Christopher Markert - May 1,

This book made available by the Internet Archive.

vi L3 Dan-Tien

6. Fine-Tuning the Dan-Tien 43

Our Quiet Center (43); Lazy Meditation (44); Mental Pictures (45);The Zero Experience (46); A Thousand Benefits (47); The Short Route to the Goal (48).

7. Dan-Tien: A Western Explanation 51

Far-Eastern Wisdom and Western Logic (51); The Anatomy of Dan-Tien (52); The Origin of Life (54); Our Glamorous "Outer Mind" (54); The Alienated Intellect (55); The Lowly Body (56).

8. Yin .and Yang, Female and Male 59

The Yin/Yang Balance (59); Harmony Between Men and Women (61);The Differences Between Men and Women (63).

9. More Notes from a Dan-Tien Student 67

10. At Home in the World 75

Feng Shui, Shinto, and Taoism (75); Some Places Feel Good (77); At Home in Nature (79); Livable Communities (80); Dan-Tien and Television (81); What Music Does to Us (82).

11. Enjoyable Relationships 85

In Tune with Others and Yourself (85); Love Relationships (86); It Feels Good to Be Loved and Needed (87); The Harmonious Community (88); LaoTzus Ideal Community (89).

12. The Answer is Closer than We Think 91

Pleasant and Unpleasant Feelings (91); The Wandering Mind (93); How Do You Feel? (95); Feel Your Way (96); Dan-Tien

is Different (97); Our Normal and Natural Condition (98); Poor Substitutes for Dan-Tien (99); Dan-Tien: Better than Biofeedback (100).

13. Getting into the Dan-Tien Habit 103

Problems of the Past (103); Imaginary Traumas (104): Finding the Right Angle (105); The Habit of Enjoying Every Minute (106);The Practical Angle (108); Negative Thoughts (109); Pleasant Dreams (110); The Dan-Tien Approach in a Nutshell (112).

Contents E! vii

14. Feeling Good is Good for You 113

Nature Wants Us to Be Happy (113); Suffering is a Warning Signal (115); Happier Frames of Reference (116); Questions (117); Facing the Issues (119); Perverse Pleasures (119); Familiar Phrases (121); Beliefs That Feel Good (122).

15. At Home in the Body 125

Body Harmony (125); Moving Naturally (126); Posture Checklist (127); Sitting Comfortably (128); Checklist for Sitting (129); Breathing is a Pleasure (130); Breathing Checklist (131); Sleeping Well (132); Sleeping Checklist (132); Eating and Excreting (133); Dancing is Fun (134); Dan-TienBetter than Drugs (135); Mental and Dental Health (137).

16. The Happy Child Within 139

Rediscovering the Child Within (139); Children in the Far East (141); Happy Children (142); Birth Without Violence (144); Learning Without Strain (145).

17. Everything Falls into Place 147

The All-Encompassing Dan-Tien Experience (147); Signs

of a Centered Life (147); The Meaning of Life (150).

Bibliography 153

Index 157

About the Author 162

Books by Christopher J. Markert have been published in the USA, England, France, Germany, Holland, Canada, Italy, India, Poland, Israel, Norway, Finland, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and China.

Figure 1. In tune with life at any given moment 2

Figure 2. The word Tao means way or path 6

Figure 3. It is the same with everything we think and

do each day 16

Figure 4. Dan-Tien in relation to the rest of the body 20

Figure 5. An advanced student gradually perfects the art 22

Figure 6. The God of Happiness 26

Figure 7. They take good care of the belly 32

Figure 8. We can cultivate the Dan-Tien habit further 42

Figure 9. Comfortable sitting posture 44

Figure 10. The Zero Technique 46

Figure 11. We in the West can also cultivate this subtle

awareness and benefit from it 50

Figure 12. The outer and inner mind 52

Figure 13. The Amoeba 53

Figure 14. The Yin/Yang polarity determines the

relation between the sexes 58

Figure 15. Yin/Yang Symbol 61

Figure 16. By putting everything down on paper I want

to clarify my ideas 66

Figure 17. The optimal location and shape of gardens,

buildings, windows, entrances 74

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x 212 Dan-Tien

Figure 18. A kind attitude toward others and yourself 84

Figure 19. Harmonizing with Nature and human nature 92

Figure 20. Yet such problems of the past can be solved

quickly and easily 102

Figure 21. We are endowed by Nature with an instinct

that makes us seek pleasure 114

Figure 22. We can get into the habit of enjoying (almost)

every minute of each day 124

Figure 23. We naturally harmonize with young children 140

Figure 24. The family East and West 142

Figure 25. We function in tune with nature and we

have access to the cosmic life energy 148

Foreword

After reading this book I realized that we can be happy, healthy, and fully functioning only when mind and body harmonize. When the mind is stressed and confused, for example, we experience feelings of displeasure in the body. But when we are happy and fully functioning, we sense pleasure in the body. Luckily this communication works both ways, so that we can attain a happy state of mind by creating a good mind/body balance. This usually happens in a matter of minutes when we use the Dan-Tien concept described here.

The effect is sensationalpartly because it is achieved without strenuous exercise, time-consuming meditation or other efforts. The main reason why I find the Dan-Tien approach so appealing is that it can be practiced at any moment and during everyday activities. I did this regularly and enjoyed it (and the pleasure aspect made it even more attractive).

In this way I could easily apply the secret in daily life, and my mind, as well as my body, functioned more joyfully and efficiently Who would not want to do something that is fun and brings results at the same time?

Gradually I got into the habit of being in touch with my feelings through my body. This made my mind calm, gave me more self-confidence, and generally added to my well-being.

xii L3 Dan-Tien

The actual key to this is the ancient Chinese practice of Dan-Tien. It is a method that I highly recommend. At first you may doubt its effectiveness because it is so simple. But any doubts disappear as soon as you give the method the chance it deserves.

Drs. Wolf van den Hoek

Introduction

The mysteries of the Far East have fascinated me ever since I was a student forty years ago. I felt that here I would discover the secrets that are missing in our Western culture. China has the world's oldest living culture, reaching back over five thousand years. After rejecting its ancient heritage in recent decades, China is now rediscovering its past.

Just as the Chinese are now learning technological skills from us, so we can benefit from the profound wisdom of the Chinese sages.