Taoist Grottoes, Longmen, China	Taoist Caves, Heng Shan, China	Taoist Condo, Chiang Mai, Thailand	Taoist Alchemy Chamber Thailand

The Darkness Retreats in Tao Garden have been especially created to facilitate the teaching and practice of higher level Taoist Alchemical Meditation. Like a Lotus flower has its roots in the water, our practice of the Way, of Tao, begins with cultivating our Life Force to nurture our Body, Soul and Spirit, a practice which is called Healing Love through the Tao. Through the transforming power of the Inner Smile and the Six Healing Sounds, we open up our Body, Soul and Spirit to receive, give, and share Healing Force and increase our ability to store Chi (Life Force). Once our root is established firmly through the practice of Iron Shirt Chi Kung and our Microcosmic Orbit opened to circulate the Chi (life force) through our body, we may expand outward to connect with the forces of Nature and use the energy to strengthen and rejuvenate our bodies and  make them centered and balanced. Along the same path we find the Fusion of the Five Elements, a practice which allows us to connect intimately with nature and to realize that we are indeed 'micro-cosmic' reflections of the 'macro-cosmos', cultivating the qualities of the Five Elements within our bodies and connecting to the cycle of the elements in the Universe. The Fusion Practice feeds many branches of the Universal Tao Practice. It leads into the Healing Arts and Martial Arts alike, furthering our Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chi Kung Practice and the development of our healing hands for Chi Nei Tsang and Cosmic Healing Chi Kung, and prepares us for the higher level of Taoist Alchemical Meditation. This involves an even more intimate encounter with the Macrocosmos and tapping into the forces of Nature, through three levels of Practice, which are called Lesser, Greater and Greatest Kan and Li and will be discussed briefly in this introduction. In the upcoming Darkness Retreats Master Mantak Chia will go one step further, and also teach the Alchemical Formula which is called the "Sealing of the Five Senses", to be introduced in the next article: Special in Darkness Retreats 2008. Please refer to the links given in the side bar to see which articles are available.

Like, when speaking of a Lotus flower, the flower, its roots and the water are one, if we speak of a 'higher' practice, we merely mean to say that as a flower is the extension of the stem, so the Darkroom Practice is the extension of our Physical, Emotional and Mental Practice: the Spiritual Practice. And like a flower, which  is the result of the root, it may be also be its seed or beginning, so the Darkness Retreat may be the Crown on our Practice of the Way, but for some people also a way into it. As we have found that many people would like to find out about our Darkness Retreats, without having studied with us before, we have created for them the possibility, to free-download some of the teaching material, so as to have some idea of the practice before they come. This may be important, for it must be remembered that there will be no more opportunity to read or review anything, once the lights have gone out. Thus, apart from the information given in this introduction and the articles published in  this newsletter, we kindly refer to the links in the side bar, through which may be freely downloaded a number of booklets and manuals from the Universal Tao. Last but not least, please be aware that the practice of the Inner Smile and the Six Healing Sounds, as well as the practice and understanding of the Microcosmic Orbit and theFusion of the Five Elements, are still seen as prerequisites for the Darkness Retreats. In any case, coming a few days early, before starting the Retreat and going through a Wellness Detox & Cleansing Program, is recommended for all participants. Those who have no previous experience at all, are advised to first go through the Basic Retreat Week, and the Fusion 1 & 2, before embarking on the Darkness Retreat.  Master Mantak Chia (1) would further like to invite you to study his classes online, through his Tao Training Website or through the CD's and DVD's available from the Universal Tao Online Shop & www.pacifictao.com, but if you have the opportunity, we recommend you to study with him personally, or with one of the Certified Instructors, who are offering courses in Iron Shirt Chi Kung ,Six Healing Sounds, Healing Love, Tan Tien Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chi Kung around the world. To find out about Master Chia's World Tour, please visit the link on the web site. To find a Certified Instructor, please check  through the pages of the WUHTIF Universal Healing Tao Teacher Federation.

The Taoist Alchemical practices for which the Darkness Retreat has been designed, involve what is called a 'steaming' of the Sexual Energy (Ching Chi) into life-force energy (Chi) in order to feed the soul or energy body. 

