Five Systems of Transcendental Arts

(1) Art of Medical Treatment 

The Taoist culture is a rare gem in the traditional Chinese cultures which can be categorised into literary (“文道”) and martial (“武道”) aspects. The Literary Taoism is a vast system containing a great variety of teachings. The Arts of Medical Treatment is a subsystem of the literature of Taoism and is regarded as the principal of the Five Systems of Transcendental Arts. It is a required course of study for aspiring practitioners of Tao throughout history. The medical theories and methods are developed on the basis of empirical and successful experience from self-cultivation. It transcends the limitations of secular epistemological principles of "seeing is believing". In the study of Taoist anatomical sciences, one must overcome the dichotomy and constraints within Yin and Yang of the “Supreme Ultimate” (“太极” also known as Taiji), and traverse freely the dynamics within the “Supreme Ultimate” before achieving mastery and application of its theory and techniques. It is a profound field of life and medical studies.

Although Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) share similar origins and developmental paths with nature as their common basis, the latter’s theories and skillsets are exoteric and utilised in the secular world. It is learnt and practised through using the intellectual capacity. In contrast, the clinical practice of Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment requires the mastery of theories and skillsets from both exoteric and the esoteric aspects, actualisation of the practice within, and the ability to traverse the dynamics of the “Supreme Ultimate”.

The fundamental difference between Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment and Traditional Chinese Medicine lies in their theoretical views and practical applications on the three vital substances of human life – essence (“精”), qi (“炁”), and spirit (“神”). The development of Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment is done through a long, intricate, and exhaustive process of introspective exploration, self-experimentation and evidencing, using deep meditative and contemplative processes. Historically, Traditional Chinese Medicine is developed and built upon intellectual observation, study, understanding and application of the fundamental theories of Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses the recovery and maintenance of health with greater reliance on medication, acupuncture, and other methods, to achieve the regulation and restoration of the dynamic balance among essence (“精”), qi (“炁”), and spirit (“神”). In contrast, Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment’s approach is predicated on the principle of “qi is within everything”. In addition to the normal approaches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the practitioner directly regulates various types of qi in the patient to dispel the qi of sickness, turbidity and negativity and replenish qi of vitality, purity and positivity. This restores the dynamic balance of essence, qi and spirit within the patient and the disease is cured.

Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses only on the outer and inner causes. Taoist Arts of Medical Treatment focuses on the outer, inner and fundamental causes. This outlines the essential difference between the two systems. This fundamental cause is due to various disease causing factors that have been gathered by the particle light of life while traversing time and space. These factors gradually exert their influence on the body and work together with outer and inner causes resulting in various diseases. The fundamental cause stores itself in a holistic manner and exists in the form of qi within the body. Modern medicine has determined the phenomenon that our genetic material, the DNA carries with it potential disease causing factors. However, it is still sometime away before modern medicine is able to determine the holistic fundamental factors that Taoist meditative insight has already unveiled.

(2) Art of Divination 

As the saying goes, “Tao is the interaction of Yin and Yang”. To claim mastery over the Arts of Divination, the practitioner needs to develop comprehensive understanding and capabilities to traverse freely in the physical world as well as the non-physical dark matter world. The practice of divination as we know of today has unfortunately degraded to using material-based techniques such as using copper coins or other implements to foretell positive or negative outcomes of various situations. This is a greatly inferior practice that is incomparable to what it was in the past.

The true practice of divination involves the development of a supernormal astral body which can freely traverse worldly and other-worldly realms. A person with such abilities is referred to as a master of the seen and unseen realms. The fundamental goal of achieving such abilities is the transformation and perfection of the practitioner’s life through gaining the capability of gathering energy from the other dimensions. This is not the same as the prevalent practice of spiritual possession. Generally speaking, the practice of spiritual possession is carried out by spirit mediums with assistance from spirits of animals, human, or ghosts from the three lower realms. This differs entirely from abilities to access the dual-realms required in the Arts of Divination by Taoist practitioners who are devoted to transcendental cultivation.

