Yet, through our civilization process, especially industrial evolu-
tion, the coordination of harmonious action between head and feet
is diminished by the mechanism of wheels. Wagons and cars re-
place what feet can do and reflect a mechanical manipulation of
life and a mental control of life. Feet are used as pedals to control
the wheels, and hands are extended into manipulation of machines
and innumerable products in the world. It is not dangerous itself,
but soon becomes self-destructive. There is no real danger other
than the fear of physical death. Death is itself not dangerous, but
acting dangerously is injurious to the body/mind. Better to say “mind,”
since the body doesn’t understand the meaning of danger.
Character of Speech
In itself, speech is only a partial body/minded action and an ex-

pression of the active state of mind. It is both self-explanatory and
a self-doubting, self-promising and self-disguised, a self-belief and
a self-disbelief, and a self-trust and self-mistrust.
There are four characteristics in speech:

1. Lao Tzu states that: Those who know, do not say. Those who
say, do not know. If someone truly and absolutely knows, what
purpose does it serve to talk about it? Communication is, in a
sense, an attempt to clarify mentally. Speech itself serves as a
vehicle moving back and forth between knowing and not-know-
ing. The speech expresses what one already knows, explains
what one wants to know, requests what one seeks from self
and others, and defends the habitual position of merely know-
ing.
2. Speech is a self-promise, a way for encouraging oneself, being
continuously engaged with oneself, and building total trust within
the self. The twofold purpose of the speech is: 1) to establish a
relationship and build a mutual trust; 2) to cling to fixated habits
ensuring addictive connectiveness and grasping firmly the at-
tachment to body/mind. The order of business in making a prom-
ise is to ensure engagement, to commit to the process, and to
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Chapter XI
bind to the result of what has been planned. The virtue of prom-
ise must be realized as a promise to only oneself but has no
bearing on the change and final outcome. The nature of this
process is so replete with change and complexities that it can
render the individual self powerless and helpless. To control the
changes and foresee the outcome is inconceivable.
On the social scale the practice of promising is within the
realm of possibility only in a situation where one has absolute
control. Promise is a sacrifice, especially when one is unsure
of oneself or when two parties are involved. Life is not a prom-
ise; there is no need to relegate its richness into a programmed
self-promise. In its depth, promise deals with self-insecurity; it
is a powerful form of ego protection and fear suppression. The
more insecure one feels, the deeper the fear one encounters.
When promise is made easily and frequently one continues to
make more promises. The other element existing in the depth
of promise lies within the need and demand. At this level, prom-
ise is a bargaining process regardless of its purpose, whether
material gain, emotional satisfaction or spiritual connection.
Much of the trust is done through hand-shaking, not word-pro-
cessing. Addressing this, Lao Tzu explains natural speech con-
sists of few words and speaking with good trust. The action of
promise carries the meaning of Lao Tzu’s characterization:
Beautiful words can advertise well.
3. Speech is an expression of the belief system of the mind, indi-
vidual and collective, personal and cultural. It is a premise or a
statement to which the mind adheres. It is a technique of bind-
ing and rejecting. Individual identity, group dynamics and social
construction are all based upon the effective and powerful use
of speech. In this manner the individuality, singularity and per-
sonality suffuse in the content of social group and cultural envi-
ronment.
4. Speech is a way of revealing inner trust clarifying and confirm-
ing the ability and capacity of trustworthy relationships between
the inner self and self appraisal or between self and others. Based
on this inner trust, phrases or sayings such as the Power or the
Message or the Voice of God are universally accepted and un-
derstood. Before the power, the message and the voice of God,
there is nothing to fear; not even death itself. This highlights the
authentic meaning of speech, the trustworthiness, and the deep-
est inner trust within the Self.
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Faithfulness
Quality of Speech
Upon accepting the limits of speech, we must then appreciate the

values of speech. It is the primary signature of human action as
well as the exclusive conclusion of that action. From this we know
that speech can save or destroy the lives of self and others. Being
careless loses the foundation. Being restless loses mastery. Foun-
dation is the existence of body; mastery is the tranquility of mind. A
good speaker is without flaw. Firstly, one knows oneself very well;
therefore, the source of his speech is authentic and original. Sec-
ondly, the intention is nothing other than innocent self-display. There
can be no motivation within the speech other than that honest heart-
felt vibration. Thirdly, the purpose of speech is clear and complete
within the speech itself; there is no further need for clarification and
supplementation. The sage wants to elevate the people, his speech
is down to earth. Also one who is good at leading people acts hum-
bly.
Any experienced individual understands the result of over indul-
gence and is aware of the consequence of excessively informing:
being overly informed leads to exhaustion, better to be centered.
Information is similar to energy molecules. Each time specific in-
formation is exchanged there is energy transmission, whether
mental, emotional or mechanical. Also, to inform is to teach and to
cultivate. There are countless elements that shape the meaning
and quality of propagation of information, colored by the inner con-
flict of the informant. It is not an easy task to accurately pass infor-
mation from one to another. It remains a challenging and meaning-
ful process to be accessed between individuals and from one gen-
eration to the next.
If there is no gap in the space between speaker and listener, the
information is tangible, sentient, attractive or trustworthy. There is
no identity crisis between teaching and learning, and there is no
blockage between supply and demand. They are the One. No one
is unqualified, no one is egoistic, no individual is counted as better
or worse. One supplies the demands of the other. There is no rigid
identity between one called “teacher” or “master” and the other
named “student” or “disciple.” The teacher is rewarded by teach-
ing and the student is informed through learning since they arise
from the same source with different names. The older generation
passes down and is left with nothing; the recipients receive every-
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Chapter XI
thing but have nothing. No specific generation is valued once it has

outlived its usefulness. The basic knowledge has been passed on
in a similar fashion by all races and has been basically the same in
the activities of eating, sleeping, courtship and worship.
Another example worth considering is air-breathing. Air is like
information, the energy and life force. We all breathe the same
existing air everywhere on this planet. With breath, inhalation is the
child, the student, the demander and the life itself. Exhalation is the
parent, the master, the supplier and the death. We are made aware
of the rhythm between breathing and thinking as similar during
speaking. Individually, as we inhale we think, followed by a brief
breaking point. We speak immediately with the exhalation after that
breaking point. When speaking is done in a group environment, a
pause is normally met with silence from the audience for a matter
of seconds to minutes. During this brief period, the speaker not
only inhales the air but the vibration from the audience as well. This
is an inner communication in progress. At this level the message
of speech is no longer one of language. It is pure energy vibration
and circulation. When the audience is receptive, each pause is
responded to with applause and verbal exclamations. One single
speaker can inhale all the stimulus-response from the audience.
That is the quality and power of speech!
Speechless Action
When we solve the problem of the central network of the speech

