In the first part of this short manual we combine several subjects into a foundation to help you develop and train meditation.

The subjects are:

• The Shurangama Sutra – from Buddhist philosophy
• The 3 Tians – from Daoist Philosophy
• The 7 Chakras – from the Hindu texts called the Vedas
• The Heart Sutra from Buddhist Philosophy
• The 8 Levels of Meditation – from Daoist Philosophy
• The 9th Level of Meditation from Buddhist Philosophy
• Zen meditation from the Zen monk Kasyapa, direct student of Buddha, founder of the Zen Buddhist School

Dan Tian, 7 Chakras into the Heart Sutra

In martial arts and Daoist philosophy they combine discussion about the 7 chakras and the 3 energy centres in the body, the 3 Tian (pronounced tee-en, pinyin Tián 田.）In Buddhist philosophy they take this idea further into how to train our hearts.

1st Tian: Lower Tian: Dān Tián: 丹田

Third Chakra – Physical Activity Chakra energy

• In Chinese it means a special medicine field to help you absorb energy. 
• So the function of the Dān is to use this area as a place to train your body, mind and spirit. So it is only when the herbs/medicine can help you open 7 chakra energy it is called Dān.
• It is located on the body, 3 fingers below the belly button / navel.
• Our nerve system balances the body around the third chakra. This area is the centre of gravity where the direction is to feel this area rolling around and feel all the strength connect and is able to absorb energy, grow energy, transfer and redirect energy. Instead of blindly sending power everywhere, this instruction to bring power to the centre calms the body, mind and spirit naturally.
• Practitioners would train the Dān Tián through training Qigong and Tai Chi but why?
• The relationship is that Qigong and Tai Chi help us to absorb good energy from outside and roll this energy and redirect it through the Dān Tián. Qigong and Tai Chi help us to switch from blind human action, where thoughts, feelings and our energy are scattered instead to concentrate the energy force back to the Dān Tián. And from there to direct it with technique and skill.
• There is no bridge to this Tian except through physical training and not mental power, and hence why the training books on this subject are often abstract. You have more of a chance to feel it  rather than think about it.
• Because we are on Earth and we have gravity, we need to borrow the power from where we connect to the Earth, our spring point, the correct source of all of our energy in martial arts. That is why Zhang Sanfeng (Chinese: 張三丰) renown as the inventor of Tai Chi and living to over 200 years old, instructed power comes from the feet and legs but controlled by the waist (The Dān Tián.)
• He also indicated that prioritising reducing tension in this area, where all our important organs are, increases longevity.
• This Tian represents the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Chakra. So you need 1st Chakra Desire and 2nd Chakra Passion channeling energy into the 3rd Chakra to train it. 
• Beginner techniques include rolling dragon ball, energy balls to practice feeling this rolling which frees up the waist / hips and lower back area – often stiff from sitting and poor posture. Once this area is open, all your major organis have more room to move which feels like a burst of fresh energy in the body. This is your previous stuck channels now open to s=circulate around.
• When this becomes more and more natural, it actually makes you free to move to every angle. You start from your centre, start to open up. If you don’t do that, your body will tighten and squeeze in. Everything in life we do  does this and that is what causes ageing, illness and death. Because everything is blocked, how can you have a life? So now you can understand the principle of martial arts is to help you have a true life.
• Long time ago we already know from Yi Jin Jing and Bodhidharma, you have to make everything open. Zhang Sang Feng also says you have to make centre straight and everything comfortable. The idea of comfortable is open, free to move, free to create no tension.

2nd Tian: Middle Tian: Tan Zhong 坛中

Fourth Chakra – Heart Chakra energy

• Zhong means middle or centre
• Tan this refers to a special sacred, holy space, typically built in an area with powerful feng shui to connect to a lot of spiritual energy to help you develop spiritual force.
• In the Chinese translation it literally means the middle altar. 
• Heart Chakra is centre of the chakras – top become feeling, bottom up to become feeling

Why is the Middle Tian connected to the Heart Sutra in Buddhist Philosophy?