(3) Art of Astrology and Astral Studies 

The Arts of Chinese Astrology and Astral Studies are a profound study of the impacts and effects of the external celestial bodies on humanity living on Earth. Astral bodies include the Twenty-Eight Stellar Lodges and the five planets namely, Venus (Metal element), Jupiter (Wood element), Mercury (Water element), Mars (Fire element), and Saturn (Earth element). Every year the sexagenary cycle corresponds to a configuration within the stellar atlas which is grounded in scientific basis. The ancient Chinese grouped the five-elemental planets, the sun, and the moon together and termed them as the “Seven Governors” (“七政”). Humanity is subjected to the influence of these heavenly bodies yet at the same time requires the energy of the Five Elements, namely Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water from them to regulate our bodily systems. Without these energies, our systems will be misaligned and become imbalance.

The human body is comparable to a container. If Venus (Metal Element) is situated right above a child at the moment of birth, the child’s body-container will be filled with its Metal energy and its life will not be lacking in Metal. Conversely, if Venus happens to be in the other side of the Earth at its birth, the Metal energy will not touch the child, and its life will be lacking in Metal.

The ancient Chinese found that shortage of Metal energy affects the lungs as the lungs are Metal energetically. The shortage of Fire energy would mean the shortage of energy from Mars and the heart will be affected. The shortage of Water energy would mean the shortage of energy from Mercury and the kidneys will be affected. The shortage of Earth energy would mean the shortage of energy from Saturn and the spleen and stomach will be affected. The shortage of Wood energy would mean the shortage of energy from Jupiter and the liver will be affected.

A person who is experiencing success in his life, career, family, relationship and luck typically has a balanced combination of the Five Elements in his natal chart. The Five Elements encompass a continuous process of both producing and controlling cycles, which rest in state of equilibrium.

Fortunately, there are remedies for those who are deficient in any of the five elemental energies. Using the Primordial Heaven Elixir Cultivation Practice (“天元丹法”) and Primordial Earth Elixir Cultivation Practice (“地元丹法”) in conjunction with the Unity of Heaven and Man Cultivation Practice (“天人合一”), one can supplement what is deficient with the nourishment from Heaven and Earth.

(4) Art of Physiognomy (Feng Shui) 

The Feng Shui that is popular today is only a minor part of the ancient Chinese Arts of Physiognomy . The actual art of Feng Shui is broad, deep and profound.

The art of Feng Shui encompasses areas such as residential homes, working spaces, burial places, etcetera. Feng Shui is divided into two sects, namely the Early-Heaven Feng Shui (also known as Anterior-Heaven Feng Shui) and Later-Heaven Feng Shui (also known as Posterior-Heaven Feng Shui). The tradition of Early-Heaven Feng Shui adopts practices based on the Early-Heaven Eight Trigrams, while the tradition of Later-Heaven Feng Shui relies on practices based on the Later-Heaven Eight Trigrams. A Master of Early-Heaven Feng Shui is historically addressed as a Master of the dual-realms, for his ability to regulate the energy of Heaven and earth and transform the energetic structure of an environment of a Later-Heaven Eight Trigrams dynamic into a state of Early-Heaven Eight Trigrams. A Master of Early-Heaven Feng Shui can channel and harness the qi of Heaven and Earth into specific spaces such as places of residences or offices to bring about harmony and vitality. People in such a space will be invigorated with positive qi, strength, and spirit which in turn will bring about better fortunes automatically. As the ancient Chinese saying goes, “Fate is of first importance, Luck second and Feng Shui third.” Fate can be changed with the use of Feng Shui.

Many Feng Shui Masters of today can only utilise the practices of Later-Heaven Feng Shui, modifying the Feng Shui dynamic through altering the exterior forms. Though these techniques can be somewhat effective, the regulation of the qi in the environment may not be improved. The word “Feng” in Feng Shui refers to the Flowing qi, and therefore the key lies in the regulation of qi rather than the alteration of physical forms.

A space with a Later-Heaven Eight-Trigrams dynamic have four positive sectors and four negative sectors. The primary principle in the practice of Later-Heaven Feng Shui is boosting the positive sectors and waning the effects of negative sectors. The primary practice of Early-Heaven Feng Shui is the fundamental transformation of negative sectors into positive ones. This is key difference between Early-Heaven Feng Shui and Later-Heaven Feng Shui.

