The Taoist Alchemy of Wang Liping: Volume One

Thank you Nathan and master Wang for making this previously hidden information available for seekers. The book is a good introduction to the teachings and motivated me to take better care of my body and spirit, signing up for a yoga and taichi classes and starting experimenting with Taoist meditation.

I've started the online course with Nathan Brine and bought this as a supplement. The book is superb. Clear, comprehensive, and authentic. It can serve as a manual without the online course. I hope to study with Mr. Brine in person but this and the online course are a good start. There are a number of books about this topic. A few are excellent. Some are not. This is among the very best. Brine is a dedicated student of Wang Liping. He has eaten very bitter, as they say, and is capable of transmitting these teachings. He's the real deal. So is this book. Very highly recommended.

Very good book. The material is unique and not presented elsewhere. Highly recommend all three volumes in progression. Written well with good material, highly recommend.

This is the book that we have been waiting for. Anyone interested in Wang Liping's system of Taoist Alchemy (or even just Taoism in general) should order this gem and keep an eye out for future volumes. This book is excellent and is truly a gift for both practitioners and those who are just curious. In the author we have a dedicated practitioner of Wang Liping's system who not only has years of experience in personal practice, retreats and in teaching the system, but who has also studied Taoism and Chinese language academically. Combined with a knack for teaching and explaining things in an easy-to-grasp manner, Nathan Brine has created a truly exceptional book. The book takes a multi-dimensional approach of combining personal experience along with theory and lots of practical information and instructions for practice. Illustrations, diagrams, and boxes explaining key concepts are sprinkled throughout making the content very approachable and enjoyable to read through. The book has a great glossary and outlines of the systems of practice in the back. Many of the terminology throughout the book are written along with their original Chinese names (with both pinyin and the Chinese characters) which adds clarity and the opportunity for further learning for those reading. Giving this one 5 stars was an easy choice!

Don't look any further. You found what you are looking for! Twenty years ago I read the book "Opening the Dragon Gate" which is the authorized biography of Nathan Brine's teacher, Wang Liping. After reading that book I felt a depression come over me. I thought to myself I will never be able to learn any of Master Liping's teachings. He is too far off, language would be a barrier, and the level of training required to practice the Dragon Gate method of alchemy overwhelming. Twenty years later Mr Nathan Brine did all the work that was impossible for me to do. Anyone who knows anything about Taoism has read books such as The Secret of the Golden Flower and other books about the Complete Reality Schools of thought. The teachings are dense and veiled in esoteric impenetrable language that requires a teacher to unlock. This information can only be transmitted from Master to disciple. Anyone starting out on the path will have to tirelessly search for an instructor and read hundreds of books to grasp the cosmic implications of these methods. This book will unlock those mysteries. Now here is the problem. Americans think they know everything and they think the more complicated the meditation the bigger the end result will be. They don't want to build the foundation of the practice and skip just about every vital step to lay the groundwork for more advanced practices. Then run around in circles in their minds. They have been glammored by charlatans who promise cosmic awakening. Anyone who knows knows that those promises will get an honest seeker nowhere. The simplicity and eloquence in which Mr Brine presents these techniques will be wasted on readers looking for immediate grandiose results (self gratification which is an illusion). There is no fast and easy way for obtaining the Way. These teaching are genuinely transmitted from a living Master. It takes a lifetime, no many lifetimes, to master these meditations. I am hoping that I might possible be able to achieve the techniques taught in this manual within the next twenty years. Knowing the depth in which these techniques can lead a person, for me at least, feels overwhelming. Nathan Brine has achieved a monumental goal for Westerners who want to train in authentic Complete Reality School meditation, indeed those who wish to open the dragon gate. Oh he also offers these techniques online so I would recommend checking that out. I am planning to.

This is written by an authentic student and diligent practitioner of Wang Liping's methods. It is clear, down-to-earth, and a fun read as well. Regardless of whether you are a regular student of Wang's, an aspiring one, or something else-- you will find deep value in this text AND its practices. Nathan is a direct, long-term student of Wang, and completely fluent in Chinese, including the technical language sometimes required for a deep meditation practice. (An example of this would be tianmu-- which means something very specific in Wang's meditation practices.) Nathan's cultural understanding and personally high level of kungfu is obvious in this work. I deeply look forward to studying and working with the material of this volume more...and of course vol. 2 sometime in the future!

Author and practitioner Nathan Brine presents here the basics of Daoist meditation and alchemical practice. He does so from personal experience of training with Wang Liping, and shares generously much detailed knowledge and advice that up until recently would have been closely guarded, esoteric “inner door” information. As such what you get here is a highly practical and illuminating guide rather than a dry, scholarly description of the Dragon Gate Lineage. Particularly fascinating are the two sections in which Nathan vividly describes his inner journey through various retreats and intense extended sessions. His descriptions of various feelings and markers of progress are immensely helpful in the jungle of obscure metaphor and vagueness that tends to typify Daoist writings. Nathan’s genuine desire to pass on his love of Daoist practices shines through in this highly readable and enthusiastic guide. I’d recommend this book, along with his online material, to anyone with a nascent interest or even existing experience in Nei Dan.

Excellent book! Systematic and intuitive at the same time. You see the parts and sense the whole.

I purchased this book in December 2022 and went through it. Nathan has written a proper manual for alchemy practice. I have been gradually beginning to practice the initial breathing exercises and I find even a little bit of my practice to be surprisingly rewarding and result giving. ( I was imagining it would take me perhaps months before I see some results.) So, whether these quick results I am seeing are due to some blessing and power of Wang Liping lineage behind the book, OR it's the technique itself which is powerful, OR some other reason - I do not know. But the feeling I am getting is that this is the real deal. The techniques and explanations given by Nathan are to the point, clear and confusion free. I have decided to go ahead with the full practice in part 1 and have placed an order for the part 2 of this book also. Highly recommended for serious Taoist alchemy practitioners!! Even if you are learning elsewhere, knowledge in this book is going to surely supplement your understanding and practice in a good way.

Me gusta porque da instrucciones claras sobre cómo hacer uno de los elixires internos. Esto es algo que nunca había leído en ningún otro libro.

I’ve been looking for something like this for years. Clear concise layout and instructions for this venerable form of self cultivation and practice. The online course is well worth the money as well.