Guarding The One: Daoist Meditation
Multitudes of Dragons and Tigers guard the One.
The One is eternally secure.
Spontaneous, the One never ceases.
Preserve the One, guard Truth
And you communicate with the whole Universe.
The One is not hard to know,
The difficulty is persistence.
Guard the One with no distraction
And you are eternally vital.
Master Ge Hong,
Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity, 4th c.
Guarding the One, or “shouyi” is a general term for Daoist meditation. There are many varieties of Daoist meditation techniques according to the different schools of Daoism. The practice consists of keeping the One, holding awareness, or holding the mind under control. It is a form of concentration meditation, as opposed to insight meditation, which has no central point of focus. Guarding the One is often used as a foundation practice, which later unfolds to other types of meditation. Most commonly, this practice of concentration is never completely left behind, it gradually becomes integrated into more advanced forms of meditation requiring higher levels of consciousness. But before I leave this introduction to shouyi, I should make it clear that although this technique may be an introductory practice, it is by no means an inferior technique. The ancient Daoist texts state clearly that the continued and intense application of this method will in itself bring the practitioner to immortality.
What is the meaning of the “One?”
In Daoist philosophy and in the philosophical texts contained in the Daoist Canon (ancient collection of books on Daoism), the One may refer to different things. First, it is important to understand that the One is the principle of the Dao which is present within all people and things, and which can be realized within oneself without outside seeking.
What then is the One?
Primordial Oneness
The One signifies the state of nondifferentiation of the universe, the primordial state of great unity. It is identified with the cosmic chaos Hundun. The One is ultimate primordiality.
The One as Principle
The One is the highest unity, the formless omnipresent primordial principle of the cosmos. It is identical to and yet subtly different from the Dao. Daode jing says:
The Dao produced the One,
The One produced the two,
The two produced the three,
The three produced the 10,000 things.
The One as Vital Energy
The One is the vital energy underlying all, and the more one obtains the One, the greater amount of vital energy one possesses:
“The Yellow Emperor got it and ascended
to the cloudy heavens.” Zhuangzi
“I hold on to the One, abide in its harmony,
and therefore I have kept myself alive for 1200 years.
And never has my body suffered any decay.” Zhuangzi
All is One
The One is the basic characteristic of the world. All beings are one in that they all stem from the Dao:
“Realize what makes them one
and thereby be one with all.” Zhuangzi
There is a fundamental identity of all that exists, and when one knows the One, there will be nothing that remains unknown.
Three-in-One
As already stated, the One produced the two and the two produced the three. These are references to the two forces of yin and yang and to their interaction producing a harmony-a third. In Daoist philosophy, this concept has different meanings, but the one I find most relevant to the discussion of Guarding the One and qigong is the three basic forces within human beings-essence, energy and spirit. Thus the Three Treasures of internal alchemy become identified with cosmic unity on the same scale as Primordial Oneness. Furthermore, and this is perhaps the most significant point for those seeking physical health as a primary human goal, is that obtaining the One, guarding the Three Treasures, will bring about oneness with the Primordial, that is to say, with the harmony of the universe. Clarifying even more, it means that as one realizes their unity with the One or Three-in-One, they fulfill their proper destiny in the cosmos. The true nature of human beings is to be healthy and long-lived and to participate willingly in the changes of the world. Those who practice Guarding the One should therefore become more abundant in primordial splendor and harmony, thus increasing health and longevity. And for the lucky few, Guarding the One will lead to immortality-oneness with the energy of the universe.
Recovery of the One
The ancient sage, Laozi wrote about the need to guard the root of humanity and to strengthen one’s origin. The root was the energy of the Dao, and life depended on one’s relationship with the Dao. Thus, when humanity loses contact with the Dao death follows. To avoid this outcome, Laozi advised to recover or regain what one has lost of the One. As this recovery proceeds, the body becomes healthy and strong and one’s spirit begins to radiate with energy and joy. Complete health is reached when one is able to guard the One consistently and without interruption.
Realization as Oneness
The last of this discussion about the philosophy of the One focuses on the relationship between “practice” and “realization.” Although practice is necessary to cultivate and recover primordial energy, it is actually nonpractice, noncultivation-a resting in a state of realization of Oneness, which is the essence of Guarding the One.
A poem written during the Tang dynasty (817), by Jiao Shaoxuan, the wife of Lu Chui, helps to explain the relationship between practice and realization.
Attainment of the primordial power of the One
Is not a gift from Heaven.
Realization of Great Non-being
Is the state of highest immortality.
Light restrained, a hidden brilliance
The body one with nature:
There is true peace, won but not pursued.
Spirit kept forever at rest.
One stands for primordial energy, the cosmic chaos Hundun. Becoming one with it means to enter into the formlessness of universal creation. This state is not naturally given. It has to be attained, but not actively. Rather, one must go within with one’s energies and not waste resources on the world without. Peace of mind will come about naturally-“won but not pursued.” That ends the discussion on the meaning of the Daoist philosophy of the One. Before I go into the next topic on methods of Guarding the One, I will clarify the meaning of “immortality” or what is commonly called, the practice of immortality.
