EMPTY VESSEL: Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice SUMMER 2018

Journal Taoist Philosophy and Practice TheThe Journal of of Taoist Philosophy and Practice

Summer 2018

Lessons of the Dao

$5.95 U.S. $6.95 Canada

The Spirit of Intention Like Flower Unfolding and more!

The Empty Vessel

Dear readers...

It is with a mixture of joy, sadness, relief and excitement that I hereby turn The Empty Vessel, which I have created and nurtured through 25 years, over to the new owners, Chris and Nicole... They are exemplarity people and I rest assured that my baby is in good hands!

It has been such an honor and privilege to be involved in this wondrous project, along with the many authors, teachers and others that I have gotten to know over the years... I have learned so much and hopefully have grown a little...

Someone asked me the other day if I was now retiring....far from it...I hope to be able to spend lots more time on my many writing projects as well as recording projects...not to mention traveling around the country sharing qigong and tea!

I have also learned a lot about layout and design and have worked with some really great printers such as Ripon Printers (hi Cindy!) and my current printer, Johnson Press (hi Maria!)...

My partner Shanti has been my faithful copy editor (and gets paid by being taken out to dinner), and in the early days my beloved friend Cher also did editorial work for me...

All in all it has been an amazing journey and I am quite excited to see where The Empty Vessel goes next... I ask you to please continue your support of this journey with its new parents, Chris and Nicole...

I am sure they will bring lots of new ideas to this beloved project!

I bow in humble gratitude to everyone who made this journal (and journey) be what it has been for me...readers, advertisers, printers, distributors, authors, artists and everyone else (including my soul brother Kurt Levins)...

If you want to keep up with what I am doing check out my facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/AbodeOfTheEternalDao/ as well as my website at www.abodetao.com.

I also have a youtube page with lots of video from China at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLvnX7Bv9y8L61RJ4grzUUAUCLvnX7Bv9y8L61RJ4grzUUA.

I will also be sending out regular newsletters with articles, links to videos and much more...you can write to me at solala@abodetao.com to get on the mailing list.

I very much look forward to seeig what Chris and Nicole do with The Empty Vessel and I urge you to support them on this amazing journey that they are embarking on!

Solala Towler

ii

S u m m e r 2018

Some words from our new owners...

Chris Collins: When I first saw a copy of “The Empty Vessel” 20 years ago I said to myself, ‘I wish this magazine was mine!’” I wanted to do something to profoundly support Taoism in the West, and Solala had beat me to it!

Daoist philosophy and practices have transformed my life. When I do my practices regularly, my life is smooth despite external circumstances.

My wife and I met because of our Daosim. She is an acupuncture physician and I teach Qigong. I often say to her, “Let’s be Daoists together!” Now I invite you to walk the path with us…

Nicole Noles Collins: When I was in high school, my favorite hangout was the bookstore. I was repeatedly drawn to the philosophy section, and one book in particular. The Shambhala edition of the “Tao Teh Ching” translated

by John C.H. Wu drew me in and became the foundation of my adult life, although I did not know it at the time. My favorite chapter described the thirty spokes of the wheel, and eventually led me in to the practice of feng shui, harmonizing the empty spaces of people’s lives. Later, when I progressed in my healing path to the point where I was ready to attend acupuncture school, the Tao Teh Ching spoke to me again in the catalog, this time with Chapter 22, translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English.

Like water, the Tao has subtly yet profoundly shaped who I am today. Along with my journey in Asian healing, I simultaneously began a career in the newspaper world which has also profoundly shaped who I am. I respect and cherish the power of the written word, and unlike the sage, in my heart I strove to someday be a publisher. I thought for years that it would be in the world of newsprint, but when Chris mentioned one night that his favorite magazine was for sale, I knew it was our destiny, and I saw the subtle action of the Tao had prepared me for this moment. I have accumulated experience in the different aspects of the newspaper: Proofreading, writing, page design, advertising, editing, and producing weekly sections for several years.

Editing and designing weekly sections was always the job I was happiest with in the newsroom. But now I have the chance to stamp my heart into a publication that could change the world, subtly like water, and help people find their place in the universe.

I think now, more than ever, the world needs Taoism, in all its myriad expressions and forms. And I look forward to guiding “The Empty Vessel” in its next 25 (or more!) year cycle and letting it guide me.

“Be really whole, and all things will come to you.”

ng the Way 1

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Contents

Summer 2018 Volume 25 Number 4

ectory 32

2

What Are We Doing When We Do Qigong?

by Bai Yun

3

Lessons of the Dao

by Kurt Levins

6

Swallowing Saliva

by Stuart Alve Olson

12

The Spirit of Intention

by Wu De

22

Like A Flower Unfolding

by Solala Towler

Departments Along the Way 1 Reviews 30 Directory 32

What is Taoism (Daoism)?

“The Tao (Dao) that can be described is not the eternal Tao.” So begins the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) of Lao Tzu (Laozi) written some 2,500 years ago. How then, to describe the indescribable? How to fit into words that which is beyond words? The Tao can only be pointed to, or referred to, say the ancient sages. It cannot be held, only experienced. It cannot be touched, only felt. It cannot be seen, only glimpsed with the inner eye.

Tao, then, is the Way, as in direction, as in manner, source, destination, purpose and process. In discovering and exploring Tao the process and the destination are one and the same.

Lao Tzu describes a Daoist as the one who sees simplicity in the complicated and achieves greatness in little things. He or she is dedicated to discovering the dance of the cosmos in the passing of each season as well as the passing of each precious moment in our lives.

Taoism was already long established when Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching. It originated in the ancient shamanic roots of Chinese civilization. Many of the practices and attitudes toward life were already established before Lao Tzu'’s time.

For many centuries Taoism was an informal way of life, a way followed by peasant, farmer, gentleman philosopher and artist. It was a way of deep reflection and of learning from Nature, considered the highest teacher. Followers of the Way studied the stars in the heavens and the energy that lies deep within the earth. They meditated upon the energy flow within their own bodies and mapped out the roads and paths it traveled upon.

It is a belief in life, a belief in the glorious procession of each unfolding moment. It is a deeply spiritual life, involving introspection, balance, emotional and spiritual independence and responsibility and a deep awareness and connection to the earth and all other life forms. It requires an understanding of how energy works in the body and how to treat illness in a safe, non-invasive way while teaching practical ways of maintaining health and avoiding disease and discomfort. Taoist meditation techniques help the practitioner enter deeper or more expansive levels of wakefulness and inner strength.

But most of all, it is a simple, natural, practical way of being in our bodies and our psyches and sharing that way of being with all other life forms we come into contact with.

Today in China and in the West, Taoism is often divided into two forms, tao jio and tao jia. Or religious Taoism and philosophical Daoism. Many scholars argue that there are not two distinct forms of Taoism and in many ways they are right. There is really a great intermingling of the religious form of Taoism and its various sects and the philosophical Taoism of Lao Tzui and Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi). But many people who follow the Tao do not consider themselves religious people and do not go to temples and are not ordained as priests. Rather these two forms exist both side by side and within each other.

It is up to each of us to find the way to the Way in our own way. What we try to do with The Empty Vessel is offer articles and information to help you, our dear readers, to do that.

The Empty Vessel The Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice Publisher The Abode of the Eternal Tao Editor and Design Solala Towler Contributing Editor Kurt Levins Sr. Copy Editor Shanti

The Empty Vessel: A Journal of Contemporary Taoism is published quarterly by DaoDog Press 3440 Conway Blvd. Unit 1D, Port Charlotte FL 33952.

Subscriptions are $24per year (U.S. funds). ©2018 by The Abode of the Eternal Tao, all rights reserved. The Empty Vessel is not responsible for opinions or statements expressed by authors or for advertisers' claims.

Advertising rates are available by calling The Empty Vessel at 541.345.8854, or emailing solala@abodetao. com.

Statement of Purpose The Empty Vessel is dedicated to the exploration and dissemination of Taoist philosophy and practice. It is open to sharing the various traditional and contemporary teachings in a nondiscriminatory manner. We at The Empty Vessel believe that it is in using these practices and attitudes of the ancient achieved ones in a timely and contemporary manner that we can best benefit from them and in doing so, be able to effect change in the world around us.

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Along the Way The Meaning of Life I believe that the meaning of life is very different for each one of us. We each of us have our own unique experience in this lifetime (or lifetimes). In the Taoist way we all walk our own path. At times it may even be difficult to describe to someone else. After all, the very first line in the famous Tao Te Ching says, “The Tao that can be put into words is not the true Tao.” We each have out own expression of Tao, our own unique understanding of what life is about.

Tao Te Ching also tells us in the second chapter not to compare ourselves to others. We all make our own way through this world. But we need to stay humble, stay true to our own sense of the truth, even if it cannot be put into words. It is by letting go of all that is holding us down/back/behind that we can find our way back to Source, to Tao.

Subscribe to and receive four issues of • Insightful and stimulating interviews with contemporary Taoist masters and teachers • Informative and inspirational articles on Taoist philosophy and practice.

Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching says: In the pursuit of worldly knowledge every day something more is added.

In the pursuit of Tao every day something is let go.

We need to let go of all the self-created bonds and chains that stop us from being the true shining being that we all are. In Taoism, the word for enlightened being is zhen ren, which means “authentic person.” How can be become that authentic being we really are? How can we free ourselves from the bonds of society and our own limited sense of self so that we experience ourselves as real authentic beings, no longer held back by our past life experiences or what others insist we be like? How do we find the knowledge and strength to set ourselves free?

How can we live a life of what Chuang Tzu, another ancient Taoist sage calls, “free and easy wandering”?

Lao Tzu tells us that: To know others is wisdom but to know one’s self is enlightenment.

Those who conquer others require great power.

But to conquer one’s self requires inner strength.

It takes not only wisdom but great inner strength to learn for ourselves what our own life meaning is. We can certainly benefit from our teachers, both past and present. But we need to walk our own path to Source, our own way upon the Way.

Solala Towler, editor

The Empty Vessel

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1

What Are We Doing When We Do Qigong?

Bai Yun

the totality of it all. What better way to step forth into new Just what is this mysterious, miraculous, marvelous dimensions of experience and knowledge? What better oppractice called qigong? Just what are we doing when we portunity to allow ourselves the freedom, the strength, the do qigong? deepness of character and intelligence to begin to let go of In a sense, we are stepping out of our mundane, limited the chains of illusion and limitation that we have all been sense of reality and opening ourselves up to a richer, wider told we are? We are ever and so much more that that! and deeper form of experience. We are allowing what is When we do qigong we are saying yes to magic, miracles infinite to be contained by what is so finite, our own bodies. and an openness to change, healing and growing. We are takOur own energy system a microcosm of the very planets and ing the first of a thousand steps into the unknown, into the stars turning gently in space. Our own minds growing so very Dao itself. We are, at the very least, allowing ourselves expansive as to contain the universe. Our very own sense of to heal, to grow, to change along with the great changing self expanding into a greater, richer sense of divine self, or that is always and constant. We are aligning ourselves with what the Chinese call Wuji, the primordial origin of all life. those great cycles of change, and in doing so we are freeing When we do our practice, our form, our breathing, our ourselves from the tyranny of time and the limitations of visualizations, our movements – we align ourselves with life. We are setting ourselves free so that we can soar like our own origin, our own divine birthright. We are allowing the butterfly and flow like the water that was so beloved to ourselves to become “empty vessels,” ready to be filled with the ancient Taoist sages. We are, in the end, practiced by our the energy of the universe itself. As all of the sages, down qigong as much as we practice it. One breath at a time, one throughout history, tell us, we in our humble and often conmovement at a time, one moment at a time. fused states of being are still a part of the whole, a piece of

2 S u m m e r 2018

Lessons of the Dao Kurt Levins Sr.

