Level 2 - Ichingdao

The confused mind is the main obstacle in the path and the opening of its potential is the main objective of all self-development practices. Opening the full potential of the mind and experiencing one´s true nature are the purpose of life. The practices in the trunk of the tree are the ones that assist in opening the full potential of the mind.

The self-development program is not administered by the ego, as it lacks sufficient information on how to do it, the program is administered by the Inner Guide, the higher consciousness function superior to the ego.

The ancestors of the practices have indicated that, “within everything created resides the seed of its own perfection.”

The Inner Guide is the seed of perfection residing within every being in Creation regardless of their physical form or level of consciousness.

The Inner Guide is the one advising in dreams and the one behind intuition and synchronicity. It manifests as “miracles” and coincidence and is the one administering the entire program of self-development.

Opening communication with the Inner Guide begins with the Six Healing Sounds and the questions we pose to the vital organs.
Thanks to the Inner Guide and the seed of perfection residing in every being, we are capable of going beyond the conflicting mind of separation and perceiving beyond appearances at the essence within everyone.

All energy work for personal transformation is carried out with the polarities Yin and Yang. The representatives of those two polarities and first teachers in our lives are our parents. We first learn the Yin polarity within our mother’s womb. In the womb we also start to learn the Yang polarity by the way our father relates with our mother. Mother Mother is our model of the Earth by her capacity to conceive, sustain and nurture. Father is our model of Heaven by his consistency, motivation, and perseverance. The way mother and father relate to each other is our unconscious model of how we relate with others.

Our relation with our parents determines our capacity to carry out the self-development program. The work of healing the relation with our parents, although it has the appearance of being something personal, in reality is a process healing the entire family structure. Thanks to the enlargement of perspective from personal to the family collective, one begins to establish the basis for healing at all levels. Healing takes place from a level of consciousness superior to the one which caused the imbalance in the first place. The selfish mind is healed with the altruistic mind. Healing the relation with the parents clears the most powerful obstacle in the path fulfilling destiny.

The emotions are generated by the way in which we interpret experiences and the decisions we make based on our interpretation. The emotions are generated in the mind. The interpretations we make of any experience, although we like to think of as impartial, are on the contrary fully conditioned by our beliefs, assumptions, labels, prejudices and unconscious habits of reacting.

The five elements have to do with the five vital organs, kidneys, liver, heart, stomach, and lungs. Emotions are not generated by themselves in the vital organs, there is a conditioned mind behind each one of them.

One begins to regulate the emotions with the Six Healing Sounds and in this level Harmonizing the Five Elements 1, one deepens the work by establishing an internal structure transforming and recycling emotional energies. If energy enhancing practices such as Qi Gong or sexual energy recycling are done without transforming the negative emotions, those practices as they increase energy and intensity energy flow, will inevitably multiply negative emotions, unconscious tendencies, and selfish mind. A person trapped in the negative emotions , operates from the lower astral dimension in a state of permanent inner and outer conflict.

In addition to work with the negative emotions, at this level on learns to concentrate energy in a pearl of intention and creative energy which helps stabilize the levels of clarity attained. Energy work has three phases:

The positive emotions consist of trust, gentleness and tenderness coming through the kidneys; generosity and unconditional giving with the liver; happiness, joy, respect, gratitude and patience with the heart; sympathy and opportunity with the digestive system and courage, optimism, clarity, and balance with the lungs. All the work done with Harmonizing the Five Elements 1, opens the way for experiencing the power of the positive emotions.

The synthesis of all the positive emotions generates compassion which in turn tunes the consciousness to the upper astral dimension of the heart. From this level onwards all the energy practices are done with the “virtues” and the compassionate heart.

The central channel of the individual mind in Tao practices is divided into three levels or cauldrons. The first cauldron is when the ego is at the center of the personality. One operates from selfish mind and the lower astral is the dimension. The second cauldron is attained when the Inner Guide is at the center of the personality and positive ego functions as its assistance. The second cauldron operates from the upper astral dimension and the altruistic mind is the way it manifests. The third cauldron is when Original Mind, our true nature is at the center of the personality. Each cauldron is a different dimension of consciousness. Empowering the positive emotions sets the foundations for opening the second cauldron of the compassionate heart.