organ-brain—we can then return to the energy center of stomach.
When we were living in our mother’s womb, we were more than
just an image in her head. When the sage produces a self-fertil-
ized gamete, based upon the principle of universal construction
and the story of human history, he reaches the state of immortality:
devoid of the desire for sex, food, and sleep. The son (seed) he
produces is within his body but without a body. It has no root but is
deeply rooted. When the sage achieves this goal he is no longer
an earthly creature; he is transposed into a different kind of spe-
cies in the universe. He has reached the final stage of what Lao
Tzu described as immortality.
During this stage, the sage inhales in the world and smiles like a
child for the world. He realizes two things: one is the Tao of heaven
is good at responding without speaking and appearing without
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Faithfulness
being asked; the other one is wordless teaching and the riches of
non-action are matched by very little in the world.
In reference to the child-like smile, it is the most authentic ex-
pression of love and being in love. This kind of smile is: vibrating
but not tingling, bright but not dazzling, innocent without wrong-
doing, humble without the need of acknowledging itself as know-
ing-how, vulnerable without the desire to be rescued. This smile
indicates: happy but not overly excited, joyful with full self-control,
recognizing with no preference, communicating without cunning,
understanding without prejudice, and respecting each other with-
out self appraisal. This smile has no pre-cognition, no defensive
mechanism, no fearful protection and no intellectual wisdom. Yet,
it is this smile that expresses pleasure for the food, communica-
tion, protection and growth. This smile is so powerful that a mother
would die for it; it is so pure that any evil-minded adult must neces-
sarily reflect upon the true nature of inner-child. Who could possi-
bly turn away from that innocent and radiant smile? This is the
quality of pure Love, the manifest of passionate loving, the expres-
sion of kindness, and the ultimate communication with no further
need.
This child-like smile also conveys the meaning of a wordless
teaching which addresses two functions: real teaching with no pre-
requisite nor limitation of language. The first one is love of light and
for life. It is always there when you are unaware of it, but when you
mindfully seek to investigate it in any manner, it is not there nor has
it ever been. The second function is the indication and conclusion
of the limitation of language. There is never enough of it; it can
stimulate a state of completion. Anyone who is not obsessed with
the “mental structures,” who cannot be totally gratified by the lan-
guage imprinted in the mind, knows that it is simply a tool to com-
municate feelings and sensations between the body and mind, a
vehicle to transport the flashes and patches of mentality.
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Chapter XI
Trustworthiness
Establishing a Trusting Environment
In Chinese language the character xing is both trust and faith, con-
structed with one stroke for “person” and the other stroke for “speak.”
Its literal meaning is “one who speaks” or “the person who speaks.”
From within, the person reveals their natural truthfulness without
the mechanical nature of that mental confirmation. One speaks
from body/minded heart. It is not a description of value and worthi-
ness of self as an individual; it is a recognition of the state and
stage presently existing. It is not a prescription of self-bounded
purposeful action; it is an indication of existing in nowhere. It is not
a wish of what the mind anticipates; it is a state of being lost in
human vulnerability. It is not a call for help as the ego might wish; it
is a presentation of man’s ideal mental and communal existence.
To live in this way will generate a true fellowship of trust. Others
listen not only to the vibration of voice but also the circulation of the
heartbeat from either side. What others integrate is not merely the
intellectual understanding of words, ideas or beliefs. There is an
awareness of the openness of heart and the honesty of mind car-
rying both knowing and respect, both energetic communication and
inner connection. The audience is the listener, part of the existing
environment, fellow countrymen with the right to listen and the privi-
lege of being a partner to a mutually shared value.
Mechanism of Trust
In addressing the mechanism of trust, Lao Tzu states that: Trust-
worthy words are not beautiful. Beautiful words are not trustworthy.
True words seem paradoxical. This is because the knower does
not know everything; the know-it-all knows nothing. And kindness
is not over-indulgent; over-indulgence is not kind. The first state-
ment refers to openness toward knowledge. The second accentu-
ates the beauty of kindness. Knowledge is a virtue. There is no
need to display it. If someone regards knowledge for what it is, as
imperfect as the self, then that person has accepted and applied it.
This is a true knower of not knowing any more than what was
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Faithfulness
already known. The know-it-all, however, is one who hungers again

and again with no memory of what has been eaten and digested
throughout the present lifetime.
Kindness ceases to exist beyond what the kind can do; is never
in denial about what the kind has already defined. Kindness is beauty
that emanates with honest loving, benevolent caring, readily ac-
cepting and willingly given. It is there for inactive acting. There is a
mutual preparedness, neutral respect and selfless responsibility
to be applied to the harmony of action. In regard to inactive acting,
each expects nothing in return, loses nothing, and gains nothing.
There is no judgment call on its connection within or without. The
Tao of heaven benefits and does not harm. The Tao of humankind
exists and does not compete. While using it, as soon as he exists
for others, he has more. As soon as he gives to others, he has
more. This is all the revelation of universal kindness.
Way of Trustworthiness
On the surface most people do not appear to be trustworthy. Their

trust is anxious and fearful, based on their desirable wish or event-
ful engagement. This is unlike the trust established between two
people who are confident that they know each other very well. It is
feasible that, even if their situation is soured, no damage is done to
their relationship. However, to establish trust within and to build a
trustworthy relationship are two separate entities. Although it takes
time, effort and a suitable environment to build a trustworthy rela-
tionship, the demands and requirements for self-trust within are
much greater. Normally, people are unwilling to investigate the na-
ture of self-trust. It requires a thorough knowing of the self, com-
plete immersing in the nature of this self, objectively applying it and
happily suffusing with the outcome. Self-examination must be ob-
jective and selfless. To be trustworthy is to place trust in oneself as
well as others without preference or prejudice, thereby performing
fully with that trust. He is trustworthy to those who are trustworthy.
He is also trustworthy to those who are not trustworthy. It is the
trust of Action itself. It is not necessary to trust others before trust-
ing oneself, nor is it necessary to act for others in order to be trusted.
The nature of trustworthy action is to be possessed of it, act upon
it, and be worthy of the trust of Action.
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Chapter XI
Faithfulness
God of Our Spirit
Faith is an act of total submission to and embracement of One-

ness as it sways smoothly along the formation of presence, un-
bounded by the detransformation of yesterdays or tomorrows. Faith
accepts that which is present and trusts whatever has been con-
cealed; faith is happy with the conceivable and content with man-
ageable; faith is fulfilled with whatever is achievable and well aware
of the uncontrollable. Faith is essential but has no central kernel.
Faith is omnipresent; sometimes observable but without a focal
point. Faith is the gift clearing the path to what we can be, but not
what we are incapable of being; it reveals what Love is, but not
what is loveable; it expresses selfless devotion, but not self-sacri-
fice. Faith is the unfolding of all that we can release, but not at all
what we receive.
Faith is visible when the heart is open, yet invisible as the tears
of the mourner are to the mourned. It nestles secretly inside your
pillow, but remains beyond the capacity of imagination. It is as si-
lent as “waveless” breathing, as bright as “wireless” lightning. You
may harbor without doubt, but never find the slightest trace of it. It
lies within the devoted heart and smile of Love. Rational mind can-
not grasp it; intuitive mind has no need for it; intelligence cannot
breakthrough to an understanding of it; stupidity cannot compre-
hend. The Mother cannot live apart from it; the Child has no need to
search for it. God instills its bravery; the self experiences the sub-
lime blissfulness within. Space cannot hold it; time cannot trace it.
Matter cannot form without it; energy cannot flow without it. Faith
nourishes our spirit, enlivens it with worship, and ultimately dies
away with it.
Virtue of Faithfulness
Faith generates trust, promotes the loving activity, assures kind
action, ensures the meaning and quality of life, and elevates the life
above and beyond its cyclical activation of birth and death. From
the joint adventure on earth between the Progenitor’s penetrating
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Faithfulness
light and the Great Mother’s whirling magnetism to the genetic en-
gineering of in vitro fertilization between sperm and egg, faith gains
nothing, loses nothing, deviates from nothing, integrates nothing.
Search for faith within belief becomes disputable. In the attempt to
create faith within the church, we are left with self-imposed isola-
tion. In constructing faith with words, the linguistic interpretation
becomes the main attraction. When we connect faith with action,
the result is purposeful rejection. When we express faith with love,
sexual and asexual attraction abounds. When we defend faith by
raising the sword, revenge is forthcoming. Gambling our faith
against life is rewarded with an exhausted corpse. Visualizing faith
conjures up a stained symbol. Making sense of faith brings up a
consciously activated hallucination. Projecting faith with rationality
constructs a self-defined delusion.
It is this faceless faith that enables us to see our truth, to ob-
serve our action, to express our feeling, to share our love, to ex-
change our transcendental message, and to reveal our eternal
nature. Faith can never be a beneficial commodity nor a valuable
possession in the mind of our ego eyes. They see only to capital-
ize on it, to employ its service to their benefits.
We have become so fixated with our quest for material gain that
we fear to face God. There has always been a space reserved in
our mind for God yet life is over for us. We selfishly and merci-
lessly exploit our environment, consuming dead organs and inani-
mate matter. Life has become the driving force of a pursued direc-
tion, a magnified pleasure, a sensational feeling, an imagined goal,
and an illusive mind. Our habits and beliefs are concluded from the
beginning to the end from one experiential moment to the next tran-
sitional moment in the continuum of the interval between birth and
death. We view life in our world as a shining star moving along in
one direction. We treat the meaning of life as following a projected
goal with the conclusive solution that death becomes the only an-
swer.
We are dying, as we all must do. Why should we bother with a
life already troubled with such a meaningless solution? How can it
be so meaningless and void of matter as its empty form? We seize
life greedily before casting it aside to visit its twin sibling: death.
Death is equally as meaningful as life; it is life in and of itself.
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Chapter XI
Beyond the Transformation of Life
When we look beyond our sensational living presence, our minds