(5) Art of Self Perfection 

In describing Arts of Self-Perfection as “Study of Mountains” (“山学”), the ancient Chinese meant to express humility towards the transcendental Taoist alchemic art of immortality elixir cultivation. This system includes the steps of activating the acupoints and dredging the subtle channels of the body, building an inner repository, and acquiring the means to transmit higher energy.

The term “Mountain Hermit” (“山人”) was used as a reference to an immortal. An immortal has the ability to harness both the Yin and Yang, turn the negative into the positive, and offset the karmic hindrance through virtuous merits. The immortal draws together the Yin and the Yang into electrical energy to bring about illumination thereby dissolving and transmuting black spots of negative energy into “emptiness”.

Be it Catholic prophets, Protestant prophets, Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, they are all known to manifest supernormal abilities. They are able to aid in the dissolution of the causality (karma) that we are bonded to. Anyone who would like to possess such skillsets must devote themselves to systematic training and step-by-step practice. Firstly, the acupoints must be activated and the subtle energy channels must be gradually dredged to achieve easy flow of energy into the body. The flow of energy into the body is rather special. It flows in the form of two spirals similar to the double helix structure of the DNA. Heavenly qi spirals downwards in counter clockwise direction, while Earthly qi spirals upwards in clockwise direction. Whether it is Heavenly, Earthly, or humanly qi, they must be drawn in a spiral form; light and sound energies are also drawn into the body in the same way.

When transmitting energy, it is best to have a vessel as a container. Such a container can reach both the high-dimensional space and low-dimensional space. It can travel freely in the universe, such as the Taiji Ball of Taoism, the Buddhist “卍” Dharma Wheel and the Christian Cross. They are tools for us to generate light of high-intensity within our bodies.

When light is received into the body, it needs to be stored somewhere. The storage area lies in the three energy centres: the upper energy centre (“上丹田” also known as upper Dantian) the middle energy centre (“中丹田” also known as middle Dantian), and the lower energy centre (“下丹田” also known as upper Dantian). With every session of practice, we cleanse and expand them to finally transform them into energy storing cubic structures from three small initial points.

Those who seek the Tao must work on the “Study of Mountains”, but this must be built upon on the mastery of the other four transcendental arts.

(6) Summary 

The primary goal of transcendental practices is to liberate one from life and death and achieve oneness with Tao (also known as the Way or the Path). One should not make development of supernormal abilities or sensations as their purpose for practice as they are merely expedient means in the progress of cultivation of immortality.

(7) The Characteristics of the Five Transcendental Arts Taught by Master Zhang Bu Sheng

The five transcendental arts transmitted by Master Zhang are different from those circulated in the society. In the respect of transcendental medicine, Master Zhang’s teachings emphasise on the inner cultivation practice by mustering one’s own penetrating insight in meditative contemplation on the phenomena of life. The nature of diseases and their causes developed in such a way reveals that there are both external and internal causes, as well as an intrinsic cause that is the various morbid factors gathered by the particle of life light though time and space.

While divination is widely known as a practice of life reading and fortune-telling, Master Zhang’s curriculum enables one to develop a supernormal astral body which can transverse across and other worldly realms, to gather energy from other dimensions that is necessary for transformation of life.

It is often misunderstood that astral arts revolve around the observation of the movement of constellations and fortune based on the five elements. A true Master of astral arts must be able to amass all astral energies and concentrate them in the microcosm of human body, and this is crucial for attainment in self-cultivation instead of one’s petty mundane life-reading.

Master Zhang is an expert in ancient Feng Shui methodology which specialises in primordial (early heaven trigram) energy management. He has a supernormal ability to manipulate energy from heaven and earth. He is able to transform the manifestation of later heaven trigrams into forms of the early heaven trigrams. It draws and attracts energy (qi) into a premise.

Master Zhang is well-versed in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, he has also integrated Bible into his curriculum. With his continuous practice of over thirty years, he has developed a series of courses on “Wisdom of Life” which is systematic and practical, to forward our evolutionary path. This has enabled many practitioners to grasp the essence of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in a short time to transform their lives. Many are deeply grateful and benefit from such sacred transformational teachings.

Therefore, these five transcendental arts enable us, our microcosm, not to dissipate energy further but consolidate energy and re-enter our body such that it transforms our dissipative system to a converging system.

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