About the Daoist Karmic Yoga

The Daoist alchemy of the Former Heaven (xian tian), also known as Daoist Karmic Yoga, is an art that is focused on the observation and studying of the methods, leading to the knowledge for the energy of previous and following–up actions. This doctrine is associated with the Huashan branches of the school of Perfect Truth and represents a practice, allowing us to pass beyond the limits of the physical understanding for life.

This practice, in the Daoist system, is based on the developmental work with the energy forms and structures, determined by the nature of the Earth-Heaven-Man connection. The knowledge for the laws of the Former Heaven, actually, represents the opportunity of observing the laws of changes, prescribed by the Heaven – an art, allowing to recognize the past and evaluate the present.

Each person, from the moment of his birth, get certain information implanted in him, which information, actually, determines the laws that caused man's appearance in the world. The Daoists use the term Former Heaven for designating that information. It is believed, that the process of human development, from the moment of our birth, is determined by the quality of the Former Heaven, which also predetermines our destiny by dictating the conditions against which our development is happening. The quality of the Former Heaven depends on many factors, including the quality of our ancestors' energy, the characteristics of our parents, the place of birth and the exact circumstances we were conceived in. The way we develop this quality during the process of our vital activity and personal development, actually, determines the term Later Heaven. That is the reason why in the Daoist alchemy is paid so much attention to the work with the Former Heaven. Its meaning and influence on the practice is double: from one side it can help for our development and give us a strong push at certain level of the practice; from the other – it can become an insuperable obstacle.

For most people the term Former Heaven is more familiar as karma and the techniques of working with the Former Heaven – as karmic techniques. Such techniques exists in many schools and traditions, all of them connected through the pursuit of improving the qualities of the energy, associated with the karma and, consequently, with its purifying. The most popular method includes both the following of the will of the higher powers and the transmission of the process of spiritual cleansing to the hands of the spirits and deities. This particular way can become very problematic, since there are many examples when a man gives himself up to the will of the higher powers, while, at same time, doing nothing on his own than just indulging the delivered result. Usually, it leads either to a great loss of power, or, in the best case, to its replacement. As a result, one quality of the karma is replaced by another, but not necessarily with a better one. In order not to admit such failures, our actions should start with the stage of preparing the energy structure by the means of our body. Besides, a way like this usually requires a monastic seclusion, or a long estrangement from the world, as well as a renunciation of all earthly affections and social dependence. This tradition was formed during the ages and with the help of the numerous practitioners, who found seclusion in the sacred mountains of Tibet and China. In reality, if we follow such a path, it can provide us certain conditions for peace and naturalness, when the place and surroundings will contribute and increase the power of the process.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity of creating such conditions nowadays (an exception is Damanhur). Moreover, many of the resources, which transfer real knowledge, have ceased to exist, or simply are inaccessible for the uninitiated. That is the reason why so many people, when starting to work with the karma, are in fact externally and internally into the cycle of things, but have not yet created the necessary energy conditions for that. It is very essential to understand that, without having the necessary power and internal readiness, this work may not only reach the purpose of liberating us from the karmic dependence, but also, on the contrary, may simply strengthen it. Karma, in the first place, is energy, and like every other kind of energy – follows certain laws of transformation. The karmic bonds support the process of vital activity independently from our satisfaction from it; starting the process too early, we may lose this support as well as the vitality, standing behind it. This is the real reason why the work with the karmic practices and the changing of the Former Heaven energy starts immediately after the practitioner has reached a certain level – when his internal transformations begin and he starts to realize the laws of these transformations.

The information for the Former Heaven is located in very specific zones and also in the center of the body. Each part of the human body has energy centers and energy connections. Working with them, we can influence one or another kind of energy. The Daoists developed a system of special exercises, allowing us to clean this information, releasing alchemical ingredients at the same time. The whole process starts with the preparation of those energy zones in the body, which are associated with the karma. At first, we have to prepare our consciousness and body, unlike the vessels that should be ready to accept the energy, released from the chains, in order not to diffract in the inner chaos. For that reason, we need to create an energy structure that will avoid the possible losses of released energy and will contribute the absorption of all internal work achievements in the future. The process of "cleansing" and refining the quality of physical existence by the means of internal changes thus appears to be the necessary initial condition.

The basic zone, influencing the energy of the Former Heaven, are the wrists. There are certain positions of the meridians when the wrists can alter the circulation and movement of the energy in the body, not only with the help of the energy that is inside them, but also thanks to the interaction with the energy from the outside. In other words, our wrists can perceive the fine energy from the space and interact with it.

Basic tasks of the Karmic Yoga

• reaching a normal and controllable circulation of the energy in the body;
• using the power of the place for working with certain qualities that will lead to a disclosure of the principles of the Former Heaven and will also cause a release of all the incorrectly used (or not realized) energy and its absorption.