Through the Power of the Inner Smile

Mantak Chia, a chikong master known throughout the world, gave proof of the extensive effectiveness of his energy work, when he was measured at an Institute in Vienna.
" It's unbelievable!" says Gerhard H. Eggetsberger, biochemist and technical head of the Institute for applied Biocybernetics and Feedback Research, in Vienna. "This man is able to change his electrical skin resistance in a split second from 60 Q up to 6080 Q and to lower it down again. We even know how he does it - through a kind of sympathetic reflex. This means that he can simply switch from the Nervus Vagus to the Nervus Sympaticus. An untrained body would never do this as completely as he does this. We are scientifically proving spiritual knowledge that is 6000 years old!

"This man" is Master Mantak Chia. He is an ethnic Chinese who was born in Thailand about 50 years ago into a Christian family and grew up surrounded by Hindu and Buddhist traditions. During his university studies in Hong Kong, he came in contact with a Taoist master. Having been educated by various well- known Taoist masters, he is now himself a Master and the author of a number of books. He has been teaching - Faoism all over the world for more than two decades. Again and again, he uses western sciences to explain and prove that the energy exercises he teaches measurably affect the body, and that they are not just folklore or superstitious beliefs, but highly effective instruments for promoting physical and mental health and development.

chikong master, Mantak Chia (right), produced incredible results when his brain potential and electrical skin restance were tested at the 'Institute for Applied Biocybernetics and Feedback Research' . The Head of the Institute, gerhard Eggetsberger (left): "An untrained bodu could never endure such extreme changes without being seriously damaged."

In the autumn of 1996, he let psychologists in Los Angeles take his EEG-graphs, The results were astonishing. During the practice of certain techniques, his brain not only produced beta-waves (which are characterfetic of the waking state), but also alpha and theta-waves, (which normally occur only during deep meditation or deep sleep), while he was talking animatedly with the scientists. ' How is it possible to be wide-awake and yet send certain regions of the brain into deep sleep?

Scientists have been just as surprised about the results of the tests made in Vienna in May 1997, where a completely different set of parameters were tested, such as, the electrical skin resistance mentioned at the beginning of the article. The exceptional character of these consciously created changes, can be made clear through the following comparison. After 6 months of regular training on a biofeedback machine a competitive athlete will be able to increase or to diminish his electrical skin resistance in 10 to 15 minutes, from 200 to 300 Q. That corresponds to the difference between a hand sweating from excitement and a very dry hand. Gerhard Eggetsberger says: "But the electrical skin resistance of 6000 Q corresponds to a state of incredible apathy, whereas a resistance of 60 Q means such an excessive excitement, that most people would be on their way to a heart attack."

Master Mantak Chia calls the system that he has developed, 'The Healing Tao." "It's a system, that helps you take in, store and balance energy to stay healthy and .become y whole", he says. He knows nine different levels, the last of which leads to enlightenment. Even the first two levels address issues that are seen as problems by many people.

"Sexual energy is sacred!" says Master Mantak Chia, setting himself apart from many spiritual traditions, which deny the body. "Whenever we are aroused, whenever we have sex, we are in communion with the divine a~iii universal energy. But most people do not know how to use this energy safely and beneficially anymore - especially monks and nuns, who are in bitter need of such knowledge."

Most people believe there are only two alternatives, neither of which is ideal. Mantak Chia: "One of the deep misunderstandings of some religious systems is that they regard sex as negative or even evil, and therefore they try to suppress it. Sexual energy makes up one quarter of our total life force. People who deny sexual energy can lose their joy for life. They can only participate in and enjoy the universal life force, the Chi, to a certain extent." The opposite mistake, according to The Universal Tao, is to connect with the sexual energy and build it up inside the body, but then give it away again through orgasm, thus losing the benefits of it.

TRANSFORMATION OF SEXUAL ENERGY :
The way to escape the loss of sexual energy can be found in tantric wisdom, wilich has been practiced by Tao yogis for centuries. In contrast to the Indian Tantric tradition, which delays the moment of orgasm, but then allows a peak orgasm to happen, the Universal Tao tries to avoid the peak orgasm completely. "The important thing is'to let the orgasm energy flow, yet not to waste it, but to transform it. Similar to water that turns into steam when heated enough and which can drive the turbine of a power station when guided properly, the Universal Tao practices enables one to begin a transformation process", so the Master says. If this sounds like a new form of denial, be reassured : "Enjoy your sexuality !" advises Master Mantak Chia, "but learn to multiply your orgasm energy ten-fold, hundred-fold, thousand-fold and use it for your growth !" This does require discipline, but not celibacy. On the contraiy, it is through these practices that multiple orgasms also become possible for men. passion is multiplied and there is no rolling over and falling asleep immediately after intercourse.

