Chapters of the Chinese Taoist Association

This is a list of chapters of the Chinese Taoist Association. There are several hundred local Taoist associations in . The below is a listing of the most relevant provincial, municipal and city-level Chinese Taoist Association chapters. The general headquarters are based in Beijing, at the White Cloud Temple.

Provincial chapters

* Liaoning Taoist Association - since 1976 - headquarters at Supreme Clarity Temple, Shenyang
* Gansu Taoist Association - since 1985 - headquarters at White Cloud Temple of Lanzhou
* Hunan Taoist Association - since 1986 - headquarters at Triple Origin Temple, Nanyue Mountain
* Shanxi Taoist Association - since 1986 - headquarters at Eight Immortals Temple, Xi'an
* Henan Taoist Association - since 1987 - headquarters at Central Mountain Temple, Mount Song
* Anhui Taoist Association - since 1991 - headquarters at King Yu Shrine, Mount Tu
* Shandong Taoist Association - since 1992 - headquarters at Emerald Cloud Temple, Mount Tai
* Sichuan Taoist Association - since 1962, dismantled during , resumed in 1993 - headquarters at Green Ram Temple, Chengdu
* Jiangsu Taoist Association - since 1993 - headquarters at Mount Mao Temple, Mount Mao
* Hubei Taoist Association - since 1993 - headquarters at Eternal Spring Temple, Wuhan
* Guangdong Taoist Association - since 1994 - headquarters at Temple of Emptiness, Mount Luofu
* Fujian Taoist Association - since 1997 - headquarters at Immortal Pei Shrine, Fuzhou
* Hebei Taoist Association - since 1997 - headquarters in Shijiazhuang
* Qinghai Taoist Association - since 1997 - headquarters at Earth Tower Temple, Xining
* Zhejiang Taoist Association - since 1999 - headquarters at Embracing Simplicity Temple, Hangzhou

Municipal chapters

* Shanghai Taoist Association - since 1956, dismantled during , resumed in 1985 - headquarters at White Cloud Temple of Shanghai
* Chongqing Taoist Association - since 1998 - headquarters at Venerable Sovereign Grotto

Prefectural and city chapters

* Guangzhou Taoist Association - seat: Triple Origin Temple of Guangzhou
* Xi'an Taoist Association - seat: Eight Immortals Shrine
* Hangzhou Taoist Association - seat: Embracing Simplicity Temple
* Shenyang Taoist Association - seat: Supreme Clarity Temple
* Chengdu Taoist Association - seat: Green Ram Temple
* Wuhan Taoist Association - seat: Eternal Spring Temple
* Fuzhoun Taoist Association - seat: Nine Immortals Shrine, Mount Yu
* Suzhou Taoist Association - seat: Mysterious Sublimity Temple
* Changsha Taoist Association - seat: Cloudy Mountain Temple, Mount Yuelu
* Wenzhou Taoist Association - seat: Purple Cloud Temple of Wenzhou
* Qingdao Taoist Association - seat: Supreme Clarity Temple of Qingdao

Chaordic

The portmanteau chaordic refers to a system that blends characteristics of and . The term was coined by Dee Hock.

The mix of chaos and order is often described as a harmonious coexistence displaying characteristics of both, with neither chaotic nor ordered behavior dominating. Some hold that nature is largely organized in such a manner; in particular, living organisms and the evolutionary process by which they arose are often described as chaordic in nature. The chaordic principles have also been used as guidelines for creating human organizations -- business, nonprofit, government and hybrids -- that would be neither nor .

Kunlun Nu

Kunlun Nu was a wuxia romance written by ''P’ei Hsing'' during the Tang Dynasty. The Hero of the tale is a Negrito slave that uses his supernatural physical abilities to save his master's lover from the harem of a court official.

Plot

It takes place during the ''Ta-li'' of and follows the tale of a young man named ''Ts’ui'' who enlists the aide of ''Mo-lê'', his negrito slave, to help free his beloved who was forced to join the harem of a court official. At midnight, Mo-lê kills the guard dogs around the compound and carries Ts’ui on his back while easily jumping to the tops of walls and bounding from roof to roof. With the lovers reunited, Mo-lê leaps over ten tall walls with both of them on his back. Ts’ui and his beloved are able to live happily together in peace because the official believes she was kidnapped by and did not want to make trouble for himself by pursuing them. However, two years later, one of the official’s attendants sees the girl in the city and reports this. The official arrests Ts’ui and, once he hears the entire story, sends men to capture the negrito slave. But Mo-lê escapes with his dagger and flies over the city walls to escape apprehension. He is seen over ten years later selling medicine in the city, not having aged a single day.

