Daoist sexual practices

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A historical Chinese print: "The connection of essences"

Daoist sexual practices ( simplified : 合 气, traditional : 合 氣, pinyin : heqi ), literally connecting energy or the connection of essences , are a way of practicing sex that comes from Daoism , but not from all Daoists, some of whom are also monks were executed. Practitioners believe that by practicing these sexual methods one can stay in good health and ultimately achieve immortality .

history

The earliest surviving writings on sexuality were found in the Mawangdui tombs. Daoism was not yet fully developed as a philosophy or religion at this time . Nevertheless, these scriptures show similarities with later texts of the Tang dynasty such as B. the Ishinpō . The sexual arts flourished between the end of the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty . After that, Confucian Puritanism became more prevalent, and with the advent of the Qing Dynasty , sex became a taboo subject . These Confucians justified the suppression of the sexual arts with the argument of an alleged gender segregation 2000 years earlier. Censorship during the Qing Dynasty made the sexual arts extinct. Many of the scriptures survived only in Japan , and scholars did not know that these sexual concepts existed in ancient China .

Ancient and Medieval Practices

Qì (life force) and Jing (essence)

Daoism assumes that Qì ("life energy") exists in all things. Qì is related to the energetic substance Jing , which is said to be contained in the human body. Jing can therefore be consumed in different ways and according to this teaching a person dies when this energy is exhausted. Daoists believe that most of the jing is contained in sperm , so men should avoid ejaculating in order to preserve this body fluid and thus their life essence.

Male control of ejaculation

Many Taoists associate the loss of sperm with a loss of qi. The excessive loss of this body fluid leads to premature aging, illness and general exhaustion. While some Daoists believe that one should never ejaculate, others use a formula to determine the maximum number of ejaculations for the maintenance of good health. The basic idea is to limit the amount of body fluid lost depending on the practice you want. With sexual practices passed down through the centuries , the importance of having a limit on ejaculations weakened. Nonetheless, withholding semen is an essential principle of Daoist sexual practice.

There are several prescribed Daoist procedures for controlling ejaculation. To avoid ejaculation, a man can do two things: Pull out his penis just before orgasm . This method is called Coitus Conservatus by Joseph Needham . The second method uses pressure on the perineum , which causes ejaculation to recede into the bladder . The Daoists believed that through this procedure the seed went into their head and thus "nourished" them. Joseph Needham called this method Coitus Thesauratus .

masturbation

The Taoist physician Stephen T. Chang calls the usual form of male masturbation, which leads to ejaculation, “unhealthy because nutrients, energy and other valuable properties of the semen are lost. But the man shouldn't masturbate for other reasons either. ”From foot reflexology, “ you know that the soles of the feet contain nerve and meridian ends, and that various points on the feet are related to certain parts of the body. By massaging these points in a targeted manner, you can supply the relevant organs with energy. The penis also has reflex zones that correspond to certain organs. ”The “ heart zone ”located on the upper part of the glans is stimulated the most during masturbation,“ while the other reflex zones are neglected. A single organ (heart) is overstimulated: that creates an imbalance. "

He reports on a case in which the alleged "heart attack" of a patient turned out to be caused by fellatio and the associated overstimulation of the heart. "Never do that again!" Advised the therapist.

“From a Taoist point of view, one-sided excitation of the penis is harmful. ... Therefore, when the man masturbates, he should involve the whole penis in his manipulation; then he can satisfy himself as often as he wants without harming himself in any way. Provided he doesn't ejaculate. ... If you self-indulge in the Daoist way - that is, without ejaculating - you can do it ten or a hundred times a day without harming yourself. On the contrary: it is actually good for your body, because the penis massage supplies it with overall energy. "

Jing (sexual energy)

Another important concept of The Connection of Essences is the union of man and woman to produce Jing sexual energy . The man can transform the jing generated during the sexual act into qì and thus regenerate his life force. With an intense sexual life, the man had the opportunity to generate a lot of jing and thereby health benefits.

Yin / yang

Yin / Yang is an important concept in Daoism. Yang refers to the masculine and Yin to the feminine gender. Man and woman are the equivalent of heaven and earth, but they have been separated. This makes heaven and earth immortal, but man and woman die prematurely. Every interaction between yin and yang has meaning. Because of this importance, every position and action during the sexual act is important. Daoist texts describe a large number of sex positions that are used for healing or to help prevent illness.

Taiji the sign symbolizes Yin ("black", dark, soft, cold, feminine, passive, calm) and Yang ("white", light, hard, hot, masculine, active, movement)

Importance of woman

For Daoists, sex is not just for man's pleasure. The woman must also be satisfied in order to benefit from the sexual act. Sex can therefore only take place if both want it. During the sexual act, the woman then creates more jing , and the man can simply absorb it and supplement his qi . Women also have an important place in ishinpō . The woman has the strength to bring life and does not have to worry about ejaculation. Women therefore do not lose any life energy through the sexual act.

Nevertheless, women have a subordinate position in Daoist sexual practice. In many of the scriptures, sexuality is described from a male point of view, not how women can enjoy sex. Men are encouraged not to be content with one woman and are instructed to only have sex with childless, beautiful women. Although the man must sexually please the woman, she is still only an object. In many places in the Ishinpō the woman is referred to as the "enemy". It was assumed that during sexual intercourse the man had to dominate over female sexual prowess. In later, sexuality-related writings from the Ming period , women lost all resemblance to humans and were referred to as the "other". In these texts, the sexual pleasure of women also became less important.

