it is much clearer, thank you very much for your help👍
Chakras and Dan-tiens are energetic structures from two different schools: the Hindu Yoga and Daoist Alchemy. There may be similarities, but also differences. To visualize for example, Chakras are traditionally depicted as spinning wheels (in non-Tantric schools where they are more active in function) and Lotuses (in Tantric schools where they are more passive conduits that act as pathways to the sentient, cosmically intelligent Shakti or Goddess who appears in macrocosm as Kundalini).
Dan-tiens are a lot more ‘physical’ while Chakras are more ‘energetic’. If one had to combine the two schools, Dan-tien would be like a storage container of Chi in which spinning wheels of energy aka Chakras are swimming. The three Dan-tiens are like cauldrons in which energy is stored and refined and circulated, affecting physical organs around them - in that, they have similarities to Chakras. They are the cauldrons which transmute respectively, Jing -> Chi, Chi -> Shen and finally, Shen -> Wu-ji, unbridled, non-corrupt pure energy or Dao. While all three of them deal with physical organs around them, they can be mapped to physical, emotional and spiritual aspects respectively, in terms of their primary function.
In alchemical practices such as Taiji, Qigong, Maoshan sorcery etc., these Dantiens are systematically used, usually starting with the lower one, to cultivate and refine energy. Water paths work on energy descending from the upper to the lower one, while the more common fire paths deal with energy flow upward, starting with cultivating the lower Dantien first.
Are the tracks in that order for a specific purpose?
I ask this because I’m studing nei gong, and neidan and I don’t understand why shen isn’t the last one…
Also can one listen to the entire album in loop? Is it better to “concentrate” on a single track?
Thanks
they aren’t in any order.
that’s how the store lists them sometimes.
do you suggest listening to the whole album or to a single track for a certain amount of time?
Use the practice that is best for you with what you are trying to do.
Some people just use jing for restored functions body health etc.
Other do a whole spiritual practice.
They are all very open ended.
Where can I find a description of what each track do?
Thanks
Crystals? Aren’t we talking about Jing, Qi and Shen?
Did you even click on that link?
Sorry I thought it was only a quote lol
Thanks for the link
@Maoshan_Wanderer actually chakras are also present in daoism, they are the Qi Lun or Qi Huo
As you say they are not the 3 Dan Tien
I suppose you are referring to Qi Huo, Qi Ding or Qi Lun. Some claim these are part of Shen Gong, but several scholars have pointed out - like Jerry Alan Johnson (who is a teacher of mine), that these are latter additions to Taoism, at a much later point in time, very likely by Buddhist influence as Buddhists refer to the imagery as wheels more than the Hindu Yogins who originally and primarily dealt with Chakras and referred to them more or less unanimously with the lotus imagery. These are not practically used in any authentic Taoist Qigong, Neigong or Shengong systems.
The one person who keeps referring to this is Damo Mitchell. In 2009, I took a class on Medical Qigong from Rob Aspell and Damo was assisting him. When these parallels to Chakras was brought up, I raised the same point and asked him how exactly were they used in a Shen Gong infrastructure and he did not really have a clear or convincing answer. I also took a few classes in Nanpai Taiji from Damo himself, who no doubt is a great teacher when it comes to practice, but found him severely lacking in terms of scholastic aptitude. He kind of makes up things as he goes lol. The dead giveaway is Kuan Shu Lun or the wheel of great Compassion, which is directly lifted from a Vajrayana Tantra.
I can read some Mandarin and none of the popular or well-established Daoist treatises refer to this symbology or their utility within a Daoist Neigong framework. So, I am inclined to believe that he picked it up from his Longmen Pai days which is a rather eclectic (infamously) system and not a gold standard of anything. Considering him to be the only person who seems to vaguely mention it, I would not take it as part of any serious Daoist training.
Also, even according to Mitchell himself, he clearly distinguishes the three cauldrons from the seven wheels - quote “There is a common error within the Qi Gong community whereby the three Dan Tian are believed to be the same thing as the seven chakras, albeit three of them. This is not the case. The three Dan Tian exist as an aspect of the energetic matrix with associated physiological components. The seven chakras exist within the spiritual range of frequencies with some associated tethers into the energetic realm. Though they have no literal form, the seven chakras are experienced as being much smaller than the Dan Tian and have a very clear quality to them that can only really be experienced when at the stage of harmonising the Shen.”
If you belong to a school other than Damo Mitchell’s and do use the Chakra system in your shengong, I would be glad to learn and correct my statement.
@Maoshan_Wanderer Yeah forgive me, probably my english is not so good
Here I meant that as you said earlier the Chakras are not the Dan Tiens
As for the source of the Qi Lun/Qi Huo (I’m not doing any practice revolving on it) if I remember correctly I had read about it on Daobums, probably reffering to Longmen Pai as you say
I’ll take a look if I find the source again
Yup, it is all only one source and no other established source. And even then, they note the presence and vaguely refer to it with no clear instructions on why or how they are used. I have not been on TheDaobums in a long time, but I was one of the moderators on there back then lol and do remember some related heated discussions there.
ahahah maybe it was one of these
May I ask if there is any plans of Ancient Arts album be relased in Patreon?
If I buy some album, Sapien medicine or Energetic Alchemy from Amazon, I would be able to download directly and get mp3?
Or is there any other platform?
Yes you can download the albums from amazon, after you bought them. I got them from google music.
Itunes is another option.