Bao wrote:If you read Dr Yang (Jwing-Ming, I suppose?) you should know that on old median charts, the three Dantians was marked by pictures of stoves, that the Dantian was resembled by a stove, as the "heart flame" sinks down to the "water" and creates steam. Right?
There's a reason for this symbol of the stove and the term "nei". In ancient China, the way of fast stir frying foods we see in the modern China, was in fact created for warfare, to prepare food quickly for the troops in battle by using very high heat to fry shredded pieces of meats and vegetables. This method was called "wai", to cook outside on the field. The opposite was nei, the more sophisticated ways to cook food inside the house, when you could take time and make effort to create more splendid dishes.
So Neidan means slow, careful internal refinement, Waidan means fast, external refinement. So this meaning "nei" as in neidan is also how Neijiaquan connects to Daoist practice and terminology.
This is very fascinating and makes sense, even if you can't find the original source.
I developed a free pdf - on neidan training - and the basic concept is as you state - the fire (shen) goes underneath the water (jing) to create steam (qi) - this is the original character for qi from the Zhou Dynasty and - in terms of "dragon and tiger" in archaeology goes back to the Shang. https://www.pdf-archive.com/2017/04/10/ ... t-alchemy/ so lots of images there on this concept.
So the triple cauldron of the Bronze Age alchemy - are you saying the purpose of that cauldron was to put the wok on for cooking for the troops? I know it must have been for rituals as well.
In terms of say Tai Chi or external forms - the pdf goes into that as well - since the left hand is yang and lower body is yin, while the right hand is yin and upper body yang. So this creates a natural battery to connect the yin-yang creating an oscillator to build up energy.
So the question is about external strength building - the collagen, the most common protein - is piezoelectric and lecithin stores the charge. This is why celibacy was key for the real alchemy training and real masters are rare.
Standing exercises build up the qi by maintaining celibacy - this is based on the nervous system - I go into the science in the pdf.
So then meditation on the Emptiness means to "turn the light around" which is the key for the slow cooking - as the fire otherwise leaves out of the eyes, taking the qi with it, and causing subconscious loss of water.
Full lotus is best with left leg on top because then yang left is embracing lower body yin - and this activates more qi - the pdf goes into the science of why.
The response then linked to this thread on their blog - http://www.rumsoakedfist.org/viewtopic. ... 86#p316755
So it is said that in meditation then visualization - with the shen below the jing - is dominant whereas in standing active exercise - internal listening is to go into the emptiness to build up energy.
When they say to return to the void - the symbol Wu Chi was actually not until the Song dynasty whereas the older alchemy is based on the Yuan Qi as unified yin-yang which again means shen under jing to create qi as a three in one unity.
So that image of fire under water to create steam really is the key to the hold practice - and the final stages of alchemy, as detailed in the book "Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality" is to return to the Yuan Qi as formless awareness energy. When the shen is "turned around" this creates yuan qi - as the "movement" in "non-doing."
This is actually verified in science - I go into this in the pdf.
In fact this alchemy training is older than just Chinese culture - the original human culture, the San Bushmen say to visualize fire at the base of the spine, with the same energy training results.