Guest guest Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Yep, in old China, and in places where traditional views and ways -Taiwan and overseas communities - go on, alchemy means INNER alchemy (forgot to add that term on the chinese text i put on evil qi), like Chris said, you change and assimilate substances in the body with inner processes that are compared to a chemical operation, or ALchemical, with its transmutation connotations. In yonder days, it was also pursued in the 'western' alchemical sense; of making an external elixir with substances such as mercury(cinnabar), fungus, roots, etc. Some said they managed to make a real health-immotality elixir, but we have many stories of death by poisoning. So it was generally regarded as better to try the inner alchemy, just to be on the safe side... Marcos > The term 'alchemy' in the West carries a stigma - of futile and dangerous notions of using mercury and trying to change lead into gold, etc. I'm not sure what the exact Chinese term is, but what is translated as alchemy, in teachings I've gathered, is a significant aspect of Daoist healthcare practices, as well as a cultivation for practitioners. I.e. transmuting the denseness of jing (lower dan tian / xia jiao) into shen (middle dan tian zhong jiao) and then into sui/marrow (upper dan tian / shang jiao). This represents the idea that, with cultivation, the waning of bodily strength, with age, can be converted into mental and spiritual clarity and strength. As Vic notes, it's by no means obsolete in CM, and is more than superstition. > _____ Acesso Grátis - Internet rápida e grátis. Instale o discador agora! http://br.acesso./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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