The Practice of Immortality
The ancient ones adept at enacting the Dao
Were subtle and profound
So deep that they cannot be known
Daode Jing,
The practice of immortality is essential and crucial in high-level qigong practice. The English word, “immortal” in Chinese is the “real human,” zhen ren, a term that comes from Daoism. In this practice, the real human enjoys a very long life, and not only that, but their state of health is complete. Thus immortality is directly related to the physical body, prolonging life into the 100’s, 200’s and even over a thousand years. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? And yet, there is the evidence of Li Ching-yun, a contemporary Daoist master who according to Chinese records was born in 1678 and lived until the 1930’s, making him 250+ years at the time of his death.
In order for the practitioner to live these unusually long years, something mysterious must occur. The belief is that the human body returns to a state of youth, i.e., the person preserves their primary root qi and jing. Through long years of qigong and other cultivation practices, like meditation, herbs, massage … the Three Treasures of jing, qi, and shen are restored and preserved to the point that the body undergoes a profound change. All the channels in the body open up and join into one. The person not only stays healthy, but also can transcend worldly needs, such as food.
On another level, more down to earth, immortality is the sense of being one with the universal qi. To that extent you’re an immortal-not so much eternal life without dying, but being “eternally renewed.” Immortality is realizing our true nature’s essential oneness with the Dao.
How to practice Daoist Meditation
In this last section, I will discuss the how-to aspect of Guarding the One meditation.
First of all, there is the underlying assumption that we are cultivating the Three Treasures of jing, qi and shen. Some people mistakenly believe that it is a linear process of progressing from jing to qi, and then qi to shen. In actuality, all three treasures are simultaneously transforming and refining themselves. Further, these three treasures are such subtle energies that it is impossible and impractical to think that yon can distinguish one treasure from another. I believe it is best to view the three treasures as a whole and that the purpose of meditation is to guard their essence and to foster their continued progression to unity with the Dao.
Next, comes the actual method of how to do this. Guidelines for this method can be dated back to one of the earliest Daoist classics on inner cultivation, called “Neije” or Inward Training of the classical Daoism period around 500 B.C. In chapter 24 of Neiye it states:
“Expand your heart-mind and release it. Relax your qi and allow it to
extend. When your body is calm and unmoving, guard the One and
discard myriad disturbances.”
The method is thus one of decreasing distractions and outward looking. The focus turns inward towards calmness and stillness.
Procedure for Quiet Sitting or Cultivating Clarity & Stillness.
Sit comfortably, either cross-legged on a mat or back straight in a chair.
Hands in the mudra style-we'll call Huashan mudra.
(description: male- left hand, 5 finger tips touching. Right thumb through hole of left hand, thumb touching palm-side of ring-finger knuckle. Right middle-finger touches top of left ring-finger knuckle. Females do the opposite-left hand on top of right hand.)
Place hands on dantian.
Tongue touches upper palette behind the teeth.
Eyes slightly open or closed.
Listening inward: Listen inward to the center of the head to seal the senses.
The breath is fine, deep, long, rhythmic, through the nose.
As the mind settles, the focus drops to the Lower Dantian.
Keep your mind simple and your intention concentrated, remain in deep absorption and be receptive to the mysteriousness and unnamability of the One. Do not be discouraged by the hundred thoughts, just keep returning your attention to the stillness within. Overtime, the distracting thoughts , sensations, temporary discomfits, etc. will diminish and one will reach a state of clarity and stillness. Eventually, with persistence, and that is the key word: persistence, you will attain inner realms that only “experience” will fully reveal.
With practice, you eventually come to the experience of emptiness. Your previous method of using the breath to anchor you in the Lower Dantian now yields from a form-oriented process to a formless-oriented process. You are guarding the One without form, without concepts, without distinctions of subject and object. With still more practice, eventually you will attain the state of realizing the One. You have entered the undifferentiated unity of Primordial Origins. DAO.
And that is the practice of Guarding the One.
Michael Rinaldini
Daoist Medical Qigong Center
References:
The Taoist Experience by Livia Kohn
Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques by Livia Kohn
The Healing Promise of Qi by Roger Jahnke
Dragon’s Mouth, issues Summer, 2002; Summer, 2001; Spring, 2002
The Empty Vessel, Fall, 2002
Inward Training, Louis Komjathy, 2003
Michael Rinaldini,
Qigong Teacher
and 22nd generation Dragon Gate Daoist priest (Dao Li-Chang).
Director of Daoist Medical Qigong Center in Sebastopol, CA. Classes in qigong, meditation, Daoist studies and group Qi healing. 100 hour Qigong Certification Program available for local and distance learners. Professional member of National Qigong Association. Email: michaelrqi@aol.com
