https://thesanghakommune.org/2018/09/21/master-zhao-ming-wang-features-our-red-flag/
https://thesanghakommune.org/2018/09/20/how-neuroscience-solved-the-out-of-the-body-experience/
In 2002, Olaf Blanke (a neurologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) and his team, were carrying-out exploratory operations on the brain of a severe epilepsy sufferer (a 43-year-old woman) when they induced a full-blown out of the body experience in their patient. When they stimulated a region near the back of the temporal-parietal junction (TPJ) pictured above, the woman reported that she was above her own body and looking down upon it.
The TPJ processes visual and touch signals, balance and spatial information from the inner ear, and the propioceptive sensations from joints, tendons and muscles that tell us where our body parts are in relation to one another. Its function is to integrate all this data into a coherent sense of embodiment which informs exactly where the body is within the environment, and where the body ‘ends’ and the environment ‘begins’. Blanke and his colleagues hypothesized that an out of the body experiences is the result of the TJP not functioning properly. In 2007 this idea received further support. when Dirk De Radder of University Hospital Antwerp (in Belgium), implanted electrodes near the TJP of a 63-year-old patient suffering from tinnitus (with the intention of ‘silencing’ the ringing sound). This treatment did not work, but the patient reported that he felt his sense of self shift to about 50 cm behind and to the left of his body. As the experience would last at least 15 seconds at a time, the brain was subjected to PET scans which revealed that his TJP region was stimulated during each out of the body experience.
http://chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/thread/381/learning-taoist-yoga
Thank you for your message. When researching for my article about master Zhao Bichen, I did come across references to;
Weisheng shengli xue mingzhi (衛生生理學明指)
‘Clear Explanations of Hygiene and Physiology’ – translated in 1979 by the French academic Catherine Despeux. This carries the French title of ‘Traité d’alchimie et de physiologie taoïste.’
However, I did not find an English translation of this text. I did find reference to this book;
The Taoists of Peking - 1800–1949 - A Social History of Urban Clerics
By Vincent Goossaert
It is published by Harvard and an extract can be read here - the complete book does contain a chapter on Zhao Bichen;
www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/publications/pdfs/Goossaert%20website%20file.pdf
From a research perspective, it might be worth your while seeking the Chinese language source texts - and working from those.
Equating the Indian chakras with the Chinese dan tian is helpful, and of course, prana with qi. With regard to master Zhao's, I feel, the Ch'an Buddhist influence within his teaching should be made clear, or the description falls into a non-specific and generic path of development that spreads itself too thinly upon the ground, and loses its transformative power, as a consequence.
Another consideration is that Charles Luk's 'Taoist Yoga' was written after his 'The Secrets of Chinese Merditation' (1964), and in many ways due to the response to it. There are three chapters that might be of interest to you;
Chapter 5 - Self-cultivation According to the Taoist School
Chapter 6 - Authentic Experiences with Buddhist and Taoist Methods of Self-cultivation
Chapter 7 - Physical and Spiritual Culture According to Chinese Yoga
Master Xu Yun (1840-1959), often taught an integrative approach to Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. It is important to bear in-mind that the text is a one-dimensional doorway into a three-dimensional experience and that the translater's job is to keep the doorway 'open' and 'functioning'.
Thank you
http://chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/thread/585/qianfeng-west
Master Zhao Bichen said to Charles Luk that if a practitioner has fully realised perfect and serene enlightenment through the Ch’an method, and has not fallen into association with demons in the pits of hellish worlds, then his manual (Taoist Yoga) can be placed on the top of the head and worn as a hat, or its methods practiced back to front (in reverse order) because there is nothing left to accomplish. He further stated that there is no difference between the enlightened state of Ch’an and the ‘appearing throughout space’ of Qianfeng Prenatal Daoism. After laughing out loud, Zhao Bichen explained that his ‘Daoist’ teachers were in fact ‘Ch’an’ masters and that he was well aware of Ch’an humour. His face then changed and became stern as he explained that the first six chapters of his manual deal with the development of essential nature (jing) and true vitality (qi), whilst chapters seven to twelve explain how essential nature (jing), true vitality (qi) and the realisation of empty space or ‘shen’ are integrated. Chapters thirteen to sixteen convey the formation of the ‘Immortal Foetus’ (enlightened consciousness in essence), and how this expands to transcend the apparent limitations of mind and body. Throughout all of this training, however, the energy channels of the body are opened and unified, and all the inner organs are permanently nourished. This creates a glowing good health and a long life-span.
I think that out of the sixteen steps – a dedicated practitioner can probably reach step twelve even though this will be difficult. The formation of the Immortal Foetus is the position of relative enlightenment within Ch’an Buddhism. This is the realisation of an empty mind and a calm and peaceful body (because essential nature [jing], true vital force [qi], and empty spirit [shen] are all fully developed and united). Many Daoists and Buddhists get ‘stuck’ in this position thinking that they have achieved full immortality or enlightenment, but a radical expansion of consciousness that embraces the entire environment (and is like a great mirror shining in the void) is yet to be experienced. This is why good and timely instruction is required from competent masters. I trained with many Daoist masters, and most of them were not competent. It is ironic that my last two masters – that is my ‘authentic’ Daoist masters – were both Ch’an Buddhist monks!
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