When one first comes to discovering the Dao there can be an ecstatic feeling that all has been solved and you are now on some style of magical mystical trip through life.

From early October 2017 until January 2018 I fought various upper respiratory infections all of which were serious, from bronchitis to asthmatic bronchitis. Still I did what qi gong I could, and drank healing tea, but could not seem to raise my immune level this included Western medicine and Eastern medicine including herbology and acupuncture. I just kept getting sick.

Finally around Christmas all seemed well until the first weekend in January. My wife could not wake me on Saturday until 6:00 pm.

My fever was about 103 degrees; I knew it was the flu. My doctor and good friend Rick Costa D.O. called in tamiflu and other meds.

On Sunday I was worse. I went to the hospital where I was treated to a brain scan, which showed no stroke. On Monday I was worse and I tried to write a note for my wife to text to Dr. Rick. I picked up a pen and pad and stared at it……I had no idea what to do with it, I could not write. My wife rushed me to the closest heart/stroke hospital where a wonderful older doctor Stuart Solomon, who knew Dr. Rick, very closely examined me and called Dr. Costa and advised him I was very sick and needed immediate admission and treatment.

What was discovered was that I had suffered a minor stroke, which had resolved itself. Worse, I suffered internal dehydration resulting in acute renal shutdown. Thankfully, IV hydration corrected that. I was told I was about 2 days from making the big trip.

So what does this have to do with Daoism. I am a Daoist, meaning I am a dedicated Daoist priest. I walk in the light of the North Star, I read my scripture and talk to the sage through the I Ching, yet I was

felled by normal human failings.

So why bother with this qi gong stuff, standing like a tree, the post and so on? Because I didn’t die. Who knows where I would be if my protective chi wasn’t full. Dr. Rick thinks if my system had not been so weakened by the 4 months of sickness the flu may have bounced off but we’ll never know. My point is do not expect life in the Dao to be a life of bliss. Flowers, the earth’s gifts to us, could not make us smile without rain.

I am still recovering. I have memory lapses and occasional balance challenges, but what better way to fight these than tai ji chuan and qi gong.

While recovering from this illness I took a Daoist approach to it.

I had several choices. I could have lain around complaining. I could have done massive qi gong but this could cause an imbalance. My dear old friend Dr. Kathleen Bello diagnosed wind and excess yin, so I had to be careful there. So I choose deep meditation. What came to me was this: Daoism is not just Chinese.

Of course it is universal, but has become manifest and identified by different people around the world. My ancient folk the Celts had beliefs that were very similar. My friend and spiritual friend Laurie Ann Ship is a Comanche Medicine woman and we are amazed at the similarities between her path and Daoism.

Here in America we have a huge body of work in the 19th century

by American Daoists, only we know them as the transcendentalists.

Thoreau, Emerson and Whitman. Go ahead, read them and the Dao will pop out at you. As I was born and worked in Whitman’s city of Camden, New Jersey I am most familiar with his writing. His wisdom linking all of nature together was pure Daoist, but that was long ago.

But the movement did not die, it only hibernated. It re-emerged in the 1950’s. Laying in bed listening to various music from you. tube I found it had surfaced again in folk and rock music. Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger saw it. Maybe not quite how I see it but Seeger reworking of “Turn,Turn Turn” from Ecclesiastes, in the Bible is most certainly Daoist; it sounds like it could be a lost chapter from the Dao De Ching.

Bob Dylan’s body of work is simply too large to quote but one has to mention ”Blowing In the Wind” as a Daoist tune. The Beatles “Let it Be” speaks of letting go and following a higher power which I find makes sense but understand if others choose to argue. George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” is practically texbook Kirtan Qi Gong, as I have been taught by Solala Towler, who has been my soul brother since we first met.

This story has traveled a long way, but I wanted to present some things with lessons for both new and old travelers. The way of the Dao is a way and not THE way. It is not a superhighway. It is a path strewn with stones, rocks, and briars; but with the right attitude which can be learned from the Dao, which freely teaches it, can make for a mysterious and glorious life. And, it can guide you to meet many cool people along the way. If you told me I would one day call Solala a friend, or train with Chungliang Al Huang, or become a Daoist priest I would have said, “No way.” But with the Dao, “Who knows?”

Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps On the Way

by Solala Towler

Solala Towler

practicing the tao te ching

practicing the tao te ching

81 Steps on the Way 9

Solala Towler’s approach to the Tao Te Ching reveals the quintessence of the study. Taoism relies upon practice, the cultivation of innate nature, and the preservation of life force. Under his guidance, anyone can deepen their practice as well as digest the core meaning of this classic.”

HU XUEZHI author of Revealing the Tao Te Ching A well-written and eminently useful guide to putting the teachings of Taoism’s greatest sage into one’s daily life and practice. So simple, even Lao Tzu would understand it.

RED PINE author of Lao-tzu’s Taoteching Ingenious. Towler turns this classic of mystical Tao philosophy into a boots-on-the ground manual for spiritual practice. A worthy addition to any Qi-cultivator’s library.

MICHAEL WINN founder of healingtao.com

Solala Towler

Most people think of the Tao Te Ching as a book on philosophy or a treatise on leadership.

Yet there is a little-known treasure hidden within the familiar passages of Lao Tzu’s work: step-by-step practical guidance for the spiritual journey. With Practicing the Tao Te Ching, renowned teacher Solala Towler reveals a new facet to this spiritual classic, offering accessible instructions paired with each of the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching. “Tao is a way of deep reflection and learning from nature, considered the highest teacher,” writes Towler. “It teaches us to follow the energy flows within the heavens, the earth, and our own bodies.” With lucid instruction and deep insight, he guides you through meditations, movement and breathing practices, subtle energy exercises, and inner reflections—all to help you to embody Taoist wisdom in every aspect of your life.

Paperback, 306 pages, $16.95 https://abodetao.com/store/#!/Practicing-the-Tao-Te-Ching-81-Steps-On-theWay/p/64656005 or call us at 541.345.8854

Swallowing Saliva Stuart Alve Olson

Two types of regimes call for swallowing. One is the swallowing

protocols for swallowing saliva is such an important aspect of

of saliva (嚥 液 Yan Ye) and the other for the swallowing of

Taoist Longevity and Internal Alchemy arts that it’s imperative

Qi (breath) or, more accurately, “ingesting Qi” (吸 收 氣, Xi

the student knows all the particulars for the practice. Like most

Shou Qi). Initially, the swallowing of mouthfuls of breath/Qi

Taoist works the text of The Lofty and Foremost Jade Emperor’s

is purely imaginary, as with each inhalation you imagine the

Canon on Embryonic Breathing simply mentions to “swallow

mouth filling with Qi and then swallowing it down like when

the saliva” and assumes the reader knows what this means.

swallowing saliva. Over time, the air in the mouth will begin to

The quoted material contains Li Qingyun’s instructions on swallowing saliva from his teachings on the Elemental Skills

feel more substantial when swallowing.

The main function and purpose of swallowing saliva is to

(more commonly called the Eight Brocades Seated Qigong, and specifically are from the Third Brocade: Red Dragon Stirs

refine the “Essence” (精 , Jing), and it occurs in three parts: In the first part, Rousing, the tongue is used to stir up and accumulate the saliva. Circle the tongue outside of the teeth

the Sea). The Translator’s Notes are my commentaries on Li Qingyun’s instructions.

in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions thirty-six

The Red Dragon stirs up the saliva.

times each way.

In part two, Rinsing, the accumulated saliva is sucked back

[赤龍攪水津, Chi Long Jiao Shui Jin] Red Dragon is a name for the tongue. The tongue is

and forth across the tongue thirty-six times.

The last part is the actual swallowing of the saliva. To

the tool by which the saliva is produced and therefore

perform Swallowing, suspend the head slightly upward and

functions as the source of good health. It is said that

feel as though the nose is contracted inwards. Then divide the

a bright red tongue is a sign of good health. Here it

saliva by a third and with a slight force, swallow. When doing

functions as the collector and stimulator of saliva.

1

so, feel as though swallowing from the Mysterious Well (玄 井,

The correct procedure is to place the tongue

Xuan Jing) cavity (the center of the clavicle bone beneath the

up against the cheeks. First follow a leftward rolling

throat). Sense the saliva passing through the solar plexus and

motion [clockwise] towards the right side; alternate

then into the lower Elixir Field. Perform two more actions of

and follow a rightward rolling motion towards the left

swallowing the saliva.

side [counterclockwise]. Continue like this, to and

The practice of ingesting Qi begins with inhaling (through the nose) and visualizing the Qi as a white cloudy substance

fro, rolling and stirring, collecting the saliva within the mouth.

filling the mouth. Then swallow it while exhaling, visualizing

If during this proc¡edure you should become

and sensing it descending into the lower Elixir Field (abdomen).

unsettled or disturbed, you should pause to compose

2

The following section on the practice of swallowing saliva

yourself and get rid of any anxiety, otherwise the

comes from Li Qingyun: Longevity Methods of a 250-Year-Old

source of your good health may well become

Taoist Immortal (Valley Spirit Arts, 2016). The teachings and

damaged.

1 Eight Brocades and other practices say to raise the Dragon (left hand) and Tiger (right hand) fists up to ear level with the palms facing forward before swallowing, but this isn’t necessary here.

2 See Refining the Elixir and Chen Tuan’s Four Season Internal Kungfu for more information on ingesting Qi.

Translator’s Notes Grasp the hands firmly into loose fists and place them above the knees or on the upper

thigh area. Grasping the hands firmly means

teeth. On the next inhale, circle the tongue

to press the middle and ring fingers into the

up to the left cheek, and then back to the

center of the palms, the Dragon (left hand)

front of the upper teeth on the exhale. Keep

and Tiger (right hand) Qi cavities. Pressing

the tongue in front of the teeth during each

the middle and ring fingers into the centers

rotation. This breathing pattern calls for two

of the hands also reduces tension in the

inhales and exhales per rotation (two breath

fingers by having to extend and round them

cycles), but you can also perform it in one

out more to reach the palm centers. This

cycle (moving halfway around on the inhale,

looser hand position also helps vent the heat

and completing the rotation on the exhale).

that generates in the hands from Embryonic

Rouse the saliva in thirty-six clockwise

Breathing. (As noted, this positioning of the

rotations, then repeat to the opposite

hands is optional in this book.)

(counterclockwise) direction.

Place the tongue in front of the upper teeth and begin rotating it toward the right

The method is to use the tongue to stir-up and

cheek, then to the lower jaw, up to the left

produce saliva and to accumulate it into a single

cheek, and then back to the top, staying in

batch. Then, press it forward as if to spit it out. When

front of the teeth for each rotation. Circle

it reaches the tip of the tongue this is the completion

the tongue smoothly in this manner, moving

of issuing the saliva; when reaching the base of the

clockwise thirty-six times, and then circle the

tongue this is the end of withdrawing the saliva. One

other direction, moving counter–clockwise.

out [issuing] and one in [withdrawing] is counted

This is called rousing.

as one full cycle. When having completed thirty-six

When you get the knack of rotating the

cycles, stop.

tongue in this manner, include following the circular movements with the eyes. When

Translator’s Notes

the tongue is up, the eyes gaze inward and

The mouth should now contain a large

up. As the tongue circles down towards the

quantity of saliva. Place the tongue against

cheek and lower jar, the eyes follow along

the back of the teeth and begin sucking the

with it. Keep the eyes fixated on the tip of the

saliva back and forth over the length of the

tongue as it circles.

tongue. Do this thirty-six times (each back and forth motion being one cycle). This is

Rouse and rinse the saliva thirty-six times.

called rinsing.