Women were thus seen as a means of extending the life of a man. Many of the classic works are detailed instructions on how a man should have sex in order to prolong his life. He can only prolong his life by absorbing the female life energies ( Jing and Qì ). Daoists refer to the sexual act as "a struggle to steal strength". These sexual practices could be related to Daoist military strategies . Instead of storming the gates, battle has been a number of feints and maneuvers designed to undermine the enemy's resistance.

When and where to have sex

According to these Taoist teachings, certain times are more suitable for sexual intercourse than others. Sex should be avoided during quarter or full moon, on days with strong wind, rain, cold or heat, storm, darkness between heaven and earth, solar and lunar eclipses, rainbows and earthquakes. Sexual intercourse in these times can damage the man's soul and make the woman sick. Children conceived at such a time would become crazy, stupid, perverted or foolish, dumb, crippled or blind, disrespectful and violent.

It is believed that choosing the right day for sexual intercourse is important in order to have children. After a woman's period , the first, third, or fifth day is best. If the man ejaculates after midnight on any of those days, the child will likely become a boy. If a girl is desired, the man must ejaculate on the second, fourth, or sixth day after the end of the period.

The place for sex is also important for Daoist practices. People should avoid the blinding sun, moon, stars, the interior of a shrine, the vicinity of Buddhist temples, wells, ovens and toilets, and the vicinity of graves or coffins. If these suggestions are followed, the offspring of the family will become good, wise and virtuous, otherwise bad and the family will die out.

immortality

All of these rules about sex are designed to help people achieve immortality . According to Ge Hong , a 4th century Daoist alchemist, Those who desire immortality must perfect what is absolutely essential . That includes keeping jing , circling qi, and taking the best medicine. The sexual arts deal with the first rule, preserving the jing , which involves sending it to the brain. In order to bring the jing to the brain, the man must hold back the ejaculation during sex. According to the Daoists, if the seed does not leave the body, it travels along the spine and nourishes the brain. Any sexual abstinence prevents yin and yang from influencing each other. A man therefore often had to have sex. With properly performed sex, a person could eventually attain immortality. However, Ge Hong argued that sexual intercourse for the sole purpose of immortality was folly. For immortality, alchemy must be practiced alongside the sexual arts.

literature

  • Classic texts
  • Contemporary texts
    • Jolan Chang: The Tao of Love and Sex . Penguin Compass, New York NY 1991, ISBN 0-14-019338-3 (English).
    • Jolan Chang: The Tao of Love. Instruction in ancient Chinese love art . Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-498-00846-3 .
    • Stephen T. Chang: The Tao of Sexuality. From the deeper wisdom of love . Goldmann, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-442-12213-9 .
    • Valentin Chu: The Yin-Yang Butterfly . Tarcher, New York NY 1994, ISBN 0-87477-778-X (English).
    • Thomas Cleary: Sex, Health, and Long Life. Manuals of Taoist Practice . Shambhala, Boston MA 1999, ISBN 1-57062-433-X (English).
    • Thomas Cleary: Sexuality, Health and Wisdom. Taoist teachings . Droemer Knaur, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-426-86128-3 .
    • Werner Heilmann: Fang-chung-shu, The Chinese Art of Love . 2nd Edition. Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-453-04170-4 .
    • Hsi Lai: The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigress: Secrets of the Female Taoist Masters . Destiny Books, Rochester VT 2001, ISBN 0-89281-868-9 (English).
    • Hsi Lai: The Sexual Secrets of the White Tigress . Heyne, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-453-87739-X .
    • Hsi Lai: The Green Dragon's Sexual Secrets . Heyne, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-453-87741-1 .
    • Hsi Lai: The Sexual Teachings of the Jade Dragon. Taoist Methods for Male Sexual Revitalization . Destiny Books, Rochester VT 2002, ISBN 0-89281-963-4 (English).
    • Joseph Needham : Science and Civilization in China . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 2008, ISBN 978-0-521-32728-2 (English).
    • Robert van Gulik : The Sexual Life of Ancient China: A Preliminary Survey of Chinese Sex and Society from approx. 1500 BC till 1644 AD Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden et al. 2003, ISBN 90-04-12601-5 (English, Sinica Leidensia 57) .
    • Douglas Wile: The Art of the Bedchamber. The Chinese Sexual Yoga Classics including Women's Solo Meditation Texts . State University of New York Press, Albany NY 1992, ISBN 0-7914-0886-8 (English).
    • Eric Steven Yudelove: Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy. Internal Alchemy and Chi Kung . Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MN 2000, ISBN 1-56718-834-6 (English).
    • Chian Zettnersan: Taoist Bedroom Secrets . Lotus Press, Twin Lakes WI 2002, ISBN 0-914955-71-3 (English).
    • Chian Zettnersan: Taoist bedroom secrets . 2nd Edition. Windpferd, Aitrang 2000, ISBN 3-89385-346-4 .

See also

Web links

References and comments

  1. ^ Van Gulik (1961), foreword
  2. ↑ a b Wile (1992), page 6.
  3. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 92
  4. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 46
  5. ↑ Wile (1993), p. 20
  6. ↑ Needham (1983), 199
  7. ↑ Stephen T. Chang: The Tao of Sexuality . Geneva 1992, ISBN 3-7205-1701-2 , page 87 ff.
  8. ↑ Wile (1992), page 85
  9. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 28
  10. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 102
  11. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 45
  12. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 11
  13. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 14
  14. ↑ Wile (1992), p. 118
  15. ↑ a b Wile (1992), page 24