Taoists say that the male is like fire and the
woman is like water. The man’s fire (penis or lingam) boils the woman’s water
(her womb or yoni). If the man is not trained in the art of lovemaking, her
water will extinguish his fire. Thus, the soft and yielding (yin) can conquer
the hard (yang), just as the proverbial flowing river conquers the hardest of
rocks.
Taoists do not merely teach exercises to enhance
the pleasure of partnership. They also encourage self-mastery and
self-awareness for improved health and vitality. They clearly teach the
importance of drawing in the sexual energy and experience, rather than focusing
on sexual organs and external stimuli. Any focus on the sexual organs is used
only to introduce the practitioner to more advanced concepts. Taoist master
Mantak Chia says that the goal of Taoist sexual practices is like that of
making chicken broth: If you boil a chicken in water and extract the vital
essence into the water, which is more valuable, the chicken or the broth?
Clearly, the Taoists believe the valuable energy generated during lovemaking is
more vital to one’s well-being than the stimulation to the organs.
In the Taoist tradition, sexual energy is
nurtured and valued for its role in the overall well-being of the body, mind,
and spirit. It is the water of life, or life-giving essence, for all that
exists in the material world. Taoists see sexual energy as the fuel behind the
body’s chi (energy, vital essence or life-force). Stimulation of the sexual
organs and sex glands enhances this life-force and thereby encourages the
secretion of hormones from the other major endocrine glands (adrenal, thymus,
thyroid, pituitary, and pineal). Therefore, Taoist sexual exercises assist in
the production of potent hormones and stimulate the healthy function of the
endocrine glands, the master controls of the body.
Taoists are emphatic about the value of semen
retention, or in-jaculation. The ancient Taoist masters referred to a ten-day
process that procured the invaluable results of ejaculation retention. In one
ancient text they wrote:
“If a man has intercourse once without spilling
his seed, his vital essence is strengthened. If he does this twice, his vision
and hearing are made clearer. If three times, his physical illnesses will begin
to disappear. The fourth time he will begin to feel inner peace. The fifth time
his blood will circulate powerfully. The sixth time his genitals will gain new
prowess. By the seventh his thighs and buttock (muscles and meridians) will
become firm. The eighth time his entire body will radiate good health. The
ninth time his life-span will be increased.”
–Canon of Taoist Wisdom
