A question

The eight trigrams of Ba Gua symbolically represent the interactions (or changes) of Yin and Yang. Are they appropriate to reflect the transformation of energies in neigong such as the xiaozhoutian? Please explain the various permutations of these in relation to neigong.

An answer

Neigong refers to the internal side of energy practices, and has its roots in Taoism. Neigong is often associated with the “soft” styles of the martial arts (neijia) that use breathing, posture and focus to enhance the capacity and flow of Qi through the body for martial application. Applications of neigong can also be found in the fields of health and wellness, sexuality, spirituality and neigong is even used to develop psychic powers. The internal alchemist practices within Taoism (neidan) use neigong exercises to effectuate a cyclic transformation of the raw earthly (Yin) energies within the body to a more refined and purified heavenly (Yang) form. The xiaozhoutian can be considered a cornerstone of these internal practices, often translated as the “Small Heavenly Circulation/Circuit”, “The Small Universe” or “The Micro-Cosmic Orbit”. Descriptions and discussions of neidan practices and the small heavenly circuit can be found throughout the Taoist canon, ranging from esoteric pointers and references to minutely detailed illustrations of the processes and techniques. Here is a short list of various texts as they refer to neidan practices:

• Nei Yeh (inward training). Oldest known Taoist text that discusses four-fold alignment (body, limbs, breathing and mind), attaining tranquility, breath circulation, focus on the One and returning to the Way. These are definite pointers to neidan practices being required, without providing a very clear explanation of the techniques themselves. This text may have had significant influence on later classics such as the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi.
• The Secret of the Golden Flower. Discusses the golden light reflex technique “leading to the natural revelation of the ultimate self and finally reaching the state of heavenly rapture.” (1.18). The main point of focus in this technique is the upper dantian (third eye) combined with active breathing in meditation.
• The Book of Balance and Harmony. devotes a chapter (4) to the Secrets of the Golden Pill. The circular refinement of sexual vitality to breath energy to thinking spirit is explained and how the xiaozhoutian is the basic vehicle (“The Outer Medicine”) to cure illness and prolong life. The “Inner Medicine” talks about the further refinement of primordial ultimate vitality to immaterial open energy to incorruptible fundamental spirit. The Outer Medicine is in the realm of action, vs non-action for the Inner Medicine.
• The Inner Teachings of Taoism. Translation of Jindan sibai zi (“Four Hundred Words on the Golden Elixir”) by Chang Po-Tuan, a condensed simplified version of Wuzhen pian (“Awakening to Reality”) explains the inner alchemist practice in Taoism and explains in much detail the order and states in the firing process.
• Foundations of Internal Alchemy. Analysis of the texts Wuzhen pian (“Awakening to Reality”),  Qinghua biwen (“Secret Text of Green Florescence”), Jindan sibai zi (“Four Hundred Words on the Golden Elixir”) and Bamai Jing (“Book of the Eight Vessels”). Detailed explanation of Taoist internal alchemy theory and practice.
• Nei Gong Zhen Chuan (“Authentic Classic of Internal Practice”). Discusses a neidan practice and method, theory of qi refinement and transformation, and then martial application of the practice in various stratagems.
• Cantong Qi (“The Seal of the Unity of the Three”). explication of the three pillars of Taoism - Taoist cosmology (book I), Taoism in the sense of non-action (book II) and Taoist Alchemy (book III).
• Yijing (The Book of Changes). It's a Taoist divination text which explains nature’s state changes and appropriate actions related to those changes. Applied to pre-celestial and celestial contexts but is also used in the context of the micro-cosmic orbit.

There are various statements made in articles on the Internet about Lao Tzu becoming an immortal through the practice of the Small Heavenly Circuit. Although the name “Lao Tzu” itself might be a pseudonym; in his book “Tao Te Ching” (“Classic on the Virtue of The Way”), Lao Tzu refers to generic internal principles such as relaxation and concentration, detaching from sensations, selflessness, clarity and awareness, simplicity, reducing desire, stillness and provides an idea of the required meditation in chapter 16. However, the Tao Te Ching does not explicitly describe any alchemist practice though, and it certainly does not state that Lao Tzu reached immortality through practicing the xiaozhoutian.

The Secret of the Golden Flower is reassuring when it states “Although there were many ways or methods to practice, one would generally need to practice a chosen technique patiently and persistently to reach the ultimate reality. Thus there was no one easy, quick solution to penetrate the ultimate realm.” (Ch 1.7) In other words one can reach the ultimate state of non-action through action; i.e. through a proper neidan exercise such as the Small Heavenly Circuit.

Basic Preparation

A practitioner of neigong will utilize a meditational posture that allows them to comfortably attain stillness of mind and body for an extended period of time. The spine needs to be straight and elongated, the armpits open and only those muscles that are used to maintain this posture are engaged. The maximal relaxation of the muscles in combination with a straight spine and unlocked connections between the joints will allow for the proper flow of fluids and energy through the body. There will be a preparatory phase in which the practitioner shuts their mind from external distractions and regulates the breath. Sometimes this is referred to as “clearing the sky and calming the water”. Once the practitioner has reached a state of complete stillness, then the internal movement will start to be experienced.