[鼓 漱 三 十 六, Gu Shu San Shi Liu] Rouse and rinse means to gather the saliva within

Evenly fill the mouth with Divine Water.

the mouth. The Qi is stimulated during the in and

[神 水 滿 口 勻, Shen Shui Man Kou Yun]

out motions of rinsing. Thirty-six is the number

The term Divine Water refers to the saliva. With the

of revolutions. This procedure in effect causes the

mouth full of saliva after having performed rousing

circulation and stimulation of Qi so that it can

and rinsing thirty-six times, the saliva becomes a

penetrate deeply.

uniform mixture and spreads evenly throughout the mouth. At this time the breath and Qi will also be

Translator’s Notes

uniformly spread throughout the body.

To coordinate your breathing with the movements, inhale when placing the tongue

Translator’s Notes

in front of the upper teeth and rotating to

Taoists consider saliva as one of the main

the right cheek. Exhale when circling the

components of Jing, and this is for two

tongue downward to be in front of the lower

reasons: 1) when we chew food, saliva is

stimulated to help break down the food,

cavities when stimulated properly produce

which aids in digestion; 2) saliva also helps

a sweet tasting nectar called the “Upper

break down fats in food and so aids in

Peak Medicine,” “Sweet Dew,” “Jade Juice,”

keeping the body at a healthy weight.

or “Divine Water.” Other traditions call it

Infants

primarily

survive

on

and

“Amrita.” Keeping the tongue raised onto

receive most of their basic nutrients from

the upper palate is crucial for acquiring this

saliva. Observe how much saliva an infant

medicine. In fact, it is only when the saliva

constantly produces and you’ll understand

thickens, turns pure white, and takes on this

how important this substance is to the

sweet taste can it be considered as refined

body. Saliva is not a bodily excrement, it’s

and reverted.

a nutrient.

A main reason for practicing Refining

In Taoism there’s an important practice

the Jade Secretions is to make the saliva

called “Refining the Jade Secretions” (

thicker and more whitish in color, rather

練 玉 液, Lian Yu Yi), which is based on

than letting it remain clear and thin in

the notion that all the fluids of the body

consistency.

are a Jade Secretion. The reason for the

substantial produces a greater effect when

description of jade is because in Chinese

ingesting it.

Making

the

saliva

more

culture it is considered as valuable as gold.

Anytime an exercise calls for rousing

Jade is healing, and just wearing it is said

the tongue about the mouth to build up

to promote good health. Even deeper is the

the amount of saliva, then to rinse the

belief that jade is said to be refined dragon

saliva back and forth along the tongue, and

semen (Jing) left by dragons who inhabit a

finally to swallow (or gulp) it down into the

mountain. Referring to body fluids as being

Elixir Field—this is one of the processes for

jade then carries the idea that the secretions

Refining the Jade Secretions.

are cultivated and refined into jade, and so the body will become immortal and

Each mouthful is divided into three parts and

indestructible just like dragons and the jade

swallowed.

they produce.

[一 口 分 三 嚥, Yi Kou Fen San Yan]

Within the practice of Refining the Jade

Each mouthful means the mouth full of saliva.

Secretions, an important point of instruction

Three parts and swallowed means that the mouthful

is to keep the tongue connected to the

of saliva is divided into three equal parts and

upper palate. This will stimulate the salivary

swallowed down successively. It is completely

gland to keep the throat moist during

unintentional that this is analogous to the Three

long meditation periods. It also creates a

Powers [三 才, San Cai].

connection of the Renmai Meridian with the Magpie Bridge Cavity (鵲 橋 穴, Que

Translator’s Notes

Qiao Xue), so the Qi can flow directly

With the tongue placed back up on the upper

through the mouth. It likewise opens up

palate, divide off one-third of the saliva and

the areas underneath the tongue, directly

swallow with a gulping action. When doing

on each side of the frenulum that attaches

so stretch the neck up a little and tilt the head

the tongue to the lower palate. On the right

back just slightly (this is to ensure the saliva’s

side is the Golden Saliva Cavity (金 津 穴,

proper descent down the esophagus and the

Jin Jin Xue) and on the left side is the Jade

descent of the Qi down the Renmai Meridian.)

Fluid Cavity (玉 液 穴, Yu Ye Xue). These

Divide another third of the saliva and again

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gulp it down in the same manner. Finally gulp

the gulping down gesture and beginning the exhale, first

the last third down. When gulping, listen for a

visualize lightning in your mind. Envision it as when a rain

“gu gu” sound in the throat, like water sounds

storm is imminent and the lightning first lights up the clouds.

when going down a drain. This is swallowing.

Then when swallowing and exhaling, visualize and feel the

A rarely mentioned principle of the

saliva descending through the Mysterious Well directly into

practice is to focus on the Mysterious Well (

the solar plexus and then into the lower abdomen Elixir

玄 井 穴, Xuan Jing Xue), a point directly in

Field. At this point, sense, through imagination, a vibration

the center of the clavicle, when swallowing

in the lower abdomen. This is the initial sense of “Hearing

the saliva. After gathering the saliva in the

the Sound of Thunder.” Repeat the gulping down of the saliva

mouth, put your attention on the Mysterious

(or Qi) two more times.

Well Cavity, contract the nose, suspend the

Initially this is all purely imagination, but with consistent

head, and sense that the saliva is being

practice you will begin to truly see and sense a flash of

gulped straight down from this point

light in the mind, and then hear and sense a vibration in

through the esophagus, called the Twelve-

the lower abdomen. At first you may feel and hear a faint

Story Pagoda (十 二 重 樓, Shi Er Zhong

gurgling sound and then a subtle movement within the

Lou), and in some texts the Mysterious

abdomen, but gradually over time the sensation will grow

Receptor (玄 迎, Xuan Ying). Then the saliva

more pronounced.

is sensed passing through the solar plexus,

The idea here is to create and imitate the forces of

the Bright Palace Cavity (絳宮, Jiang Gong)

nature, not externally but internally. First lightning and then

and from there directed into the lower

the sound of thunder rumbling off in the distance, just as

Elixir Field. Focusing and swallowing in

it occurs in nature. In Taoism this procedure is seen in the

this way enables the saliva to travel down

activities and functions of the Book of Changes images of

the esophagus correctly and thus affect the

Chen (2, 震, Thunder and Lightning) creating the effect of

Renmai properly.

Xun (6, 巽, Wind, the movement of Qi). Without delving into

Eventually, you should practice the

the mystical, philosophical, or science of all this, suffice to

Four Activities while you are inhaling before

say that all creation is first based on vibration and movement,

each swallow:

be it a storm, earthquake, birth of a child, mutation of a seed

1. Grasp the hands firmly using the

sprouting into a plant, and so on. Regarding the teachings

Dragon and Tiger fists.

of this book, it’s the basis of creating the Spiritual Embryo

2. Draw in the Tail Gateway (Wei Lu),

(opening the lower Elixir Field). Consistent practice of

which equally affects the perineum

Hearing the Sound of Thunder will greatly aid in opening the

and anal orifice. The Wei Lu naturally

Elixir Field and effect the mobilization of Qi thereafter. Just

draws in when inhaling with Embryonic

swallowing the saliva will stimulate the Jing, but including

Breathing.

the visualization and sensation of lightning and thunder will

3. Place the tongue on the upper palate.

greatly stimulate the Qi and help bring about the creation of

4. Close the eyelids and roll the eyes

a new life within the Elixir Field.

upward and back to visualize the Muddy Pellet (泥丸, Ni Wan) Qi center—fontanel area on top of the head.

Reprinted, with permission, from Embryonic Breathing: The Taoist Method of Opening the Dan Tian by Stuart Alve Olson. ©2016 Valley Spirit Arts.

Hearing the Sound of Thunder When swallowing saliva (or Qi) it’s important to perform the following visualization: when preparing to swallow,

Stuart Alve Olson is a teacher, translator, and writer on Daoist philosophy, health, and internal arts. Visit www.valleyspiritarts.com for information on his other publications and projects.

inhale according to the above instructions but when making

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The Spirit of Intention Wu De

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Today we’re going to drink some oolong prepared gongfu style. “Gongfu” means “with skill” or “mastery”. It’s a technique of Tea brewing that was developed in southern China by martial artists interested in refining and mastering the art of Tea preparation. It definitely brings the best out of Tea, especially where flavor and aroma are concerned. And gongfu was made to brew oolong, which is also the most refined of all Tea processing. With some Teas like puerh, the quality is more about the trees: how old they are, where they come from, which kind of leaves were picked, the weather that year, etc. In the world of oolong Tea, however, quality is at least as much about the skill of the one processing the Tea as it is about the trees from which it came.

We’re going to drink a Cliff Tea, one kind of oolong from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian province. Wuyi Cliff Tea is actually the original oolong, and considered by many to be the pinnacle of oolong Tea, though there are lovely oolongs from other regions like Phoenix Mountain, Anxi, Taiwan, etc.

It’s hard to compare them, really, as they’re all so nice, and for different reasons. There are two shapes of oolong: striped and ball-shaped. See, Wuyi Cliff Tea is a striped Tea, with long curled leaves. This one is a “Xui Shian”, which means “Water Fairy”. It comes from old trees, and was harvested and processed completely by hand. We’ll have to prepare it with the same level of care, showing our respect by brewing it in a way that brings out its greatest potential. That’s what the mastery of gongfu Tea is all about: it took Nature considerable effort to create these trees, and then generations of farmers cared for them. Also, Tea farming is one of the most labor-intensive agricultural products on Earth. These farmers worked very hard to make this Tea so special. In Wuyi, this farmer’s ancestors carried thousands of stones over thirty kilometers to build the terraces where this tree would grow! And, let’s face it; we also have worked hard to get the resources to purchase this Tea. Consequently, we can develop our sensitivity and skill (gongfu) to be able to brew the best possible liquor—the one that lights everyone up and turns them on to a life of Tea! As you can see, there’s a lot more involved in this kind of Tea preparation—an Yixing pot, Tea boat, tray, cups and coasters. And it really does take some skill to use them all well. Don’t be intimidated by all this. In time you will find joy in using all these implements, and treasure them like dear friends, which they are. Sometimes I choose which tea to drink on a given day based on which of my pots I want to learn from, almost like calling up an old friend you haven’t seen in a while.

The traditional gongfu brewing method passed down in this tradition is preserved in this poem: Preserve the heat and begin to absorb peace, With slow, graceful movements, And a heart free from obstructions, Everything is finished in one breath.

The poem is quite deep, spanning from the practical to the spiritual. We could spend a lifetime learning from it, actually. Let’s start with a few cups of this fine Tea. I could smell the Xui Shian from the moment the hot water hit it, inviting

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us into serenity…

I can tell by the way you’re smelling the cup that the Cliff Tea has made an impression! I know; it’s amazing. You have a lot of questions, too—about the pots, and the way I have brewed, why I pre-heat the cups, etc. I’m happy to teach you all of that, though probably not today. Still, as we continue to brew this Xui Shian—it’s very patient, like all fine Tea—I’d like to talk about why our conversations and the Tea sessions we’ve been having aren’t more about the kinds of Tea, processing, history and more details about how to prepare Tea. I know you’re curious about all of that, and I promise it will come, but we haven’t focused on any of that for good reason.

