Coordinated and Commented by Nian Jiang Sheng Jiang (up and down) He Bi(closing and inaugurating) Nei Dan Gong(internal alchemy Kung-fu)was founded by Chen Jie in Qing Dynasty. Researching lots of Nei Dan Gong appeared in the past for ages, he realized that there were strong points and also the weak in every method the ancients adopted to practice the Gong. Inspired by the line of “Chu Ru(breathing in and out) Fei (unbalanced) Ze Shen Ji(your spirit and body) Hua Mie (being destroyed), Sheng Jiang (breathing up and down) Xi (being stopped) Ze Qi Li(would make your interior strength and breathing ) GuWei (getting isolated and dangerous)”in the book of Su Wen, Liu Wei Zhi Da Lun Pian(an ancient Chinese medicine book talking about some theories on the main principles in curing any or all sicknesses by acupuncture and Chinese herbs in China), he had been cognizant of that whether the Sheng Jiang (up and down) Chu Ru (in and out) of one's Nei Qi (internal breathing and strength) in his body were normal or not had a significant impact on his lifespan. He thought that practicing and creating one's Nei Dan by operating his Nei Qi up and down as well as closing and inaugurating inside his body might be a most effective way benefiting him infinitely. He created this Gong Fa (Kung-fu method) as a result and wrote a book named Sheng Jiang He Bi Nei Dan Gong.
Nei Dan Shu (internal alchemy) gradually had been formed and coming into being and, developed by ancient people in China with or without various kinds of religious superstition or impractical Shell. Xian(the gods) Fu Shi(eating some special pilular medicine made of metals mainly) as Wai Dan Shu (the external alchemy)in pursuing their healthiness and longevity. In natures, Mei Dan Shu had belonged to the realm of life sciences. Why had many books of Dan Jing (alchemy scriptures) borne some contents of metaphysics? There were two primary reasons. One of them was attributed to the limitation then. Some physical phenomena happened inside or outside their bodies or spirits while they were involving in any Wai Dan, such as their feels in floating, gravitating, tingling, itching, radiating or heating, or getting a sense of warm current and touching electricity, pulling, flopping and so on. They could not explain those physical phenomena scientifically so that lots of their mysterious and metaphysical opinions were formed accordingly. The other was that people's thoughts were affected by mystifications then.
The Various Practicing Methods and Objectives in Sheng Jiang He Bi Nei Dan Gong
The Nei Dan Gong in mining consists of the following eight parts: 1. Xian Qing Man Bu (stepping up and down idly and slowly) Yi Shou Xin (to collect your minding), 2. Yi Ran Ru Zuo (sitting down cozily) Ti Ning Shen (to keep your spirit concentrated), 3. Da Kai Tian Men Ti Ying Qi (keep your mind open to capture natural power from outside), 4. Shun Ying Zi Ran (adjust yourself to the nature) Yi Tiao Xi (to coordinate your breathing ), 5. Feng Huo Tong heart joined together to keep your breathing up and down), Yong Yi Sheng Jiang (make the powers of your lung and heart joined together to keep your breathing up and down), 6. Yi Zhang Yi Chi Yi He Pi (make yourself tensioned and relaxed to and fro to close and open your minding), 7. Hun Yuan Yi Qi Cheng Zhi Dao (associate your body with your spirit together creating your interior strength getting a splendid condition), 8. Fu Yang Ying Er Cheng Sheng Ti (nurture an infant to become a saint).
Chapter One Xian Qing Man Bu Yi Shou Xin
1. The practicing method: be relaxed, stand naturally with your body vertical, before entering the phase of Ru Zuo(sitting stilly), you should keep your breathing naturally, raise your arms in front of your chest as if you were holding a ball, and shake slightly to relax your body. Then you should gently close your eyes but still can feel a gleam of light, and shut your ears intentionally so that you can not hear the external sounds (namely Ning Er Yun in Dan Shu). Slightly move your mouth and form a smile naturally , make your tongue touch your palate so that you can relax yourself both physically and mentally. When feeling free and comfortable, you can begin to step forward slowly and leisurely. Doing this , you should step forward slowly and leisurely. Doing this , you should step your left foot forward and leftward with your heel touching the ground first. Simultaneously press your hands downward and the push forward and leftward with the palms downward. At the same time you should correspondingly raise your right heel and then turn your head leftward slightly and exhale a breath. Mind in words "Xi Ri Li De You Gen Ji" (there is a foundation formed with lots of former moral efforts) to exhale turbid breath out and concentrate your mind. After exhaling, you should have a break for a while to resume your breath in normal. Then again you step your right foot forward and rightward with your heel touching the ground first. Simultaneously withdraw your hands from the left side like a wavy line and then push forward and rightward with the palms downward. At the same time you should correspondingly raise your left heel, turn your head rightward and forward slightly and exhale a breath. Mind in words” Jing Zhao Qu Shi Za Nian Qu”(expel the miscellaneous thoughts now) to let your confused breath out and your mind collected. After exhaling, pause for a while to regain your normal breath. Again, step your left foot forward and leftward with your heel touch the ground first. Simultaneously withdraw your hands from the right side like a wavy line and then push them forward and leftward with the palms downward. At the same time you should correspondingly raise your right heel and then turn your head leftward and forward slightly and exhale a breath. Mind in words "Za Nian Qu Xi Zhen Yi Zhi" (let your confused thoughts go with true feelings coming) to make your confused breath out and your minds collected. After exhaling, you should pause for a while to resume your breath in normal. Then again, step your fight foot forward and rightward with your heel touching the ground first. Simultaneously withdraw your hands from the leg side in a wavy line and then push forward and rightward with the palms downward. At the same time you should correspondingly raise your left heel and then mm your head rightward and forward slightly and exhale a breath. Mind in words "Zhen Yi Zhi Shi Xin An Yi" (coming is the intendment, easing is the heart) to let your confused breath out and your mind collected. In case you have taken two steps to your left and two to the right following the method, and have minded the whole poem through four lines in eliminating your miscellaneous thoughts, then you would have finished a round Leisurely and slowly, you can continue idly taking steps this way for eight rounds namely you would take sixteen Steps to the left and other sixteen to the right, and mind the poem eight times in all without any spoken sound. Finishing eight rounds, you can have a break and get ready to practice the second part of the Kung-fu.
