Dao, translated as The Way, refers to the Way of Nature. Laozi, the founder of philosophical Daoism, and author of Dao De Jing (Scripture of Change), reluctantly termed it “The Nameless” (as well as The Unknowable, The Void, and The Way) as he knew words limit, and Dao is limitless, beyond all description. Void or Emptiness is the very nature of Dao, and to say that it exists is to exclude that which does not. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth.
Daoism dates back in China’s history almost 5,000 years. It is ingrained within so many aspects of traditional culture, influencing cosmology, sciences and medicine, folklore, mysticism, painting, calligraphy, martial arts, and Qigong, and even the culinary arts are founded upon its principles. Daoism can become a way of life that allows the adherent to live more closely with nature, by following Natural Law, and in doing so life becomes effortless and more joyful. To follow Dao is to survive and thrive and to go against Dao is to perish.
Unlike religious worship of a Supreme Being, Daoism recognizes more a supreme state of being which everyone can achieve through their own personal efforts and in doing so could be assured a long life in good health and youthfulness. Daoist sages, or hermits, that turned their back on society were associated with natural youthfulness, smooth skin, lustrous hair, and bright eyes, and more so with great longevity and wisdom (“Without leaving his room, the Sage can know the ways of the World” – Dao De Jing), as well as almost superhuman agility, and paranormal abilities. These include seeing colors/ auras, seeing through solid objects or the contents of sealed jars, remote viewing, or seeing the future, for example. After Qi is cultivated at the Lower Dantian (umbilicus), bestowing health and vitality and higher resistance to disease and aging, it continues to rise opening the Middle Dantian (Heart Centre), and upwards to nourish the brain, culminating at the Upper Dantian, we know as “the Sky-Eye” or what Daoists referred to as “the Precious Square Inch” or “Mysterious Portal”. Some Daoist recluses were Breatharians, existing solely on the air, the dew and just a few berries and nuts. Grandmaster Yang Meijun, inheritor of the Daoist Wild Goose (Dayan) Qigong system, lived into her hundreds, and even came to be known as “Yang The Immortal”. She also developed healing skills and what some consider supernatural abilities. To Daoists, this is just “human potential” and treated more normally; a natural progression from training, developing and refining Mind and Qi (Spirit), to a higher frequency and vibration. Human beings of the past had many such innate abilities, but these became lost over generations through lack of use, and social conditioning within cultures that not only overlook this, but regard with superstition, actively discourage this, and criticize it, instead of embracing and celebrating this potential reaching another level and evolving the human race to the next stage. Instead, we are distracted and entertained via technology, to become hyper impatient and superficial, and regressing or devolving. I often say that Qigong and Taijiquan could not have been created today with the Tik Tok generation, in the age of cellphone addiction, because, largely, human beings have lost The Way. This potential, however, can be reclaimed through cultivating ancient Daoist breathing practices and special training methods – stilling the mind to regain Emptiness and return to the most natural state, and opening the channels of the body, so the Qi flows optimally, as it should, without the blockages that hamper this progress.
Dao is eternal, infinite, and beyond time and space. It is the source of all being. It is the mother of the universe. It is the invisible thread which permeates and binds everything in existence. Wuji creates Taiji, giving birth to Liang Yi (Duality) or Yin/ Yang, the entire spectrum of complementary opposites including day and night, male and female, summer and winter, work and rest, mountains and valleys etc. Yin/ Yang are interdependent, relative, and define each other. Yin/ Yang can then subdivide further, so Two become Four Phases (Si Xiang). In nature Si Xiang can include the Four Seasons (Summer, Fall, Spring and Winter) and the Four Directions, (N,E,W,S). Each of the Four Situations further subdivides into Eight Situations (Ba Gua), represented by trigrams (Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth). Each of these Eight Situations can be further divided to create 64 possibilities (Eight multiplied by Eight). This covers all images in nature, based on the binary system, and provides the tools for prediction and divination (Yijing or Book of Change). The Yijing is also used in astronomy, astrology and horoscopes, geomancy (Feng Shui), Chinese medicine, and even in the deepest levels of Qigong and Taijiquan, and other Chinese martial arts.
Three Treasures belong to Daoism. In the cosmos, there is the Earth, Sun and Moon. Within the human body there is Jing (bodily essence) which is the seminal fluid for men and blood for women, Qi is vital energy, and Shen (Spirit), which relates to the mind. Daoist theory also includes The Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water). They are represented by the various colors, directions, seasons, emotions, flavors, internal organs, weathers etc. No one is superior, as each exerts a mutually creative (supporting) or destructive (restraining) influence upon the other, in the form of cycles. For example, in the controlling phase, Earth absorbs Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood, and Wood breaks up the Earth. Through the supporting cycle, Earth produces minerals and Metal, Metal Produces Water (moisture/ condensation or melts to liquid, like water), Water feeds Wood, Wood burns to create Fire, and Fire burns down to create ashes and Earth.
Dao is seen as a ceaseless flow, changing every moment, never static. Yet, the changes proceed in orderly cycles. We can predict the path of the sun as day follows night, and the changing order of the seasons. Some cycles can be much longer and harder to comprehend, so the pattern is not observed. Investigation into nature’s patterns allows us to predict events, which is how the Daoist “Yijing”/ “I Ching” (or ‘Scripture of Change’), based upon binary Yin/ Yang, was created.