Let me explain: A lot of Tea books start out with a sentence to the effect of, “For thousands of years Tea was medicine to Chinese people…”, and from there they jump right up to the human, cultural dimension of Tea. In part, that’s because they are conducting their research through historical scholarship, and that’s when the oldest books on Tea that have survived date to (The Tang Dynasty, 618-906 CE). As we’ve discussed, Tea has thoroughly become human. It has come into our world, and is very comfortable here. That means we can skip over the medicinal, natural and spiritual foundation of Tea and focus on Tea’s role in culture, its history and processing, folklore and science; but that would be detrimental to our relationship with Her. More important still, skipping over the first thousands of years with a dismissive “medicine” is symptomatic of our times: disconnected from the deeper spirit and lost completely in the practical, physical and sensual.

If your relationship to Tea is purely sensual, and you’re only interested in making more and more delicious cups of Tea, then there’s really no difference between Tea and lobster sauce. We might as well get together and discuss which kind of butter with which kinds of herbs mingle best on the palate. I drink Tea medicinally. I drink it to connect with Nature, myself and others. The rest is secondary.

There is a student of Cha Dao that I know who exemplifies all this perfectly. After studying the Way of Tea for around two years her life had completely transformed: she quit her job to pursue her lifelong dream, reconciled her broken marriage so they could live in harmony; she became vegetarian, was meditating twice a day, and most importantly, she was happy!

When her friends asked her about the miraculous change, she said simply, “I’ve been drinking Tea.” Of course, many of her friends were confused, and rightly so—a lot of people in Asia drink Tea. “My uncle Wang drinks Tea,” her friend thought, “and he’s a jerk!” Others wondered why the man at the Tea shop who’s done nothing but drink Tea from morning to night for twenty years hasn’t changed at all.

How can one person heal their life through Tea and another drink it for twenty years with little to no effect? Well, firstly, not all Teas are created equal. (We’ll talk about that in our next session). Today, I’d like to talk about the more important reason our friend changed so much.

Let’s use the analogy of a romantic relationship, as I think it will very clearly demonstrate the point: Let’s say your friend George meets a beautiful woman, and when I say beautiful I mean inside and out. She is smart, funny, spiritual, well-

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read and gorgeous—the whole package. “What a lucky guy,” you think. But what if George is only interested in her body?

What if George just uses her for sexual pleasure? Couldn’t we say that if he did that, even for twenty years, that relationship wouldn’t change him very much? In fact, he may be even more of a jerk at the end! I think you see where I’m going with this: What if George opened his heart? What if he fell in love? What if he treated her with respect and got to know her on a spiritual level besides? Who needs two years—if you saw George in three months he’d be a completely changed person! And the same can be said about our relationship to Tea—or anything else for that matter: If you approach Tea in a shallow way, there aren’t any Tea police that will come give you a ticket, but your return will be shallow. If you relate to Tea with respect as medicine, your return in healing will be great. How you look at it definitely matters!

Don’t get me wrong. I love the flavors, aromas, pots, cups and all the brewing parameters. They just aren’t primary.

Just because George and his new lady friend are in love and relating to each other on a spiritual level doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy each other’s bodies too. Of course they can. It just isn’t primary. I’m happy to talk to my wife about earrings or a good movie she saw recently, but only if we’re both established in our love for one another. If there’s disconnection between us, you’d better believe we’ll be talking about how to heal it, not movies! It’s okay to geek out on Tea. I’m as geeked out about Tea as I am about my wife, and learning all about her. All the information is interesting and fun, but not at the expense of the deeper foundation of medicine, Spirit and Nature. The exploration of different Teas, teaware and brewing methodology should come out of a deeper, more primary foundation, in other words. And that has to come first.

There’s a deep life lesson in this: She doesn’t want you to grope around in Her looking for your love. She wants the touch to come out of the love! Ask Her if you don’t believe me. Any woman resting in her integrity will, in fact, make you prove that you love her before you can touch. (Too forward on the first date and no second date for you!) I’m being facetious. Seriously, though, why not learn the medicinal, spiritual and life-changing language of Tea before exploring the more mundane? Otherwise, Tea won’t be as much a doorway to the Sacred, and harmony, as it will be another distraction. And all of this is as true of life as it is of Tea. We aren’t meant to grope around in our five senses, or the objects of them, looking for our love. And you won’t find it there anyway—you’ll find only dissatisfaction and a lacking hole that’s never filled. We are meant to love first, and explore out of the love. Be in love, and then explore the world of the senses, celebrating every flower’s smell, every song and all the delicious Tea. If you are looking for your love by searching around in experience, you won’t find it. Wrong direction. It’s in you!

When you drink Tea as a sensual pleasure only, you aren’t relating to Tea, you are relating to yourself. You are focused exclusively on your senses, and pleasure therein, and missing some of the deeper, and ongoing, conversations Tea is having with your body/spirit/being. Since ancient times, Chinese have said that “the amateur drinks with his mouth, while the master drinks Tea with her whole being.” Drinking

with your whole self—every bit of your being—means that you are in deep connection with the Tea. If you focus only on your own pleasure, in any relationship, you are missing the connection. If you and I have a conversation and I focus only on what I am saying, or even on how what you are saying makes me feel, I won’t ever listen to you and ours will be a one-sided affair. Listening is maybe more important to communication and connection than speaking. Focusing on how Tea brings me pleasure reduces Her to a thing rather than an aspect of Nature—to a commodity, rather than a plant spirit.

Instead of asking what a Tea tastes like and stopping there, why not also ask what it is like for Tea to become a human?

To become you…

You’ve started meeting me for Tea these days because you want to get to know Tea. It isn’t your intellect, but your heart that wants to get to know Her. If I want to get to know you, it won’t help me to read a book about the history of the nation you’re from. Nor will it help for me to study maps of the city where you were born, or to read a book on human reproduction, studying how you were made and where you come from. If I want to get to know you, I have to communicate with you as a living being. The most rewarding relationship you can have with Tea will be based on a respect for her as a spirit, as plant medicine. Understanding China, or a particular Tea region, won’t help you get to know this Tea as it enters your body. Nor will an article on how it was processed.

Someone who has drunk a few cups of this Xui Shian knows more about it than someone who has only read books about where it comes from and how it was made.

Life is not a puzzle to be solved; it’s an experience to be lived. You understand Tea by drinking it, cultivating yourself and then serving it to others—and all with an open heart full of reverence. That’s how our friend changed (that and Living Tea, which we’ll discuss next time). You can’t think your way to mastery of anything other than thinking. All the knowledge about Tea, whether mundane or spiritual, isn’t worth as much as actually drinking a bowl of it. In our tradition, we have a saying: Cha Dao is the art of shamanism, not the science of hedonism.

In this Cha Dao, it is the Dao that is the more important, and the more difficult half. The Cha is easy. The books on Tea and how it’s made and where it comes from are all useful.

Let’s not discredit the hard work that went into making some of those treasures. I’m happy I know about Tea’s history, the kinds of Tea and how they are made, as well as how to prepare them. But I wouldn’t trade any of that for a healing relationship with Tea. It’s nice to learn about the history of humanity—its people and cultures unfolding in rich heritages—but I wouldn’t want that to get in the way of actually connecting to the living person before me. And it can. Reducing people to categories, stereotypes, etc. and thinking you know them based on their type often brings the greatest of discord in its wake: War! I never would have taken an interest in Tea in the first place if it weren’t for the spiritual healing it provided. And on that foundation, I am comfortable that I won’t ever get lost in the mundane aspects of Tea, just as I’m determined to live

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in harmony with the Great Spirit and all life on Earth, and not with all the distractions—pleasures and fears—that can pull us away from what’s important.

Last time, I asked you if you’d rather have Tea with someone who knows nothing about Tea, but is trying to see you and connect to you, or someone who knows a lot and is showing off. Let me share my answer with you: Some of the best Tea sessions I have had, out of thousands, were with very simple people who knew nothing about Tea. One of the best Tea sessions of my life was in the mountains of Japan with a Zen monk who loved me. He knew nothing about the Tea we were drinking, and made it in a Hello Kitty Teapot. We then shared the under-brewed Tea in the one and only cracked bowl he had. But it was transcendent, like Rikyu’s trip to the fisherman’s house! I have also had Tea worth thousands of dollars with ten or fifteen of the world’s most famous Tea experts and felt out of place. Everyone was debating and flexing their egos, trying to show they knew more about the Tea, had drunk it more—more, more, more than you.

Your heart makes the difference. My friend’s reverence and intention to heal and grow through Tea is more than half of how she changed, just as the monk’s heart made the Tea special.

If you study Tea and get really skilled without a foundation in the deeper aspects of Tea, you’ll just become a snob. Then, you’ll be traveling somewhere and some fisherman who loves you will invite you over for Tea, and instead of connecting to his open heart, you’ll be judging his technique in your head and missing the point entirely. Don’t be a Tea snob. The world has enough of those. Share Tea spirit, healing people. When you make Tea medicinally, people leave a session transformed—they shift and heal.

Only after you’ve established a deeper Tea practice and are founded in the spirit of this plant medicine—only then, begin exploring all the pots and cups, different kinds of Tea, etc. At that point, all that knowledge and skill will go towards serving better Tea, and not better because it tastes better, but better because it brings more healing to more people. In that way, we combine the best of both worlds. If the choice is between tasteless cabbage soup that is good for me or delicious junk food, I’ll take the soup. Food is in the mouth for a few seconds, and in the body for years. I’d rather be healthy than taste something particular. As Socrates said, “Brutes live to eat and drink; Men eat and drink to live.” I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive, though. The best foods are nutritious and delicious.

The same with Tea. I don’t reject all the pleasure in Tea, or the study of its history, processing and/or preparation. I love all of Tea. I love that She also tastes good. But I want all that to be in service of meaningful connection and healing. My skills are honed to learn to serve better Tea, which awakens harmony in more people. If it tastes great too, so much the better.

And I think all this is true of any art (and gongfu Tea is definitely an art). If you believe that the highest art expresses metaphysical truth, then the artist must spend an equal amount of time attuning her spirit as she does honing her skills with brush and ink, clay or any other media. James Joyce said that the highest arts bring us to rapture, conveying the timeless. We are stilled in their presence. Lower arts, on the other hand—like advertising—cause movement in us. We begin craving and

stirring internally. And all the talent in the world is nothing without the spirit to back it up. Some pop singer might have amazing chops, singing all the notes to perfection, but if she sings about make-up and teenage romance, she’ll never reach the perfection of that art. Bob Dylan doesn’t have as much singing talent, but he inspires people. When the pop singer comes on stage, it’s to the beat of huge amps, electronic drums, dazzling fireworks and colorful costumes; and the audience is, at best, entertained. Bob Dylan filled the stage with just a chair, an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. And the vast audience at some of those early shows left inspired to change the world.

Why? Because he sang with soul.

There is a whole genre of art meant to expose, hash out or even defile boundaries: art that attacks closed-mindedness or perhaps uncovers aspects of culture that need addressing.

