Mantak Chia
Mantak Chia | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1944-04-04)April 41944 |
| Nationality | Thai |
| Citizenship | Thailand |
| Occupation(s) | AuthorTeacherand Healer |
| Known for | Taoism and Qigong |
| Website | http://www.universal-tao.com/master_chia.html [archive] |
Mantak Chia (Chinese: 謝明德Pinyin: Xiè Míngdéborn in 1944 in BangkokThailand) is a Taoist Master. He is best known for his teaching Taoist practices under the names of Healing TaoTao YogaUniversal Healing Tao System and Qigong. Throughout decades of teachinghe has run numerous workshopswritten a series of booksand published a number of training videos. For this reasonsome people call him an authora teacher or a healer. He views himself primarily as a teacher"who helps his students empower themselves through cultivation of their qi (Chinese: 气，Wade-Giles: ch'i) energy."[1] His students include Michael Winn and Dennis Lewis.< data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r88047">.mw-parser-output .toclimit-2 .toclevel-1 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-3 .toclevel-2 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-4 .toclevel-3 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-5 .toclevel-4 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-6 .toclevel-5 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-7 .toclevel-6 ul{display:none}
Biography
Mantak Chia was born to a Chinese family in Thailand in 1944. He began studying Buddhist method of "still the mind" at the age of sixand later he studied Muay Thai boxingT'ai chi ch'uanKung Fu and Taoist and Buddhist practicesincluding Zenfrom several masters. Of all his mastersthe most influential one was Yi Eng (White Cloud)an eremitic member of the Dragon's Gate sect of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school of Taoism[2][3] (Chinese: 道家全真龙门派)who taught Mantak Chia a complete Taoist training system and authorized him to teach and heal.
Laterhe studied Western anatomy and medical science for two years to better understand the physiological mechanisms behind healing energy.
He established his first Universal Healing Tao school in Thailand in 1974after systematizing his knowledge of Taoism. He founded the Universal Healing Tao Center (originally named the Taoist Esoteric Yoga Center) in New York in 1979. The center attracted a broad variety of European and American studentsand some of them greatly helped him in teaching Taoist practices to western students. He returned to Thailand in 1994 and began to build the Universal Tao Training Center—Tao Garden—in Chiang Mai. His primary teaching programs are held in the Tao Gardenbut he tours to Europe and North America annually to teach and promote the Healing Tao practices.[4]
He has closely worked with his students with background in Western esoteric studiessuch as Michael WinnEric Yudelove and Dennis Lewisto successfully convey the Taoist theories and practices to Western audiences. His ex-wife Maneewan Chia has also co-authored some teaching books.
Spiritual Core
Chia's teaching system develops integrated physicalmental and spiritual (energy) bodies internal to human beings. The focus is on developing human life energy — qi — for self-healing and life enhancement. For a simple interpretationChia describes qi as human primordial life forcea part of the primordial force of the whole universe.[5]
Lineage
Chia describes his lineage as "Inner-Alchemy-Just-Practice Taoist." It emphasizes any knowledge and any method that are effective to refine the states of inner experience and consciousness that are the birthright of all humans and that are accessible by allwithout unnecessary rituals. After having inherited the complete Taoist internal spiritual cultivation system from his masterYi EngChia followed the master's instruction to teach it to others.[5]
Nine Step-by-step Formulas
Formula 1: Primordial Force Activation
This formula has a variety of practices. Mantak Chia puts them roughly into three categories:
- Basic Practices I.
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Smile | Cosmic Inner Smile | Yes | Books:Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality. |
| Six Healing Sounds | Cosmic Healing Sounds | Yes | Books:Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality. |
| Microcosmic Orbit | Yes | Circulate chi in the governor and functional channels. Fundamental to more advanced practices. Books: Awaken Healing Energy and Awaken Healing Light. | |
| Chi Self-Massage | Chi Self-Massage: The Taoist Way of Rejuvenation | Yes | Books: Chi Self-Massage |
- Basic Practices II. This set is also called "chi kung for healing" for their strong chi development.