The fundamental focus in the Universal Tao is on emotional energy. "Today, emotions are normally thrown away like garbage", the Tao Master explains. "By tills we not only cause a lot of damage, but we also repeat the same mistake we make in the field of sexuality on another level. Energies that we might use for our growth evaporate unus'ed, and in that we weaken our system. The way out according to Mantak Chia : "The Universal Tao teaches you not to suppress your feelings, but to keep the emotional energy inside more often and to transform it there. That way "energetic waste" can be changed back into neutral energy that is at your disposal. All this forms the essential foundation for reaching the goals of Taoist yoga. "Only when your sexual energy is completely at your disposal - and not the other way round - and when you have a good emotional state, wilich means being relaxed, can you establish a connection with the Universe and profit from its enormous potential !" Master Mantak Chia makes clear. In order to achieve the first two steps successfully, the energy needs paths for circulation and places where it can be stored. Through this a widely forgotten principle of division of labor comes into action. Master Mantak Chia : "The brain is able to generate, channel and move large quantities of energy, but it can't store them." This can be observed, for example, in traditions that use a lot of chanting. While mantras are being chanted, the energy level rises, but afterwards it quickly drops back to the previous level. Energy however can be stored in the organs and bones, and especially in the spine, and with the help of the Universal Tao techniques a beginner is capable of keeping the energy, which they built up, for example, during a retreat.

INTENTIONAL TRANSFORMATION OF ENERGY:

Master Chia explaining the connection between the flow of Chi in the organs, and the four directions, five elements, animals, colors and planets.

The Taoist yoga student begins to get in touch with the divine by practicing the Microcosmic Orbit. The practicioners learn to enlarge their working storage capacity so much that they can take in the information of the "greater Universe". According to Master Mantak Chia, the Universal Tao takes special care to proceed at an appropriate and safe pace. "The Kundalini energy we are working with is very hot. If it gets activated in an uncontrolled or unprepared manner, it can literally burn out the brain and cause mental damage. We work at a leisurely and safe pace. We do not fay to create loads of energy, but to create an amount that can be stored." At the basic level, six different pratices serve this puipose.

. Tlie Microcosmic Orbit : Through physical and mental exercices the inner energy channels are activated, cleansed and trained, so that sexual, emotional or organ energy can always flow and does not stagnate anywhere. The channels correspond to tlie known channels of Chi Kung.
. The Six Healing Sounds : The first five sounds detoxily the organs and lead them back to a healthy state of vibration. This provides ideal absorption and digestion' of all nutrition. (If an organ does not vibrate at the right frequency, blockages arise, which may, by and by, lead to somatic disturbances.) The Six Healing Sounds balances the warm and cold energy in the body
. . Tlie Inner Smile, were one smiles into different parts of the body - the organs, glands and-the brain and charges them with positive energy. This helps transform negative emotions and promotes a rhythmic flow of Yin and Yang energy (this will be explained later in the article).
. Special breathing techniques help to consciously guide the life force, keep it in a state of flux, track down blockages and release them.
. Iron Shirt Chi Kung is a special system of exercices which makes it possible to absorb energy at the level of the bone marrow. (Mantak Chia : "It's like building an iron shirt that strenghtens and protects tlie body.")
. Tai Chi, which not only help to build up and guide energy, but also balances and distributes the energy evenly through all the channels.

Master Mantak Chia explains what the Universal Tao aims for, using the Tai Chi as an example : "The whole secret is keeping the Yin and Yang balanced. Many people who relax just become passive, and all too often Tai Chi is taught in that way as well. But in relatity it's a flow of Yin and Yang states, relaxation and activity, parasympathetic and sympathic nervous systems. This is very important because both elements are part of our potential and we need both in order to master our lives. Otherwise we are incomplete."

