Sexual practices in Orthodox Taoism
Strictly speaking, the term "Taoist [...] practices" is wrong, because such practices are denied by orthodox Taoism, and such practices cannot lead anyone to Tao.
The Dharn Scriptures (丹經 / alchemic scripture), which lead Taoist practitioners to Immortality, are very profound, and are full of metaphors, therefore many people misinterpreted them, and according to their misinterpretations, many wrong techniques were developed. As A Poem that Enlightens Those Who Get Lost and Rectifies the Way to Tao says:
Some people try to return to the origin by eating fire and water;
Some people try to recharge themselves by absorbing the energy of other people during [...] conducts, or even suck their lousy outflows;
Some people face upward to the sky to absorb the energy of the sun and the moon, the PUG of the earth is called by them "the WHUN of the heaven";
Some people swallow their saliva which is regarded as the essence of creations and transformations;
Some people reject all the five flavors and think that is equal to Reality Cultivation
Those techniques are regarded by orthodox Taoism as Aside-Doors(旁門), or Aside-Doors and Wrong Ways(旁門左道), especially, those techniques involving [...] conducts are called "The Dharn Techniques of Slurry and Sewage" (泥水丹法).
The [...] energy is one of The Three Treasures (Taoism), a Taoist cultivator should save it instead of wasting it.
The Yellow Court Scripture (黃庭經) says:
The Immortals and Taoist cultivators do not have any other special things, they simply accumulate their essential energy to achieve the Reality.
The Jade Green Emptiness Tractate (翠虛篇) says:
Do not say that [...] conducts can lead you to Immortality, and exchange your gold for tiles.
When a tree's root is withered, even if its leaves are still green, that is useless.
When such a practitioner is enjoying the waving in his Energy-Ocean, he is going to die as quick as a shooting arrow.
In fact, A Taoist monk or nun does not have [...] with any one, and does not have any intimate relationship with anyone of the opposite [...] -- This is a very important Taoist precept. And the true alchemic practice does not violate any Taoist precepts.
Being able to interpret the scriptures correctly requires lots of merits. If one has not enough merits, no matter how smart he is, no matter he is a scholar, scientist, president, emperor, etc., he just cannot understand the true meanings of the scriptures. Therefore, the scriptures and masters all persuade the practitioners to do virtuous deeds to accumulate merits.
The Scripture of Forty-nine Chapters, by Ultra Supreme Emptiness Emperor, the Heavenly Lord says:
If one has accumulated fully one thousand merits, both his body and his divinity (souls) will become immortal; if his merits are near but less than one thousand, his divinity will become immortal but his physical body will decay; if his contributions benefit trillions of people, he will be a guest of the Jade Pure Pellucid One (The Original Universal Lord). He will slough off his mundane body and become an immortal person, and the immortal person will then become a Real Person.
The Ultra Supreme One's Tractate on Actions and Their Retributions says:
He who seeks to become a heavenly Immortal should accumulate 1300 virtuous merits; and he who seeks to become an earthly Immortal should accumulate 300 virtuous merits.
To know more about how Taoists supposedly achieve Immortality, see Xian
References
- "The Scripture of Forty-nine Chapters, by Ultra Supreme Emptiness Emperor, the Heavenly Lord"(太上虛皇天尊四十九章經), in "The Orthodox Tao Store"(正統道藏) compiled during Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 -- 1644)
- "A Poem that Enlightens Those Who Get Lost and Rectifies the Way to Tao"(破迷正道歌) by Taoist master Tzong Ley Kyun during Torng Dynasty (AD 617 -- 960)
- "The Jade Green Emptiness Tractate" (翠虛篇), by Taoist master Tsun Narm, during Song Dynasty (AD 960 -- 1279)
- "Yellow Court Scripture" (黃庭經), a classic from remote antiquity.
- "The Ultra Supreme One's Tractate on Actions and Their Retributions" (太上感應篇), included in "The Orthodox Tao Store"(正統道藏) compiled during Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 -- 1644)
- "The Great Dictionary of Taoism"(道教大辭典), by Chinese Taoism Association, published in 1994, ISBN 7-5080-0112-5/B.054