• The Heart Sutra helps you to understand your True Heart which is the space we develop our internal pure land, it is often referred to as a field to grow pure, kind and wise seeds to share with every life.
• It is where we practice observing self-being, observing life and develop and grow our wisdom ability.
• In Buddhism, our True Heart has no location, because it has no form. But it is still able to connect to any location, any form.
• It the location is connects to is your heart chakra. It unites the top chakras down. You can experience this by placing your hand over your heart and feel how it shifts your energy.
• How to train the Middle Tian? Through meditation.
• Let us understand the levels of meditation to support our focus for training.

The 8 Levels of Meditation: Introduction

• In several Chinese Buddhism books they have these very clear 8 levels of meditation however in the all the English books i’ve read i’ve never found anything so structured. It’s like a detailed way all the levels of meditation (8+1, but 4 warm up levels to get to the 1st one). I thought it was cool because if you are lucky enough for your 3rd eye to open depending on what you see or experience, the levels will help you understand what you saw or experienced.
• Basically there is 4 warms ups to prepare to go into meditation. After you have trained the warm up successful, then you have 8 meditations. This 8 Meditations exist for anyone who has learned how to concentrate. Then you will connect to different types of energy god. First 4 are called Zen, last 4 are called Meditation.
• First 4 help you connect to energy gods who still have material body, and we can change become energy. When higher of these 4, 4 is highest, then it becomes more energy, less materials. Lower number 1, physical can change some energy. 5 to 8 is called Pure Consciousness energy god, which is Empty God. They only live in the consciousness directly can create any type of energy. So this 8 is not Buddhism Meditation. It’s anyone who actually finds a way to concentrate your heart to open up the energy, and connect to all the energy.
• All the energy together is called joint karma. So it’s all the hearts together created it.
• Meditation can help you connect to that energy and use that energy. So you are not limited in this energy. You actually are into a network. In that network, with your concentration you can actually have the whole universe energy to be used. Because that whole universe energy is created by every life form, every consciousness. The connection is in our deepest hidden consciousness. 
• Through that meditation connect the energy, then you can start experience different types of space and time. Now we are limited in this physical but once you are in that deep meditation, through your 3rd eye you will travel and see the different experiences. But to experience it is one thing, to stay there is another thing. Beginning you just experience. So that’s 1 to 8, energy god. Last 4, Empty energy god which is only pure consciousness can create. They don’t need a physical or energy form. But first energy god level they have a physical form. 
• But this is still not Buddhism. This type of meditation is still in reincarnation.
• Even before the Buddha was on Earth there was a generally accepted 8 levels of meditation. These had been developed by anyone able to concentrate their heart to open up the energy and connect to all the energy.
• All the energy is called joined karma so it is all the hearts in the universe together that create it. All the universe energy is connected to our number 8 Consciousness, our hidden consciousness. 
• Meditation can help you connect to that energy and use that energy.
• So you will not be limited to this energy, you will be into a network. In that network the whole universe’s energy can be used. 
• Through this you will be able to access different space and different time.
• In Buddhism they refer to this temporarily as the experience of Dharma Joy or Nirvana. A Bodhisattva is a consciousness at a level nearly completely connected to this network at a level they will only develop higher, never dropping back again. A Buddha is a consciousness permanently connected to the universe’s energy, completely perfect, unlimitedly in all time and space.
• Like any training discipline reaching a level temporarily is the beginning and mastery involves freely being able to open and access the level of meditation. 
• So to see a space in your third-eye temporarily vs travelling in that space is a function of ability, past karma, access to a teacher, access to certain medicinal herbs and training discipline.

