Neidan Study Group Netherlands

21/03/2026

“Enlightenment, or Nirvana, is nothing other than the state beyond all obstacles, in the same way that from the peak of a very high mountain one always sees the sun. Nirvana is not a paradise or some special place of happiness, but is in fact the condition beyond all dualistic concepts, including those of happiness and suffering.

When all our obstacles have been overcome, and we find ourselves in a state of total presence, the wisdom of enlightenment manifests spontaneously without limits, just like the infinite rays of the sun. The clouds have dissolved, and the sun is finally free to shine once again.”

― Namkhai Norbu, Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State

Image: Padmasambhava in rainbow body, 19 th century painting , Tibet (Nyingma tradition)

Note: Dzogchen and Mahamudra carry some very subtle and advanced notions of the non dual state.

15/03/2026

Two weeks ago I kicked off a 3 month online basic course for Neidan , to introduce to students some of its most foundational ideas and practices. Since I have received several requests if I am planning to do this also in English. This is definitely the plan. I can’t promise exactly when, but I will definitely set up an English language course similar to this one, either by myself or in collaboration with others. I know there has been special interest from Portugal and Indonesia and also other countries in Europe. We also intend to invite Robert C***s again in future to do more follow ups. So please keep an eye on the posts. You can also reach out to me by mail (felixdhaas@gmail.com) or messenger and I might put you on a list and let you know when something will kick off in English.

15/03/2026

Qipo Wuzangjing (Jivaka's Five Viscera Classic)

The Qipo Wuzangjing is a fascinating text. This text clearly shows Neidan imagery and mixes Buddhist and Daoist perspectives on the body.

For more on this text and its impact on East Asian Medicine , see THE BUDDHIST MEDICINE KING IN LITERARY CONTEXT: RECONSIDERING AN EARLY MEDIEVAL EXAMPLE OF INDIAN INFLUENCE ON CHINESE MEDICINE AND SURGERY- Pierce Salguero

National Palace Museum- Taipei/ Taiwan

09/03/2026

Nice course on Sleeping meditation by Robert C***s- see link below.

Chen Xiyi was a Daoist hermit to whom the creation of sleeping meditation is attributed. This approach to internal alchemy emphasizes meditating while lying down and maintaining energetic circulation even after falling asleep. According the legend, Chen Tuan would spend months at a time practicing this way in a cavern.

Among the four main postures of meditation, lying down is similarly easy to seated meditation which makes it a nice practice, especially if you feel tired after sitting for a long time. It is certainly possible to cultivate the golden elixir using this method.
Follow the link under this post to receive a 50% off early bird discount to my sleeping meditation course (valid till March 15).

Sleeping meditation is an internal alchemy method created by the legendary hermit Chen Tuan around 900 AD. It involves using a unique method of merging mind, body and breath while lying in bed and is often performed before sleep in order to circulate inner energy while sleeping. Chen Tuan left behin...

07/03/2026

Daoism and Buddhism both hold that humans are distracted by the phenomena of:
色 sè/color: that which is seen by the eyes,
声 shēng/sound: that which is heard by the ears,
香 xiāng/scent: that which is smelled by the nose,
味、wèi/taste: that which is tasted by the tongue,
触 chù/touch: that which is felt by the body,
法fǎ/ mental activity: the machinations of the mind.
In simple terms these sensory experiences prevent us from seeing reality. Meditation in which the senses are forgotten can subdue these six sensory phenomena and help our original minds awaken.
This may be one reason why some past masters believed visualization and physical practices were false, since they rely on these six perceptual phenomena in some way. Another view held by the monk Zhiyi in the Tong Meng Zhiguan was that such techniques are used to stop the mind and are a matter of skillful means. Regardless of how we practice, image must eventually be forgotten so the true mind can emerge. At the same time we do not have a choice about this in our daily lives, so unless you have superhuman levels of concentration, you will have to learn to negotiate the world through gradually improving your ethical stance in order to avoid vexation. This is one reason why both the Daoist and Buddhist religions use ethical cultivation as a means to stabilize practice. Secular individuals can also practice this way since it is about a gradual process of acquiring self control. There are two big points:
1: being able to forget the senses in meditation,
2: learning to control reaction to the senses in daily life.
The first one is much easier than the second, but since the result is so wonderful it may inspire us to work harder to improve ourselves ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️

05/03/2026

Chen Xiyi was a Daoist hermit to whom the creation of sleeping meditation is attributed. This approach to internal alchemy emphasizes meditating while lying down and maintaining energetic circulation even after falling asleep. According the legend, Chen Tuan would spend months at a time practicing this way in a cavern.
Among the four main postures if meditation, lying down is similarly easy to seated meditation which makes it a nice practice, especially if you feel tired after sitting for a long time. It is certainly possible to cultivate the golden elixir using this method.
Follow the link under this post to receive a 50% off early bird discount to my sleeping meditation course. I am in the proceed of uploading everything and there is already content available with the rest to come over the weekend. 😀 👍 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜❤️🧡💛💚💙

03/03/2026

Explanation of the Tai Ji Tu, in the Xing Ming Gui Zhi, one of the most fascinating and influential Neidan texts.

02/03/2026

Anyone who want to study seriously the influence of Neidan ideas on Chinese Medicine, I can recommend this translation of the Qi Jing Ba Mai Kao from Li Shizhen, by my late friend, colleague and teacher Chip (Charles) Chace and Miki Shima. Li Shizhen adopted ideas from Neidan about the Ba Mai in a very innovative way and this would have a lasting influence on Chinese Medicine. In my Neidan course I ll briefly also discuss the influence of Neidan ideas on medicine (and the other way around, since medical notions from East Asian medicine and even Western medicine clearly influenced Neidan as well, especially in the Qing and Republican China.)

The Exposition of Extraordinary Vessels is available via Eastland Pess in different formats including electronic version.

02/03/2026

Inner landscape according Neidan view.

I ll touch upon the inner landscape in my upcoming course on Neidan.

Images respectively:

Chart for Achieving Cinnabar by the Ninefold Revolution” (Dancheng jiuzhuan tu ). Neiwaigong tushuo jiyao [Illustrated principles on inner and outer practices] image second right

Complete Chart for the Cultivation of Perfection (Xiuzhen quantu) by Duan Fu (1922). Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, image right below

Representation of the Inner Vision of the Body (Neijing tu ) in colour painted by the Painting Academy of Wishes Fulfijilled (Ruyi guan ). In Zhongguo gudai yishi tulu image

image left

Chart of the Inner Landscape of the Body (Neijing tu). White Cloud Temple, Beijing, image right above

Source : Taoism and Self Knowledge
The Chart for the Cultivation of Perfection (Xiuzhen Tu) -Catherine Despeux

28/02/2026

Although not strictly related to Chinese Neidan, a very interesting post on the Vajrayana subtlety body.