In the Taoist Tradition sexuality and spirituality are bound together, as the Taoists focus on harmonizing mind, body and spirit. Spiritual development requires a balance of physical health and mental clarity, and our sexuality plays an important role in that.
Sex is natural and we are sexual beings – women, born with hundreds of eggs, they have the capacity to generate hundreds of lives! (And man with a single ejaculation could repopulate North America!). The Taoist believes that if we were not to use this energy to create life itself, we can use it to enhance our own life.
In this light sexuality is beyond sex, being the most powerful energy of creation, the expression of our creativity, that can be used for pleasure, healing, to cultivate health, rejuvenation, longevity; to attain goals, to realise dreams, and ultimately, to connect with the Divine, the universal source or ‘Re-Union with the Tao.’ In other words, by using the sexual energy for spiritual development, we come by ‘the short path to enlightenment’.
Taoism is the foundation of Chinese philosophy and medicine. It is a comprehensive physical and spiritual system that helps individuals to reach their highest potentials. It is perhaps best known in this country as the basis for traditional Chinese medicine, which includes acupuncture, herbal therapy, nutrition, massage, the energetic meditation called Chi Kung, and the martial art called Tai Chi Chuan. The Universal Tao system was developed by Mantak Chia to teach Taoist meditative and exercise techniques to balance the body and increase and refine one's vital energy, or chi. The sexual practice, or Healing Love, is an essential part of this system.
"Chi," the Chinese word for life energy, is the force within our bodies and within the universe that engenders life. The word itself has many translations, such as energy, air, breath, wind, or vital essence. There are 49 cultures around the world that understand the concept of chi in one form or another; examples include Ki (Japanese), Prana (Sanskrit), Lung (Tibetan), Neyatoneyah (Lakota Sioux), Num (Kalahari Kung), and Ruach (Hebrew).
"Western culture" and allopathic medicine, often called Western or conventional medicine, is one of the few cultures that does not have a similar concept, although it recognizes the role of energy at the molecular level. Western medicine is extremely effective for treating acute disease and traumatic injuries. However, some believe that it is, in part, the absence of this concept of "life force" that limits its effectiveness in treating chronic illnesses. Western medicine is just beginning to recognize what the Taoists have known for more than 2,000 years, that directing the flow of our life force, our chi can improve our health and vitality.
You can learn to use your concentration and your breath to activate and move your energy; this practice is called Chi Kung. It involves both concentration exercises and simple movements to facilitate the flow of chi. Used throughout China and now widely practiced in the United States, Chi Kung is an ancient and effective practice for many health issues.
Once you become aware of your chi, you'll find that it's rather easy to notice and feel it. Try this simple exercise. Briskly rub your palms together until you produce heat. Now slowly separate your palms until they are about an inch apart. You should feel a "cushion" of air between them that may feel like pressure, heat, or tingling. This sensation is the chi passing between your hands.
In all traditions meditative practices calm and focus the mind. The Healing Tao meditative practices do this by focusing on the movement of chi. The basic practice is based on circulating chi through a body circuit called the Microcosmic Orbit, which is like an energy superhighway in the body. The Microcosmic Orbit runs from your tailbone up your spine to your brain (the Back Channel) and then returns down the front of your body in the midline (the Front Channel). By using the focus of your mind, you can direct the chi up the spine as you breathe in and let it "fall" down the Front Channel to your abdomen as you breathe out.
The Taoist masters advocate for men not to ejaculate. Now, for all those men groaning out there, this doesn’t mean the end of your sex life, in fact your sex life can be greatly improved. There is no end to lovemaking when the sperm is not expelled, and you can become multi-orgasmic. This practice also ensures a blissful experience for your partner.
This sexual kung fu takes time and practice to learn, but has a tremendous impact on your health, sexual expression and life force.
Mantak Chia is a master practitioner, and was taught the sacred ancient Tantric practices by a Taoist Master. According to Mantak Chia, the primary purpose of conducting sexual practices is to save and transform sexual energy into more refined energy (transmuting Jing into Chi). In the genuine Taoist thought, however, this is only possible if the sexual essence is spiritually guided and purified by the heart, only then can its virtue transform into Chi. That’s why the Taoists who want to achieve true inner cultivation only practice sexual methods with utmost care, love and respect towards their sexual partner. If you’re playing solo, you can also cultivate your sexual awareness and energy.
The Taoist sexual practices help rejuvenate the body by managing the seed essences of sperm and the ovaries that control hormone and blood quality. this reduces loss or waste of sexual energy.
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