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Abdominal Breathing | Deep Abdominal BreathingEnergizer and Empty Force Breath. | ||
| Laughing Chi Kung | |||
| Activating the Stem Cells | Yes | ||
| Elixir Chi Kung | Yes | ||
| Tan Tien Chi Kung | |||
| Iron Shirt Chi Kung IIIand III | Iron Shirt Chi KungBone Marrow Nei Kung | Yes | Develop chialign body structurestrengthen tendon and boneand rejuvenate bone marrow. |
| Tai Chi Chi Kung I and II | Yes | ||
| Tao Yin | Yes |
- Medical Chi Kung. This set has its values in certain treatments.
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chi Nei Tsang I and II | Yes | ||
| Cosmic Healing Chi Kung I and II | Yes | ||
| Karsai Nei Tsang | Yes |
Formula 2: Basic Sexual Alchemy Practices
Taoists believe that sexual organs and kidneys store Jing (Chinese: 精)and Jing can be transformed into Chi and Shen (Chinese: 神) by inner alchemical practices.
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male Sexual Alchemy | Taoist Secrets of Love: Cultivating Male Sexual EnergyThe Multi-orgasmic Man | Yes | Control ejaculation (avoid semen loss) and transform the sexual energy up into chi and spiritual forces. |
| Female Sexual Alchemy | Healing Love through the Tao: Cultivating Female Sexual EnergyThe Multi-orgasmic Woman | Yes | Control menstruation (avoid blood loss) and transform the sexual energy up into chi and spiritual forces. |
| Dual-Cultivation | The Multi-orgasmic Couple | Yes | Exchange Yin and Yang in whole body orgasms or valley orgasms. |
Formula 3: Fusion of Five Elements and Eight Pakua (Chinese: 八卦) Forces
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion III and III | Fusion of the Five ElementsCosmic FusionFusion of Eight Psychic Channels | Yes | Refine organs' energy and open more chi channels. |
Formula 4: Lesser Enlightenment of Kan and Li
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Sexual Alchemy | Lesser Kan and Li | Fuse chi from the heart with sexual energy. |
Formula 5: Greater Enlightenment of Kan and Li
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| SunMoon and Planets Alchemy | Greater Kan and Li |
Formula 6: Greatest Enlightenment of Kan and Li
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlanetsStar and Soul Alchemy | Greatest Kan and Li |
Formula 7: Sealing Five Senses
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star and Galaxy Alchemy | Sealing of the Five Senses |
Formula 8: Congress of Heaven and Earth
| Name | Book | Video | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heaven and Earth Alchemy |
Formula 9: Union of Human and Tao
Basic Explanation of the Nine Formulas
The practices in the first two formulas are probably the most famous parts of Mantak Chia's teaching. Howeverthey are not the core of the system. The purpose of the two formulas is to invoke one's awareness of chito strengthen itand to open important chi channels in one's bodysuch as the governor and functional channels. These practices lay a solid foundation for further practices in later formulasif one wishes to advance.
Sexual energy plays very important roles in chi cultivation. Taoism believes that sexual energy accounts for a large part of the energy that a human body generates or absorbs; a person cannot achieve spiritual fulfillment without conserving and leveraging the power of sexual energy. The first step of traditional inner alchemy (Chinese: 内丹） is transmuting the material carrier of sexual energy (Jing) into Chi. The basic sexual practices in the second formula can lay a solid foundation for the transmutation. Howeverbecause sex is a "hot" topic in a societyteaching sexual practices might be controversial. Neverthelessbesides being indispensable for spiritual developmentsexual practices are beneficial to both good relationship and health if they are done right.
The third formulaFusionreally starts inner alchemy practices. Inner alchemy traditionally has three stages: transmuting Jing to Chitransmuting Chi to Shenreturning Shen to void. Chi and Shen are inner life energies with Shen at a more refined leveland both originate from the same original universe forcewhich can only be reached by completely removing one's own consciousness. In Kan Li practicesone should have developed strong chi and strong mental power so that intercourses of polarities of life energies take place inside one's own bodyanalogous to intercourses of a female and a male which leads to a birth of a child. The intensive activities of internal life energy create an inner energy body which becomes the center of further practicesand eventually the inner body leads to immortalityreaching Tao. Cultivating the inner body and merging into immortality are the central training practices of inner alchemywhich require great dedication and determination.[5] It is hard to describe the effects of ChiShenand Tao without experiencing or being aware of them. These practices are beyond mundane description and imagination (existing sciences cannot explain)and a person has to be seriously trained in order to be aware of or experience these effects.