will become subdued. Once we come to terms with the inevitability
of death our minds will loosen its struggle. When we find out that
belief is as powerful and useless as dismisbelief, our minds will
stop clinging to long-held, firmly entrenched beliefs. In rejecting
past misconceptions our minds can become childlike once again.
It is the beginning of understanding that we cannot explain, nor is
there any need to explain. When the minding mind is set aside,
that very mind magically becomes faithful. Then God is faithful, the
world is faithful, as we are faithful.
The heart is always faithful because it connects with light, em-
braces both birth and death, and is faithful in itself. When faith is
weak, there is distrust. Especially in the worth of speech. Results
speak for themselves. Lao Tzu is very practical in his use of few
words in his teaching. He declares that: My words are easy to
understand and easy to apply. Yet no one in the world can under-
stand them and no one can apply them. He may seem too de-
manding and concerned, yet with faithfulness he realizes that:
Words have their origin, and events have their leader. Only be-
cause of prevailing ignorance I am not understood. The few who
understand me, the more precious I am. So the sage wears shabby
cloth, but holds a treasure within. The treasure within is the inner
child, the pure self, the God-like self. Before the light of Love, what
is the use of adornment? Before the truth of nakedness, what is
the use of dirt and dust? Before the ever-present self, how can
ragged clothing compete with its own shabbiness? Before the de-
struction and decomposition of the physical changing process,
where can we hide?
All active expression is borne from the corresponding energy
consumption of life force within self. If you don’t know how to pre-
serve yourself, you will succumb to exhaustion. Find something
essential to do before your life is over. Recognize and hold close to
the treasure within. Use acts of kindness to promote yourself. The
Tao of heaven is impersonal. It enhances those who are kind.
Those who are kind are the people who possess the Love within
and preserve the Love without. When Love is embraced with
selfness, it becomes the pure Self. Tao is alive within. When the
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Faithfulness
Tao is preserved, and nothing else whatsoever, it is the power of

Self. This is God’s power within. Without it, life is gratified and
exhausted, or depressed and hungry. We gratify the ego’s animated
pleasure only to exhaust our own life force. We are depressed
because we cannot find love—true love—either from the beauty of
physical attraction or from the flowing of mental examination. We
are destined to remain hungry, seeking, as we do, attractive stimu-
lus or sexual climax. This is the Tao of Love within and without.
Those who are kind are those who have kind action and act
kindly. When there is Love within, there is enough kindness, com-
passion, and generosity. Hunger is filled with the light of Love; thirst
is replaced by the harmony of Tao—the sweet dew between heaven
and earth; ego is transformed into the stillness of heart, the wis-
dom of mind, and the tranquility of spirit. Since the harmony of Tao
is beyond creation and destruction, so the sweet dew is beyond life
and death. It is the tears of heaven and earth, the self of male and
female, the Love of Tao and the Action of kindness.
Those who are kind are those who have faith within, without,
and in between. The faith within is the power of Tao; the faith in
between is the harmony between ourselves and our company (love
or lover); the faith without is neither calculation and expectation nor
worship and sacrifice. Calculation is the mechanism of ego; ex-
pectation is the wish of ego; worship is the disguised attraction of
ego; and sacrifice is the threatened honor of ego. Love needs no
calculation; Action needs no expectation; harmony needs no wor-
ship, and faith needs no sacrifice. Tao pervades, Te encompasses
all, harmony is energized, and faith is suffused. This is the realiza-
tion of Tao, the application of Action, the meditation of harmony,
and the cultivation of faith.
Through our long journey of coming and going between the word-
less uttering sound Tao, the mind becomes motionless, the mouth
speechless, the breath voiceless, life deathless. Silence sets in
the body, stillness comforts the mind, and mystery captures the
spirit. Again, useless, meaningless, waveless, ... before the voiced
Tao of not Tao, along the actionless kind action, during heart ex-
panding meditation, and after ceaseless, meaningless cultivation,
all are encompassed by the faithful elevation.
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Faithfulness
Fig. 9.5 Inner Alchemy of the Tao
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Appendix I
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching
Translated by Edward Brennan and Tao Huang
Chapter 1
1. The Tao that is voiced is no longer that of eternal Tao.
The name that has been written is no longer that of eternal name.
2. The nameless is the beginning of the cosmic universe.
The named is the mother of the myriad creatures.
3. Being at peace, one can see into the subtle.
Engaging with passion, one can see into the manifest.
4. They both arise from a common source but have different names.
Both are called the mystery within the mystery.
They are the door to all wonders.
Chapter 2
1. In the world,
Everyone recognizes beauty as beauty,
Since the ugly is also there.
Everyone recognizes goodness as goodness,
Since evil is also there.
2. Since
Being and non-being give birth to each other,
Difficulty and ease complete each other,
Long and short measure each other,
High and low overflow into each other,
Voice and sound harmonize with each other,
And before and after follow each other.
3. Therefore the sage
Lives in actionless engagement,
And preaches wordless doctrine.
4. The myriad creatures
Act without beginning,
Nourish without possessing,
Accomplish without claiming credit.
5. It is accomplishment without claiming credit that makes the
outcome self-sustaining.
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Chapter 3
1. Do not exalt intelligence and people will not compete;
Do not value rare goods and people will not steal;
Do not display for public view and people will not desire.
2. So the sage’s governing methods are:
Emptying the mind,
Vitalizing the stomach,
Softening the will,
Strengthening the character.
3. This always makes people not know and not desire.
This always makes the knower dare not act.
Therefore, nothing is beyond ruling.
Chapter 4
1. Tao functions in itself empty harmony.
When used, it remains full.
2. For sure, this source is the very ancestor of the myriad things.
3. Blunting the sharp edges,
Unravelling the tangles,
Husbanding into the light,
Being as ordinary as the dust.
4. Ah! Limpid, it seems to exist forever.
5. I do not know whose son it is,
This whom is exceeding the Heavenly Emperor.
Chapter 5
1. Nature has no benevolence,
It treats all things like strawdogs;
The sage has no benevolence,
He treats his people like strawdogs.
2. Between heaven and earth it seems like a bellow:
Empty, yet inexhaustible,
The stronger it is activated, the greater the output.
3. Being overly informed leads to exhaustion,
Better to be centered.
Chapter 6
1. Valley-spirit is deathless, It is called the mystical female.
2. The gateway of the mystical female,
Is called the root of heaven and earth.
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3. Hovering, it seems everpresent. Put to use, it is never exhausted.
Chapter 7
1. Heaven is eternal, and earth is long-lasting.
2. What makes heaven and earth eternal and long-lasting is that
they do not give birth to themselves.
It is this that makes them eternal and long-lasting.
3. Hence the sage,
Relaxing the body, the body comes to the fore.
Beyond the body, the body comes to the fore.
Beyond the body, the body exists of itself.
4. Not even relying on selflessness
Enables the self to be fulfilled.
Chapter 8
1. Eminent goodness is like water.
2. Water is good at benefitting all things,
Yet it actively competes.
It retires to undesirable places.
Thus it is near to Tao.
3. Dwelling in good places,
Drawing from good sources,
Supplying from good nature,
Speaking with good trust,
Governing with good rules,
Conducting with good ability,
And acting within good time.
4. For this reason,
There is no competition,
There is no concern.
Chapter 9
1. Hanging on to it will cause overflow; better to let go.
Forced consent does not endure.
Filling the house with gold and jade will not bring safety.
Riches and royalty result in pride; they bring about their own
punishment.
2. When the work is done, the body withdraws.
This is the Tao of heaven.
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Chapter 10
1. Donning the spirit and soul, and drawing them into Oneness,
Can this come apart?
Gathering in Qi and making the body supple,
Is this not an infant?
Being clear-headed and eliminating any mystic vision,
Can even a speck exist?
Loving the people and governing the country,
Is this not inactive?
Opening and closing the Gate of Heaven,
Is this not the female?
Comprehending the four corners of the world,
Is this not knowledge?
2. Begetting and nourishing;
Begetting but not possessing,
Enhancing but not dominating.
3. This is Mysterious Action.
Chapter 11
1. Thirty spokes join at one hub,
Yet it is the emptiness inside the hub that makes the vehicle useful;
Clay is molded into a vessel,
Yet it is the hollowness that makes the vessel useful;
Windows and doors are cut out,
Yet it is their empty space that makes the room usable.
2. So, any having makes for excess,
Any not-having makes for usefulness.
Chapter 12
1. Five colors blind the eyes.
Racing and hunting madden the heart.
Pursuing what is rare makes action deceitful.
Five flavors dull the palate.
Five tones deafen the ears.
2. So, the sage’s method is for the belly, not for the eyes.
He abandons the latter and chooses the former.
Chapter 13
1. Favor and disgrace surprise the most.
Value the trouble as you do the body.
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2. Why do “favor and disgrace surprise the most”?
Favor enhances only the inferior,
Receiving it is a surprise,
And losing it is also a surprise.
This is why “favor and disgrace surprise the most”.
3 Why to “value the trouble as you do the body”?
It is only because I have a body that I have trouble.
If I did not have a body, where would the trouble be?
4. So, if you value the world as you do the body,
You can be entrusted with the world;
If you love the body as you love the beauty of the world,
You can be responsible for the world.
Chapter 14
1. Look for it and not to be seen, it is called invisible;
Listen to it and not to be heard, it is called inaudible;
Reach for it and not to be touched, it is called intangible.
2. These three are beyond reckoning, so
When these three merge, they are One.
3. As for this One,
There is nothing above it remaining to be accounted for,
There is nothing below it that has been excluded.
Ever searching for it, it is beyond naming.
4. It returns to no-thing.
Its state is described as no state,
Its form is described as formless.
It is called the vision beyond focus.
5. Follow after it, and it proves endless.
Go before it, and no beginning can be found.
6. Employ the Tao of today in order to manage today’s affairs and to
know the ancient past.
7. This is called the principle of Tao.
Chapter 15
1. The ancient sages of Tao are subtle and mysteriously penetrating.
Their depth is beyond the power of will.
2. Because it is beyond the power of will,
The most we can do is describe it:
3. Thus, Full of care, as one crossing the wintry stream,