Such art is a testament of the times and can indeed be usefully cathartic, or even lead to positive changes. And there is no artist that would wish for a return to the days when art was constricted, forced to create religious images or beholden to certain fashionable criteria. However, the highest purpose of art has always been to convey the Sacred—dating back tens of thousands of years!

There is probably right now near here a young boy with incredible artistic talent and potential who is using it to draw dirty graffiti on bathroom stalls. Or if you don’t like that example due to the subject of his art, what about the great artists working in factories making religious icons all day—Jesus, Jesus, Mary, Mary… Painting all day… You can see great skill in any one of these paintings, but they are trinkets just the same. They lack the ability to transform, because they weren’t made with spirit.

I think you get the idea: Tea should come from the soul first, and the intellect second. All the information about Tea in the world won’t help you heal yourself, your loved ones or your fellow humans. And if your art isn’t in service of that, you won’t find mastery anyway. At best, you’ll find some sensual pleasure.

And what about the effects the artistic process has on the artist herself? There is a tradition in Zen of using the arts themselves as a means of cultivation; for if the artist is meditating and achieving mystical states before and during the creative process, then she also will be as transformed as those who perceive her art—or more likely much more for standing within the light itself.

It is not sufficient merely to be a great master in painting and very wise, but I think it is necessary for the painter to be very moral in his mode of life, or even, if such were possible, a saint, so that the Holy Spirit may inspire his intellect.

—Michelangelo You reach the point in the mastery of any art where it is necessary to begin working on the self in order to achieve greater results, because the true artist realizes that the way she treats people, what she eats, how she sleeps and walks all affect her art tremendously. Emerson said that while the lesser artists create to enhance self and are therefore prone to seek inspiration in wine or drugs, the true artists efface themselves in pure spirit and become its instrument; and moved by the Holy Spirit, they then create the masterpieces that still the soul even

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thousands of years later.

In other words, if you want your Tea to be a transformative experience for you and those who join you, then you must cultivate yourself spiritually. If your mind is wandering, and you haven’t mastery over your thoughts, you will not create a sense of the serene in the Tea you serve others. The more peaceful you are, the more peaceful the Tea you pour, which will bring you more peace and allow you to share it, and so on in a deepening spiral. One of the first lessons I received on Tea from my Japanese master was that Tea is not something that can be learned in a book or in a classroom. Tea is inside of us, and we need to find it there.

There is a story of a Daoist who was quite old and his career had kept him from progressing very far spiritually, but now that he was retired he had an earnest desire to grow. He came across a painting in the market, which was an antique but still cheap because the ink and colors were faded; it hadn’t been well cared for. For the first time, the old man saw a glimpse of the Dao. He knew that whoever painted it was surely illuminated. He bought it and took it home. He then enshrined it and spent hours every day meditating in front of it. The bridge, stream and mountain trail led past a grove of trees to a distant temple. One day, after some months of such meditations, he found his feet upon that bridge. He could feel the wood and hear the water flowing beneath him. He looked back and saw himself meditating in the distance. He smiled, turned and rounded the corner never to be heard from again...

When you brew Tea with mastery this doesn’t mean you have learned all there is to know about Tea; all the information about Tea history or lore won’t make a Tea that transforms people or yourself. Quite the opposite. Such know-it-alls are usually egotistical and spend their Tea sessions discussing and debating, writing opinions in notebooks—opinions about the Tea or something else altogether. And mastering how to hold a Teapot, how to pour, the proper temperature, etc. also won’t make Tea that heals you or others. To do that, you will have to liberate yourself.

True mastery isn’t about control. It is about finding that place in you that connects to the Dao and allowing it to act through you, so that it is preparing the Tea. When Stillness itself prepares Tea, of course those who drink it will be inclined to become still!

It is the noise of the world and our conditioning in it that has separated us from our goodness. If we do not do wrong, we do the right thing. Without evil in our heart, goodness shines through; and if we’re not selfish, selflessness is abundant. All of the saints of all the traditions have verified the inherent goodness of man, and that the return to our inner child, our true nature, is a softening and returning to the Dao. Following Tea is finding the Dao in our heart and allowing it to run things, for it is connected to the universal intelligence that has organized the cosmos in perfect alignment and dance.

If Tea is to be an art that uplifts those who practice it, and those who participate in it—the guests/observers—it is therefore important for the artist to be all that she hopes to convey. This is a life of Tea. And in such a life, the Chajin realizes that in all that she does, from her awakening mind to the last before sleep, in every step, in every breath, in the

way she eats and treats people, in her meditation and all that is between meditation sessions—she is brewing Tea! The spirit won’t stand waiting for years until the mechanics of learning are mastered. It must be enlisted from the first or it will fly away to other things.

—Robert Frost There will always be some who aren’t so interested in the deeper aspects of life, at least until we are all healed.

They’ll say, “Stop making a tempest in a Tea cup. It’s just tea already. Enjoy it!” And there’s some merit in that perspective. Sometimes we do just enjoy some Tea. Not all our Tea is ceremonial. But over time, our relationship to this world should be deeper than just eating some food and drinking some drinks. We’re here to experience so much more than that. There’s nothing wrong with just enjoying Tea, but if you don’t delve deeper, you’ll miss out on so much more—all the deeper layers of Tea and life that are awaiting you. For I suspect that the people who say “Tea is just Tea” are the same ones who would say, “The Sky is just the Sky.” On the most basic level we drink Tea in a spiritual way because we are spiritual people. It seems obvious, but still needs to be stated that people who are interested in spiritual matters, and in cultivating themselves towards greater spiritual heights, will both view Tea as an aspect of a spiritual life and a means of cultivation. All spirituality, in whatever method or tradition, is about cultivating wisdom and kindness. And when one has chosen a life of wisdom and compassion, everything is a spiritual tool, and every daily act a chance to learn and grow, transform and transcend.

Most people who are on a spiritual journey find little reward in materialism or sensual pleasure. This isn’t a rejection of the world, but rather an insight into its true nature as transitory and therefore beyond grasping. Some confuse this for an aversion towards or rejection of beauty or pleasure. Quite the contrary, the enlightened revel in beauty and pleasure, they just avoid concluding such experiences in craving for more or a desire to possess. This desire to possess is delusory because there is no such thing as property or ownership in anything other than a social, legal sense. We all come and go from this world naked, and without any of this, including this “self”.

There is little lasting pleasure in the world, and sensuality is but the shadow of true joy, which is the soul resting in its true nature and heart. Also, sensual pleasure is so often a means of escape; rather than addressing and curing our malady, it but allays the symptoms, providing temporary comfort. It is like weeding without taking out the roots.

As a result, most spiritual people are already approaching Tea from a sense of depth and understanding. They are seeking medicine, rather than sensual pleasure. The joys of preparing Tea are welcomed, but rarely primary in their relationship to Tea, which is more about self-cultivation, connection with Nature and sharing a heart space with others in communion.

Simply put, let the worldly Tea drinker drink Tea as a beverage or hobby. There is nothing wrong with that. And vice versa, those of us on a path find in Tea a friend, ally and teacher

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throughout our journey. Spiritual people drink Tea spiritually, and of course they do!

It’s important to start with a respect for Tea as medicine, and cultivate a relationship based on life and connection. Plants don’t have a localized consciousness the way that we do. Their life energy is as much in each cell as it is in all the others. All the energy in a Tea got there through the roots and the trunk, and remains after the leaf has been plucked. The more you relate to Tea as a living spirit, the more you will be changed

by Her presence.

It’s sad to see plant medicine so dishonored these days.

We reduce plants to “stuff”, and extract chemicals with the hopes that they will heal us. And that is why the data on plant medicine studies is too complicated and ranges too vast a spectrum to be useful. Scientists have trouble studying the effects of plant medicine, as it is not just a physical chemical in the plant that you can extract and use which brings healing. If you want scientific medicine, then choose western, chemical-based modalities. Plants are not chemical aggregates. Plant medicine requires respect for plants if they are to heal us. The same is true of our food. Our ancestors worshiped the food plants, recognizing that it was really divine energy feeding us. Every agriculture-based civilization had some myth in which the god was cut up and buried and it was then out of the divine body that their food plant arose—corn, rice, wheat, etc.—thereby recognizing that we consume transcendent energy.

Living things ask only for our respect. Remember, we started by defining health as harmony with all life on Earth.

How can we be in harmony with plants and animals when we treat them like aggregates of chemicals to be ripped up and extracted for our benefit? If you want to work with plant medicine, you have to start with a reverence for the plant, and a willingness to learn its language, as it learns yours. And that’s why I like to refer to Tea as a “Her”: Not because She is a ‘She’ in the ordinary sense, but because it is affectionate, and reminds me to love Her. We have to begin to honor plants as divine energy, as our ancestors did. If we relate to them as living beings, they will heal us. But the basis for any relationship is respect. And that’s where your Tea journey should begin. You can see why it’s best to drink bowl Tea for some time, removing all the human aspects of Tea preparation so you can just get to know Tea in its simplest form—leaves and water. Once you know Her well, love Her and have an ongoing dialogue, then you can explore new ways of touching, new ways of preparing Tea. See how this Cliff Tea tastes like minerals in the last steepings? We call that “yan wei”, which means “cliff flavor”.

These are some of the best cups, actually. If you want, we can have Tea again tomorrow and I’ll tell you the second half of why my friend was able to change so much through Tea: Living Tea. After all, healing is always about a prescription and herbs. One won’t do you any good without the other—herbs without a prescription teaching how to use them are useless, and a prescription without any herbs to take also won’t help.

My friend had both. Today we talked about the prescription.

Tomorrow we can talk about the herbs…

The Empty Vessel

Life of Tea Practice: Making it sacred It is we who must find the Sacred in our world, and in our Tea. The Sacred is inside us, and so must issue forth from our center. If you’re to make Tea ceremonially, you must approach it with reverence and treat it in that way. Your intention makes all the difference in how your Tea journey will change your life. If you open your heart to Tea and seek to learn from Her, she will teach you. If you treat Her as an object of sensual pleasure, then your return on investment will be just that: sensual pleasure. Like with all things in life, the more you invest, the more your return will be. How have you made your Tea space sacred? Have you treated your Tea time with reverence?

Adopt an attitude of respect for Tea as medicine, for teaware as the instrument, and for your guests who came to share this magical experience, and you will quickly notice how much change this plant medicine brings in your life.

Because Tea is a commodity, we have to be careful when purchasing Tea that we don’t get overwhelmed by craving, or worse yet begin to objectify our plant medicine. Tea is, in the end, some leaves from a forest. They are priceless. The value they have in the market is arbitrary. How do you place a value on medicinal leaves? A good attitude is to assume that the money you pay for Tea is not the cost of Her—not her value—but rather the price of Her transportation. In other words, you aren’t buying the Tea, you are paying for Her to get to you and be a part of your life. You are paying the people who harvested Her and those who transported Her for their services. Traditionally, some Tea merchants thought of themselves as matchmakers, matching Teas with those who will fall in love with them.

Author and teacher Wu De is a true chajin (tea person). He has been a practitioner of Cha Dao (The Way of Tea) for over 20 years, and he has reached over 100,000 people through his writings, classes, workshops, seminars and interviews. After being ordained in the Soto Zen tradition, he began studying gongfu tea under Master Lin Ping Xiang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Master Lin taught Wu De about how to serve tea with more skill and focus.