Howevera practitioner does not have to worry about the inner alchemy practicesif his or her goal is not pursuing the Tao but seeking life enhancement techniques or overall health. One can simply keep practicing the first two or three formulas without any harm.
Relationship to Religions
Chia states that the system is not religious and that practitioners "can be HinduJewishBuddhistMuslim and still enjoy the benefits in the framework of [their] own belief system." In an interviewChia stated that he teaches "how to control and harness the sexual energy".[6]
Organizations
Different Views
Miller thinks that Mantak Chia's teachings of qi and cosmology is similar to the Taoist instructor Hua-ching Nibut Chia's books lack discussion of philosophyethics or everyday practical advice. The system Chia presents is a narrowly focused system of qigong rooted firmly in neidan.[2]
Machacek and Wilcox think that Chia's study of Taoist sexuality has the trend in Taoist writings intended for a Western audiencea combination of theoretical knowledge and personal experiencewhich leads to a proliferation of subjective and modern "love manuals" and expositions on the Taoist way of love.[7]
King's College scholar Peter Bernard Clarke thinks that Chia's Healing Tao is one of the few Thai new religious movements to have achieved an international following.[8]
References
Citations
- ↑ Chia & Winn (1984). Pg IV.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Miller (2006). Pg 268.
- ↑ Kohn (2008). Pg 221.
- ↑ Mantak Chia's World Tour Schedule [archive]
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 ChiaMantak. "The Spiritual Core of Master Mantak Chia's Teaching" [archive] Universal Tao.
- ↑ Larthe (1999).
- ↑ Machacek & Wilcox (2003). Pg 96.
- ↑ Clarke (2006). Pg 277.
Bibliography
- ClarkeJohn James. The Tao of the West: Western transformations of Taoist thought. Routledge2000. ISBN 0-415-20619-7.
- ClarkePeter Bernard. New religions in global perspective: a study of religious change in the modern world. Routledge2006. ISBN 0-415-25748-4.
- KohnLivia. Chinese Healing Exercises: The Tradition of Daoyin. University of Hawaii Press2008. ISBN 0-8248-3269-8.
- LartheChristopher. "Mantak Chia - A Modern Taoist Master". Positive HealthJuly 1999 (Issue 42).
- MachacekDavid W. & WilcoxMelissa M. Sexuality and the world's religions. ABC-CLIO2003. ISBN 1-57607-359-9.
- ChiaMantak and WinnMichael. "Taoist Secrets of Love - Cultivating Male Sexual Energy". Aurora Press1984. ISBN 0-943358-19-1.
- MillerJames. Chinese religions in contemporary society. ABC-CLIO2006. ISBN 1-85109-626-4.
- ChiaMantak and StoneSarina. "Smiling Anatomy for ChildrenLevel 1". Empowerment Through Knowledge2010. ISBN 978-0-9826384-0-8.
- ChiaMantak and StoneSarina. "Smiling Anatomy for ChildrenLevel 2". Empowerment Through Knowledge2010. ISBN 978-0-9826384-1-5.
- ChiaMantak and StoneSarina. "Smiling Anatomy for ChildrenLevel 3". Empowerment Through Knowledge2010. ISBN 978-0-9826384-3-9.
Further reading
- ChiaMantak & Maneewan. Fusion of the Five Elements I: Basic and Advanced Meditations for Transforming Negative Emotions (Taoist Inner Alchemy Series). Healing Tao Books1991 (Reissue edition). ISBN 0-935621-18-0
- ChiaMantak. Cosmic Healing I: Cosmic Chi Kung. Universal Tao Publications2001. ISBN 974-87672-5-6.