Beizong

The founder of the Northern School of Kongde was Wang Zhe (styled Chongyangzi), a native of Chang 'an during the Southern Song Dynasty. It is the "Shaoyang School" lineage. The Emperor of Shaoyang in the East, Wang Xuanfu, passed it on to Zhongli Quan, the son of Zhengyang. Zhong passed it on to Lu Dongbin, the son of Chunyang. Lu passed it on to Liu Haichan, the prime minister of Yan. Liu passed it on to Wang Chongyang. In Taoist history, it is known as the "Five Patriarchs" of the Northern School. Because Wang Chongyang's theory of establishing the school included the "Quanzhen" theory of "recognizing the mind, seeing the nature, and achieving full and true enlightenment; knowing that mercury, like lead, forms good buds", the Northern School was later also called the Quanzhen School. The cultivation feature of the Quanzhen School is to prioritize one's nature over one's destiny. That is, with "recognizing the mind and seeing the nature" as the top priority, and with the cultivation of the mind and oneself as the foundation, "knowing mercury and understanding lead", refining mercury and controlling lead, to achieve the unity of life and nature. For instance, let's use electricity as a metaphor. A person's life is like the current in the wire, and a person's sex is like the many electrical appliances plugged into the sockets installed on the wire, such as electric lights, computers, electric fans, telephones, and so on. The "Nature First, then Life" cultivation method involves unplugging all electrical (nature) plugs from power sockets, ensuring that no electricity (nature) is consumed at all, returning it to the power source (nature) and merging with electricity (life). In this way, nature is like electricity, constantly accumulating, and low voltage turns into high voltage (life energy and wisdom increase). When the voltage reaches its extreme, powerful electronuclear reactions will occur, such as the huge lightning that splits the sky during a severe storm. This is equivalent to the ultimate outcome of inner core cultivation: "shattering the void and attaining unity with the Dao." But this outcome is controlled and manipulated by oneself. It is first and foremost based on the unity of life and existence, with extremely powerful life energy. If one is unwilling to lose their individual life, it can continue infinitely and even differentiate, possessing extraordinary abilities that surpass those of ordinary people. Regarding the essence of cultivating one's nature before fate, Wang Chongyang said, "If all of you truly wish to practice, eat when hungry, close your eyes when asleep, do not sit in meditation, do not study the Tao. As long as you eliminate all worldly affairs and keep your heart calm, nothing else is considered practice." Ma Yu (Danyang, 1122-1183), one of the seven disciples of Wang Chongyang, said: "To be pure and quiet, 'qing' means to clear the source of one's mind, and 'jing' means to purify the 炁 sea." When the source of the mind is clear, external things cannot disturb it. Therefore, when emotions are calm, the spirit arises. Youdaoplaceholder0 When the sea is still, evil desires cannot dry up, so the essence is complete and the abdomen is full. Therefore, a clear mind is like clear water, nurturing 炁 is like raising a child, 炁 is elegant, and the spirit is 炁 transformed. This is the result of tranquility. Qiu Chuji (Changchun), one of the seven disciples of Wang Chongyang and later the founder of the "Longmen School" to widely inherit the Dharma, also said, "In my study, the most important thing is to see one's true nature. The combination of water and fire is secondary." The practice method of "first nature, then destiny" of the Northern School is clearly a new approach initiated under the inspiration of the Chan School of Buddhism, which emphasizes "realizing the mind and seeing the nature". Of course, we cannot say that before this, the cultivation of inner alchemists did not focus on the refinement of one's nature. However, before this, the cultivation and refinement of one's nature were integrated into the life skills and had not been so separately listed and carried out as the primary skill. This can be regarded as a major milestone in the history of the development of Neidan studies. However, the Northern School of Neidan Studies is, after all, different from the Chan School in that it takes seeing one's true nature as its essence. It also emphasizes the cultivation of both life and nature, as well as the harmony of spirit and energy. As Wang Chongyang said, "When qi and spirit are in harmony, one is called a deity." In Volume 32 of "Chongyang Jiaohua Ji", Qiu Chuji further stated in "Direct Pointing of the Great Pill" : "The secret of the Golden Pill lies merely in one's nature and one's destiny." A careful analysis of the Northern School reveals that the practice method of "first nature, then destiny" is indeed excellent in theory. Once a person can achieve enlightenment and see their true nature, obtaining and forming elixirs will be as easy as pie. However, in practice, this method of cultivation is not unique. For every practitioner of internal alchemy, cultivating and refining one's nature is an extremely arduous project for liberating the mind. Only a very small number of people with great wisdom and ambition (such as the Seven Sages of the North) can achieve the fruit of enlightenment and seeing one's true nature in a short period of time (ten or eight years, or ten or twenty years). Most people may have to invest several or even dozens of times more time and effort. This is very unsuitable for many middle-aged and elderly people who enter the path of enlightenment, as well as for those who are sick or weak. If they were to do the same, prioritizing their nature over their fate, it is feared that before their nature is refined, their fate would cease to exist. So, judging from the transmission situation of the Northern School, most of those who entered the path were very young and not afflicted with diseases. Therefore, the author believes that the practice method of the Northern School, which prioritizes one's nature over one's destiny, is suitable for those who are both young in age and extremely intelligent in nature. Of course, the practice principles and methods of the Northern School in terms of sexology are worth learning for every practitioner of inner alchemy. In addition, in the later development of the Northern School, there also emerged branches that practiced the Yin-Yang Elixir method, and they gradually absorbed the essence of various schools widely. This should be discussed separately. All rights reserved. Any infringement will be prosecuted. This article is exclusively authorized by Mr. Kong De to be published on this website.