Ancient Northern Method of Taoism

Ancient Northern Method

Levels of practice in "Disciple system" of WuLiuPai School (or Ancient Northern Method):

Earth - levels 3, 2, 1 - “Purification”

Human - levels 3, 2, 1 - “Filling”

Heaven - levels 3, 2, 1 - "Skills"

Abridged Genealogy WuLiuPai
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One of the cultural, philosophical, and spiritual pillars upon which, as on a foundation, the massive edifice of centuries-old Chinese civilization is built, is the teaching of the Dao 道. Tradition names the ancient Chinese Emperor Huangdi 黃帝, born around 2700 BC, and the sage Laozi 老子, author of the famous treatise Daodejing 道德經, as the founders of this ancient teaching. Over the thousands of years of the Dao teaching's existence, various Daoist schools were created, studying this teaching on both theoretical and practical levels. The theoretical foundation was the treatises of the perfected people of Daoism, recognized as spiritual authorities in the Daoist tradition. The practical foundation, since ancient times, has been the practical methods of self-cultivation. These practical methods of self-cultivation set the high goal of uniting the practitioner with the supreme principle that created this world, and becoming a being of an essentially cosmic scale. Modern translators use the term Daoist alchemy to describe the process of self-cultivation in Daoism, thereby emphasizing what striking, fundamental changes the practitioner undergoes during the practices and becoming a Xian 仙. The character Xian can be translated as celestial, immortal, saint.

Methods of self-cultivation in Daoism have also changed over the centuries. Most commonly mentioned are the methods of internal alchemy, or the internal elixir Neidan 內丹, where the practitioner, using the three treasures Jing 精, Qi 氣, and Shen 神 as ingredients for the internal elixir of immortality, unites their energy and destiny Ming 命 with the nature of the heart Xing 性, forms the internal elixir Dan, and then undergoes a complex process of cultivation practice, including refining essence Jing into primordial energy Yuanqi 原氣, refining Yuanqi into spirit Shen, refining spirit Shen into emptiness, and refining emptiness and uniting with the Dao. As an auxiliary or intermediate method, the method of external alchemy, or the external elixir Waidan 外丹, is also named, when the practitioner uses external substances of natural origin in order to achieve internal changes at the level of body and energy.

Since ancient times, methods of the practitioner's alchemical transformation have been guarded from falling into the hands of people who could use these methods to the detriment of themselves and others. Therefore, practicing Daoists never had many disciples, which led to the fact that in later times of our era, even the emperors of China could not find a true teacher who could pass on the true method of practice to them. As a result, Buddhism, gaining popularity in China, gradually began to displace Daoism from the traditional Daoist mountains as places of practice, and also began to have a great influence on society and the rulers of China. Daoist teacher Wang Chongyang 王重陽 reformed Daoism and included methods of practice more accessible to a wide range of people in the arsenal of Daoist methods. As a result, new schools and new methods appeared, one of which became the ancient Northern method of Daoism.

One of such Daoist schools was the Quanzhen school 全真教 , also called the Northern School of Daoism, which exists to this day. Subsequently, Wang Chongyang's disciples became known as the Seven True Daoists of the North, and also founded their own Daoist schools. For example, a branch school from the Quanzhen school – the Dragon Gate School Longmenpai 龙门派 was created by Wang Chongyang's disciple, Patriarch Qiu Chuji 丘处机. Later, the 8th generation patriarch of the Longmenpai school Wu Chungxu 伍冲虚 and his disciple, Chan master Liu Huayang, created the Daoist school WuLiupai 伍柳派. The ancient Northern method is practiced in the WuLiupai school to this day. Practice according to the ancient Northern method of Daoism implies consistent advancement through levels, each of which corresponds to its own period of practice.

Earth level practices are dedicated to purifying the practitioner's body and energy. Purification involves both purifying the practitioner's heart and purifying the energy channels, internal organs, and energy centers. This is necessary so that the practitioner prepares their body, energy, and energy centers for energy gathering. The student learns self-diagnosis and self-healing of simple diseases that cause deviations in the normal functioning of the practitioner's body and the circulation of their energy.

A practitioner who has successfully completed the Earth level practices moves on to the Human level practices. This stage of practice is characterized by the accumulation of post-heaven Qi energy and pre-heaven Qi, as well as the replenishment of Jing essence. Also at the Human level, the practitioner deepens the cultivation of the heart, and learns to control the heart in everyday life, learns to extend the practice to everyday life, and achieves the cure of serious diseases if they are present. At the next stage of practice, the Heaven level, the student unlocks special abilities and intuition necessary to achieve success in alchemical practice.

"The subtlety of the Dao lies in Original Nature and Life, and to cultivate (perfect) Original Nature and Life is to return to the One. The ancient sages used symbols when speaking of cultivating Original Nature and Life to the one, because they did not want to present the teaching in explicit form. Therefore, at present it is so difficult to find anyone who understands the meaning of cultivating mind and body." – Huimingjing, Liu Huayang (translated from Chinese by E. Wong)