The small heavenly circuit specifically travels the Du Mai (Governing Vessel) and the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) meridian channels; they are connected together by gently lifting the perineum on the in-breath and by touching the tip of the tongue to the rooftop of the mouth during the practice. This circuit is used to pass the energy up from the sacrum through the three gates (Gate of Life, Twin Peaks and the Jade Pillow) on the DU and from the upper elixir field (upper dantian at third eye) down the REN through the middle dantian (under heart) to the lower dantian (under navel) and finally to the perineum (huiyin) where it re-connects to the Du Mai. To assist in bringing the energy down and replenish Jing, a practitioner will often swallow Saliva and consciously direct it down to the lower dantian.

The cyclical path for refining the Elixir is summarized by the expression "three Fields in the front, three Barriers in the back." The ascent in the back is called "advancing the Yang Fire" (jin yanghuo), the descent in the front is called "withdrawing by the Yin response" (tui yinfu).

(Wang Mu - Foundations of Internal Alchemy. ISBN 978-0-9843082-5-5)

Taoism establishes the concept that everything is cyclic in nature and always in a state of change. The creation theory starts from the Wuji state, which is the great void beyond space and time, the infinite emptiness or the undefinable; represented by an empty circle. One can think of Wuji as the Tao in stillness, before manifestation. Wuji moves and twists and creates Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang are in balance the state becomes Tai Chi; represented by the well known Tai Chi symbol - a circle with a black and a white teardrop that balance each other perfectly. Tai Chi can be considered the Tao in motion - in manifestation. Yin and Yang create the three Heavenly Treasures (Heaven, Earth and Human). The eight trigrams can represent different formations of the triplex unity with heaven/energy as the top line, human/spirit in the middle and earth/matter as the bottom line. Each of the three forces can either be in stillness (Yin feminine energy represented with a broken line) or in movement (Yang masculine energy represented with a solid line). The resulting eight trigrams are symbolic representations of the observable phenomena in nature and are often categorized as per the table below (King Wen Ba Gua arrangement):

Symbol	Name	Image	Principle	State
	Qian	Heaven	Creative	Supreme Yang
	Tui	Lake	Serene	Mature Yang
	Li	Fire	Attaching	Middle Yang
	Zhen	Thunder	Exciting	Young Yang
	Xun	Wind	Soft, Penetrating	Young Yin
	Kan	Water	Danger	Middle Yin
	Gen	Mountain	Keeping still	Mature Yin
	Kun	Earth	Receptive	Supreme Yin

The Yi Jing (Book of Changes)

As everything is always in a state of change, the Yijing (“Book of Changes”), explains the various changes that can occur in the interaction between the natural phenomena. It uses a hexagram as a combination of two phenomena as per the trigrams above to represent the state and discusses the associated change and appropriate action in such a state. The Yijing is traditionally used in the context of astrology, divination, cosmology, many applications such as Feng Shui and Tai Chi and also in the context of the microcosmos - i.e. the Taoist neigong exercise. For example, change number 63 formed when placing “water over fire” is shown below.

This example is called Ji Ji or “Having Crossed a River” or “After Completion”. The trigram Kan  (Water) above the trigram Li (Fire) represents an energetically beneficial state.This is because fire ascends and water descends.The water over fire allows the water to restrain the fire from ascending and the fire prevents the water from overflowing. Furthermore the interaction between water and fire produces steam - i.e. energy. In the body the heart is associated with fire and the kidneys (and genitals) are associated with water.The name of the hexagram already implies that having completed the path to this beneficial state, one cannot stay there - a change will always follow to the next state. The key is in taking the appropriate action.

The Hunyuan Shengji (“The Sacred Records about the Emperor of Original Chaos”) discusses the fire phases in the energetic body, as constituting the rhythm of the inner alchemist clock. The Inner Teachings of Taoism (p58 - 104) describes the same firing process from a more detailed alchemist perspective. This fire phasing is a process in which the practitioner becomes in tune with this inner energetic rhythm and uses the mind focus to guide the energy through the xiaozhoutian circuit. The directed effort of circulating the Qi upwards through the Du Mai is associated with fire rising up. The relaxation of the body in bringing the Qi down the Ren Mai is associated with water sinking down. Twelve hexagrams are used to represent the internal alchemical clock as the energy passes up through the Du Mai and down the Ren Mai. The upwards path is increasing Yang and decreasing Yin, “This is described as a warlike or martial period, corresponding to the advancement of a light called Martial Fire or Yang Fire that purifies by burning and eliminates defiled elements to release the Original Yang and increase it”. The beginning of this phase is symbolized by the hexagram Fu (Return, number 24), the return of Yang. The downward path is increasing Yin and decreasing Yang, or per the Hunyuan Shengji “This period called Civil Fire corresponds to a decrease of the light. The adept achieves the alchemical work spontaneously and without any effort or voluntary intervention; water descends to moisten, fertilize and temper fire. The start of this phase is symbolized with gou (Encounter, number 44). See below diagram for this representation from fu to qian to gou to kun in 12 steps.

