Detailed Explanation of the Locations of the Dantian
There are many locations of the dantian—not just the few fixed spots ordinary people know. For different cultivation needs there are different locations; this article explains them in detail.
1. Eyebrow-center dantian
The place of yin spirits; this type of dantian location is used for the coming and going of yin spirits. Cultivation mainly focused on the brow is mostly cultivation of the yin spirit, and this is the aperture through which the yin spirit enters and exits.
3. Nose-tip dantian
The place of holding concentration; this dantian is mainly used for Chan-school meditation attainment, often initially holding the nose tip as concentration.
3. Heart as dantian
The place of holding the mind; this dantian is mainly used for Chan-school stillness methods.
4. Spleen as dantian
Taking the spleen as the centered and correct place, hence holding it. This comes from those who have not gained the true dharma and follow vulgar custom; there are those who hold it, and holding here can strengthen the spleen and stomach.
5. Visualized dantian
Often visualizing an image as the dantian—such as Tantra visualizing a deity, or visualizing a landscape picture, or visualizing a talisman-command; things of this sort—this is a place of lodging the spirit through an object.
6. Twin-eyes dantian
The two eyes are divided as sun and moon; this is used for gathering the qi of sun and moon's radiance, a place of collection and restraint.
7. Scrotal-sac dantian
Taking the scrotal sac as the dantian—this is used when closing the tailbone-ridge, as the dantian in dual-cultivation methods.
8. Jade-stem dantian
Taking the jade stem as the dantian—this was used by the early Mingjiao, that is, Manichaeism, in the so-called non-leaking method.
9. No-thought dantian
Taking the teaching of neither good nor evil as the dantian—this is the dantian of blind Chan and those who have not gained the true method.
10. Stomach-palace dantian
Often rinsing the Flowery Pool so the mouth is not dry; this type of swallowing aids the body, and the dantian entered is the stomach palace as dantian.
11. Forehead dantian
The dantian of visualizing a nine-colored round image, also taken as the image of the Great One Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering.
12. Face as dantian
This dantian is used by methods of cultivating the Spirit Court; everywhere there are numinous responses, commonly used by dharma practitioners.
13. Harmonizing dantian
This takes containing the light of the eyes, condensing the resonance of the ears, sealing the qi of the tongue, regulating the breath of the nose—harmonizing the four images—as the dantian.
14. Navel-area dantian
There are various practices: some take the center of the navel, some below the navel, some one cun five fen inward, some three cun inward—these are all dantian.
15. Chest-center dantian
There are also various practices: some take the center of the chest as the dantian; some take entering several cun inward from the chest to join the Central Yellow as the dantian.
16. Perineum dantian
Taking the perineum as the dantian; this aperture can also strengthen and invigorate essence and qi, with the use of replenishing deficiencies—but holding this also requires abstaining from sexual desire.
17. Finger dantian
Taking the fingers alone as the dantian; cultivating this can enable the work of forming seals and transformations.
18. Jade-sill dantian
Holding the upper dantian easily brings torpor, holding the lower dantian easily brings no sensation; hence taking the jade sill as the dantian.
All the above dantian locations each have their use, and also no use. Those with use are places of initiation and traction; those without use are none of them places of producing the elixir.
Therefore the true dantian is the place of producing the elixir. It is neither within the body nor outside the body; looking at it, it is nothing yet wondrously exists—originally nowhere stored, from nothing something arises. Hence it is also said that in reality there is no dantian.
Within this, the words of celestial mechanism are real: the elixir can be known, but the dantian truly cannot be known—understand this and it can be known.