Attentive, as one cautious of the total environment,
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Reserved, as one who is a guest,
Spread open, as when confronting a marsh,
Simple, like uncarved wood, Opaque, like mud,
Magnificent, like a valley.
4. From within the murky comes the stillness.
The feminine enlivens with her milk.
5 Keeping such a Tao, excess is undesirable.
Desiring no excess, work is completed without exhaustion.
Chapter 16
1. Reaching the ultimate emptiness,
Concentrating on the central stillness,
All things work together.
2. From this I observe their returning.
3. All things under heaven flourish in their vitality,
Yet each returns to its own root.
This is stillness.
Stillness means returning to its destiny.
Returning to its destiny is steadfastness.
To know steadfastness means enlightenment.
Not to know steadfastness is to act forcefully.
Acting forcefully brings disaster.
Knowing the steadfast implies acceptance.
Acceptance is impartial.
Impartial is regal. Regal is heaven. Heaven is Tao.
Tao is beyond danger even when the body perishes.
Chapter 17
1. The eminent has consciousness of self.
The next down are loved and praised.
The next down are feared,
At the bottom is the source.
2. When faith is weak, there is distrust.
Especially in the worth of speech.
3. Results speak for themselves.
This, people call me Nature.
Chapter 18
1. When the Great Tao is abandoned,
There is benevolence and righteousness.
When intelligence arises,
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There is a great deal of manipulation.
When there is disharmony in the family,
There comes about filial piety.
When the country is in big trouble,
There arises patriotism.
Chapter 19
1. Get rid of wisdom, abandon intelligence, and
People will benefit a hundredfold.
Get rid of benevolence, abandon justice, and
People will return to filial piety and kindness.
Get rid of skill, abandon profit, and
Thieves will disappear.
2. These three are inadequate.
So just let things be.
3. Observe the plain and embrace the simple.
Do not think much and do not desire much,
Get rid of learning and worry will disappear.
Chapter 20
1. How much difference is there between yea and nay?
How much difference is there between beautiful and ugly?
2. What one fears is what he cannot help but fear.
3. One is in the wilderness without central ground.
4. Ordinary people are fulfilled,
Eating delicious food,
Reaching the climax of romance.
I am desireless and without anticipation,
Like a baby who does not yet.
Gathering energy together, entering the abyss beyond the point
of no return.
5. Ordinary people have more than enough,
I am a fool at heart, as a water droplet is to the spring.
6. People of affairs are bright and intelligent.
I alone am unintelligent.
People of affairs are cunning and clever.
I alone am dull and unsophisticated,
Unnoticed in the depth of the sea,
Looked for in an endless horizon.
7. Ordinary people are productive,
I alone maintain the living essence within.
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I alone stay with a unitary source, as if stubborn.
8. I want to be wholly different from everyone else,
By taking my sustenance from the mother source.
Chapter 21
1. The marks of profound action follow only from the Tao.
2. The substance of Tao is boundless and unfathomable.
Unfathomable and boundless,
In its center there is form;
Boundless and unfathomable,
In its center there is an object;
Embryonic and dark,
In its center there is essence;
The essence is very pure,
In its center there is trust.
From now to the days of old,
Its name never dies,
Because it creates all things in their beginning.
3. How do I know the source of all beginnings?
From this.
Chapter 22
1. Those who boast of themselves lose their stance.
He who displays himself is not seen.
He who justifies himself is not understood.
He who lashes out does not succeed.
He who builds himself up does not endure.
2. In the sense of Tao,
This is said to be eating too much and acting too much.
It results in disgust.
3. Those who desire will not endure.
Chapter 23
1. Yield, and retain integrity.
In the depths of whirling, there is stillness.
The hollow enables the plentiful.
The old gives way to the new.
The small allows for increase.
Excess breeds confusion.
2. Therefore the sage holds oneness as the shepherd of the world.
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3. He who does not display himself is seen.
He who does not justify himself is understood.
He who does not lash out succeeds.
He who does not build himself up endures.
4. Therefore,
Only the spirit of noncompetition makes things non- competitive.
5. So the old saying, “yield, and retain integrity,” is but a few words.
But when rightly understood, integrity returns.
Chapter 24
1. Natural speech consists of few words.
2. Gusty winds do not last all morning,
Cloudbursts do not last all day.
What makes this so?
3. Heaven and earth will not last forever,
How could a human being last!
4. So the person who works according to Tao unites with Tao.
In the same way he unites with action.
In the same way he unites with loss.
5. Uniting with action, the Tao becomes action.
Uniting with loss, the Tao becomes loss.
Chapter 25
1. Matter is formed from chaos.
It was born before heaven and earth.
Silent and void.
Standing alone, without territory,
Able to be mother to the world.
2. I do not yet know its name,
I call it Tao.
With reluctance I deem it to be Great.
Great refers to the symbol.
The symbol refers to what is remote.
What is remote refers to returning.
3. Tao is great.
Heaven is great.
Earth is great.
Kingship is great.
These are the four great things in the world,
Kingship is one of them.
4. Humankind takes its origin from earth.
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Earth takes her origin from heaven.
Heaven takes its origin from Tao.
Tao takes its origin from Nature.
Chapter 26
1. The heavy is the root of the light.
Tranquility is the master of the restless.
2. Thus, the noble person will travel all day without leaving his seat.
Though the center of the highest authority,
And surrounded by luxury,
He remains clearminded.
3. How could the king of myriad chariots treat his body with less care
than he gives the country?
4. Being careless loses the foundation.
Being restless loses mastery.
Chapter 27
1. A good traveller leaves no tracks.
A good speaker is without flaw.
A good planner does not calculate.
A good doorkeeper does not lock, yet it cannot be opened.
A good knotter does not use binding, yet it cannot be undone.
2. Therefore, the sage is good at his earnest demands upon people.
So no one is left out.
No talent is wasted.
This is called being in the tow of enlightenment,
And it ensures the good person.
3. For everything that is good is the teacher of the good person.
Everything that is bad becomes a resource for the good person.
No need to honor the teachers.
No need to love the resources.
4. Though knowing this is a great paradox,
It is the subtle principle,
Chapter 28
1. Understanding the male and holding onto the female
Enables the flow of the world.
This being the flow of the world, the eternal action abides.
Knowing that the eternal action abides is to return to childhood.
2. Understanding the pure and holding on to the impure
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Enables the cleansing of the world.
With the cleansing of the world, ongoing action suffices.
When ongoing action suffices, it returns to simplicity.
3. Understanding the white and holding on to the black
Enables the formation of the world.
Being the formation of the world, ongoing action does not stray.
When ongoing action does not stray, it returns to the infinite.
4. This simplicity takes shape as a mechanism.
The sage makes it the head ruler.
Great ruling never divides.
Chapter 29
1. I see that those who want to take over the world and manipulate it
do not succeed.
2. The sacred mechanism of the world cannot be manipulated.
Those who manipulate it will fail,
Those who hold on to it will lose it.
3. Matter
Either leads or follows,
Either heats or chills,
Either strengthens or weakens,
Either enhances or destroys.
4. So the sage abandons extremes, extravagance, multiplicity.
Chapter 30
1. Using the Tao as the rule for governing the people,
Do not employ the army as the power of the world.
For this is likely to backfire.
2. Where the army has marched, thorns and briars grow.
3. Being good has its own consequence,
Which cannot be seized by power.
4. Achieving without arrogance,
Achieving without bragging,
Achieving without damage,
Achieving without taking ownership.
This is called achieving without force.
5. Matter becomes strong, then old.
This is called “Not-Tao”.
Dying young is “Not-Tao”.
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Chapter 31
1. The army is the mechanism of bad luck.
The elements of the world may oppose.
So those who have ambitions cannot rest.
2. Therefore the nobleman takes his place on the left side,
And the commander on the right side.
3. So the army is not the nobleman’s weapon.
As a mechanism of bad luck,
He uses it only as the last resort.
Then the best way is to use it quickly and destructively.
Do not enjoy this.
To take delight in it is to enjoy killing people.
Those who enjoy killing people do not attract the favor of the
world.
4. The good inclines to the left,
The bad inclines to the right.
5. Thus the intelligent officer stays on the left,
The army commander stays on the right.