The first stage of the Alchemical Wedding of Kan & Li is called:

The Lesser Enlightenment of Kan and Li

Kan ㊌ means Water and Li ㊋ means Fire (2). In Chinese Philosophy, Fire and Water are the primordial elements, the first children of Heaven and Earth;  if we view our body as a Micro-cosmos, the seat of the Water- the Yin power, normally is down in the abdomen and the seat of the Yang power- the Fire, is up in the chest (3). While Yang has the tendency to move upward, like Fire, and Yin has the tendency to move downward, like Water, they tend to move away from each other during our life, and as we age the Water will flow downward and out  and the Fire will burn out the body until we die. The going apart of Fire and Water is the condition, the Alchemical formula of the Lesser Kan and Li is the medicine. In Taoist physiology it is said that the 'true Fire burns under Water', what is meant is the Kidney-Fire, which in Chinese Medicine is seen as the source of Ching Chi or Sexual Energy. From the viewpoint of Western Physiology, we may think of the combustion which takes place in our cells: it is in fact a fire which burns under water (the cell membrane). 

At the marriage of Heaven and Earth, the Heaven gave away its central Yang-line to Mother Earth, and the Earth gave its central Yin-line to Father Heaven. From this Union came Water, the middle son, and Fire, the middle daughter. Like its father, the Fire was Yang and powerful, but not stable, because it had only two Yang-lines instead of three, its essence being Yin and hence not son but daughter. Likewise the Water, which resembled the Yin nature of its mother, also was not stable, because it had only two Yin lines, instead of three and its essence was Yang, hence son instead of daughter. 

The human condition resembles that of Fire and Water, since Water reflects the Feminine and Fire the Masculine. Both are perfect in themselves, but not stable. We need to balance the one with the other, in order to produce a perfect relationship. The Alchemical Formula of Kan and Li is aimed at restoring the balance of Water and Fire inside ourselves. When the Fire is too hot, it evaporates the Water and dryness follows. If the Water is too abundant, it quenches the Fire and cold follows. To make the Water and the Fire unite perfectly, like when cooking a soup, we need the right ingredients, the right contact, the right temperature, the right timing and the right stirring. For the practice of Kan & Li this means to gather the right Combination of energies, to construct  the appropriate Cauldron, to practice the right kind of Compassion, to Connect to the Stars (5) according to Feng Shui and to find good Concentration. If done correctly, the 'Alchemical Wedding' of Kan & Li allows us to  cultivate our Yin essence at the Root Center (the Hui-Yin) and cultivate our Yang Essence at the Heart Center, to achieve transformation of the Sexual Energy into Life Force at the Navel Center. Thus by reversing the positions of the elements in the meditation, the heat of the bodily fire is placed beneath the coolness of the bodily water (4). In other words, the Sexual Energy is heated directly by the Heart Fire, so that 'intercourse' between the elements takes place inside our body. The practice of Lesser Kan & Li may lead to a state of enlightenment, where compassion is felt as an energy, which pervades our body and lifts up our mind. This pervading energy is called a 'steam' and is used to open and cleanse the twelve major meridians (energy channels) of our body. 

Once the 'steaming process' has been achieved, which in the Darkness is much easier, a tremendous amount of energy and healing force is set free, to rejuvenate all the glands, the nervous system, and the lymphatic system, and to increase pulsation. About the Darkness and how it helps the process of Kan & Li, please follow the link. In short the Lesser Enlightenment of Kan & Li consists of:

For a more detailed study of the Lesser Enlightenment of  Kan and  Li, please visit the link: download free Darkness Manuals

The second stage of the Alchemical Wedding of  Kan and Li:

The Greater Enlightenment of Kan and Li

The Formula of the Greater Kan & Li comprises the Taoist Dah Kan Li (Ta Kan Li) practice. It uses the same energy relationship of Yin and Yang inversion but increases to an extraordinary degree the amount of energy that may be drawn up into the body. At this stage, the mixing, transforming, and harmonizing of energy takes place in the Solar Plexus. The increasing amplitude of power is due to the fact that the formula not only draws Yin and Yang energy from within the body, but also draws the power directly from Heaven and Earth or ground (Yang and Yin, respectively), and adds the elemental powers to those of one's own body. In fact, power can be drawn from any energy source, such as the Moon, Wood, Earth, Flowers, Animals, Light, etc.

