One or None
two approaches to Neidan
Neidan, or Inner Alchemy is a Daoist practice with several styles, but as a general rule the styles tend to follow a similar approach which can be summed up as merging the breath and mind with a physical location in order to enter a state of deep meditation in emptiness in order to trigger a physiological experience described through the lens of the Daoist concepts of Jing, Qi and Shen.
Sometimes to new students or interested people who have yet to begin their journey, it may seem that Neidan is very complex, but practically speaking the art is not complicated, it simply requires you have sufficient knowledge in order to avoid making mistakes which could slow you down or prevent your progress.
Contemporary Qigong master Pang Ming described Neidan in one of his lectures as being made up of only two possible approaches, one in which the mind and body are brought into a state of ultimate oneness, and another in which body and mind are completely forgotten.
This is a somewhat simplistic explanation, but I think it is also useful in an important way, since it can teach us something about what we are trying to do with meditation practice.
Let's look at both approaches and what Mr.Pang meant:
1: Unification:
Unification of body, mind and breath as one whole emerged early in Daoism, indeed, even the Dao De Jing suggests that there are three subtle aspects of reality which must be taken together and cannot be separated. Later generations held that our meditation practice should create a unified state in which the difference between body, mind and breath are forgotten in favour of generating one “true Qi.”
Early approaches to this style of practice existed in the Daoist visualization schools which often practiced imagining body deities from head to toe, then holding them all together.
The purpose of such invocations was not only to pray, but also because it causes the mind to foucs in a singular way on the body by attaching all parts together. The result is the development of powerful Qi which can move in the meridians and even sometimes produce states of enlightenment.
2: Obliteration:
the other approach comes from Daoist Sitting in Forgetting practice and has been applied variously to Neidan over the years. The key idea is to forget body and mind and enter into a profound void of non being. This approach can produce the movement of Pre-Heaven Qi and the single opening of the mystery gate, a key transformative activity in Neidan which causes the mind to enter profound clarity and stillness, in a sense being the enlightenment practice of Neidan.
Neidan schools of various types have employed both methods, although it tends to be the case that most schools prefer one over the other.
The oneness method is popular with schools such as the Wu Liu school, Shang Yangzi's school etc.. while self forgetting tends to be popular with the Middle and Northern Schools.
Both approaches work, but it tends to be that the unified approach produces relatively more Qi movement in the meridians, while the self forgetting approach tends to cause sudden clarification of spirit along with energetic movement. This is another way to understand the gradual and sudden enlightenment concepts we discussed in a recent article.
An important thing to keep in mind is that both schools eventually dovetail, since at the advanced stage of practice it may be valuable to practice non action sometimes, and more intentional action at other times relative to what the energy system is doing. This approach relies on experience in practice and eventually you will simply know how to do it.
Some people adapt better to one practice or the other, so it is useful for a teacher to understand both, since not every student can get benefit from both approaches immediately and they may be better suited to one or another.
That's my understanding anyway.
I hope this article helped.
Behind the paywall today is a document of collected writings of Qiu Chuji, the master who founded the Long Men school and was put in control of promoting Daoist practice in China by the Mongolian Khanate. Without Qiu and the Northern school there would probably be no Neidan today, so his documents although quite different from the genres we usually discuss here, are very important. The Northern school is greatly influenced by Buddhism and also highly influenced by the Single Opening of the Mystery Gate, an important practice which helps illuminate the original spirit so practitioners can become enlightened.