For the last decade, Wu De has been teaching the ancient practice of serving tea from a Zen and tea center in Taiwan, known as Tea Sage Hut (www.teasagehut.org). In the last three years, his monthly magazine and organic tea mailing, Global Tea Hut (www. globalteahut.org), has swelled to connect hundreds of tea lovers and spiritual seekers in over 50 countries. Meanwhile, Tea Sage Hut now houses five long-term students and hosts over 200 guests per year, sharing The Way of Tea and a more connected way of living and being with each person who joins a tea session there.

He has authored four books, including Tea Wisdom (Tuttle Publications, 2009), The Way of Tea (Tuttle Publications, 2010) and Zen & Tea One Flavor (2013).

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Like A Flower Unfolding Solala Towler

photos by Shanti Price

The Empty Vessel

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The woman, sitting still and quiet in her little hut at the foot of the mountain, was old, even ancient. She had lived alone in her small home for more years than she could remember.

She had come when she was a young woman, barely out of childhood, to escape an unwanted marriage, something quite unheard of in her time. But she had always been a stubborn and willful child, full of questions about everything under heaven.

“Where do dead people go when they die?” she had asked her father when her beloved grandmother died. The air had been thick with incense and the chanting of the Buddhist monks. Her father had sat upright at the edge of the room while his mother was chanted into the next world. His daughter sat next to him, fidgeting constantly, trying to see through the haze of incense to where her grandmother lay, stiff and so quiet.

“Will I see her again, Baba?” she had asked.

Her father had turned to her and hissed, “Be quiet. Do not ask so many questions; it is unseemly.” Her father had been a strict Confucian and did not like to talk about the dead.

Confucius had taught that it was bad for men to talk of ghosts and spirits. Better to keep one’s attention to the world of solid reality and all the myriad rules of relationship and composure.

She had insisted and was finally sent from the room. But that had not stopped her questions. “Why is the sky so blue and the earth so brown?” she asked her mother. Her mother, who worked all the time it seemed, had no time for useless questions from a silly girl and always found chores for her to do when she asked such questions. But even that had not stopped her.

“Why can my brothers study and learn to read and write but girls cannot?” she had asked. “Why must mama work all the time, day and night, while baba sits in the courtyard drinking tea and spitting watermelon seeds with his friends? How is it that big brother can learn to fight with the sword and spear and I cannot? Why, when we go to the temple to burn incense and kowtow to the gods, can we not hear their answer? Why do they say that Lady Guanyin hears all prayers yet she allowed Nainai (grandmother) to die? Why do the gods allow the rain to stop and the fields to dry up and blow away? Why will no one listen to me?” she cried loud and often.

The young girl was often punished for her incessant questions. “Do not question the natural order of things,” she was told. “It has been this way for all of time and will be this way for all of time to come. You are a girl and so have already been shown disfavor by heaven,” her mother explained. “You must not question, you must learn how to behave yourself like a proper lady.”

Beginning on her thirteenth birthday she was given lessons from a book called the Nu-chieh. She learned that she should always submit to the males in the family and never allow any male outside of the household to behold her face. She was never to question the authority of the males in her family – first her father, her brothers and, ultimately, her husband and even her sons. She was to keep her head lowered in a room of males and to exit the room backward, with a meek and shuffling step.

This infuriated her. She didn’t really know why. All the women of her family accepted this guidance without question.

It was their lot in life; they understood. It was heaven’s will that men should rule over women.

Her name was Chen Hua. Chen was her family name and Hua, or Flower, was her personal name. When her parents had named her, they had expected her to be a delicate and submissive flower but they had ended up with a thorny, prickly one.

No amount of punishment or lecturing seemed to make any difference.

Finally, in exasperation, they decided to marry her off as soon as possible. Perhaps the strong and stern influence of a husband was what she needed. She would, of course, move into his home and be under the power of his mother, her motherin-law. Perhaps she could force some sense into this stubborn and willful girl.

It was not that her parents did not love her, but they worried that her stubborn attitude would only cause her misery in life and so wanted to spare her further suffering. They truly felt that if she would only learn to let go of her own ideas and submit to the will of heaven and become a good submissive wife, she would be more likely to have a happy life.

When Chen Hua heard them planning her marriage to a neighboring farmer, a man twice her age and ugly to boot, she was furious. She would not submit to this, she vowed. But what could she do? Her parents had complete authority over her life.

She couldn’t just march in and defy them. It was unheard of.

They could lock her in her room without food for as long as it took for her to yield. They could beat her or even kill her if they wanted without being punished by the authorities. After all, she was only a girl, and a disobedient one at that.

So she decided to run away. In those days she was fearless, and with the ignorance of youth she didn’t think about the dangers in the wide and unknown world. She wrapped a few clothes and a ball of cold rice in a headscarf and stole out of her family’s compound in the dead of night. No one would ever have imagined her doing such a thing and it was late morning

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before anyone would even notice she was gone. She intended to be far away by then.

Her destination was a distant mountain, a Daoist mountain.

She knew that if she could manage to get that far the Daoists would take her in. She had met one once when her mother had taken her to the temple to offer prayers for a good harvest.

Chen Hua has always loved the statue of the Lady Guanyin, even if she did let her Nainai die. Guanyin herself had been a headstrong young girl once and had been deified to become a goddess, “She Who Hears The Cries Of The World.” Chen Hua loved to light incense in front of the goddess and look up into the goddess’s beautiful face with its slight smile, the smile of love and compassion for the whole world. The goddess held a small flask of heavenly nectar in one hand – one drop of which was said to cure anyone of any disease or pain – and her other hand was folded in a gesture of benediction and blessing.

While mother was speaking with the head priest and Chen Hua was happily gazing up at the calm, beautiful face of the goddess, a Daoist monk plunked himself down beside her.

Unlike the Buddhist monks she was used to, his head was not shaved. His hair was long and a bit matted, coiled up in a loose knot on the top of his head and held with an ancient jade pin.

His robe was very dusty and a bit ragged and he gave off the pleasant smell of pine trees and earth.

She, of course, did not speak to him or even look at him except out of the corner of her eye. Presently the Daoist looked over at her and, gesturing with his chin to the goddess, said “What do you think, is she pleased with all the incense and kowtowing everyone does to her?”

Chen Hua was confused. What had he meant by that? Of course the goddess would be pleased. That is what goddesses wanted, wasn’t it? To be worshipped and sacrificed to. She decided to ignore this dirty, dusty Daoist and didn’t bother to answer.

The Daoist turned away from the goddess then and, crossing his legs, appeared to go into a deep meditative trance. His breathing became very deep and slow; his abdomen enlarged to an alarming size when he breathed in and then shrank back in so far on his exhale that Chen Hua, out of the corner of her eye, could imagine his ribs sticking out.

Presently he opened his eyes and said, without looking around at her, “You know, all your questions do have answers.

It’s just that no one around here knows them.”

Chen Hua jumped. How did he know about all her questions? She couldn’t help but turn around and look at him. He still sat with his back to her, breathing in that deep yet forceful way. She regarded him a moment, a little afraid yet very curious.

He spoke up again. “There is a place where all your questions can be answered. Of course it is a bit far and for a girl, quite impossible to reach.”

The Empty Vessel

“What do you mean?” asked Chen Hua, her innate stubbornness asserting itself. “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean that I can’t do whatever I want to do!”

The Daoist chuckled to himself. “Of course, of course,” he said. “I only meant that for most girls it is impossible. For some it is not only possible but of vital importance. Otherwise how can they ever hope to attain Dao?” What did this strange monk mean by “attain Dao”? thought Chen Hua. She had never heard of such a thing. When her father spoke of Dao he meant the natural order of filial relationship, which usually ended up meaning the submissiveness of women to men. She was not interested in that Dao. She had never heard her father mention anything about “attaining Dao”, he usually talked more about submitting to Dao. But perhaps this ragged monk meant something different.

She decided to admit to her ignorance, something she always found difficult to do. “What do you mean by this Dao that you speak of attaining?” she asked. When the Daoist turned around and smiled at her she felt relieved. He was not making fun of her, she decided.

“I’m afraid that to try to put the Dao into words is like trying to catch the wind in a jar. You may hold up the jar and try to catch some of the wind in it, but when you open it later you will find that it is empty. Anyone who tries to explain Dao in words will end up with an empty jar in the end. Dao is something that must be experienced, not explained.”

They sat and talked for a long time. The Daoist, who appeared to be very young but spoke as someone with much life experience, explained to the young girl that asking questions was fine as long as one was prepared to accept the answers when they came. The best answers came from nature, or better yet, from within one’s own self, deep within where the true self nature dwelt.

He told her a little more about the Daoist community in the mountains where anyone was accepted as a student, male or female. It was difficult to reach, he said, and only someone of strong heart and spirit could get there. But if they succeeded, there was no end to the answers that could be found there.

She had been able to get only vague directions before her mother arrived to whisk her away from this strange, hairy man. That night Chen Hua lay awake for a long time, wondering what it would be like to live in a place where she could ask any questions she wanted and where she would be treated equally as a boy.

She was determined to find out, because that is exactly where she was going. She was not going to spend the rest of her life waiting on her husband and her sons, never allowed to have a thought of her own. She wouldn’t let herself be sold into marriage to an old man who would do heaven knows what to her young body to satisfy his own male lust. She was

23

Presently he opened his eyes and said, without looking around at her, “You know, all your questions do have answers. It’s just that no one around here knows them.”

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She learned how to go so far into herself that the border between what she thought of as her own personal self and that of the greater universal self was crossed and she felt herself expand into a feeling of spaciousness and grandness that she had never experienced before.

The Empty Vessel

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going to reach this mountain and find these Daoists, even if she died trying.

She almost did die trying, too. It was a long journey for one so young. Countless times she yearned to give up, to just let go and die and be done with the endless torture of exhaustion and fear and hunger that followed her on the days of her journey. She begged and argued and even stole a few times to survive but she finally arrived with her virtue intact. She was so near death from exhaustion and starvation that the Daoists who discovered her outside the temple gate early one morning were roused to pity for one who had obviously given so much of herself to find them.

Chen Hua spent the following days resting and eating the strong herbal broths the Daoists prepared for her. One, a young woman who was called Willow, spent much time with her, explaining the ways of the Daoist community. She listened to Chen Hua’s many questions about what it was they did there, how they did it and why they did it and had tried to answer as many of them as she could. But most, she explained, would have to be answered by Chen Hua herself and that would take time and effort and much, much patience.

Oddly, this made sense to Chen Hua, so she stopped her ceaseless questioning and decided to watch and listen, seeing how much she could understand for herself.

After she felt strong again, she was introduced to the rest of the community and formally welcomed. The abbess was an old woman with a still-thick bun of white hair pinned to the top of her head. Willow told her that the abbess was over ninety years old, although she looked scarcely older than Chen Hua’s own mother, who was in her early fifties. Abbess White Pine welcomed Chen Hua to their community high above the world and told her she could stay as long as she liked and would be taught anything she wanted to know.

This excited Chen Hua immensely. Before long she was sitting in classes with other young girls and boys, studying the words of Laozi and Zhuangzi and other ancient achieved masters. She began to learn the simple yet powerful movements, many based on animal movements, that the Daoists did to begin each day. She learned about qi, or primal energy, and how it moved through her body and how to produce a stronger and more vital current with the use of specific herbs and movements.