Everything we do leaves an imprint in the mind and affects the circulation of energy in the meridian system. An important part of working directly with energy is regularly balancing the meridian system. In this level one uses compassion energy to balance and raise the vibrational level of the Yin and Yang energy meridians. This practice is a potent factor for health maintenance and a positive state of mind.

Creative Energy is needed to realize goals, without Creative Energy goals remain at the level of unfulfilled wishes. Creative Energy is generated through the fusion of Yin and Yang polarities. In this level the capacity to create, transform and work the intention is enhanced through balancing the Yin and Yang energy meridians.

When a conflict takes place, we have two roads to choose: the path of self-victimization or the path of healing the conflict with forgiveness or asking for forgiveness. One path strengthens and renews and the other stagnates in a cycle of negative emotions.

Unresolved conflicts energetically tie together individuals and their entire family structure. The negative links established in war, colonization, slavery, sexual aggression, or intimate relations, do not dissolve with time or when those involved die. The law of physics which tells us that every action generates a reaction, also tells us that the reaction does not decay with time or when forgotten.

Negative links between families are one of the important causes of illness and the repetition of the same conflicts generation after generation. The energy principle that everything has a previous cause has to be taken into account if we want to heal the causes of pain and suffering.

Forgiving or asking for forgiveness cannot be done intellectually because conflicts usually take place at the emotional level. To really be able to forgive or ask for forgiveness, it has to be done from a level of consciousness superior to the one which caused the conflict in the first place. At this level, a sequence of twenty-four steps are followed to develop the higher consciousness perspective necessary to heal conflict.

The practice of forgiveness is a monumental evolutionary step that can heal generations of negative links between families tied by mutual suffering. Any healing program has to include the forgiveness practice.

Forgiving others or asking for forgiveness can be a challenge but forgiving oneself for bad choices made can be an even greater challenge. Sometimes one is more flexible and tolerant with others than with oneself.

In reality, forgiveness of others takes place because there is self-forgiveness in the first place. Self-rejection in any form it manifests is a potent factor in conflict with others, deteriorating health and inability to experience happiness and wellbeing.

One of the great obstacles that western practitioners often bring to their practice is holding extremely negative views about themselves.

The belief that there is something wrong with oneself is often the motivating force behind entering a path of self-development. When one’s personal practice is not at the ideal level one assumes it should be, the reaction of self-rejection and self-criticism intensifies. The practices designed to clear obstacles and raise consciousness are turned into a means of self-rejection.

In this level a sequence of steps are followed for healing self-rejection and being kind to oneself.

The practices encompassed in Harmonizing the Five Elements, generate the conditions for opening the second cauldron of the heart where internal conflicts disappear as a wider perspective of life is developed. Compassion and self-compassion, which have nothing to do with pity, are the natural outcome of forgiveness and self-forgiveness. When obstacles are liberated in the first phase of energy work, the second phase opening the potential of transformation and wellbeing is made possible.

Compassion is based on perceiving beyond appearance at the essence of situations and people. There are two realities, the reality of the way something looks and the reality of how something truly is in its essence. With appearances all we encounter are differences, with reality of essence we perceive unity. The opening of the second cauldron of the heart takes place when the mind of separation is superseded by the mind of unity. The mind of unity is the one capable of perceiving the pain and suffering behind an aggressive attitude; the one which can see the hunger for love and recognition behind self-rejection and the one which perceives the divine seed in all beings regardless of what they do in life.

Compassion and self-compassion are not mental concepts; compassion is active in the world. Compassion and self-compassion sets the foundations for altruistic action and generating benefit in the world.

The word “mantra” comes from the root, “man” signifying “mind” and the root, “tra,” signifying, “instrument.” Mantra is an “instrument of the mind.” Mantra is not a prayer asking for miracles, mantra is the specific vibration of a function in nature. Mantra practice begins with the Six Healing Sounds in the Introductory Level. The Healing Sounds for the heart or lungs are not a prayer, they are the vibrations of those organs in the state of perfect health. Neither are the Healing Sounds part of a religion or belief system, if practiced, they work independently of one’s beliefs.

