The Wu-Liu School

The Wu-Liu School of Kongde Neidan was founded by Wu Shouyang and Liu Huayang in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, who regarded themselves as the legitimate descendants of the Northern School of Longmen. Wu styled himself as the eighth-generation disciple of the Longmen Sect. The Wu-Liu School inherited the Qing cultivation method of the Northern School and carried forward the Quanzhen thought of Taoism initiated by Wang Chongyang. However, in terms of cultivation methods, they were different from the Northern School's operation techniques of prioritizing nature over fate. They advocated the cultivation of both life and nature, as well as the equal emphasis on spirit and energy. This is just as Mr. Xu Zhaoren of Renmin University of China stated in the preface of "Oriental Cultivation Library · Wu-Liu Dharma Lineage" : "In the exposition of cultivation theories and methods, the Wu-Liu School adheres to a principle of proceeding from the simple to the complex and being straightforward and clear." And they made every effort to break away from outdated customs and bad habits, revealing the sequence of the internal cultivation project and the true secrets of each key link without reservation. This enables beginners to quickly grasp the key points and avoid many detours. Even those with attainments can explore the essence of the great Way from it and climb to the highest realm. Wu Shouyang (1574-1644) was a native of Ji 'an, Jiangxi Province in the late Ming Dynasty. His original name was Yang, his courtesy name was Duanyang, and his pseudonym was Chongxuzi. According to the "Xianfo Hezong Aphorism - Wu Zhenren's Cultivation Song", he was born with extraordinary intelligence. At the age of ten, he devoted himself to the study of scriptures and thus obtained the seven Daoist Sayings of Wang Chongyang. At the age of thirteen, he developed a heart to seek truth and enter the Tao. At the age of sixteen, he could read articles and grew tired of studying Confucianism and entering officialdom. Since the age of twenty, he has cut off fame and fortune and completely abandoned Confucianism for Taoism. When he was nineteen years old (that is, in the 21st year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, 1593), he received the elixir technique personally taught by Cao Huanyang. He then read the books of immortals and sages extensively and comprehending the true essence. He began to write "The Right Principles of Celestial Immortals" and "The United School of Immortals and Buddhas". Later, he studied under Li Niwan and Wang Kunyang and became a successor of the Longmen School. Liu Huayang (1736 -?) A native of Hongdu (now Nanchang, Jiangxi Province) during the Qing Dynasty, he started his family through the imperial examination but was fond of Buddhism from a young age and later became a monk. Because of the unfulfilled purpose of the harmony of wisdom and life, he left the Buddha and turned to the path. After meeting Master Wu Chongxu and Master Kunyun, who imparted the secrets of the Golden Elixir path to me, I felt a sudden enlightenment and came to understand that the essence of wisdom life lies in one's own inherent spiritual essence. Thus, I wrote the "Sutra of Wisdom Life" and the "Treatise on the Realization of Golden Immortals". Because he was a student of Wu Chongxu, and his understanding and practice of the principles of alchemy were the same as Wu's, and their writings had the characteristic of mutual reference and support, many people followed him and his influence was extensive. Therefore, he and Wu were collectively known as the Wu-Liu School. The author believes that the most outstanding contributions of the Wu-Liu School in the field of Neidan studies are as follows: First, it broke down the artificial barriers between religions and revealed the essence of the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in the practice of Neidan studies, which are different names but the same reality. As Liu Huayang's "The Sutra of Wisdom and Life" begins with Chapter 9, "The Sutra of Wisdom and Life", it states: "Wisdom and life is the name given by the Tathagata to represent human beings. It is a Sanskrit term in the West, in China it is called the origin of human beings, and in Confucianism it is called the pre-heaven 炁..." The name "Defiled" is the name given by the Blessed One to Ananda for his practice, and it is also the Sanskrit language of the West. In China, it is called "zou liu", Confucianism refers to it as "zou jing", and medicine refers to it as "xie yuan 炁". And