Exercising Xian Qing Man Bu (stepping idly and slowly), not only should you smoothly coordinate the movements of your head, arms and legs, but also be unfettered and free, easy and comfortable, so that gradually your confused thoughts could be eliminated naturally and unknowingly. Make sure that you should not be precipitant and abrupt.
2. Objective:
The objective is to make the practicer free from his miscellaneous thoughts, naturally eliminate his confused thoughts to attain the true feelings required during the practicing process, and then help him gradually to enter a state of tranquilization. As everyone knows, without managing to eliminate one's confused thoughts, he could not enter a state of tranquilization practicing any Jing Gong (tranquil Kung-fu) well. Nei Dan Gong is a relatively advanced form of Jing Gong. If a practicer could not have eliminated his confused thoughts first, he wouldn't be able to continue his Nei Dan Gong in practicing. Every school of Nei Dan Gong pays special attention to train one's internal mind, namely he has to eliminate his confused thoughts. Some people compare one's confused thought to a saying "Xin Yijan Yi Ma" (one's mind jumps like a monkey and his intention runs like a horse, that's to say, whimsicality). He has to fasten his mind and intention not interrupting his normal Nei Dan Gong practicing.
A book of Gui Zhong Zhi Nan (a guide book that tells some Taoistic principles) says, "Lao Qin Yi Ma Yu Xin Yuan (you should control your mind from being fanciful and fickle), Man Zhe Gong Fu Lian Gong Qian (be patient and slow down when you are practicing and refining your Nei Dan). Da Dao Jiao Ren Xian Zhi Nian (the primary principle of Nei Dan Gong tells you that you should eliminate your confused mind), Nian Tou (Za Nian) Bu Zhu Yi Tu Ran (your effort will become futile in case your mind is not controlled yet)”, That means when you are practicing Nei Dan Gong, you should get fight minding first. If you could not eliminate your confused thoughts, your fight minding could not be established and you cannot practice the Gong well. However, your confused thoughts could not be eliminated easily. A famous scholar, Gao Panlong, in Ming Dynasty said "E Nian Yi Qu (one's evil ideas could be got rid of easily), Za Nian Nan Chu (while miscellaneous thoughts not)” in his book of Gao Zi Yi Shu, (the letters left by Gao Zi). One’s confused thoughts would be accumulated and excessive with some phenomenon as one falls, another rises to and fro easily. Not being aware of the principles and not trying to eliminate his confused thoughts purposely in practicing, the practicer will only make them accumulated and increased. The purpose in ossification intending to eliminate is also a kind of one's confused thoughts. There is a way to eliminate your confused thoughts. In practicing the Gong, You do not need to purposely expel your confused thoughts and use Cao Fa (an exercising way) such as Yi Shou (intentionally observing), but just let your mind wander within a misty, lost and comfy condition for a long time, your confused thoughts Would have been vanishing naturally helping you entering a state of tranquilization. This method had been named a pampering way in some literatures being much letter than the said Gao Fa. Only a racticer, whose actions have become conditioned reflex due to his practice for ages, could exercise the Gong this way freely. Since this method is too indulgent, we are afraid that practicers will absurdly get evil thoughts and disaster because of some phantasm happened to them. So it's not suitable for those beginners being jittery easily. The "Xian Qing Man Bu Shou Xin Fa" adopted in the Nei Dan Gong Fa would help the most of the practicers to keep themselves calm down and their minding purified naturally and involuntarily. Practicing it well, you can lay a good foundation for the next several chapters of Nei Dan Gong Fa helping you practicing it successively.
(Provided by the Information Department of Zhong Wu International)