6. Speaking in an image of sadness,
After killing the people, every one stands in mourning.
Victory is celebrated as a funeral service.
Chapter 32
1. Tao is eternally nameless.
2. Though simplicity is small,
The world cannot treat it as subservient.
If lords and rulers can hold on to it,
Everything becomes self-sufficient.
3. Heaven and earth combine and allow sweet dew.
Without rules, people will naturally become equal.
4. At the outset, the rule must be expressed.
Once it exists, stop speaking of it.
The result of not speaking of it is to eliminate danger.
5. In a manner of speaking, Tao is to the world
As the rivers are to oceans and seas.
Chapter 33
1. To know others is to be knowledgeable,
To know oneself is enlightenment;
To master others is to have strength,
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To master oneself is to be powerful.
2. To know what is sufficient is to be rich.
To act with determination is to have will.
Not to lose one’s substance is to endure.
To die, but not be forgotten, is to be immortal.
Chapter 34
1. As the Tao is all-pervading,
It operates on both the left and the right.
2. Success is consequent to all affairs.
It does not proclaim its own existence.
All things return.
Yet there is no claim of ownership,
So it is forever desireles.
This can be called small.
All things return.
Yet there is no claim of ownership,
This can be called great.
3. The sage accomplishes greatness in not acting great.
Thus can he accomplish what is great.
Chapter 35
1. Holding on to the great Symbol,
The whole world carries on.
On and on without doing harm.
2. Being happy at peace,
Enjoying greatly the music and food.
Travellers stop by.
3. When the Tao is spoken forth plainly
It has no flavor at all.
4. Look, but that is not sufficient for seeing.
Listen, but that is not sufficient for hearing.
Use it, but it is not exhausted.
Chapter 36
1. When you want to constrict something,
You must first let it expand;
When you want to weaken something,
You must first enable it;
When you want to eliminate something,
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You must first allow it;
When you want to conquer something,
You must first let it be.
This is called the Fine Light.
2. The weak overcomes the strong.
Fish cannot live away from the source.
The sharp weapon of the nation should never be displayed.
Chapter 37
1. Tao is eternally nameless.
If lords and rulers would abide by it,
All things would evolve of themselves.
2. What evolves desires to act.
I, then, suffuse this with nameless simplicity.
Suffusing with nameless simplicity is eliminating humiliation.
Without humiliation, peace arises.
Heaven and earth regulate themselves.
Chapter 38
1. Eminent action is inaction,
For that action it is active.
Inferior action never stops acting,
For that reason it is inactive.
2. Eminent action is disengaged,
Yet nothing is left unfulfilled;
Eminent humanness engages,
Yet nothing is left unfulfilled;
When eminent righteousness engages,
It reduces the results of engagements;
Eminent justice engages, but does not respond adequately to
situations.
For that reason it is frustrated.
3. When Tao is lost,
It becomes Action;
When Action is lost,
It becomes benevolence;
When benevolence is lost,
It becomes justice.
When justice is lost,
It becomes propriety.
4. Propriety is the veneer of faith and loyalty,
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And the forefront of troubles.
5. Foresight is the vain display of Tao,
And the forefront of foolishness.
6. Therefore, the man of substance
Dwells in wholeness rather than veneer,
Dwells in the essence rather than the vain display.
7. He rejects the latter, and accepts the former.
Chapter 39
1. Those from the past have attained Oneness.
2. By attaining Oneness, heaven is clear.
By attaining Oneness, earth is at peace.
By attaining Oneness, the spirit is quickened.
By attaining Oneness, the valley is filled.
By attaining Oneness, the king puts order in the whole world.
All these result from Oneness.
3. Without its clarity, heaven is liable to explode.
Without its peace, earth is liable to erupt.
Without its quickening, the spirit is liable to die out.
Without its fullness, valleys are liable to dry out.
Without proper esteem, the king is liable to fall.
4. Esteem is rooted in the humble.
The high is founded upon the low.
5. This is why the lords and rulers call themselves widows and
orphans without support.
Is this is not the root of being humble?
6. Much praise amounts to no praise.
7. Without preference, Being is as resonant as Jade and as gravelly
as stone.
Chapter 40
1. When eminent persons hear of Tao,
They practice it faithfully;
When average persons hear of Tao,
It seems that they practice it, and it seems they do not;
When inferior persons hear of Tao,
They ridicule it.
2. Without such ridicule, it would not be Tao.
3. Thus, the aphorism that suggests the way is:
Knowing the Tao seems costly.
Entering Tao seems like retreating.
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Becoming equal with Tao gives birth to paradoxes.
Eminent action is like a valley.
Complete understanding resembles being disgraced.
Vast action seems yielding.
Action that builds up seems remiss.
Pure integrity seems perverse.
The great square has no angles.
The great talent matures late.
The great voice sounds faint.
The great image has no form.
The Tao is praised but is unnameable.
4. Only Tao is good at beginning and good at completion.
Chapter 41
1. Tao moves by returning.
Tao functions by weakness.
2. All things under heaven are born of being.
Being is born of non-being.
Chapter 42
1. Tao gives rise to one.
One gives rise to two.
Two gives rise to three.
Three gives rise to all things.
2. All things carry yin and embrace yang.
Drawing chi together into harmony.
3. What the world hates is the widow and orphan without support.
But lords and rulers name themselves these.
4. Do not seek gain from losing, nor loss from gaining.
5. What people teach, after discussion becomes doctrine.
6. Those who excel in strength do not prevail over death.
I would use this as the father of teaching.
Chapter 43
1. What is softest in the world penetrates what is hardest in the world.
Non-being enters where there is no room.
2. From this I know the riches of non-action.
3. Wordless teaching and the riches of non-action is matched by
very little in the world.
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Chapter 44
1. Which is more cherished, the name or the body?
Which is worth more, the body or possessions?
Which is more beneficial, to gain or to lose?
2. Extreme fondness is necessarily very costly.
The more you cling to, the more you lose.
3. So knowing what is sufficient averts disgrace.
Knowing when to stop averts danger.
This can lead to a longer life.
Chapter 45
1. Grand perfection seems lacking, yet its use is never exhausted.
Grand fullness seems empty, yet its use never comes to an end.
Grand straightforwardness seems bent.
Grand skill seems clumsy.
Grand surplus seems deficient.
2. Activity overcomes cold.
Stillness overcomes heat.
Peace and tranquility can be the measure of the world.
Chapter 46
1. When there is Tao in the world, work horses are used to fertilize
the land.
Without Tao in the world, the war horse flourishes in the
countryside.
2. There is no crime greater than fostering desire.
There is no disaster greater than not knowing when there is
enough.
There is no fault greater than wanting to possess.
3. Knowing that sufficiency is enough always suffices.
Chapter 47
1. In order to know the world, do not step outside the door.
In order to know the Tao of heaven, do not peer through the
window.
2. The further out you go, the less you know.
3. So the sage knows without moving, identifies without seeing,
accomplishes without acting.
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Chapter 48
1. Having a zest for learning yields an increase day by day.
Hearing the Tao brings a loss day by day.
Losing more and more until inaction results.
Inaction results, yet everything is done.
2. Managing the world always involves non-engagement.
As soon as there is engagement, there is never enough of it to
manage the world.
Chapter 49
1. The sage is always without his own mind.
He uses people’s minds as his mind.
2. He is kind to those who are kind.
He is also kind to those who are not kind.
It is the kindness of Action itself.
He is trustworthy to those who are trustworthy.
He is also trustworthy to those who are not trustworthy.
It is the trust of Action itself.
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3. In the world, the sage inhales.
For the world, the sage keeps the mind simple.
4. All people are fixated on the ears and eyes.
While the sage always smiles like a child.
Chapter 50
1. We live, we die.
2. The companions of life are three and ten.
The companions of death are three and ten.
That people live their active life necessarily leading to the ground
of death is three and ten.
3. Why so? it is the nature of life itself.
4. As a matter of fact, I hear of those who are good at preserving
their lives;
Walking through, not avoiding rhinos and tigers.
Entering battle without wearing armaments.
The rhino has no place to dig its horns.
The tiger has no place to drag its claws.
The soldier has no place to thrust his blade.
5. Why is this so?
Because they have no place to die.
Chapter 51
1. Tao enlivens.
Action nourishes.
Matter forms.
Mechanism completes.