In short the Greater  Enlightenment of Kan & Li consists of:

The third  stage of the Alchemical Wedding of  Kan and Li:

The Greatest Enlightenment of  Kan & Li

This formula is Yin and Yang power mixed at a higher energy center. It helps to reverse the aging process by re-establishing the thymus gland and increasing natural immunity. This means that healing energy is radiated from a more powerful point in the body, providing greater benefits to the physical and ethereal bodies.

The formula consists of:

Why are these practices done in the Dark?

All spiritual traditions of the world have used Darkness Techniques in their pursuit of enlightenment. In Europe, the place for practicing Darkness Techniques often appeared in underground form as a network of tunnels, in Egypt as the Pyramids, in Rome as the catacombs, and by the Essenes, near the Dead Sea in Israel, as caves. Buddhism shares in this tradition, with famous Yogis like Milarepa and Padmasambhava, whose caves are still visited by pilgrims and tourists alike. Thailand has many caves that are used by Buddhist Monks for Vipassana Meditation. In the Taoist tradition caves have been used throughout the ages for higher level practices. In the Tao, the cave, the Immortal Mountain, the Wu Shan, represents the Perfect Inner Alchemy Chamber (12). Meditating and fasting in the cave is the final journey of spiritual work. The caves are the Earth Mother and its energy lines. Like the hollowing bones, caves contain the earliest information of life stored inside the Earth. Caves contain the vital essence of the Earth Power. The Tao says: 'When you go into the dark and this becomes total, the darkness soon turns into light (13).' In the Darkness, our mind and soul begin to wander freely in the vast realms of psychic and spiritual experience. When you enter this primordial state you are reunited with the true self and divinity within. You literally 'conduct' the universal energy. You may see into the past and future, understand the true meaning of existence, and begin to understand the order of things. You return to the womb, the cocoon of our material structure and Nature's original Darkness. In the Tao Teh Ching it says:

Lao Tzu,
The Grand Master of Taoism

   Complete darkness profoundly changes the sensory sensibilities of the body/brain. We are deprived of all visual reference. Sounds begin to fall away as we lose contact with the external world and turn the senses inward. The effect of darkness is to shut down major cortical centers in the brain, depressing mental and cognitive functions in the higher brain centers. Emotional and feeling states are enhanced, especially the sense of smell and the finer senses of psychic perception. Dreams become more lucid, and the dream state manifests in our conscious awareness. Eventually, we awaken within ourselves the awareness of the Source, the spirit, the soul. We descend into the void, into the darkness of deep, inner space. Darkness activates the deepest centers within the brain, the glands of the Crystal Palace (14), establishing a connection with the Original Source, the Wu Chi. The Pineal gland connects us to the Universal Energy. From the hypothalamus gland, we project our soul or spirit upwards, and receive the descending Universal Energy. The pituitary gland receives the Cosmic Force, used to launch the spirit bodies into the earthly or human plane for traveling.

     The darkness actualizes successively higher states of divine consciousness, correlating with the synthesis and accumulation of psychedelic chemicals in the brain. Melatonin, a regulatory hormone, quiets the body and mind in preparation for the finer and subtler realities of higher consciousness (Days 1 to 3). Pinoline, affecting the neuro-transmitters of the brain, permits visions and dream-states to emerge in our conscious awareness (Days 3 to 5). Eventually, the brain synthesizes the "spirit molecules" 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) and dimethyltryptamine (DMT)(16), facilitating the transcendental experiences of universal love and compassion (Days 6 to 12).    
When you reach the ‘DMT state’ you begin to function consciously from the various psychic centers or Chakras. The bodily processes of ‘Healing Love’ combine the human states of true compassion and sexual arousal to create a new chemistry and a new vibration within the body. This ‘special’ vibration occurs at a frequency of 8Hz. ‘As in the macrocosm, so it is in the microcosm’; hence if we make love, then all the cells and DNA actually make love as well. The DNA crosses over, like two serpents intertwined in an erotic embrace. You need the orgasmic vibration to arouse this crossover process which leads to the ‘two giving birth to three’; the conception of new cells. The two vital states are compassion and arousal leading to orgasm. Both are inextricably linked to love. 