It is estimated that on an ordinary day we generate around 70,000 thoughts. The majority are disconnected from each other. A thought about doing something is followed by an emotional thought followed by another about wanting something. Every single thought generates a vibration altering mental space. Mantras are not ordinary vibrations; they are the vibrations of specific states of consciousness. They purify and energize the mental space transforming frequencies of anxiety and stress into wellbeing and spacious mind. Without the rapid purification of mental space which mantra generates, there is confusion and psychic deterioration.

The superior states of consciousness which mantras provide are perfect for any healing program. To heal one needs to have the reference of the state of perfect health. Each cell, each organ and every part of the body comes from a model of absolute perfection which is the reference of perfect health. When in perfect balance and harmony with the rest of the organism, every part of the body has its own specific vibration. The healing mantras accelerate healing processes when combined with work on the causes of imbalances.

Pain begins at the subtle level and in time manifests at the physical level. There are mantras for transforming the states of mind where pain originates. There are mantras for vibrating the causal layer where situations in process of manifesting and could result in accidents or death, are stored. Regular mantra practice provides abundant positive reaction energy cushioning the impact of negative karmas. One of the easiest ways to assist others in pain and suffering is with healing mantras.

The process of change and transformation is a feminine process intrinsic to the earth and the physical dimension. Healing the relation with the earth and the family facilitates the changes needed in life. Our relationship with the feminine principle of transformation begins with the relation with our mother and extends to all the women of the world.

A healthy relation with the feminine is the precondition for a healthy relation with the masculine and all men in the world. The destruction of the environment is a reflection of a defective relation with the feminine principle of transformation. A good relation with the feminine principle is essential for men and women whether they are in a path of self-development or not. Every healing program depends on a good relation with the feminine principle of transformation. There are mantras which rapidly assist in contacting the receptivity of the Yin polarity. Without a harmonious relation between Yin and Yang there is no Creative Energy of transformation.

The feminine principle is not only manifesting through women, but it also manifests each time we activate care, excellence, protecting, healing, nourishing, and nurturing.

Abundance is a state of consciousness independent of accumulated material wealth. One can have millions and still operate from the mind of lack and greed and keep thirsting for more and more. A thirst which cannot be satiated no matter how much water one drinks is a state of intense suffering and dissatisfaction.

Abundance is not only material; abundance can manifest as good relations, as excellent health, as positive emotions, or as a spacious mind and clear direction in life. Abundance is a state of consciousness in which there are no limitations. Since mantras are the vibrations of specific states of consciousness, there are mantras which tune us to the spacious mind of abundance. The ultimate purpose of abundance is generating abundance for others. The essence of abundance is generosity.

The eight trigrams of the I Ching provide the eight basic principles with which to carry out the entire program of transformation. The eight trigrams are like mantras in visual form, they provide the energy principles of different states of consciousness. The Heaven trigram is the visual energy pattern of perseverance. The Earth trigram is the visual energy pattern of receptivity. The Fire trigram is the visual energy pattern of clarity and mental luminosity.

The eight attitudes and states of consciousness in the eight trigrams, are the essential attitudes in the path fulfilling destiny. The ancestors of the Tao advise over and over to never practice with baseless improvisation; they advise to follow the wide path established by the eight trigrams of the I Ching.

The I Ching consists of two parts: the open book providing a way for getting advice from the Inner Guide, and the closed book providing the precise sequence in which the practices for fulfilling destiny are carried out.

The word “Tao” means path or road, at the consciousness level is the path opening the three cauldrons of the central channel. At the level of the alchemical practices, it is the path of the sixty-four stages of self-development presented by the I Ching. The sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching are the road map of the entire path fulfilling destiny. A long journey begins with a first step, it is advisable to have a good road map. The I Ching is the spiritual GPS.

Health is not a permanent state; on the contrary it is a state of constant adaptation to numerous changes at the mental, emotional, and environmental level. Working with the feminine principle of transformation is based on receptivity, adaptability and being available to flow with the changes required. The four seasons belong to a cycle of change demanding our full capacity to harmonize internal with external conditions. The closed book of the I Ching in combination with the wheel of the annual energy cycle developed by Shao Yong, gives us a powerful tool for harmonizing with the four seasons.