The 8 Levels of Meditation: Levels into opening 4th Chakra and Middle Tian

• Firstly there are 4 warm up ‘levels.’
• The true first four levels are called Zen Meditation. In these levels you can see and travel to energy god realms (God Realm in the Wheel of Reincarnation.) The lower level energy god realms have a material body and a material space. There are 8 dimensions of universes energy god.
• The last 4 levels are called Meditation. In these levels you can see and travel to empty god realms (Highest of the 26 God Realms in the Wheel of Reincarnation.) Empty God realms the consciousness no longer needs materials and has a shape-shifting energy pure consciousness body. There are 18 levels or universe dimensions of empty gods. One type is called abstract space, another is non-boundary space, no limitation of time as empty. Their consciousness is more free and able to live without a set form.
• All 8 levels, all 26 Realms of energy gods all exist in reincarnation and as such, can eventually die. They cannot escape the destruction of their universe.
• All of these 26 dimensions of energy gods are within the system of reincarnation.
• The level that Buddha taught was the 9th level of meditation. This is where we truly open the 4th Chakra, the Middle Tian, into Pure loving Equal Heart to every life. This is what changes the consciousness intention from being reborn in an energy realm, to the ability to connect and be born into a Pure Land, universes outside of reincarnation to learn from buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In this zone, a consciousness is both pure, free and wise to be able to through their free will, be reborn into any realm in reincarnation to help other life awaken.
• The heart is a direction to learn buddhism and there fort is why it refers to the 7 Chakras and the 3 Tians through a connection to the Heart Sutra – that is the guiding direction to directly open up all the energy in a wise way.

How to train: Summary

• Firstly to access the Middle Tian we need to have discipline to train Qigong and Tai Chi to open the lower Dan Tian.
• From there we are able to calm our energy to then focus it through training meditation techniques.
• Buddha shared a 9th level, called Back to Essence, Nirvana, which is the final level which helps you to freely access all the other 8 and much more.
• Train back to essence, using meditation techniques

How to train: Details

Our normal heart is not our true heart. It is called ego act heart. Blind heart, ego heart, blind karma heart. That is not the heart this technique is meant to open. It is already open which causes all the problems. Blind action non-stop open.

In every move, you create 1, 2, 3 Chakra Dantian, and then in every move you start creating resting heart, joyful heart, and then mix into it. Then you will start to have the very joyful feeling to do the move. 

It will start to make your number 4 Chakra start being built the spirits of joyful heart. Pure heart. Delicate heart. Empty heart. Sensitive awareness heart. Pure Observing Heart. All of them will appear itself.

So now when you continue to bow, you can also practice that. Try to create that Resting joyful heart. Pure, sensitive, delicate heart. Then once you connect to that, connect to your movement of bowing. Then through your bowing make them all join together. 

So with now 1, 2, 3, it’s not difficult to do number 4.

How to practice to open your spiritual heart, Tan Zhong 坛中, to let spiritual force grow?

https://vimeo.com/user146884326

https://vimeo.com/user146884326

Technique 1

• Not to go forward, to search external outside, not looking for to find from inside. Neither is when true heart can open.
• Resting Heart is where it begins,
• Your heart no more judging or searching. No more thinking, free from all of that.
• That is the foundation.
• When your eyes can see but you are not seeing

• When your ears can hear, without judging what you hear 
• Then your heart is resting, no more in that waterfall of searching.
• Not let your awareness power be sucked into outside non-stop, never enough.
• That is the beginning to develop Tan Zhong 坛中
• You don’t get anything, you don’t want anything.
• The reason Tan Zhong 坛中 doesn’t open is because you always want to get something.
• The moment you realise you have been trapped in constant searching and let it go is where Tan Zhong 坛中 can open.
• When that moment appear you have an Ahhhh relaxing feeling, you will start to feel light.
• Light start to create a joyful smile.
• If you train Qigong and Tai Chi, use that moment to practice your Tai Chi and that can open 1 – 4 chakras.
• Bring the joyful creation into the motions
• Tai Chi helps into by rolling dan tien, not big moves, open like an energy lotus in every joint, light breathing

https://vimeo.com/user146884326

Technique 2: 

• Imagine a beautiful energy lotus shooting lights in all of your joints opening, blooming delicately opening up your body making everything soft and sensitive
• Joyful and light and beautiful
• Sensitive awareness heart and pure awareness heart

Technique 3:

• Use technique 2 into bowing to a Buddha or Bodhisattva you respect.
• Warm up your body using Qigong Tai Chi
• Then practice opening Heart Chakra / Middle Tian
• Then read philosophy to purify your mind (5th Chakra)
• Then while bowing think about your will to learn from that Buddha in their Pure Land is Chakra 6 and 7.
• This then aligned all Chakras towards spiritual direction and open all 3 Tians which is why this is the technique most common in my research to create third eye opening experiences.