For that reason, all things worship Tao and exalt Action.
2. The worship of Tao and exaltation of Action are not conferred,
but always arise naturally.
3. Tao enlivens and nourishes, develops and cultivates, integrates
and completes, raises and sustains.
4. It enlivens without possessing.
It acts without relying.
It develops without controlling.
5. Such is called mystic Action.
Chapter 52
1. The world begins with the mother as its source.
2. When you have the mother, you know the son.
- 284 -
When you know the son, return to preserve the mother.
Although the body dies, there is no harm.
3. By closing your mouth and shutting the door, there would be no
wearing down of life.
When opening the mouth and pursuing your affairs, life cannot
be preserved.
4. Seeing what is small is discernment.
Preserving subtleness is strength.
Using the light enables one to return to discernment.
5. Without losing the center of the body is called penetrating the
eternal.
Chapter 53
1. Through discrimination, I have the knowledge to walk in the great
Tao.
The only fear is what is other than that.
2. The great Tao is quite smooth, yet people prefer a short-cut.
The court is so busy legislating that the fields go uncultivated and
granaries are all empty.
They wear the magnificent clothing, girdle the sharp swords.
They are gorged with food and possess many brides.
Their bounty suffices but they continue to steal.
3. This is opposite of Tao.
Chapter 54
1. What is well-built is not pulled down.
What is well-fastened is not separated.
Sons and grandsons worship unceasingly.
2. Cultivate the self, and the Action is pure.
Cultivate the family, the Action is plentiful.
Cultivate the community, the Action endures.
Cultivate the nation, the Action is fruitful.
Cultivate the world, the Action is all-pervading.
3. Treat the self by the standard of self.
Treat the family by the standard of family.
Treat the community by the standard of community.
Treat the nation by the standard of nation.
Treat the world by the standard of world.
4. How do I know how the world is such?
Thus.
- 285 -
Chapter 55
1. Action in its profundity is like a newborn baby.
Poisonous insects and venomous snakes do not sting it.
Predatory birds and ferocious animals do not seize it.
2. Its bones are soft and its sinews supple, yet its grasp is firm;
Without knowing the union of male and female, its organs become
aroused.
Its vital essence comes to the point;
Crying all day, its voice never becomes hoarse.
Its harmony comes to the point.
3. Harmony is eternal.
Knowing harmony is discernment.
Enhancing life is equanimity.
Generating vitality through mind is strength.
3. When things reach their climax, they are suddenly old.
4. This is “Non-Tao”.
“Non-Tao” dies young.
Chapter 56
1. Those who know, do not say.
Those who say, do not know.
2. Close the mouth.
Shut the door.
Merge into light.
As ordinary as dust.
Blunt the sharpness.
Unravel the entanglements.
3. This is called mysterious sameness.
4 You are not intimate by acquiring it.
You are not distant in not acquiring it;
You do not profiting by acquiring it.
You do not lose it by not acquiring it;
You are not ennobled by acquiring it.
You are not disgraced by not acquiring it.
5. This enables the nobility of the world.
Chapter 57
1. Using the right lawfulness to govern the country.
Using unexpectancy to conduct the battle.
Using disengagement to take over the world.
- 286 -
2. How do I know this is so?
Thus.
3. The more prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer people
will be.
The more destructive weapons people have, the more chaotic
the nation will become.
The more know-how people have, the more bizarre things will
appear.
The more rules and demands that flourish, the more thefts there
will be.
4. Therefore the sage says:
When I am inactive, people transform themselves.
When I abide in stillness, people organize themselves lawfully.
When I am disengaged, people enrich themselves.
When I choose non-desire, people remain simple.
Chapter 58
1. When the government is silent, people are sincere.
When the government is intrusive, the state is decisive.
2. Disaster is what fortune depends upon,
Fortune is what disaster subdues.
Who knows a final outcome?
3. There is no right lawfulness.
Justice tends towards the extreme.
Kindness tends towards evil.
People have been familiar with this for a long time.
4. So,
Be rounded without cutting.
Be compatible without puncturing.
Be straightforward without trapping.
Be bright without dazzling.
Chapter 59
1. For governing people and serving the heaven, nothing is better
than frugality.
2. Only frugality enables the pre-empty measures.
Pre-empty measures mean a great accumulation of Action.
A great accumulation of Action leaves nothing to be conquered.
When nothing needs to be conquered, No-boundary is known.
When no-boundary is known, it allows the country to exist.
The country, existing from its source, can endure.
- 287 -
3. This is the Tao of having a deep root, a strong stem, a long
life and an enduring vision.
Chapter 60
1. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.
2. If Tao is utilized to manage the society, its ghost will not become
spirit.
Not that ghost is not spiritual, but that the spirit harms no people;
Not only does the spirit harms not the people, but that the sage is
harmless.
3. As those two cause no harm, they are united in Action.
Chapter 61
1. A great nation flows downwardly; it is the mother of the world, and
the integration of the world.
2. The mother is always tranquil and overcomes the male by her
tranquility; so she benefits the world.
3. A great nation relies on a low position to take over a small nation.
A small nation, being in a low position, is taken over by a great
nation.
4. So being lower allows taking over or being taken over.
5. Being a great nation only desires to unify the people.
Being a small nation only seeks people’s business.
6. They both get what they want, but the greater is being lower.
Chapter 62
1. Tao is the conductor of all things.
The treasure of the good.
The protector of the bad.
2. Beautiful words can advertise well.
Noble conduct brings praise to people.
3. As for those who conduct the bad, why reject them for it?
4. Therefore, after the crowning of the emperor comes the appointing
of three administrations.
Being presented with jade in front of the team of four horses is
not better than sitting and entering thus.
5. The reason why this is valued of old is,
It allows having without asking, and it allows forgiveness of wrong.
Thus, it is most valuable to the world.
Chapter 63
- 288 -
1. Do non-doing.
Engage in non-affairs. Savor non-flavor.
2. Large or small, many or few, reward or punishment, are all being
done through Action.
3. Seek what is difficult with ease.
Effect what is great while it is small.
4. The most difficult things in the world are done while they are easy.
The greatest things in the world are done while they are small.
5. The sage never plans to do a great thing.
Thus, he accomplishes what is great.
6. Facile promises necessarily result in little trust.
What is easy necessarily entails difficulty.
7. Thus the sage, through extreme trials, encounters no difficulty.
Chapter 64
1. It is easy to sustain what is at rest.
It is easy to plan for that of which there is not even a sign.
What is fragile is easily broken.
What is minute is easily dispersed.
2. Act upon it before it exists.
Regulate it before it becomes chaos.
3. A massive tree grows from a little sprout.
A nine-story-building rises from a clod of earth.
A thousand-fathoms begin with a single step.
4. Those who impose action upon it will fail.
Those who cling to it lose it.
5. So the sage, through non-action, does not fail.
Not clinging, he does not lose.
6. The common people’s engagement in affairs fail prior to success.
7. So the saying goes, “Give as much careful attention to the end
as to the beginning; then the affairs will not fail.”
8. It is on that account that the sage desires not to desire and does
not value goods that are hard to get.
He learns not to learn and restores the common people’s losses.
He is able to support the nature of all things and, not by daring, to
impose action.
Chapter 65
1. Those who practiced Tao in olden times did not enlighten people,
Rather they made them simple.
2. What makes it the hardest to govern the people is what they
- 289 -
already know.
It becomes most difficult to govern people because of their
knowledge.
3. So, using knowledge to govern the country, knowledge itself
becomes the thief of the country.
Not using knowledge to govern the country, knowledge itself is
the Action of the country.
4. Always realize that these two are the model for ruling.
Always be aware that this model is the mystic Action.
5. Mystic Action is deep and far-reaching.
It is the opposite of matter.
Only thus does it approach the Great Harmony.
Chapter 66
1. The reason why rivers and seas have the capacity for kingship
over all the valleys is that they excel in lowliness.
That is why they have the capacity for kingship over all valleys.
2. Thus, since the sage wants to elevate the people, his speech is
down to earth.
Since the sage wants to advance the people, he positions himself
at the back,
3. So that when he is at the front, people do not harm him.
When he stands above, people do not feel pressure.
The whole world supports him untiringly.
4. Since he does not rely on competition, the world has nothing with
which to compete.
Chapter 67 (Ch. 80)