when the leakage is exhausted, it is the transformation of wisdom life. Before it is activated, it is originally life... And it is believed that the orthodox teachings of the Buddhist school, namely the Mahasangka, are basically the same as those of Taoism. "There is the Dharma of power, there is the Dharma of reality, there is the Dharma of non-action, and there is the Dharma of action. How can they be generalized?" It depends on whether one learns or not. The reason for this is that the path of cultivating both life and nature lies within it. And in the elixir instructions, a large number of Buddhist terms are explained with the terms of Taoism and Confucianism and the sequence of cultivation. Second, it is to disclose the secrets of ancient elixirs to all those who know them clearly and accurately, so that the truth of inner cultivation can be revealed to the world. Here is an example: It is well known to all that the Taoist deity worshipped in Wudang is Emperor Xuanzhen Tianwu. There are many legends about Emperor Zhenwu in the Taoism of Wudang Mountain, and many Taoist buildings are also related to the events of the legends. These legends all revolve around the True Martial Emperor's cultivation on Wudang Mountain. Among them, there is a legend that after Emperor Zhenwu had cultivated in the Southern Rock for forty-two years, one day his master, Ziyuan Jun, transformed into a fairy and seduced him with pornography. Zhenwu remained unmoved and instead angrily rebuked Shanggu. The mountain girl was so ashamed and had no place to hide that she threw herself into the rock and died. When Zhenwu saw that a person had been killed in a fit of rage, he was filled with deep remorse. Therefore, he threw himself into the rock, willing to sacrifice his life for another. Who would have thought that with Zhenwu's pounce, Five Dragons would lift him up from mid-air and lift him up, thus elevating him to the throne and achieving the fruit of the path. When I was conducting research on the Wudang legend and the ancient buildings related to it before, I judged that they might be some implicit implications of Taoist culture and immortal health preservation culture, and I have written such articles. But basically it's just speculation and there is not enough evidence. Later, after reading Wu Chongxu's "The Unity of Immortals and Buddhas", I was amazed and all my doubts vanished. As recorded in the chapter "Disciples' Questions and Answers", the question is: "Is this metaphor of the five dragons holding the sage also a metaphor for the ancients or for today?" The reply was: "The former Xuan Emperor attained enlightenment in the 59th year of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, at the age of 60. When he was about to leave the mundane world to nourish his divine body, he used this method and left it as a Dharma image on Wudang Mountain, calling it the Sacrifice Cliff, transcending the mundane world. It is called the Five Dragons Bestowing the Sage into the Holy Position." By using this as a metaphor for future generations, how earnest is the heart to help others! Therefore, those who cultivate immortality and spread the Tao, upon hearing about it, say, "I hate being ignorant." Could it be that Zhang Zhenren of the Tiger Skin Seat was quietly and peacefully dwelling in Wudang? Later, it was passed down orally by Li Xu's nunnery in Lujiang. Xu's nunnery then passed it on orally to Cao Huanyang in Wuyangli, Nanchang County, and finally to me and your father Zhenyang. Among those who heard about it were Xiong Xiu 'an named Shouxu and Deng Shaoguang named Shoukong, both of whom were immortal beings on the western mountain of Xinjian County. And several of Cao Huanyang's sons, Xi Ming and Shou Xuan Zhe..." The so-called "Five Dragons Holding the Sage" mentioned above refers to the process of collecting and taking the great medicine for seven days to pass through the pass. When the great medicine ascends from the Governor Vessel, there is a risk of it getting lost. It requires a Taoist companion to stroke it with their hand and support it at the critical moment to safely ascend into the mud pill and ascend to the "throne". Such clear explanations of Taoist incantations are ubiquitous in the elixirs of the Wu-Liu School. Thirdly, the sequence of steps is systematic, specific and detailed, with explanations that are easy to understand, making it more practical for those who practice without a teacher and facilitating the promotion and popularization of Neidan studies. For instance, Wu Chongxu's "Tianxian Zhengli" is