Email of Gerald (Singapore)- Interesting comment on the Taoist Scripture

Subject :www.eng.taoism.org.hk

Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002

Hi guys,
this site is an excellent comprehensive site in both Chinese and English on the Taoist concepts.
This one paragraph below talks about the Vital Breath ("Qi") of Tao - It could be same as the cool
breeze of the Holy Spirit (Kundalini)? The words in ("" "") are mine.

Read on.....


Regards
Gerald

The Vital Breath which is
primordial and linked to
the Revered Spirits
(superscript: 67) of the
Great Dao is called
'Vital Breath of Dao'


In Daoism, the character
'Qi' ('Vital Breath') is
often written as a
combination of the
characters for
'Non-Being'(superscript:
8) -- signifying its
substance --and 'Fire' --
signifying its movement,
volatility, and
sublimity. The term
'Vital Breath of Dao' is
habitually written in
this manner. The source
of the universe is Dao,
[""ADI SHAKTI???"") and
Vital Breath of Dao is
the initiator of the
evolution of the universe
("PARAMCHAITANYA?") .
Vital Breath of Dao is
also referred to as the
Vital Breath of Great
Purity(superscript: 9) or
as Pure Vital Breath
(superscript: 10). In the
Numinous Treasure's Lofty
and Sublime Book of the
Limitless Salvation of
Mankind(superscript: 11),
it is stated that <<All
movement is of Pure Vital
Breath>>. Li Shaowei of
the Tang dynasty
explained this sentence
as follows: the entire
universe is made up of
perpetually circulating
Pure Vital Breath,
enabling billions of
worlds of unlimited
height to remain
suspended in emptiness.
This Vital Breath is like
wind yet is not wind;
like water yet is not
water (it enables the
world to remain afloat);
it binds together the
entire universe; it seems
like both Being and
Non-Being, but it truly
does exist. Pure Vital
Breath is clear and
limpid, and possesses
unlimited generative
power, enough to bind
together trillions of
worlds. Sometimes Daoism
uses a specific term
called 'Diamond Wind'
(superscript: 12) or
'Wind Brilliance'
(superscript: 13), an
inexhaustible wind that
is not extinguished after
each kalpa cycle. It is
the Vital Breath of the
Primordial Pure Wind
(superscript: 14).
According to the Lofty
and Sublime Book of the
Primordial Limitless
Salvation of Mankind
(superscript: 15), this
Vital Breath of Wind
Brilliance is stronger
than genuine gold;
therefore it is called
'Diamond Wind'. It
englobes the great earth
(the Nine Zones
(superscript: 16)) and
carries the Nine Heavens,
traverses Emptiness,
arouses the Essential
Vital Breath(superscript:
17) of the Heavenly Han
(superscript: 18), making
the Vital Breath of the
Hevenly Han rise higher
than the void, floating
in space without falling
down. The Diamond Perfect
Vital Breath holds the
Heavens afloat. The great
Earth is also related to
the Diamond Vital Breath.
The historical
commentators of the
scriptures all consider
that this Diamond Wind is
actually the Vital Breath
of Dao. The Vital Breath
of Great Purity is the
Vital Breath of the
original source, the root
of Heaven and Earth, and
is also the primordial
Dao. After the Southern
and Northern dynasties,
it came to be generally
called 'Vital Breath of
Dao'. Taking Vital Breath
as the original source,
it is also called
'Original Vital Breath'
(superscript: 19).


Vital Breath of Dao is
omnipresent. Sometimes,
in order to distinguish
it from other forms of
Vital Breath, it is
called 'Primordial Vital
Breath'(superscript: 20).
Primordial Vital Breath
is the original Vital
Breath of humans, which
we possess from the time
of birth. It constitutes
man's true nature, is the
origin of life, and is
the basis for Cultivating
Immortality(superscript:
21). Only after
discovering and nurturing
the Primordial Vital
Breath in one's body, can
there be any hope of
refining an irreversible
Body of Law(superscript:
22). This Primordial
Vital Breath will be
further described in our
later dicussion of Inner
Alchemy(superscript: 23).



In order to master Vital
Breath, one must first
understand the
relationship between Man
and Vital Breath. In the
Inner Book of the Master
Who Embraces Simplicity2,
Ge Hong states that man
is in Vital Breath and
Vital Breath is in man --
similar to stating that
the fish is in water and
water is in the fish. The
eminent Tang dynasty
Daoist Master Sun Simiao
said in On Nourishing the
Body with Vital Breath
and Spirit3 that since
the emergence of the
universe out of the
separation of Original
Chaos4 and the creation
of Heaven and Earth,
Vital Breaths gave birth
to men and the myriad
beings, and their forms
emerged. The duration of
man's life is determined
by his Spirit5 and Vital
Breath. In the
Inscription on
Visualizing Spirits and
Refining Vital Breath6,
it is said that the body
is the habitation of
Spirit and Vital Breath.
If Spirit and Vital
Breath are stored up in
abundance, the body will
be healthy and energetic.
If Spirit and Vital
Breath are lost, the body
will die. If one wants to
preserve one's body, one
must first stabilize
one's Vital Breath. Vital
Breath is the mother of
Spirit, ("WOW, isn't this
amazing?") Spirit is the
son of Vital Breath. If
Spirit and Vital Breath
can unite, one can attain
to immortality. ("SOUNDS
LIKE WHEN KUNDALINI AND
SPIRIT MEET AT
BRAHMARANDA")

Powers one can acquire
after mastering Vital
Breath


Mastery of the Vital
Breath (of Dao) releases
powers which are commonly
unimaginable. Regarding
these powers and their
effects, Xiao Yingsou of
the Song dynasty once
said that if Spirit,
Vital Energy and Material
Essence9 are merged into
one and return to their
source and root, all the
Spirits inside the
person's body will unite
together and form his
Body of Law10 (an
infant), ("SOUNDS LIKE A
PASSAGE FROM
GYANESHWARA'S CHAPTER 6
GYANESHWARI") he can
discard and abandon his
illusory body which he
can leave and enter at
leisure, no longer under
the control of the
creator, but united with
Dao, having given birth
to a Most Precious Jewel
11. Men can attain this
Most Precious Jewel in
their bodies, roam about
unfettered, enjoy eternal
youth, and become as
everlasting as Heaven and
Earth. He can emit his
Perfect Vital Breath12
onto a stone and the
stone will change; he can
emit it onto a skeleton
and a living body will
rise; he can emit it to
cure all illnesses; he
can emit it to expel
Goblins13 and Deviant
Vital Breath14, which
will naturally disappear;
to act on the wind and
thunder, and make them
tremble ("WOW") ; he can
also in such manner
support all beings and
let them live
Spontaneously and
unhindered; and save
ghosts so that they
naturally attain
salvation. This is called
the << Limitless
Salvation of mankin 15
>>. (See the Inner
Meaning of the Lofty and
Sublime Book of
Primordial Infinity.16).
Therefore, Vital Breath
is the foundation of all
Daoist Arts17.