She learned about the Immortal Sister Yu who taught herself Daoist breathing methods from an old book she had found. At the age of fourteen, she, like Chen Hua, ran away from an unwanted marriage and went into the mountains, to search for a legendary alchemical workshop. She was also told about Immortal Sister Zhang who healed people by projecting her own energy into them. There was also Wu Cailuan, the daughter of a Daoist adept. Because of her great spiritual influence,

her scholar husband retired from society himself and went off with her to pursue their spiritual cultivation. She studied the sacred writings of the great Daoist immortal Lu Dong Bin and his female disciple Ho Hsein Ku. She was taught that, as serious students of the Way, men require nine years to attain immortality while women need only three. She learned that women were considered superior to men in the ways of the Dao, that their nature was water and their substance flowers. She was taught that women are represented by the hexagram in the ancient book of the Yijing (I Ching) as Kun, receptiveness, not as she had been taught in her youth, submissiveness. Kun represents the virtues of the Earth. It is symbolized by the mare. It is primal yin energy and allows all things to become manifest.

She learned how to sit in meditation. Man’s center is in the lower dan tien, in the lower abdomen, she was taught. Woman’s center is between the breasts, the heart center. She was taught how to regulate her breath and calm her heart and concentrate on the shan zhong point, between her two breasts, just above her solar plexus. She was taught how to massage her breasts in various ways and for various numbers of circulation and then how to circulate the accumulated female energy through her waist and sexual organs and then throughout her body.

Later on she was taught more advanced practices such as “slaying the red dragon” in which she was able to stop her menses and circulate the energy that she had lost every month.

Her complexion became soft and rosy and she remained youthful for many years.

She learned how to go so far into herself that the border between what she thought of as her own personal self and that of the greater universal self was crossed and she felt herself expand into a feeling of spaciousness and grandness that she had never experienced before. She felt her own qi and that of the universal qi blend and become one in a way that allowed her to travel on the wings of light and receive answers to any question she cared to ask.

After a number of years passed she began to ask less and less and allowed herself to receive more and more, naturally, effortlessly; and in that way she was able to relax into something close to Dao itself.

The Daoists were unique for their time because they received both men and women into their community, without discrimination. Indeed, they venerated the female, or yin aspect of life over the male, or yang aspect. Though they recognized that the universe consists of both, still they deferred to the female whenever they could. “Know the yang,” they said, “but hold to the yin.” They spoke often of the power of the soft to overcome the hard. They used water as an example, malleable to the extreme of taking whatever shape it was enclosed in, soft to the touch, yet capable of creating great canyons with its

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strength. They spoke of the power of patience, flexibility and surrender, surrender to the great and eternal Dao. “Look to nature,” her teachers never tired of telling her.

“Nature is the greatest teacher, greater than any book or any master. Observe the cycles of the seasons, watch how animals conduct themselves – how they move, how they rest, what they do when they are sick or injured.”

“This planet we live on is alive,” they told her. “She has intelligence and power. Send your roots down deep into her and draw up the pure yin qi. The stars are alive; they move amidst the spaces of the universe in great spiral dances. They are the source of yang qi. Each of us is a microcosm of the entire universe. Each of us is a planet, separate yet interrelated with all other stars and planets.”

She learned, in her meditation, to experience that connectedness, that relationship with all life around her. “It is only in relationship to all other life,” she was taught, “that we ourselves exist. Laozi says we can know beauty only because of ugliness, can experience good only because of evil. Reality does not exist in a vacuum but only in relationship to all other forms of reality, including ourselves.”

She learned to go deep within herself and work with her elemental forces in order to produce the great medicine, so much more powerful and eternal than any she could ever hope to make in an alchemist’s laboratory. She became an internal alchemist (nei dan), an inner explorer, and she traversed the mountains and deserts of her inner landscape to find ever-new places of wisdom and delight.

Her teachers spoke of Dao as “the Valley Spirit” and “the Primal Yin.” They used the image of the valley to symbolize the creativity and fecundity of Dao. “The Dao is like an empty vessel,” they said; “it can be used but never emptied.” They spoke of the natural superiority of women over men in the energetic sense. “Man is fire,” she was taught, “while woman is water. Fire is bright and impressive but all too often burns out without attaining anything of real value. Water, while it may take longer to come to boil, remains so for a longer time and can attain great things.”

Women, they believed, were naturally closer to Dao and thus had an easier time in self-cultivation. Secret practices were passed down from woman to woman that enabled them to reach great heights of insight and power, touch the surface of Dao and, if they persisted, to finally, one day “attain Dao,” at which time they would become an immortal.

Chen Hua was still not quite sure what “attaining Dao” really meant but she was content in the knowledge she had gained and she felt stronger and more centered and rooted with each year.

For a while she had had a consort, a young man from a far away village who had traveled here, like her, to escape from

The Empty Vessel

a life of drudgery and ignorance. Together they had practiced dual cultivation and had shared their energies, their potent fluids. They had danced with each other on the winds of delight and had brought each other to the brink of ecstasy and then over. She had absorbed his vital essence into her own body as he did hers. Together they created a spiral of energy that reverberated into the world around them and sometimes took on a life of its own.

She had also done practices to unite the yin and yang within her own body. She blended and melded her own internal energies, creating what was called the Golden Embryo, in which she gave birth to a new self. No longer was she the stubborn, ignorant girl who asked endless questions – she was now a mature and self-realized woman, a sage.

Now she lived alone at the base of the mountain. She had left the community of Daoists a few years before, deciding that for the last bit of her journey it would be best to remain alone. Her years with her fellow students of the Way had been fruitful and satisfactory. Her consort had gone on to another mountain to study with a master herbalist. She missed him but felt his presence within her constantly. The experiences they had shared had bonded them forever. Even now she could feel his cool touch on her body.

Her practices were of such a deep and subtle nature that it was difficult to live in close quarters with others. She was practicing the refinement of her energy to such a level that she needed to be able to control her personal environment as much as possible and so had to leave the family of Daoists that she had spent her life with. Besides, too many pilgrims were now drawn to their once solitary community, and their constant noise and equally constant questions had begun to irritate her. She smiled when she remembered the many questions of her youth but realized that, while she wanted to answer all the pilgrims’ questions, it took her away from her own practice.

She was too far into it now to be distracted.

So she lived alone in her small yet comfortable hut by the noisy little creek; it filled her dreams with the music of water, of the ever flowing, ever faithful power of the yin, the Primal Valley Spirit. She spent her days in meditation, alternating between still sitting and slow, simple movement. Each day brought her closer to what the ancients called “attaining Dao,” when she as Chen Hua would cease to exist and her hun and po spirits would separate and return to the earth and the universe from where they came. Her immortality would be a complete emergence into the undifferentiated oneness called Dao. Then like a flower unfolding, she would open her petals to the sun and radiate the true colors and joy of life itself.

In the meantime she lived her life, simply and gracefully, and greeted each new day as a gift, a wonder and a lesson to be treasured and learned.

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National Qigong Association

Annual Conference West Saturday–Sunday, October 6–7, 2018 DoubleTree by Hilton, Portland, OR



Are you...

• New to the world of Qigong and the Energetic Arts?

• A practitioner looking to deepen your personal practice?

• A healthcare professional or healer looking to broaden the scale and scope of your practice?

• A teacher looking for ways to enhance both your teaching skills and practice?

The NQA Conference is the place for you!



Enjoy workshops, lectures, seminars, and demonstrations presented by leaders in the fields of Qigong, Taijiquan, and the Energetic Arts, plus...

• Networking with friends in the Qigong community • Distinctive vendors & products • Silent auction

 NQA DAY CELEBRATION Saturday Evening, October 6 Demos, Entertainment, & more!  PLENARY Sunday Morning, October 7

Opening the Shenguan (Spiritual Fortress) & Qijingbamai (8 Extraordinary Vessels)

Presenter: Zhongxian Wu

For Conference details, visit www.nqa.org. To register, call 1-888-815-1893 & mention code EV1018 for a $10 discount (Full Conference registration only.)

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Global Tea Hut 國際茶亭

Tea & Tao Magazine

www.globalteahut.org The Empty Vessel

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Reviews

Daoist Reflections From Scholar Sage

by Damo Mitchell and his students Singing Dragon 2017 Softcover, 312 pages This is an interesting book in that most of the chapters are written by Daoist scholar and practitioner Damo Mitchell and many of the later chapters are written by his students.

The material ranges quite widely, covering lots of high level teachings on qigong, meditation, dietary advice, and martial arts.

As usual with this author/teacher the material goes very deeply into each practice. I find that Damo's books are some of the best available to modern readers. He has obviously gone very deeply into his own practices and it is also very interesting to hear from his students. An old axiom is that one can tell a lot about a teacher by the quality of his/her students.

With chapters on the three worms, the role of the pineal gland and Daoism, taiji and evolution, the classic of breath and qi consolidation, and food energetics, this book covers a wide area of Daoist practice. Highly recommended for anyone who wishes to dive deeply into Daoist practice and philosophy.

The Immortal: True Accounts of the 250-Year-Old Man, Li Qingyun

by Yang Sen translated by Stuart Alve Olson Valley Spirit Arts, 2014 Softcover, 391 pages What to think about a story like this? A man who lived 250 years! It seems quite incredible yet the author furnishes many documents that seem to back the claim.

Born in 1678, Li Qingyun spent most of his life dwelling in the mountains and gathering herbs, which he would sell for a small amount of food; he mostly living off wild herbs, seeds and fruits he gathered in the mountains. Fortunately he also left a wide variety of writings on his many practices, which enabled him to live such a long life.

Among the ample evidence that he did indeed live so long. He received birthday wishes from the Imperial Government for his 100th, 150th, and his 200th birthdays. There are also numerous government documents, corroberating his longevity, as well as articles in the New York Times and Time magazine.

Of course the most interesting and useful parts of his story are the many writings he left, which detail his practices. In this fascinating volume, Stuart Alve Olson, one of the leading Daoist scholars, translates the book,which was written

by Yang Sen in 1970. There is a wealth of information here, masterfully translated with many of Stuart's own footnotes, explaining the various practices in depth.

Essential Tai Ji

by Chungliang Al Huang Singing Dragon, 2011 Softcover, 78 pages This is a reprint of a book first published in 1989. It is filled with gorgeous photos by Si Chi Ko. Chungliang is a bit of a taiji renegade. He doesn't follow the traditional, accepted version of taiji quan but follows his own muse, teaching all over the world and effortlessly guiding classes of 150 or more. He beautifully exemplifies the true spirit of Daoism, being playful, funny, deep and profoundly able to move peoples hearts and spirits with his stories, his poetry and taiji dancing. This would make a wonderful gift for someone you know who loves taiji and the grand and beautiful

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Ying Yu Jade

Genuine Natural Jade “Good Qi Energy” Traditional Jade Gua Sha Tools Jade Rollers and Health Instruments Women’s Wellness: Jade Eggs and Benwa Jade Bangle Bracelets and Pendants Jade Carvings, Teapot Sets

www.YingYuJade.com

I Ching (Yi Jing) Readings with Solala Towler Through the Book of Changes or the Book of Transformations (Yi Jing) it is possible to receive guidance/information about the various forces that are influencing our situation at any point in time. It is how we work/play with these forces that creates our future. Any situation, no matter how challenging, can be used in this way to further one on the path of spiritual self-cultivation. Through the guidance of this ancient book and the teachings it contains, we learn how to flow with the changes life offers us instead of fighting them. The words and teachings of the ancient masters can help us see and understand more clearly any situation and give us the tools we need to use each present moment to create the future we seek.

