to download Yang Sheng as a PDF

The major Nei Dan schools include the Southern( 南 派 ,Nan Pai), Northern ( 北 派 ,Bei Pai), Eastern( 東 派 ,Dong Pai), Western ( 西 派 ,Xi Pai), Yin Xian( 隱 仙 派 )and the Yin-Yang ( 阴 阳 派 .)Although the general principles utilized by thevarious schools and lineages are similar, there isoften quite a bit of variation in the specific practices.This is because the specific techniques areoften tailored to the needs of an individual student.Q: Which Internal Alchemy school is the best?A: This question is like asking, “What is the bestcuisine in the world?” The answer is unique foreach person and depends upon the common affinitybetween the student, teacher and art.Q: I don’t have a teacher, how do you startpracticing Nei Dan?A: The best way to start Nei Dan practice is, ofcourse, to find a teacher.If you are serious about wanting to study Nei Danbut do not have a teacher, then the best advice Ican give without knowing you personally wouldbe to establish a diligent Qigong practice of somesort. By diligent I mean daily and committed. Acommitted daily practice is essential for successin any art, especially internal cultivation. There isa saying “Those who start are as numerous as thehairs on the ox. Those who finish are as rare asthe phoenix‘s feathers and the unicorn‘shorns” ( 闻 道 者 多 如 牛 毛 , 得 道 者 凤 毛 麟 角 ,WenDao Zhe Duo Ru Niu Mao, De Dao Zhe Feng MaoLin Jiao). That is, many people learn it, but feware committed enough to follow through with thepractice. If you have established a good dailypractice ethic, you will have a good foundation tolearn Internal Alchemy when the time, place, andpeople are right.Q: Can you recommend any good sources forfurther reading or self-study?A: One of the most accessible introductions to theprinciples and language of Nei Dan is found inFabrizio Pregadio’s translation of Foundations ofInternal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan byWang Mu. Although the texts it cites are from NanPai tradition, other schools use them as well.If you want to experience traditional Nei Danmeditations based on the Sun and Moon and WuXing visualization see Yin-Yang Harmony QigongMeditation: Restore Vitality & Inner Power andFive Element Qigong Meditation: Rejuvenate withNature, both published by TCCII.For those of you who want to read one of the importantclassical Nei Dan texts see Pregadio’stranslation of Zhang Boduan’s ( 張 伯 端 )Awakening to Reality: The “Regulated Verses” ofthe Wuzhen pian, a Taoist Classic of Internal Alchemy.Pregadio offers a scholarly summary ofthe history of Nei Dan in his free ebook, The Wayof the Golden Elixir: A Historical Overview of TaoistAlchemy.Mr. Shawn Cartwright is the ExecutiveDirector of the TraditionalChinese Culture InstituteInternational (TCCII). As a cofounderof TCCII, he is dedicatedto promoting deeper andbroader understanding of theChinese cultural traditions, andworks tirelessly to revitalize thetraditions that have specialmeaning and relevance to today’s world. He provides adiverse curriculum and rich experience for his students,drawn from his many years of intensive training in InternalAlchemy, Qigong, Tai Chi, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, andFujian Baihequan. A consistent practitioner of both themartial and healing arts, he excels in helping students connectthe principles with practice, and integrate them intotheir daily life. To better bridge the Eastern and Westerncultures, Mr. Cartwright hosts the Silent Tao blog(www.silenttao.com) and TCCII video channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/tccii) where he shares the richcontext and first-hand experiences in his study of Chineseculture. He co-authored and produced the Chinese ClassicalMeditation CD Series and training DVDs on Qigong, TaiChi Chuan and Kung Fu. Mr. Cartwright earned his MBAand BS from Vanderbilt University. He studied publichealth at Johns Hopkins University.June-July 2013 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 37