The closed book of the I Ching provides the sequence and key advice for each stage of the path for fulfilling destiny. Like a pyramid, many are those who enter the path and few the ones which reach the higher levels. At the beginning of the path the practices are mostly done with the perseverance of positive ego working in conjunction with the Inner Guide-I Ching. The obstacles encountered in the initial stages are easy to identify and relatively simple to liberate. The main challenge in the initial stages is developing the perseverance to liberate the resistance to change. At the intermediate level, practice becomes integrated into one’s lifestyle with positive ego passing from Yang perseverance to Yin receptivity to the specific needs of the moment. Those who reach the higher levels do so through the combination of unconditional trust in the Inner Guide, the life force, and the universe.

In the advanced practices the role of positive ego is being in absolute availability to the present moment while the universe administers the changes. The universe is the one carrying out the higher practices. The hexagrams from fifty onwards provide the advice for the final phases of alchemical distillation.

The crises we experience in life do not come at random, by accident or bad luck, they are an integral part of the path of transformation administered by the Inner Guide. It is in critical situations that we put to the test what has been developed with the sitting practices. Without having a clear understanding of the true nature of conflicts, the untrained person adds the greater problem of a confused, and a desperate or anxious mental state to the conflict.

Conflicting situations can be creative aspects of life if one knows how to face them properly.

There is a sequence of essential steps which can be taken when being tested in the arena of real life. Thanks to efficient conflict resolution, the practitioner develops abundant experience for assisting others in their difficult moments. The secret of happiness consists in assisting others to be happy. The mastery fulfilling destiny consists in transforming negative into positive with a minimum of effort and maximum result.

Change accelerates when a structure interferes with the ultimate purpose of life. Nature promptly sweeps out of the way anything interfering with the evolution of consciousness. The times of accelerated change are times of danger and opportunity. Danger arises if one tries to hang on to the past by wanting the situation to continue as before, opportunity arises if one recognizes the true nature of change as a manifestation of infinite possibilities.

Living organisms develop thanks to the process of change. All beings in the physical dimension, without distinction, are subject to continuous change.

To administer change, one needs a reference point outside time and space. From the level of Harmonizing the Five Elements 1, one learns to develop a point in the first cauldron outside time and space. The point, named, “the cauldron,” is the point of departure and end of every internal practice. The cauldron is located in the central channel of the individual mind; it is not in the physical body; it is a state of consciousness. The cauldron is the deep impartial mind contacted with mantras of the basic level. The cauldron is the state from where one operates in times of rapid change.

Alchemical fire and water consist of the fire of unconditional love from the heart and the water of unconditional trust from the kidneys. All the levels in the trunk of the tree of practices are for attaining the primordial alchemical ingredients of transformation. When one has not liberated one’s emotional, mental, and relational obstacles and those concerning one’s family, the alchemical fire is mistaken with the heat of the heart and the water with stimulated sexual energy from the kidneys. At this level, with the assistance of the I Ching, one generates the right conditions for the alchemical conjunction of fire and water. The advanced practices require having loosened the unconscious grasp on the physical dimension and other affairs pulling away from the dimension of spirit.

The opening of the three cauldrons of the central channel is not a workshop that teaches more energy manipulation techniques. It would be more making to a class on transforming a seed into a big tree; the theory is simple, but the process requires time and many favorable conditions.

The opening of the three cauldrons is a process encompassing the different stages of liberating emotional, mental, and karmic obstacles. Once there is extensive experience liberating obstacles, the subtle and very subtle unconscious factors resisting change in the intermediate and advanced levels appear.

The subtle unconscious factors resisting change are not enemies, on the contrary, they are factors demanding a new synthesis of all the resources developed and enable one to go beyond the levels one has already attained.

The practices in level 2 develop a personality that is not stopped by obstacles or the degree of difficulty in what needs to be done. Level 2 develops a personality with determination and very clear goals in life. What makes possible such unstoppable attitude is the tremendous joy assisting others to be happy. In Level 2 the practitioner develops powerful tools of transformation capable of healing the causes of imbalances. The process of healing the family develops leadership qualities that empower altruistic action and open the second cauldron of the heart.