Mantak Chia is able to switch between extreme Yin and Yang states. This has been objectively proven by the tests mentioned earlier. The awakening of this ability in the Universal Tao does not happen for purely self-centered reasons and is not just a training in states of higher consciousness. The "religious policy" of the Universal Tao is to avoid leaving people depend on others - even if the others are "highly evolved" gums - but to lead them into freedom and independence. The aim is not an imagined heavenly kingdom. Master Mantak Chia : "In other systems, for example Buddhism, where a lot of chanting is practiced, or in churches, where the main focus is on prayer, the adepts are mainly in touch with receiving Yin energy. They open themselves to the cosmic energy during prayer, but they learn neither to store it, nor how to use it actively in their lives. When they stop praying, the Chi disipates. If there is a constant demand for "surrender !", "give up !" and "no ego !" without making any effort to balance this, they can be dominated easily by gurus, masters or religious leaders. They are hardly able to deal with the emotions of everyday life. Taoist yoga stresses the importance of being able to support oneself and not to depend on charity." In this statement a great acceptance and love for life on earth become apparent. Master Chia only smiles at people who curse the world due to esoteric beliefs. "Unluckily, there are still many teachings which look upon this life as a laborious preparation for the supposed "real" life m "heaven". These systems, whose goal is to go to a higher level, do not appreciate the body. They do not want to take responsibilities in this world. In some extreme cases people hardly do anything but wait for "the UFOs" to take them away. The Universal Tao in contrast asserts : "The world is beautiful. We should preserve it. Let's make it our heaven !" The first aim, therefore, is to strenghten and preserve the body, to harness and enjoy the sexual energy and do work here on earth."

It is only through this that a transition into another world becomes possible. Admittedly, the Universal Tao, like other spiritual traditions and methods, projects' energy to the Universe (God, the Cosmos), but then, in a rhythmic exchange, the energy is then taken back and stored in the body, so that it can be used in this world. "It is not like in some religions and in the ancient monarchies, were the object that is being worshipped, or the monarch, gets all the energy. It is rather that we connect with the energy and then take it into ourselves so as to realize it". Master Mantak Chia explains.

INDEPENDANCE FROM ALL GURUS:
Taoist practices make the student independent. This has nothing to do with Master Mantak Chia perhaps being a liberally minded teacher, it is inherent in the system : "Most people are dependent", the Master claims, "because they never learn how to work with their own energy. Therefore they have either to suppress or to waste the energy, and this is why they are hooked on various systems. It is similar to a tiger who has forgotten how to hunt while living in a zoo, and who would starve in the wild." If a person is able to let their feelings and sexual energy be without having to act on them, they have already acilieved a great deal of freedom. If that person, on top of that, learns how to connect with the Universe, they can not be manipulated by any church. Master Mantak Chia : "It is like Jesus and even Mohammed said : "You don't need me, you can connect directly with God ! "."

An independence is established that is based on hearing your own inner voice. In the Healing Tao system one strives to built up enough energy in the brain so that real knowledge and wisdom can reside there. That has nothing to do with the number of books you have read, but with being connected to nature and the Universe. If tlie inner voice is sincere, an intuitive connection to truth may arise that is incorruptible. "If you have this connection, you know if someone is telling the truth or not, just like animals who know what to eat and what not to eat. When you have reached this state, you can be open to all systems and find out, if there is anything in them that you can use. You are not in danger of being led astray by false opinions of others anymore. It is not about leaving religion, but how to be yourself within a religious system.

SPECTACULAR RESULTS OF THE UNIVERSAL TAO :

Master Chia can alternate between two extreme levels of resistance, which normally occour only in cases of heart attack, or extreme apathy.

A measurement of this kind had never been done before in the Institute for Biocybemetics in Vienna. Gerhard H. Eggetsberger, the head of the Institute : "The Universal Tao practices are the first system I have comme across that I can fully recommend." The measurement of the so-called USPs (Ultra Slow Potentials) or, more simply, the inner flow of the energies in the body, which are connected with clarity, efficiency, health, reflexes, the quality of your sexual experience and various other physical phenomena, showed extremely high results when Master Chia was doing his meditation. The potentials in both brain hemispheres rose from the beginning exercice, the Inner Smile, until the last exercise, the Orgasmic Upward Draw. Especially notable in the fact that the potentials in both hemispheres of the brain began to synchronize during this process. Gerhard Eggetsberger : "It seems to be a kind of biological program. After a certain amount of energy, both hemispheres balance themselves automatically, as if only now the full human potential unfolds. Once a certain level of energy has been achieved, which Master Mantak Chia could easily exceed by far, physical changes become apparent : new synapses are formed, which again corresponds to a materially greater brain capacity." It may be presumed, that it is this level that Mantak Chia-talks about, when he says that a connection with .the Cosmos is established once a certain amount of energy has been created in the brain, and this awakens inner knowledge and wisdom.

