Blue Dragon, White Tiger: Verses for Refining the Golden Elixir

by Chang Sen Sen Feng, S. Robertson (Illustrator), Shifu Hwang (Translator), Cheney Crow (Translator)

Overview

Written during the Tang dynasty, this unusual tantric guide documents a sexual tantra that is thought to have been practiced by kings for several dynasties, before losing favor to a more ascetic approach to Taoism. According to legend, the author was last seen on the edge of a precipice, clasping the book to his chest, and proclaiming the sincerity of his practice.

Translated into English for the first time, this illuminating text carefully describes the methods of this sexual internal alchemy practice, pursued strictly for the spiritual advancement of the practitioner, and undertaken only once desire and attachment for a consort had been overcome. Cloaked in metaphor, the techniques and attendant virtues of the practice are presented in beautiful poetry and prose, with explanatory commentaries throughout.

This is an important historical text that will provide a fascinating insight into ancient tantric practices for anyone with an interest in Taoism, Chinese history and philosophy, and tantra or meditation practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857010964
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	11/15/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	991 KB

About the Author

Master Chang Sen Feng was an active Taoist master during the Tang Dynasty (660-780 AD). He was schooled in the Chai Tzan tradition, which he practiced, expanded and taught. His personal practice led him to explore techniques that favored the use of sexual energy as a source for internal alchemy. This text, his record of the practice, disappeared for over 700 years before it was rediscovered by Jie Yi Tze during the Ming Dynasty. Shifu Hwang is a practicing Taoist from Chuen Zen School. Currently, he lives in Texas, USA. Master Hwang has devoted his adult life to promoting Taoism and balanced health care. In 1996, he established TaiChi People Herb Co. Recently, he established Immortal Cancer Care Foundation for alternative cancer care education. Cheney Crow grew up in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She lived and worked in England, France and Spain for several years before completing her PhD in Linguistics, then teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. She studied Long Form Yang Style and Sword Form Tai Chi with Shifu Hwang.

Table of Contents

Translator's Note. Introduction. Preface. Part I. Preparation of the Mind. Cultivating the Chi Through Sole Breathing. Accumulating Chi to Open the Gate. Cultivating the Body's Essence with Jade Fluid. Part II. Preparing the Practice. Assembling Wealth to Cultivate the Practice. Selecting the Place for Practice. Selecting Companions. Building the Chambers for Practice. Choosing Consorts. Testing the Quality of the Consort. Choosing the Gold Consort. Choosing the Fire Consort. Choosing the Water Consort. Cultivating the Body's Essence and Building the Foundation. Building up Chi to Enter the Pass. Extending the Lifespan with Jade Liquid. Using Gold Water to Forge the Sword. Recovering the Golden Elixir. Selecting the Time for Heaven Circulation. Part III. The Secrets of Collecting Truth. Beginning Practice. Building the Foundation. Collecting the Medicine. Knowing the Time. Strumming the Lute. Facing your Enemy. Upside Down. In All Sincerity. Water Wheel. The Gateway of Belief. Following or Reversing. Part IV. The Way of Gathering Truth. Advanced Practice. Seventeen Poems of the True Secret.