Daoists follow the principle of Non-Action (Wu Wei). This is sometimes mistaken for “doing nothing”, but it means to act without forcing, moving in accordance with nature’s flow, and following the path of least resistance, like fish swimming with the current or a plant bending towards the sunlight. It is about accomplishing a task with no wasted effort and conserving energy.
Closely related with Wu Wei is Pu, often translated as “The Uncarved Block (of Wood)”. It refers to a state of simplicity, and pure potential, which is the primordial condition of the mind before the arising of experience or perception without prejudice, societal conditioning, or intellectual complexity, i.e. beyond right/wrong, good/bad, beautiful/ugly and preferences and aversions. It is a state of mental unity which places the Daoist practitioner into harmonious alignment with Dao, free from the distortions and static imposed by human desires and social constructs. Laozi wrote, “Hold fast to the uncarved block. The world will be transformed by itself”. This highlights the Daoist concept that true harmony and transformation arise not from force or interference, but from allowing things to follow their natural course. This is why Pu and Wu Wei go hand-in-hand.
Ethically, Pu represents a way of life that emphasizes humility, authenticity, and non-attachment. In contrast to moral systems that rely on rigid rules or social hierarchies, Daoist ethics promote a return to one’s innate nature. Living according to Pu involves letting go of superficial desires and artificial distinctions, embracing a state of simplicity and contentment. The Daoist sage, who embodies Pu, does not seek fame, wealth, or power but instead lives quietly and modestly, in harmony with the rhythms of nature. Laozi writes, “The sage prefers to be filled with the substance of the Dao rather than with the trappings of the world”. By embodying Pu, the sage remains free from the complexities and conflicts of the human world, acting effortlessly and effectively in accordance with the Dao. Early Daoists promoted the idea of a simple, hands-off “uncarved block of wood” approach to government. To Daoists, good government and ethical life involved not exercising human willpower over oneself and others, but in quiet surrender to the power of Dao.
Stillness and Emptiness are central to Daoist philosophy. This is to return to the original state of being. One example of many, in Chapter 11 of the Dao De Jing, Laozi wrote, “Thirty spokes join at a hub: it is the emptiness that is useful to the cart. When the potter’s wheel makes a pot, the use of the pot is precisely where there is nothing. Open the doors and windows to a room, it is the emptiness that is useful to the room. Therefore, what is there is of benefit, but the emptiness is for usefulness”. Meditation (Stillness), in its various forms, is the best practical tool to achieve the state of “Emptiness”. This is why most Chinese martial arts and Qigong include some form of Stillness training for the mind to attain this state of Emptiness, which includes Non-Action and The Uncarved Block state. The Mind in martial arts functions optimally without thought and reactive emotion (in Empty Mind) and also in Stillness the Qi is stored and develops which nourishes and balances the body, as well as centering the Qi for heath and healing. First action, then stillness and then Emptiness. Achieving Emptiness puts us in harmony and connection to Dao. And eventually, for a few, Enlightenment, as to the way things are, coming to see through the illusions, delusions, lies, and trappings of this superficial, artificial and temporary world.
Activity should always alternate with periods of stillness and never be pushed to the point of strain. This is the principle of balance, necessary for a long and healthy life. The practitioner’s heart and mind should constantly remain calm. Emotions such as anger, anxiety, desires, frustration etc. all disturb inner peace, so it is best to reject them. Actually, the emotions should not be suppressed but rather transcended.
Alchemy is the process of refining the spirit, generally disguised as the quest for converting base metals into gold. Daoists sought to refine a ‘golden pill’ which bestowed perpetual youth, resistance to disease, and immortality (or longevity). Some misguidedly ingested experimental compounds of cinnabar (sulphide of mercury), gold, silver, jade, pearls, silver, and even arsenic, many of whom died from poisoning. The highest form of Daoist alchemy is Qigong, or Neigong, or any number of internal training methods, which is natural and requires no external aid. The refining process involves cultivation of The Three Treasures, first conserving Jing, “essence” (sexual/ reproductive energy – semen for men and blood for women) as the raw material, and fusing this with Qi (the catalyst) through breathing practices and meditations, to combine and “cook” inside the Dantian (the “Golden Cauldron”) to rise and develop Shen (Unified Mind/ Spirit). Through this process we have the internal transformation from liquid to steam to crystal.
It has been found within the ashes of high level Daoists and Buddhist monks little pearl or bead shaped crystal objects following cremation. They are multi-colored or translucent, said to be virtually indestructible, and not considered bone or teeth fragments. They are called Shir Li Zhi or “relic seeds” (Sariras in Sansrit) and considered the result of a lifetime of purity, cultivating mind and spirit and attaining Enlightenment. They are customarily stored in ornate containers within statues and pagodas of Buddhist monasteries, as blessings, and reminders of the path, or to ward off evil spirits. Leaving behind the esoteric, and the fact that the majority of students will not quite reach this level, all students that practice Dao consistently and sincerely with the right heart, not distracted or scattered, will notice quantifiable improved changes to their health, their bodies, their minds and nature (becoming calmer, more patient, gentler, kinder, and compassionate etc.) so transformation is very real on even the more mundane and practical levels.
– Adam Wallace