The Head of the Institute, Gerhard Eggetsberger, testing the equipment which has been developed by the Institute.

Another finding : wherever Mantak Chia sent energy to in his body, bringing his awareness to that part, the potentials immediately increased measurably. But not only he can do this. During a series of tests with his students, they also achieved significant results. The great success of the Cosmic Healing technique, which is a guided visualization through the body and an energy transmission through a healer, has been confirmed by tests as well. The head of the Institute, Dr. Eggetsberger, summarizes the results of a treatment that Jens Christian, a medical doctor from Munich, received : '"Every time Master Mantak Chia made use of the technique, the throat center opens. The potential of the thyroid gland increased, even though the person that was tested was in a state of relaxation. This normally never happens. What it means is that a person practicing Taoist yoga is able to learn in few hours, for instance, in combination with biofeedback machines, how to control their glandular system, and thereby fundamental elements of their immune. How amazing !"

Another interesting aspect can be seen, if you compare people who practice Taoist yoga with people who practice Kundalini yoga : Dr. Eggetsberger's results show that both know how to influence the energy in their bodies to an amazing degree. "Yogis contract the energy in their brain and hold it there for 10 hours or more, thereby creating lasting transmutations of their brain structure, i.e. Iligh levels of consciousness that last. That does not seem to be the goal in the Universal Tao. The potentials are created in the brain, but are guided back into the body and stored there. In my personal opinion, a combination of the two systems would be best, because the longer you can hold this high energy level, the more spiritual growth can take place. But on the other hand, disturbances might arise which could be prevented, if the student learnt how to conduct the energy in the body."

THE INNER SMILE EXERCISE:
Sit on a chair, straighten your spine and close your eyes. Begin by breathing slowly to the abdomen. Observe your breath becoming calm and even. Feel your abdomen rising and falling and gradually warming up. Smile into your navel, the Tan Tien area and into your abdomen.

As you exhale, bring your awareness into the bladder. Smile into your bladder. Visualize a blue color there, or imagine sparkling blue water. Let your awareness stay in the bladder for 3 or 4 breaths.

Move to the liver on the next exhale, on the right hand side of your body. Smile into your liver. See a green color or a forest, nature or young wood. Inhale that green color into your liver for 3-4 breaths.

Let your awareness move to the heart. Feel the fire of love bum inside your heart and become aware of a shining red color. Stay in your heart for 3-4 breaths as well. Feel and see the red quality there. Breathe and smile into it. Glide down to the stomach, pancreas and spleen. Imagine a yellow sun in that area. Feel warm soft earth here. Inhale a yellow color. Smile into these organs. Turn your awareness to the lungs. The lungs are connected to the metal element. Inhale a silver light into every cell as you smile into them. Feel your lungs expand and become cool and pure. Let your awareness go down to the kidneys. Go through tills cycle of the organs a few times : bladder, liver, stomach, lungs afad kidneys. When you finish, bring your awareness back to the navel and the energy that has been brought into flow will be stored there. (Detailed in the following books written by Mantak Chia : "Transform Stress into Vitality", and "Chi Self- Massage".)

"This exercise seems easy, but it has radical effects". Universal Tao teacher Beate Nimsky explains. "Through breathing deeply, the whole body becomes calm and peaceful. And the smiling then opens up the organs and makes them softer, so that internal tensioris can be dissolved. Through this we prepare the system to take in more energy. Smiling into the organs in the given order corresponds to the so-called Creation Cycle and, connected with the colors and elements, brings about an energetic charging of every cell. Once the cells are charged, the surplus of energy is automatically conducted into the brain. This energy harmonizes the brain and balances both hemispheres. This also has a positive influence on the nervous ganglions that run through the spinal cord, which again has a healing effect on the organs.

Extract from:
Esotera, August 1997.