Taoist influence

Mo-lê’s gravity defying abilities and agelessness suggests the fictional character is a practitioner of esoteric life-prolonging exercises akin to Chinese immortals. According to a tale attributed to the Taoist adept Ge Hong, some hunters in the Zhongnan Mountains saw a naked man whose body was covered in black hair. Whenever they tried to capture him he “leapt over gullies and valleys as if in flight, and so could not be overtaken." After finally ambushing the man, the hunters learned it was in fact a 200 plus year old woman who had learned the arts of immortality from an old man in the forest.
*''Kunlun Nu Yedao Hongxiao'' .

Jing (Chinese medicine)

Jing
This article is part of the philosophy of CAM and series of articles.

Jīng is the Chinese word for "essence", specifically kidney essence. Along with and , it is considered one of the ''Sanbao'' 三寶 of Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. Jīng is stored in the kidneys and is the most dense physical matter within the body . It is said to be the material basis for the physical body and is '''' in nature, which means it nourishes, fuels, and cools the body. As such it is an important concept in the internal martial arts. Jīng is also believed by some to be the carrier of our heritage . Production of semen, in the man, and menstrual blood , in the woman, are believed to place the biggest strains on jīng. Because of this, some even equate jīng with semen, but this is inaccurate; the jīng circulates through the 8 extraordinary vessels and creates marrow and semen, among other functions.

One is said to be born with a set amount of jīng and also can acquire jīng from food and various forms of stimulation Theoretically, jīng is consumed continuously in life; by everyday stress, illness, substance abuse, sexual intemperance, etc. Pre-natal jīng by definition cannot be renewed, and it is said it is completely consumed upon dying.

So, this jīng is considered quite important for longevity in TCM. Many disciplines related to are devoted to the replenishment of "lost" jīng by restoration of the post-natal jīng. In particular, the internal martial arts and the Circle Walking of Baguazhang may be used to preserve pre-natal jīng and build post-natal jīng - if performed correctly. Commonplace in China is the sight of on sale in herb shops, at a wide range of prices - Kung Fu classics fans may remember it used as a plot element at the start of Drunken Master 2. Rénshēn, particularly Korean and Chinese, is said to bolster the jīng and a common medicinal recipe is to add to porridge along with cinnamon, goji berries and ginger for a sweet, warming breakfast when the weather starts to turn cold in Autumn.

An early mention of the term in this sense is in a 4th century BCE chapter called "Inner Training" of a larger text compiled during the Han dynasty, the .

Jīng should not be confused with the related concept of , nor with jīng , which appears in many early Chinese book titles, such as the , and , the fundamental text on all the knowledge associated with tea.

Internal alchemy

Internal alchemy, also called spiritual alchemy, is a term used for different esoteric disciplines focused on balancing internal and energies. In China, it is an important form of practice for most schools of Taoism. In Europe, it is considered to be a central practice of Rosicrucianism and Hermeticism.. Historically, it has borrowed the symbolism and terminology of classical alchemy, employing them in process and metaphor to spiritual development.

The term is also used to translate various terms used in the native languages of some east Asian Taoist and Buddhist practices. Neidan and Tantra are considered forms of internal alchemy, but western commentators often focus on sexual practices.

Concepts

Internal alchemy, like the more general alchemy from which it derived, focuses on transmuting energies and substances. The practices focus on restoring balance and elevating spiritual vitality. The goals of internal alchemy are improved health, longevity and peacefulness. Practitioners often seek immortality or reunion with God or another divine source.

The energies and substances of the body are described in metaphor. Elements, metals and humours have all been used to classify and define characteristics of the human system. Internal alchemists map the body, noting which routes energy move through and which areas are associated with particular "elements". Examples include the Sephiroth of Kaballah, the seven seals of esoteric Christianity, the seven Hindu chakras and the Chinese .

Medicinal alchemy

In many cultures, notably those of the East, diseases and medical ailments were thought to be due to imbalance in the afflicted person's internal alchemy, or a weakness of one's life spirit. Consequently, medical treatments were a mix of supernatural appeals and pharmacology, using spells, amulets, and repulsive herbs to "banish" evil influence or strengthen the spirit.

Il Taoismo

Il Taoismo is a work by esoteric writer Julius Evola. Published in 1972 by Mediteranee.

Hongjun Laozu

Hongjun Laozu is said to be the teacher of the Three Pure Ones in some branches of Taoism. His name means the "The Great Primal Originator" or "The Great Primal Homogeneity" or "The Great Balancer". There is a saying that " there was Hong-Jun before there was heaven". He could be said to be the Head of , but in the mythological stories he seldom shows up on earth.