First 6 steps:

Step	1	2	3	4	5	6
Upper Trigram
Lower Trigram
Name	Fu	Lin	Tai	Da Zhuang	Duai	Qian (Heaven)
Image	Return	Overlooking	Peace	Great Strength	Resolution	The Creative

And steps 7-12:

Step	7	8	9	10	11	12
Upper Trigram
Lower Trigram
Name	Gou	Dun	Pi	Guan	Bo	Kun (Earth)
Image	Encountering	Withdrawal	Obstruction	Contemplation	Splitting Apart	The Receptive

Acupuncture Points along the Xiao Zhou Tian

Significant DU and REN points along the xiaozhoutian circuit (such as the perineum (Hui Yin), the sacrum (Wei Lu), the gate of life (Ming Men), the twin peaks (Jia Ji), the jade pillow/pivot (Yu Zhen), the crown (Bai Hui), the upper dantian point (Yin Tang), the middle dantian point (Shan Zhong) and the lower dantian point (Qihai)) are associated with these 12 hexagrams to create a schema of the internal alchemical process. There are varying interpretations, normally starting at the sacrum (Wei Lu) with the hexagram Fu, the return of Yang which is all Yin lines with the lowest line being Yang. As the energy rises along the spine at each gate that is passed the next Yin line is converted to Yang. When all lines are converted to Yang, the hexagram Qian (Heaven) is associated with reaching the top of the Du Mai. This state hexagram is sometimes associated with Feng Fu and sometimes with Bai Hui. Then the lines convert to Yin as the energy descends down the Ren Mai and passes the middle and lower dantian. The point where all lines have converted to Yin is Kun (earth) and is associated with the perineum (Hui Yin).

Cantong Qi

The Cantong Qi chapter 51 describes “The cycle of the Sun” which uses the same order of hexagrams to describe the solar cycle as seen from the perspective of Earth (the 12 months) starting with Fu in the 11th month. This is the first month with ascending Yang after Kun. The parallel between the celestial solar cycle and the microcosmic orbit is clearly illustrated. Chapter 49 describes “The cycle of the Moon” - the waxing and waning of the lunar cycle using the trigrams in a similar pattern starting with Zhen (Thunder). Zhen is the first state after Kun (Earth) and represents dynamic change. Chapter 49 uses a line from the yijing Qian hexagram to correlate each phase in the cycle of the moon to the movement of Yang. See below a diagram showing the trigrams used to represent the cycle of the moon. In the diagram a single descriptive word from the corresponding yijing line from Qian is noted. For example the phrase “Initial nine, submerged dragon” from the yijing Qian hexagram, first line is shown as “submerged”. Note that Kan and Li are not part of the cycle as they are considered the hub/axis.

Trigram
Name	Zhen	Tui	Qian	Xun	Gen	Kun
Image	Thunder	Lake	Heaven	Wind	Mountain	Earth
Yijing line	Submerged	Appearing	Watchful	Wavering	Flying	Thriving

In the Cantong Qi chapter 4, Kan (Fire) and Li (Water) are called the functions of Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth). The interaction in the body between the fire energy of the heart and the water energy of the kidneys is associated with the movement of the Sun (Fire) and the Moon (Water) in the sky. Guiding the energy to the lower dantian on the in-breath and focusing the awareness on the lower dantian expanding and contracting is compared to turning the fire under a great cooking pot filled with water. The lower dantian is the “golden cauldron” and it heats up and starts producing steam. This represents the conversion/refinement of Jing to Qi. Further transformation processes occur in the middle dantian (refinement of Qi to Shen) and the upper dantian (refinement of Shen to Tao). This is why the hexagram Ji Ji as described before represents such an important state in alchemy - as the neidan practices depend on it. If fire burns but is not restrained by water, the heart energy will just rise and bring about negative disruptive emotions. If water floods and is not controlled by fire, the kidney/genital energy will descend and distract from the practice. The practitioner needs to find the right balance between Yang and Yin energy to generate Zhen Qi (“True Qi”) in the dantian.

Here's an image from The Complete System of Self-Healing (p.200) that illustrates the interaction between Fire (heart) and Water (kidneys) required to activate and maintain the xiaozhoutian. The continuous cycling of Kan and Li in the microcosmic orbit is like the celestial waxing and waning of the moon by the light of the Sun. The image shows the progression of Yang from Wei Lu to Feng Fu and then the rise of Yin from Bai Hui to the Hui Yin.

Taoist texts on alchemy use the celestial movements of Sun and Moon as seen from Earth to describe the flow of energy the neidan practitioner will establish to effectuate the transformation from Jing to Qi to Shen to Tao using the Xiao Zhou Tian Qi Gong method. The trigrams and hexagrams can be used to illustrate the cyclic rise and fall of Yin and Yang energy during the course of a breath, a lunar year or a solar year. At the heart of the process is the interaction between Fire and Water, as the functions of Heaven and Earth.