Types of questions/issues we could look at: What do I need to know/hear right now for my spiritual evolution?

Please give me guidance about my life path.

I am thinking of moving to a new location.

I am thinking of a new career.

I am seeking guidance on pursuing/not pursuing a new relationship.

I am seeking guidance on a business decision.

Phone sessions are $50 per half hour. (Sessions are recorded and an mp3 copy will be emailed to you.) Call 541.345.8854 to schedule an appointment.

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S u m m e r 2018

Directory Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Three year academic and clinical program. We offer classes in Oriental medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese herbology. Master’s degree is accredited. Financial aid and China internships are available.

Preparatory to national certification and state licensing examinations. (503) 253-3443 for information, literature.

Genesee Valley Daoist Hermitage. Qigong, sustainable gardening, meditation for self cultivation. Chinese herbs, daoist healing to harmonize chronic disorders. PO Box 9224, Moscow, Idaho 83843-1724. (208) 285-0123. Celebrating 23 years of service.

The Alaska College of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture & Massage Therapy. 2636 Spenard Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503.

Offering course work in a full spectrum of Asian Studies including Taiji, Qigong, Meditation, Medical QiGong, Taoist Herbology, Massage Therapy, with advanced study in Thai Yoga Massage and Tui Na Acupressure Massage and a three year Masters program of study in Acupuncture. We offer year round full or part-time schedules of study. We feature biannual Spring and Fall Health and Wellness Festivals where participants can study cutting edge information with our expert staff and visiting masters from around the globe. Traveling to Alaska? Check out our website and make sure our classes and workshops are in your plans. www.touchoftao.com. (907) 279-0135 White Cloud Institute. Classes open to everyone. Taoist Studies, Energy Medicine, Chi Nei Tsang, Pelvic Health. Qigong and Meditation. Retreats. NCBTMB approved. 505 670-3538. www.whitecloudinstitute.com.

American Dragon Gate Lineage: Shifu Michael Rinaldini offers 125, 300, 500 hour Qigong Certification. Trainings in Daoist practices. A 3-year training to become ordained Daoist priest of the Lineage. qigongdragon.com Taoist Arts Center. Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Taoist Meditation.

Traditional Taoist arts offered in a friendly and cooperative environment. Classes, Workshops, Private Instruction. Director: Susan Rabinowitz, 342 East 9th Street, NYC 10003. (212) 477-7055. www.taoist-arts.com.

The Empty Vessel

Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts in Asheville, North Carolina. Accredited Masters program in Oriental medicine; steeped in the spirit of Daoism and teachings by Jeffrey Yuen, a world-renowned leader in Classical Chinese Medicine. Preparing students to enter the profession as skilled acupuncture clinicians. www.daoisttraditions.edu.admissions@daoisttraditions.edu. 828-225-3993.

Qigong Meditations CD (with music). Three guided meditations – Three Level Relaxation, Organ Balancing Meditation, Expansion Breathing Meditation – by Solala Towler. $10 plus $3 shipping. Abode of the Eternal Tao, 1991 Garfield St. Eugene, OR 97404/www.abodetao.com.

Kirtan Qigong CD. Three slow, relaxing bhajans (Sanskrit chanting) with Solala Towler and friends. Perfect for slow movement. $10 plus $3 shipping.Abode of the Eternal Tao, 1991 Garfield St. Eugene, OR 97404/www.abodetao.com.

Chi Wellness, The Center of Qigong. 3-year Medical Qigong Practitioner and Qigong Instructor certification training curricula. Retreats and weekly transformational Qigong Lifestyle and Qigong Movement classes for all health objectives and self care. Medical qigong treatment, and Qigong Lifestyle and Chi Nutrition coaching appointments. Consulting and training for enhanced productivity and balance customized for organizations. Founder/Director: Debra Lin Allen. 4155 East Jewell Ave., Suite 105, Denver, CO 80222. (720) 427-0406 / DebraLin.ChiWellness@gmail.com / www.ChiWellness.net.

National Qigong Association. Since 1996, the NQA is the premier non-profit membership organization for all types of qigong schools and enthusiasts, and offers annual conferences and qigong certification. Website: http://www.nqa.org.

Learn to play Shakuhachi the Zen flute of Japan. Gold Coast Chicago location. Vintage instruments available. Etsy.com shop: ZenShamanicArts. www.utaguchi.com.

The Tao is an empty vessel/It is used but never filled. ~ Tao Te Ching

Directory/Classified $25 for first 30 words, $1.00 per word thereafter, 15 word minimum.

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Temple of the Celestial Cloud Esoteric Daoist Mysticism

The following books have been written by Professor JerryAlan Johnson and contain translated texts from ancient Zhen Yi Daoist Mystisicm and are introduced for the first time in English!

Daoist Exorcism. At 559 pages, the following book contains the History of Exorcism, The Three Realms of Daoist Magic, Interactions with the Spirit World, Schools of Daoist Sorcery, Understanding Psychic Influence, Principles of Psychic Interference, Psychic Attacks, Types of Psychic Attacks, Symptoms That Indicate a Psychic Attack, Defending Against Psychic Attacks, Encounters With Ghosts, Types of Hauntings, Communicating with Ghosts, Encounters With Spirits, Historic Classification of Spirits and Immortals, Seductive Spirits, Animal Spirits, Plant Spirits, Nature Spirits, Spirits of the Elemental Realms, Spirit Snakes and Spider Spirits, Sensations Attributed to the Presence of Spirit Entities, How and Why Negative Spirit Entities Attack, Self-Defense Against Spirit Entities, Protecting Children, Closing the Ghost Gate to Protect against Ghosts and Spirits, Encounters With Demonic and Evil Spirits, Demonology, Levels of Demonic Influence, Demonic Manifestation, Demonology According to Christian Mysticism, Historical Facts, Demonic Attacks, Encounters with Demon or Spirit Possessed Individuals, Demon or Spirit Oppression and much more. $175 Daoist Alchemy: Nei Gong. Finally, 628 pages of the much sought after secret teachings of esoteric Daoist Alchemy are available to the public for comprehensive reading and practice. Written by a Senior Daoist Abbot for his “Wen (Healer/Scholar) - Wu (Martial)” disciples, and now available to serious students for the purpose of experiencing exciting life-changing transformations. This historic instructional book includes, an introduction to Ancient Chinese Alchemy, Spiritual Transformation, The Metaphysical Realm, Returning to the Original Nature, External Alchemy and Daoist Lower Magic, Internal Alchemy and Daoist Middle Magic, Esoteric Alchemy and Daoist High Magic, Magic and Immortality, The Natural Forces of the Three Powers, Nine Treasures and Daoist Alchemy, Understanding Energy (Qi), The Five Realms of Energy, Energetic Formation of the Universe, The Five Pure Lights, The Yellow River Chart (Hetu), The Luo River Graph, Three Martial, Medical, and Magical Schools of Daoist Neigong Training, and much more! $200 Daoist Incantations. Never before has a book been written that contains so much informative on the esoteric subject of Daoist Magical Incantations, Hand Seals and Star Stepping. Now at 323 pages, this incredible book contains secret Daoist teachings on Magical Incantations, Imprinting with Incantations, Enchantment, Trance Induction, Daoist Magical Hand Seal Training, Types of Hand Seals, Specific Functions of the Hand Seals, Hand Seals Used For Worship, Summoning, Protection, Obstruction, Attacking, Binding, Imprisoning, and Sealing, Mao Shan Hand Seals Used for Healing or Protection, History of Daoist Star Stepping, Using Star Stepping with Hand Seals, Incantations and Magic Seals, Summoning the Spirits of the Dead, Summoning Celestial Immortals, and much, much more. $85 Daoist Magic Tools. This particular training manual provides information originating from the Taiqing (Great Clarity) Daoist tradition, and includes secret methods of writing magical talismans and speaking sacred Words of Power via Breath Incantations. This particular Taiqing Daoist Manual provides for four special categories of magical talismans, as well as their specific stroke orders, and their essential activation incantations. Included in this special training manual are: The special categories of magical talismans traditionally used for the “Suppression of Demon Spirits” and for “Blessing the Home;” which are to be posted up on the wall or main pillar of the house like a “Public Notice.” These special Taiqing Talismans must both be written with Black Pine Soot Ink and Cinnabar on Yellow Talisman Paper. The special categories of magical talismans traditionally used for “Summoning Spirits” and for “Treating Diseases.” These special Taiqing Talismans must be written with Red Cinnabar Ink on standard Yellow Talisman Paper.

These four special categories of Taiqing Talismans are extremely important, and essential for all Daoist disciples to study; therefore this special instruction manual is presented here as an essential companion to the Daoist Magical Talismans textbook. $175 Daoist Transformation Magic. Transformation Skills of Daoist Sorcery, Two Types of Magical Transformation Skill, The Magical Transformation of Man, Observing the Present Meditation, Psychometry, Clairaudience, Transferring Thoughts, Clairvoyance, Perceiving a Person’s Destiny, Seeing Spirits and Having Visions, Dream Magic, Dream Magic Training, Herbs Used To Induce Lucid Dreaming, Mind Magic, Illusionary Magic, Invisibility, Three Types of Invisibility Skills, Suspended Animation, Walking Through Walls, Soul Travel, Teleportation, Bilocation, Shape-Shifting Magic, Methods of Shape-Shifting, The Magical Transformation of External Things, Defense Magic, Healing Magic, Sex Magic, Materialization, Weather Magic, Divination Magic, Corpse Magic, Transferring a Soul, Stealing the Soul of a Coma Victim, Rituals Used In Corpse Magic In Order to Obtain a Spirit Helper, Energy, Spirit, and Soul Projection, Qi and Thought Projection, Shadow Magic Training,Three Types of Soul Projection, Five Phases of Soul Travel, Soul Projection Training, Imagination Techniques, Respiration Techniques, Mantra Sound Techniques, Advanced Soul Projection and Shape-Shifting Techniques, Communicating in the Spirit World. $85

The Empty Vessel

To order these books send check along with $10 postage for each one to: The Abode of the Eternal Tao 1991 Garfield St. Eugene OR 97405; call us at 541.345.8854 or go to our website at www.abodetao.com

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Entering the Dao

A Weekend of the Daoist Arts of Meditation, Qigong and Tea Ceremony with master teacher Solala Towler

October 26 - 28 Eastover Retreat Center, Lenox, Massachusetts $180

A full immersion into the Daoist arts of qigong, meditation, Daoist philosophy, and tea ceremony.

This weekend will cover: Study of the ancient Daoist text the Dao De Jing, revealing the many practices that are contained therein.

Daoist Meditation Dao-in or Daoist yoga.

Daoist Tea Ceremony (pin ming lun dao). We will be sampling some special teas and taking part in a ceremony designed to open your heart and hara. By tuning into the sacred plant medicine we will experience an opening to higher spiritual and psychic planes.

Wuji (Primordial) Qigong, created by Daoist master Zhang San Feng 800 years ago. By working with the primal energies of the five directions and the power animals of each — (East: The Green Dragon, South: The Red Phoenix, West: The White Tiger, North: The Black Turtle and Center: The Yellow Dragon) — the practitioner is performing an energetic ritual that has been done for hundreds of years. The movements, done in a circling pattern, guide us into a powerful and primordial state of grace and healing.

Come for the day or stay for the weekend at this beautiful 600-acre retreat center in Western Massachusetts!

For more information on this workshop and to register go to: Summer 2018 eastover.com/Solala-Towler-workshop

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