Mantak Chia - Fusion of the Five Elements: Meditations for Transforming Negative Emotions

Fusion

of the

Five Elements

Meditations for Transforming

Negative Emotions

Mantak Chia

Destiny Books

Rochester, Vermont

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank foremost those Taoist Masters who were kind enough to share their knowledge with me, never dreaming it would be so enthusiastically received by the Western world.

I thank the many contributors essential to this books final form: The editorial and production staff at Inner Traditions/Destiny Books for their efforts to clarify the text and produce a handsome new edition of the book, Victoria SantAmbrogio for her line edit of the new edition, and the artist, Juan Li, for his informative illustrations.

For their assistance in producing the original edition of this book, I thank Valerie Meszaros for her dedication and thoroughness in editing the book, as well as her skill in design and production on our new desktop publishing system. I thank Charles Soupios for his editorial assistance in the technical aspects of this practice, and Michael Winn for his general editorial contributions. I thank Ivan Salgado for designing the books original cover. I also want to extend my thanks to our publishing consultant, Joel Friedlander. His advice in establishing our desktop publishing system and in contributing to the design of the original book was invaluable.

A special thank you goes to our Thai Production Team for their cover illustration and the original books design and layout: Raruen Keawpadung, computer graphics; Saysunee Yongyod, photographer; Udon Jandee, illustrator; and Saniem Chaisarn, production designer.

Further, I wish to express my gratitude to all instructors and students who have offered their time and advice to enhance the communication of this practice and this system.

Without my mother and my son Max, my continued efforts in bringing you the Universal Tao System would be academic. For their gifts, I offer my eternal gratitude and love.

Putting the Fusion of the Five Elements into Practice

The practices described in this book have been used successfully for thousands of years by Taoists trained by personal instruction. Readers should not undertake the practice without receiving personal transmission and training from a certified instructor of the Universal Tao, since certain of these practices, if done improperly, may cause injury or result in health problems. This book is intended to supplement individual training by the Universal Tao and to serve as a reference guide for these practices. Anyone who undertakes these practices on the basis of this book alone does so entirely at his or her own risk.

The meditations, practices, and techniques described herein are not intended to be used as an alternative or substitute for professional medical treatment and care. If any readers are suffering from illnesses based on mental or emotional disorders, an appropriate professional health care practitioner or therapist should be consulted. Such problems should be corrected before you start training.

Neither the Universal Tao nor its staff and instructors can be responsible for the consequences of any practice or misuse of the information contained in this book. If the reader undertakes any exercise without strictly following the instructions, notes, and warnings, the responsibility must lie solely with the reader.

This book does not attempt to give any medical diagnosis, treatment, prescription, or remedial recommendation in relation to any human disease, ailment, suffering, or physical condition whatsoever.

Introduction

The Foundation for Transformation

For more than five thousand years, Taoist masters researched and developed various methods to attain such desirable achievements as long life and happiness. Some of the methods they called External Alchemy, and these included the Immortal Pill, magic potions, crystals, crystal essences, flower essences, precious stones, and so forth. The highest Taoist masters realized that external methods offered only limited help while building dependencies on materials that were difficult to come by.

In their continued search for an unlimited source of energy, they turned their attention inward to uncover the mysteries surrounding their own life forces. In this search, they discovered a universe within and found it to be identical to the outer universe. They knew that the outer universe harbored a tremendous force, and that the inner universe of a human being could benefit from that force, if the two could somehow be connected.

The Taoist masters reasoned that to become connected to the outer universe, they first needed to gain control of their own inner universe. They experienced this inner universe as a flow of energy, or chi, through their bodies. The Microcosmic Orbit, running up the spine and down the front of the body, was uncovered as the pathway through which the distilled essence of this energy flows. They perceived that the Microcosmic Orbit connects three bodiesphysical, soul, and spiritwithin each individual and ultimately fuses them into one immortal body. It was with this perception that the study of Internal Alchemy began.

NATURAL CONNECTIONS OF INNER AND OUTER UNIVERSES

Turning their attention toward understanding the nature and connection between the forces of the outer universe and the forces of the human body, the Taoist masters made another discovery. Each life lived in the human form is developed, structured, and influenced by a group of stars. This group of stars, which includes the planets and cosmic particles within its configuration, controls the life force, the good and bad fortune, and the birth and death of the individual.

Each day of a persons life reflects a continuing need to absorb energy from the stars and planets and from the cosmic particles. To explore the patterns of star energy in detail, ancient Taoists developed the science of astrology to a very high level.

In addition to the energy from the stars, the Taoist masters found that humans require another source of natural energy: the energy supplied by Earths force. It is the absorption of all natural forces that nourishes the nervous system, organs, glands, senses, soul, and spirit of a human being. To facilitate their understanding of the forces of nature, the Taoists divided them into three classifications.

The first force is called the universal force (or the Original Force), and is also known as heavenly energy. It manifests as the energy of all the stars, planets, and galaxies. This vast, all-pervading force nourishes the mind, soul, and spirit of each individual and everything else in the universe that is manifest.

The universal force is especially drawn to our planet because of the unique relationship between Earth and Moon. The combined forces of Earth and Moon create a very strong magnetic power that attracts and beams down to Earth the energies of all the stars in our galaxy.

The cosmic particle force, or human plane energy, is the second force of nature. Cosmic particles are a part of the Original Force, resulting from exploded stars that have come to the end of their life cycles and are now drifting in space as very fine particles. As the strong, magnetic power created by Earth and Moon attracts many of these particles, they then drift through Earths atmosphere as dust, and eventually become soil.