Zen and Tao

Taoist Martial Arts emphasize internal training. The main styles are Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan. Qigong is practiced for health, longevity, sexual prowess, martial arts, as well as attaining immortality. This category includes meditation. Divination is a broad category and includes arts like astronomy, geomancy (feng shui), fortune telling, military strategies, exorcism, and divination (using the Yi Jing). The category of Spirituality includes various means of spiritual cultivation to attain immortality or to return to the Tao. The main approach is “jing zuo” or sitting meditation. It can be seen, therefore, that Taoist cultivation is extremely extensive, rich, and advanced (View Highlight)

Taoist meditation is rich in visualization, whereas visualization is discouraged in Zen meditation (View Highlight)

Taoist qigong and Zen qigong are also characteristically different, though they have had many mutual influences. In my opinion, Taoist qigong is richer than Zen qigong. An example of Taoist qigong in our school is Dantian Breathing. An example of Zen qigong is Sinew Metamorphosis. (View Highlight)

Taoist medicine is based on Yin-Yang and the Five Elemental Processes (Wu Xing). Zen medicine (which is insignificant compared to Taoist medicine) is based on the “Four Greats” of Metal, Water, Air, and Fire. These two medical systems are characteristically different. (View Highlight)