1. A small country has few people.
2. Weapons are far more numerous than the people, but they are
not used.
Let people be serious about death and enjoy a long journey.
Though there are carriages and boats, they are not useful for
travel.
Let people return to:
Use the technique of knotting the rope,
Enjoying the food,
Appreciating the cloth,
Delighting in customs,
Settling into their living conditions.
3. The neighboring countries are in sight.
- 290 -
The sounds of dogs and chickens are heard.
People grow old and die without interference from each other.
Chapter 68 (Ch. 81)

1. Trustworthy words are not beautiful.
Beautiful words are not trustworthy.
The knower does not know everything.
The know-it-all knows nothing.
Kindness is not over-indulgent.
Over-indulgence is not kind.
2. The sage does not collect.
As soon as he exists for others, he has more.
As soon as he gives to others, he has more.
3. So the Tao of heaven benefits and does not harm.
The Tao of human-kind exists and does not compete.
Chapter 69
1. Everyone in the world says I am great, great without parallel.
Being without parallel is what enables greatness.
If there is a long standing parallel, it becomes small.
2. I always have three treasures:
First is compassion.
Second is frugality.
Third is to not dare act in front of the world.
3. So compassion enables courage.
Frugality enables abundance.
Not daring to act in front of the world enables the mechanism to
endure.
4. Today there is courage without compassion.
There is abundance without frugality.
There is appearance alone without substance.
This means no-life.
5. Through compassion: fight and win; defend and be secure.
6. When the heaven establishes itself, it always relies upon
compassion.
Chapter 70
1. Being a good warrior does not entail power.
A good fighter is not angry.
One who is good at overcoming the enemy does not contact him.
- 291 -
One who is good at leading people acts humbly.
2. This is called the Action of non-competition.
This is called leading people.
This is called the Ultimate as old as heaven.
Chapter 71
1. There is a saying on using military force, it says:
I dare not be the host, but rather a guest.
I dare not advance an inch, but rather retreat a foot.
2. This is called performing without performing, rolling up one’s
sleeves without showing the arms.
By not holding on to an enemy, there is no enemy.
3. There is no disaster greater than having no enemy.
Having no enemy almost destroys my treasure.
4. When opposing armies clash, those who cry win!
Chapter 72
1. My words are easy to understand and easy to apply.
Yet no one in the world can understand them and no one could
apply them.
2. Words have their origin, and events have their leader.
3. Only because of prevailing ignorance that I am not understood.
The few who understand me, the more precious I am.
4. So the sage wears shabby cloth, but holds a treasure within.
Chapter 73
1. Knowing that you don’t know (everything) is superior.
Not knowing that you don’t know (everything) is a sickness.
2. So the sage’s being without sickness is that he knows sickness
as sickness;
Thus, he is without sickness.
Chapter 74
1. People are fearless before the power.
If fear arises, it will be a great fear.
2. Not constraining the living environment.
They do not get bored by life.
Because we do not get bored, there is no boredom.
3. Therefore the sage is self-aware but not introspective.
He has self-respect but does not price himself.
- 292 -
4. He rejects one and takes the other.
Chapter 75
1. Courage combined with daring promotes killing.
Courage not combined with daring promotes life.
2. These two can be either beneficial or harmful.
3. Who knows the reason for what heaven hates?
4. The Tao of heaven is
Good at winning without fighting,
Good at responding without speaking,
Appearing without being asked,
Good at strategizing while fighting.
5. The net of heaven is broad and loose,
Yet nothing slips through.
Chapter 76
1. Whenever people are unafraid of death, how can killing be used
as a threat?
Whenever people are afraid of death and are acting contrary, I
will catch and kill them; who else can act so?
When people are absolutely afraid of death but perform killing,
they are the best qualified to be executioners.
2. This is like doing carving for a master craftsman.
Doing the carving for a master craftsman, how could one’s hand
not get cut?
Chapter 77
1. The reason people are starving is because the government taxes
too much. This is the reason for starvation.
The reason people are hard to govern is because their leaders
are actively engaged. This is why they are hard to govern.
The reason people are not serious about death is because they
seek the burdens of life. This is why they are not serious about
death.
2. Only those who are not slaves to life are wise to the value of life.
Chapter 78
1. When people are born, they are soft and gentle.
When they die, they are stiff and callous.
2. When myriad things, grasses and trees, are born, they are soft
- 293 -
and tender.
When they die, they are withered.
3. So stiffness and callousness are the company of death.
Softness and suppleness are the company of life.
4. The powerful army will not win.
A stiff tree will break.
5. So stiffness and power stay below.
Softness and suppleness stay above.
Chapter 79
1. The Tao of heaven is like drawing a bow.
The high bends down,
The low rises up.
The surplus decreases.
Insufficiency is supplied.
2. So the Tao of heaven reduces what is surplus and enhances what
is insufficient.
The human Tao reduces what is insufficient and caters to the
surplus.
3. Who can use the surplus to benefit the heaven?
Only those who possess Tao.
4. So the sage
Exists without ownership,
Accomplishes without holding on.
It is thus, without desire, that the wise see.
Chapter 80
1. Nothing in the world is softer and more supple than water.
When confronting strength and hardness nothing can overcome
it.
2. Using nothingness simplifies.
Using water overcomes hardness.
Using weakness overcomes strength.
There is no one in the world who does not know it, but no one can
apply it.
3. So it is a saying of sages that:
Whoever can bear the disgrace of the country is the ruler of the
country.
Whoever can bear the misfortune of the world is the ruler of the
world.
4. Truthful speech seems paradoxical.
Chapter 81
- 294 -
1. Reconciling a great hatred necessarily entails unsolved hatred.
How can this be kindful?
2. So the sage honors the left-hand tally but does not blame people.
Appendix II
I Ching Hexagrams and Wilhelm’s
Chinese Name Translations
A Decadic system
B Binary system*
C Hexagram of the I Ching with number, sign and
R. Wilhelm’s translation
D Chiness name of hexagrams
E R. Wilhelm’s translation
Table according to the book: Leibniz G. W., “Two Letters on the
Binary Number System and Chinese Philosophy”.
A B C D E
0 000000 2. K’un The Receptive
1 00000L 24. Fu Return
2 0000L0 7. Shih The Army
3 0000LL 19. Lin The Approach
4 000L00 15. Ch’ien Modesty
5 000L0L 36. Ming I Darkening of the Light
6 000LL0 46. Sheng Pushing Upward
7 000LLL 11. T’ai Peace
8 00L000 16. Yu Enthusiasm
9 00L00L 51. Chen The Arousing
- 295 -
A B C D E
10 00L0L0 40. Hsieh Deliverance
11 00L0LL 54. Kuei Mei The Marrying Maiden
12 00LL00 62. Hsiao Kuo Preponderance of the Small
13 00LL0L 55 Feng Abundance
14 00LLL0 32. Heng Duration
15 00LLLL 34. Ta Chuang The Power of the Great
16 0L0000 8. Pi Holding Together
17 0L000L 3. Chun Difficulty at the Beginning
18 0L00L0 29. K’an The Abysmal
19 0L00LL 60. Chieh Limitation
20 0L0L00 39. Chien Obstruction
21 0L0L0L 63. Chi Chi After completion
22 0L0LL0 48. Ching The Well
23 0L0LLL 5. Hsu Wanting (Nourishment)
24 0LL000 45. Ts’ui Gathering Together
25 0LL00L 17. Sui Following
26 0LL0L0 47. Kan Oppression
- 296 -
A B C D E
27 0LL0LL 58. Tui The Joyous, The Lake
28 0LLL00 31. Hsien Influence
29 0LLL0L 49. Ko Revolution
30 0LLLL0 28. Ta Kuo Preponderance of the Great
31 0LLLLL 43. Kuai Breakthrough
32 L00000 23. Po Splitting Apart
33 L0000L 27. I The Corners of the Mouth
34 L000L0 4. Meng Youthful Folly
35 L000LL 41. Sun Decrease
36 L00L00 52. Ken Keeping Still
37 L00L0L 22. Pi Grace
38 L00LL0 18. Ku Work on What Has Been Spoiled
39 L00LLL 26. Ta Ch’u The Taming Power of the Great
40 L0L000 35. Chin Progress
41 L0L00L 21. Shih Ho Biting Through
42 L0L0L0 64. Wei Chi Before Completion
43 L0L0LL 38. K’uei Opposition
- 297 -
A B C D E
44 L0LL00 46. Sheng Pushing Upward
45 L0LL0L 30. Li The Clinging, Fire
46 L0LLL0 50. Ting The Caldron
47 L0LLLL 14. Ta Yu Possession in Great Measure
48 LL0000 20. Kuan Contemplation
49 LL000L 42. I (Yi) Increase
50 LL00L0 59. Huan Dispersion
51 LL00LL 61. Chung Fu Inner Truth
52 LL0L00 53. Chien Development
53 LL0L0L 37. Chia Jen The Family
54 LL0LL0 57. Sun The Gentle
55 LL0LLL 9. Hsiao Ch’u The Taming Power of the Small
56 LLL000 12. P’i Standstill
57 LLL00L 25. Wu Wang Innocence
58 LLL0L0 6. Sung Conflict
59 LLL0LL 10. Lu Treading
60 LLLL00 33. Tun Retreat
- 298 -
A B C D E
61 LLLL0L 13. T’ung Jen Fellowship with Men
62 LLLLL0 44. Kou Coming to Meet
63 LLLLLL 1. Chi’en The Creative
- 299 -
- 300 -