divided into nine chapters, listing the two aspects of innate and acquired: 炁, medicines, tripods and vessels, heat control, self-cultivation, foundation establishment, medicine refining, qi subduing, and fetal breathing, with clear levels of action. For instance, "The United School of Immortals and Buddhas" presents the Dharma from a different perspective, focusing on the dual cultivation of life and nature. It consists of nine chapters, listed as "The first is the return to Emptiness", followed by "The second is the True Meaning, the third is the clear and turidity of the water source, the true and illusory Elixirs, the fourth is the Fire Foot period, the Fire Stopping scene, the Gathering of Great Herbs, the Celestial Mechanism, the seventh is the Gathering of Great Herbs and the Celestial Mechanism, the sixth is the Passing of the Great Herbs and the Consumption of the Celestial Mechanism, the seventh is the Maintenance of the Middle, the eighth is the Emergence of the Divine Scene, the Emergence of the Divine Subduing Method, and the ninth is the Return to Emptiness". Compared with the Northern School's principle of "nature first, life later" which is only suitable for a very small number of objects with conditions of wisdom life, this setting has a much broader range of objects to adapt to. In fact, it has artificially introduced the study of inner alchemy into the ivory tower and then liberated it. For instance, Liu Huayang's "Hui Ming Jing" uses illustrations to make the essence and secrets of internal alchemy cultivation more intuitive and understandable. Moreover, although the elixirs of the Wu-Liu School mainly focus on pure cultivation methods, they are clearly specifically designed for the young or those who have not yet fallen ill or declined. For the elderly and those in decline due to illness, the method of Yin and Yang connection is still advocated. For instance, in the "Disciples' Q&A" section of "The United Sect of Immortals and Buddhas", there is such a statement: Taichu asked, "How should the practice of cultivation begin?" Wu Zi said, "The young and vigorous human spirit 炁 the speed of the cycle of movement and stillness. After the Yang begins to rise, cooking and refining are carried out. This is what is meant by 'the first Yang begins to move, and the middle of the night lasts forever.' Then there is medicine and fire." When people age, their spirit 炁 declines. It is said that when they have less lead and mercury in their old age, the cycle of movement and stillness is delayed. Then, they "strike bamboo and zither", which is the method of "summoning turtles and phoenixes". After that, the Yin energy rises and the Yang energy is generated, which is called "turning the top of the head 棙 message"... It is the fire that comes first, and then the medicine generates the fire. This is a mysterious celestial secret that the world remains unaware of. ……” Nowadays, some people in the academic circle comment on the Wu-Liu School, believing that its elixir techniques are overly complicated and seem too troublesome to operate. This is the knowledge of an outsider. Little do they know that "the greatest truths are the simplest" is because the essence of the greatest truths is like this. To cultivate the greatest truths, one must use non-simple exploration means and methods, and ultimately reach the state of ultimate simplicity. The process is relatively complicated. The simplicity of the ancient elixir classics, as stated in "The True Principles of Celestial Immortals", is due to the fact that "all are detailed and omitted". For instance, the "Yin Fu Jing" states that the great way is the simplest and the easiest, and it says, "Observe the way of heaven, follow the way of heaven, and it is done." It does seem simple, but how to "observe", how to "hold on", or this process of "observing" and "holding on" is by no means easy. Some people, upon hearing that superior elixirs can lead to immediate enlightenment, wish to achieve enlightenment by sitting down. This is actually the mentality of a lazy speculator. In fact, the so-called upper, middle and lower vehicle methods are designed for people of the upper, middle and lower root capacities. Those with superior root capabilities can avoid the inferior methods and directly enter the state. However, those with inferior root capacities will find it extremely difficult to apply superior methods. This is another digression. All rights reserved. Any infringement will be prosecuted. This article is exclusively authorized by Mr. Kong De to be published on this website.