Harnessing the Power of the Universe: A Complete Guide to the Principles and Practice of Chi-Gung

Forms for cultivating nature (...) include all practices that engage the post-natal essences and energies of the physical body and the ordinary human mind. Sexual yoga (...). Diet and herbs (...) [for] internal organs, slow rhythmic movement (...) [for] the physical body.

Forms for cultivating life work primarily with the primordial aspects of the human system, using still meditation as the main method of practice. This was the sort of single-minded spiritual cultivation practised by Buddhist monks in China prior to the arrival of Ta Mo. Those who exclusively cultivate the primordial spiritual powers of mind, while paying no attention to the temporal requirements and sensual proclivities of the body, often end up suffering from physical ill health, psychic imbalance and emotional malaise, as conditions in many monasteries throughout the world today reflect. Similarly, those who cultivate only physical health, bodily power, sexual potency and other temporal assets of human nature, without any consideration for the higher aspects of spirit which ultimately transcend life on earth, end up entirely immersed in the material aspect of existence, lose sight of spirit, and often abuse the powers of their practices for deviant purposes. This is the fundamental conundrum of chi-gung that was ultimately resolved by 'cultivating nature and life together'.

(...) Chi-ging masters recognize the fact that humans must live with their bodies and their emotions, that appetites for food and sex are as basic to human nature as flesh and bone are to the body, and that the demands of family and society must be met even by those who wish to devote their lives to spiritual cultivation. Similarly, even the most materialistic, sensualistic hedonist is endowed with the same fundamental energy and immortal spirit as the most high-minded saint. The only way to resolve the basic contradictions in human life between body and spirit, temporal and spiritual concerns, human nature and universal spirit is to cultivate both aspects together so that they balance and mutually support each other.