Episode 15: Ai Discusses the book "Cultivating the Energy of Life" by Liu Hua-yang

"Cultivating the Energy of Life" by Liu Hua-yang, is a Taoist treatise that explores the practice of internal alchemy, a system for cultivating health and longevity. This book, translated by Eva Wong, focuses on the concept of "hui-ming," or uniting wisdom-mind with the energy of life, through a combination of meditation techniques, energy work, and a unique synthesis of Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian principles. The text offers a practical guide for practitioners, using detailed illustrations and explanations to demonstrate the circulation of life energy within the body, the cultivation of a spiritual fetus, and the eventual liberation of the spirit. The book also provides a historical context for these teachings, tracing the evolution of these ideas within the Complete Reality school of Taoism and examining its influences from Chan Buddhism and Hua-yen Buddhism.