Introduction to Tea Alchemy

Introduction to Tea Alchemy,

Pictured: 2015 at Phoenix Mountain just above Lugu Taiwan, I was brewing some Oolong in the wonderful Tea Ware made by my friend Mr.Xiao, the owner of the You Tao Yuan Guest House, a magical oasis where people can stay if they want to visit the many excellent mountains of the region such as Dong Ding, and the formidable Shan Lin Xi. Maybe we can visit there together for a big Tea adventure in 2023…

Tea Alchemy is my brainchild and I've been researching and developing it for nearly ten years, this essay is an introduction to what its all about.

Origins, Shanghai and Taiwan:

In spring 2012 I began formally studying Taiwan Cha Dao (the Way of Tea) under my teacher He Caitong in Shanghai China.

Mistress He grew up in Taipei Taiwan and studied with a number of Tea Masters such as Zhou Yu, as well as having family in Tea agriculture at Ali Shan, the most famous Taiwan Tea Mountain.

He Caitong taught me how to make and appraise Oolong and Pu'er Tea, as well as teaching me the overall principles of Chinese Tea, including concepts such as circulating Qi in the Ren, Du and Chong Meridians and how tea people understand the process of Meditation.

Later I traveled all over Taiwan and Mainland China studying Tea and Porcelain culture, and eventually started importing and exporting Tea.

In 2014 and 15 I even won international awards for my Tieguanyin Oolong at the North American Tea Championships.

During my many trips to Taiwan I had the opportunity to talk to high level Tea Masters such as Zhou Yu, and Deng Ding Shou about the relationship between Tea and Meditation, as well as Daoist priests and lay Daoists who also understood the genre.

As you know, I've been practicing Internal Alchemy for many years and the discovery that Tea can serve as a medium to practice Ren Yuan Dan Fa (the part of Alchemy concerned with changing Essence to Qi), I began to seriously research the practice.

Over time I also learned Chinese Medicine and came to discover that there are many Chinese Medicine documents which explain the physiology of Qi as it relates to Tea leaves. This also pushed forward my practice and helped me better grasp concepts such as “Cha Qi.”

There is also a significant body of Tang and Song Dynasty poetry about Tea and its relationship with Buddhism and Daoism, and although these poems are mostly meant to be floral words used to describe the beauty of drinking Tea, for those who understand meditation and Tea culture deeply, it is clear that some poets like Jiao Ran actually did use Tea as an aid in their spiritual practice.

The Past Decade of Research:

From fall of 2012 I have been assiduously researching how Tea Ceremony works as a spiritual practice and the precise method for practicing meditation during Tea making. I have come to recognize that just as my friend Deng Dingshou says, Tea is not Daoist, or Buddhist, or Confucian in character, but relative to the preference of the practitioner it may take on any of those characters.

Little by little I have formed my own understanding of this concept independent of Daoism, but at the same time have imported many Daoist concepts such as Hun and Po, the Five Organs, Golden Elixir and so on... These ideas are all commonly discussed in Taiwan Cha Dao circles, but because they are sophisticated in nature, they require much care to properly understand and manifest.

Because Tea is very personal it can be hard to relate certain ideas, but I kept noticing after sharing my practice with friends that they were able to obtain excellent results, so I decided first to codify this knowledge into clear principles, and now to begin sharing it with you so you too can obtain its benefit.

What is Tea Alchemy:

After much study I came to realize that the concept of Tea in spiritual practice although popular is poorly organized even in Asia.

People who practice tend not to write down detailed accounts of how they achieved their abilities, or perhaps it is a close door secret only meant for select disciples, I don't know, but either way, there is only scant reference to these concepts and they are not easy to learn and understand without guidance from an expert teacher.

Considering this, I've decided to begin promoting Tea Alchemy, which is simply a name I use to explain my way of understanding Tea as a spiritual practice.

Alchemy in Daoist terms is made up of three practice:

1: Tian Yuan Dan Fa:

The Heavenly Origin Elixir Method is based on pure meditation and is how we connect the spirit to the original emptiness of the Dao.

2: Di Yuan Dan Fa:

Earthly Origin Elixir Method is based on taking external medicines in order to fortify the body.

3: Ren Yuan Dan Fa:

Human Origin Elixir Method is the means by which people convert Essence to Qi through practices such as meditation, Taijiquan, and other things which use the Yin and Yang of one body, two bodies, or the outside environment to achieve their ends.

Tea Alchemy although appearing to be a form of Earthly Origin Alchemy is actually Human Origin, since it is a method of borrowing energy from the practice of Tea Ceremony to develop essence and Qi in the body.

Although the practice mainly excels at transforming Essence to Qi, and developing the Eight Special Meridians and Three Dantian, it can also be combined with silent seated meditation of the Heavenly Origin Method in order to assist in spiritual development.

The practices I have developed range from simple to complex, but are inexorably tied to the study of Tea and Tea drinking.

To practice Tea Alchemy you must learn to taste, brew, and appreciate Tea at the same time as you work on developing your energy pathways and making your mind stable.

Tea Alchemy is not a replacement for Daoist Meditation and certainly not a replacement for Daoism, it is simply a method you can use to help you on your way.

As a long term Internal Alchemy practitioner I always tell my students that to really master the art you must practice in your daily life.

These days I'm working on keeping my central channel connected through as much of the day and in as many activities as possible, my time doing Tea Ceremony is an important focal point of my daily practice of Neidan, just like Taiji training is every morning.

Tea Alchemy is another chance to practice Neidan every day and in the context of my favorite hobby, drinking Tea.

How Can You Get Involved:

If this sounds like something that you would like to learn more about, the first thing you should do it download my free Ebook, it has lots of useful information to get your started.

Then you should sign up for my first Tea Alchemy Course over at Qigong Meditation.

Link to the Ebook and course information here: Tea Alchemy Ebook Download

My friend Mo and I have put months of planning into developing this project and are happy to announce that our first course will be available on April 28th, now is a great time to register as you will receive a small discount.

In conclusion, I'd like to thank you for making Immortality Study Possible, and I'm so glad to be able to share all of this exciting research with you.

I hope you enjoy the Ebook and to see you in class soon!!