Taoist Meditation Forms

(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)

 

The Taoists have always had a contemplative instinct. They feel that by looking within oneself an entire world opens up that previously may have not been known. It is essential to know this inner world if one wishes to live in harmony with the universe. The universe is not only external, but it is also internal. A basic Taoist belief is that the patterns of the external world also play themselves out within the human body. In this sense the inner world is a microcosm of the outer macrocosm. A beautiful picture drawn by an unknown Taoist around one thousand years ago shows how the human body works like a mini universe. In the lower part of the body are the waters of sexual energy. Above this in the navel region is a vast land where earth energy is stored. The heart is seen as luminous star of exploding fire energy. In the head are the towering heights of spiritual experience represented as mountains. The Taoists did not see themselves as separate from any part of the universe, for in essence they are the universe.

There are numerous Taoist meditation forms, which elicit profound meditations, such as realizing oneness with the universe. Every meditation form has a different goal, yet each is specifically designed to transform a part of one's being. Because humans generally do not live in the accordance with the Tao it is essential to do the inner work necessary to bring about this shift in consciousness. This paper will explore two of the major forms of meditation in Taoism, which are the microcosmic-orbit and guarding the one.

The microcosmic-orbit meditation is extremely sophisticated and beautiful. It is also the foundation meditation for inner alchemy, and an important physical practice to connect with the universe and become immortal. Mantak Chia states in Awaken Healing Light Of The Tao (1993) that through practice in this meditation one develops the power of the mind to control, conserve, recycle, transform, and direct chi through the body's primary energy channel (the orbit). In Immortal Sisters: Secret Teachings Of Taoist Women (1989), Thomas Cleary, a great Taoist scholar, states that ordinary people are subject to compulsions of senses and objects, so chi drifts and disperses externally. Cleary goes on to note that the Taoist inner alchemy approach is to turn the light of consciousness inward so that these energies are preserved.

The orbit is an energy channel in the body, which is actually made up of yin and yang channels that a practitioner brings together and harmonizes to create one flowing channel. The yang channel begins at the perineum and travels up the spine, through the head to the forehead, then down to the top of the palate. Placing the tongue to the roof of the mouth connects this channel to the next channel. The yin channel begins at the bottom of the mouth and travels down the front of the body to the perineum. From there, the channel splits off into the two legs and travels down the back side of the leg, through the bottom of the feet, then around the top of the feet, and up the front of the leg back to the perineum. The goal is to open up all the points along this channel so that energy can travel smoothly and unobstructed through the whole channel and circulate over and over. In advanced orbit meditations the practitioner brings heaven and earth chi into the orbit and circulates them. In this way the energies of the universe become part of the physical human structure.

The next meditation practice this paper will explore is guarding the one. In Taoist Meditation And Longevity Techniques (1989), Livia Kohn states that guarding the one involves constraining awareness, or holding the mind under control. In all forms of Taoist meditation the power of the mind has to be thoroughly developed. Nothing can be accomplished if the mind wavers and is drawn away by random thoughts. Taoist teachers describe that it is difficult to calm the mind, but can be done by repeated conscious intention. Through the practice of guarding the one amazing powers of mental concentration arise. Guarding the one is an essential preliminary practice before any other form of meditation is practiced.

The one is the state of non-differentiation of the universe, the primordial state of great unity, Wu Chi. Eva Wong, another great scholar of Taoism, describes the practice in Taoism (1997): "The key to this meditation lies in dissolving the duality between the self and the world so that oneness can be attained. In the early stages, the practitioner first stills the mind and body so that no thoughts, emotions, or sensations arise. Once the stillness is attained, the ‘mind of the Tao’ will emerge. The mind of the Tao is consciousness that is rooted in the Tao and sees all things as one. With continued practice, the experience of oneness will take hold, and the union with the Tao is achieved.” (25)

The one is both the center of a being and its circumference. It is the place from which all life has arisen and it is the place to which all life should aspire to return in Taoism. Therefore, the highest state for the mind to be fixated upon is the one. If humans can constantly maintain awareness of the one they will never stray from it. It will become the guiding principle and the essential life force. The meditation of guarding the one like the microcosmic orbit, is a scientific method where through experience and investigation into the laws of the body and the universe, a being realizes the truth of being and how it is connected to the great source, Wu Chi. The Taoists say this truth becomes lost because of erroneous perceptions and inflation of the ego, but can be remedied through dedicated practice of going within and listening to the guidance of chi and the higher Self.