The best Way of Internal Cultivation

Hi Michael:

Thanks for your book recommendations, I will check them out.

Let me be clear, I mentioned that the type of Alchemy M. Chia braught to the West, which I view as a sophisticated, detailed, comprehensive system, including a deep knowledge of acupuncture channels, chinese medical knowledge, cosmology, Qi Gong, etc, that is it doubtful this level of “detail” was developed 3-5 thousand years ago.

I AM SURE there were many types of alchemy around in ancient times, not that type of detail though; which for me, more details are not necessary better. Often complex people like complex systems.

I think Taoism contains wonderful practices and understandings of life, I just feel we need to separate fact from fiction, or atleast express what we know and what we believe or blindly accept, the value of our tradition is enhanced by this, not diminished.

Understanding the universe and humanty’s place in it is probally so old we can not think of the time aspect of it, the realization of that time is the same as the realization of now, they are the same. Atleast this is my understanding.

Also, its my view alchemy is about seeing what is already there, not really creating something new, unless one views what already exists as alchemy.

regards,
bagua

Bagua,

Interesting that your view of alchemical history is essentially conservative, i.e. literary records of scholars, who are the very intellectuals you believe are being attacked by the DDJ and Chan.

However, I think its likely true – that the specific form of One Cloud’s Formulas surfaced into public schools of internal alchemy during the Song Dynasty. But that doesn’t mean the practices originated then. That is just one cycle of their surfacing in different forms in different cultures.

The evidence for the alchemical principles is much, much older, and very universal.

Alchemy was traditionally a secretive, oral art – so literary history, relying on written documents, while interesting, has severe limits. But we can see from the Nei Yeh in China, older than the DDJ, what Dao Yuan was referring to by another title of the school – is that these alchemical principles of jing,qi, shen PRECEDE the DDJ publication date of 440 bce.

I suggest you read Mircea Eliade’s The Crucible and the Forge, the most comprehensive survey of alchemical myths globally by any scholar. His conclusion: it is the world’s oldest spiritual practice, going deep into pre-history. Older than any religion on the planet.

And its not that any particular alchemical formula is effective or not. The formulas are just statements of principle about the multi-layered nature of consciousness. What makes them effective is the practitioner. That depends on one’s nature, one training, suitable environment, and other subtle factors.

So alchemy is not for everyone – they knew that, and that is why they kept its practice secret.

I believe the alchemical practices resurface at times that they are needed to revitalize dying older religionious traditions, when cultures are in rapid transition to a new paradigm.