Door To All Wonder

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-1-

Door to All Wonders

Editorial Assistance: Colin Campbell

Design and Production: Saniem Chaisarn

Illustrations: Udon Jandee

Project Manager: W.U. Wei

© North Star Trust

First published in May 2002 by:

Universal Tao Publications

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or

Editor’s Introduction: Taoist Bone............................................. 1

Be Content with Enough .................................................. 80

Universal Tao System Overview..................... Overview 1—35

About the Authors

Master Mantak Chia

Mantak Chia was born in Thailand to Chinese parents in 1944.

Using his knowledge of Taoism, combined with the other disci-

Master Mantak Chia has previously written and published these

Tao Huang was born and grew

double four (double-cross) for the nurturing and cultivation of spiri-

Tao Te Ching translated into English.

We, as ethnic Chinese, have witnessed how the original text of

You will find Tao Huang’s commentary on immortality, based on

Reference Base of Chinese Mystical Culture

Prophecy in his Family Graveyard—Destined to be a

Chi Kung Practice—Healed his Physical Problems

Heart-Sealed awakening through Lao Tzu

“Afterwards, I lit a second incense stick. A strong feeling urged

26th Lineage of the Dragon Gate School

we also have the authority to give ourselves a spirit-name, besides

Master Chia’s Lineage, Longevity and Immortality

ables in individual circumstances, there is not just one time frame

process of transforming all of one’s physical, soul and spirit en-

Education and Body Wisdom

the course of my life. My family generation name, Zhi, reflected the

inner emotions such as compassion, love, caring, generosity, and

Taoist Bone: Spiritual Will

womb.” In this section, we will share some of the interesting back-

Inventing the Story

“A couple of days ago when I turned on NPR [National Public

*Editor’s Note: The above word, ‘seeing’— in the context of “in

Background of Developing the Will to Live

“I weighed less than four pounds at birth. My father, who was a

certain of our next meal. At times there was no water to drink.

Master Chia’s Life, Different but Parallel

Quest for the Secret Code

“I also realized that as Confucian culture had become domi-

which the Taoist worldview had been systematically repressed by

that mold clearly manifested itself in his discovery of the phenom-

Story of the Just-Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old-Man

of ma-ma and ba-ba to readable words and manageable num-

I Ching/Genetic Code Summary

By combining the eight trigrams as pairs of all the possible

summary for the matching structure of DNA, which correlates to

I Ching Lines, Digrams, Trigrams and Hexagrams

Explaining the methodology and practice of the I Ching,

Old yin Young yang Young yin Old yang

Adding one more line to the digrams results in eight combinations

Ken Sun Li Chien Kun Kan Chen Tui

When the paired combinations of all eight trigrams are config-

Fu-Hsi’s Table of the I Ching

I Ching Divination Process