Nan Huai-Chin ~ Tao & Longevity

I've been exploring the work of Nan Huai-Chin -- finding it wonderful, and hoping that much more will in coming years be translated into English. Nan is known for his broad vision, and capacity to speak -- from personal experience -- across a number of contemplative traditions.

What follows are a sampling of passages which highlight the conversation between Taoism and Buddhism, touching on topics such as the eight extraordinary meridians, embryonic breathing, and the relationship between an open meridian system and an enlightened mind.

[Please note that Nan uses the Wade-Giles transliteration system. Also, he acknowledges in a footnote that anatomical terms such as "diencephalon" were not known to the authors of the ancient texts that he cites; but rather reflect his own practice experience.]

The twelve meridians are important in medical science but there are additional ch'i routes, not included among these twelve, that are important in Taoism. This involves the chi ching pa mai, or the eight extra meridians, which are the Tu Mai, Jen Mai, Ch'ong Mai, Tai Mai, Yang Wei, Yin Wei, Yang Ch'iao, and Yin Chi'iao.

The Chuang Tze mentions the correspondences between the Tu Mai and the human body. The Tu Maicorresponds to the spinal cord of the central nervous system. Jen Mai corresponds to the autonomic nervous system and the visceral organs. Tai Mai corresponds to the kidney nervous system. Yang Wei and Yin Wei have a close relationship with the cerebrum, cerebellum, and diencephalon nervous systems. Yang Ch'iao and Yin Ch'iao correspond to the genital nervous system, including the prostate gland and the nerve functions in the hands and feet. It is difficult to define Ch'ong Mai but we can say that it flows somewhere between the central and autonomic nervous systems, although it has no fixed position or range. It starts between the testes and the penis in a male and between the vagina and the uterus in a female. It rushes upward to pass through the stomach and the heart and then rushes toward the center of the head. Only a person who opens up some ch'i route and actually experiences the circulation of ch'i will be convinced that ch'i and ch'ichannels are real.

~ * ~

The dhyana teachings of Hinayana Buddhism classify the breathing of air and the latent energy of the human body into three ordered categories.

(1) Wind. This indicates the ordinary function of the respiratory system and air. In other words, people depend on breath to maintain life. This is the state of air known as "wind."

(2) Ch'i . This indicates that after refinement through meditation, the breath per se becomes light, easy and slow.

(3) Hsi . Through the highly advanced refinement of meditation the breath becomes so slight that it almost stops. At this stage the inward and outward movement of the respiratory system ceases to function. Breathing through other parts of the body, however, is not completely stopped. A natural breath starts to function from the lower abdomen to the lower Tan Tien. This is Hsi. Later, the Taoists call it Tai Hsi (the breathing of an embryo in the womb). Some schools of thought even believe that mind and Hsi are interdependent.

~ * ~

If a person opens the eight extra meridians, then he will have attained the state Chuang Tze described as, "No feelings of body and limbs, no illusions, leaving form and forgetting intelligence. This is great communication (or communicating with the entire universe). This is called sitting to forget."

~ * ~

One should be aware that the rotation of the river chariot and the opening of the eight extra meridians are not the ultimate achievements in the cultivation of Tao. Strictly speaking, the rotation of the river chariot and circulation of ch'i in the eight extra meridians are good for health and rejuvenation, but they are merely the groundwork for the cultivation and achievement of Tao.

After the river chariot begins to rotate and ch'i circulates in the eight extra meridians for a certain time, at an optimum stage ch'i will automatically cease to rotate. The ch'i does not rotate because of its fullness.

The body will gradually feel light, clear, warm and soft and one will reach the state of "forgetting the body and emptiness of self." Only at this time will one suddenly introspect and recognize the roundness and illumination of the origin of nature and life ...

~ * ~

From Working Toward Enlightenment:

... You want to get to the point where the skandha of form is exhausted, and empty out your physical existence. Do you think you will achieve enlightenment when you have opened your ch'i channels? You can do this to the full extent possible, and you will have done no more than reached the end of the skandha of form. If you can reach the point where the skandha of form is exhausted, and your body is truly emptied out, it is not a matter of talking about energy channels or no energy channels: this is still something that belongs to the most elementary step.

Buddha said that at this time you at last can "transcend the eons of defilement." You have only leaped to a stage above the five defilements .... That's all. But have you achieved enlightenment? No!

~ * ~

from How To Measure and Deepen Your Spiritual Realization (with William Bodri):

It helps to note that the various physical phenomena we refer to as chi (prana), the mai (nadi or energy channels), chakras, and even kundalini (tumo or shakti spiritual energy) are all phenomena belonging to the skandha of form. In other words, their manifestation only corresponds to the level of form skandha phenomena. These are not imaginary structures, but esoteric physical phenomena that do exist, although their existence involves refined energies or subtle materiality. The sensations we experience as these phenomena manifest are properly classified as belonging to the sensation and form skandhas as well. The physical sensations themselves are a characteristic of the form skandha, and our emotional reactions of like or dislike to these impressions belong to the skandha of sensation.

http://taoism.about.com/b/2009/11/22/nan-huai-chin-tao-longevity.htm