Rick Strassman, based on several years of intensive medical research, proposes that the release of DMT from the pineal gland at 49 days after conception marks the entrance of the spirit into the fetus. This 49-day prenatal period corresponds to the first signs of fetal pineal tissue, the differentiation of the gonads into male and female, and the time between the death of an individual and its soul’s next rebirth according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He suggests that the individual’s life-force enters the body through the pineal gland and leaves it through the pineal gland at death (see “DMT, The Spirit Molecule”, by Strassman). The infant’s brain is flooded with 5-MeO-DMT, secreted from the pineal gland and the brain is 40% more active and open. The chemistry of consciousness is, at first glance, complex. The infant basks in the divine glow of consciousness, manifested in the body/brain by the spirit molecules, 5-MeO-DMT and DMT. However, during development, the brain inhibits the flow of consciousness, utilizing enzymes to deactivate the synthesis of the spirit molecules. Then, to re-realize the divine source, the brain must inhibit the inhibiting enzymes! 

The Darkness environment activates the glands of the Crystal Palace, which includes the pineal, hypothalamus, thalamus and pituitary glands; actualizing their higher powers and providing a "way back" to the Original Source. When the Crystal Palace is open, it becomes illuminated like millions of shining crystals. It can give and receive light and awaken our inner knowledge and deepest potentials. It receives light and knowledge from the universe and reflects it to the various organs and glands to enhance them.  The pineal gland helps us to overcome death by taking in external forces and combining them with sexual energy and the Original Force to form an "Immortal Body." With this body we can leave the physical body before the final transition (death) occurs. By focusing on the tip of the Crystal Palace, the pineal gland (15) , and the back of the crown, we can project ourselves to the North Pole or North Star as we attract its violet emanations. The Darkness environment activates the glands of the Crystal Palace, which includes the pineal, hypothalamus, thalamus and pituitary glands; actualizing their higher powers and providing a "way back" to the Original Source. When the Crystal Palace is open, it becomes illuminated like millions of shining crystals. It can give and receive light and awaken our inner knowledge and deepest potentials. It receives light and knowledge from the universe and reflects it to the various organs and glands to enhance them.

    The pineal gland helps us to overcome death by taking in external forces and combining them with sexual energy and the Original Force to form an "Immortal Body." With this body we can leave the physical body before the final transition (death) occurs. By focusing on the tip of the Crystal Palace, the pineal gland, and the back of the crown, we can project ourselves to the North Pole or North Star as we attract its violet emanations. Some people may have already experienced these chemical changes in the brain, by experimenting with chemical DMT (16) , LSD or Psyloscybine. None of these can however compare to genuine enlightenment. Moreover a warning is justified from the viewpoint of Taoist Alchemy: the use of these substances may actually deplete the Chi in the Crystal Palace and bar the Immortal Body from taking off and finding its way back into the stars.  Vice versa an extended stay in the Dark and the practice of  Alchemy over longer periods, may help to 'reset' the Pineal Gland and thus facillitate Drug Detoxification. See more in our upcoming article: Darkness, DMT & Drug Detox.

For a more detailed study of the fysiological aspects of Darkness Mediation, please visit the link: download free Darkness Manuals

   At Tao Garden in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the "cave of darkness" has been created with all the conveniences of modern technology. A condominium has been converted into an air-conditioned dark room environment with a central meeting and meditation room. All exterior windows and doors are sealed with sound and light-proof paneling. The Tao Garden Darkness Retreat is enclosed and encased in a light and sound-proof sheath. The building is constructed of bricks made from the red earth of Thailand, containing all of the properties of natural rock in a cave. The earth was mined and hydraulically pressed into bricks, thus preserving the constituent elements and minerals of the parent materials. The Mother Earth power is retained in the modern structure. The Universal Tao Darkness Retreat is currently the largest and most advanced Darkness meditation facility in the world. Aspiring to the Tao, participants remain in utter and complete darkness for one, two, or three weeks; a perfect laboratory for Inner Alchemy. The spiritual knowledge gained by Taoist masters over the ages merges and blends with the insights of 21st century science and technology.