Neidan, a Chinese method of internal alchemy. Part of the Chinese alchemical meditative tradition that is said to have been separated into internal and external (waidan) at some point during the Tang dynasty. Internal alchemy, also called spiritual alchemy, is a term used for different esoteric disciplines focused on balancing internal and spiritual energies. ... The Tang Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (18 June 618 – 4 June 907), lasting about three centuries, preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Song Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. ...

The neidan tradition of internal alchemy was practised by working with the energies that were already present in the human body, as opposed to using natural substances, medicines or elixirs, from outside of the body. It's said that the Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) tradition of Daoism played an important role in the emergence of neidan alchemy, after using Wiedan mainly as a meditative practise, and therefore turning it from an external to an internal art. For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... The Shangqing School (Chinese:上清) is a Daoist movement that began during in the aristocracy of the Western Jin dynasty. ...

Closely related to Daoism, it is believed that the goal of neidan was to merge the two energies of yin and yang, and return to the primordial unity of the Tao. For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... Yin may refer to: Yin Dynasty, another name for the first historic Chinese nation and dynasty, the Shang. ... Look up yang in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Taijitu This article is about the Chinese character and the philosophy it represents. ...

See also

• Daoyin
• Neigong
• Neijia

Tao Yin (Chinese: 導引; pinyin: guide and pull) exercises were an ancient precursor of qigong, specifically practised in Chinese Taoist monasteries for health and spiritual cultivation, attested from at least 500 BC. Tao Yin is also said to be (along with Shaolin Chuan) a primary formative ingredient in the martial... Neigong 內功 , pinyin nèigōng, also spelt nei kung or neigung meaning internal skill is any of a set of Chinese breathing and meditation disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts. ... Nèijiā (Chinese: 內家; Pinyin: nèi jīa; Wade-Giles: nei4 chia1) denotes the internal or soft styles of Chinese martial arts, as opposed to wàijiā (外家; external family), the external or hard styles, which are associated with Shaolinquan and its many derivatives. ...

External links

• The Golden Elixir - A Website on Chinese Alchemy
• Neidan - A Meditative Practice
• Cultural Aspects of Inner Alchemy in China’s Past
• Daoist Alchemy in the West
• Secret of the Golden Flower