The Sexual Teachings of the Jade Dragon: Taoist Methods for Male Sexual Revitalization

Rating:
Summary: certainly controversial, tons of information, well presented
Review: So far I've spent about 4 hours going through this book, so I plan to continue to edit and update my review as I study it in more detail.

There is a wealth of information in this book, and it includes translations of several very famous Chinese texts on this topic (with good practical commentary). It is well written and easy to read, very matter of fact, has some very clear illustrations. As a person with a deep interest in the topic of dual cultivation I found it "a page turner". It also points out correctly that this is a very controversial topic both today and historically, and does a good job of presenting the subject in a neutral manner, although I think the book downplays the extent to which dual cultivation was (and is) frowned upon in China.

On the downside, there are some very complex issues of the morality about the use and treatment of the green dragons which are not discussed, the author is rather vague on the issue of informed consent.

The text presented of the "Plain Girl Classic" (Su Nu Ching) is quite different from the 'standard' versions - see Douglas Wile "The Chinese Sexual Yoga Classics" for a scholarly analysis of the publically available versions.

The herbal formulations look very interesting (I'm not a Trad. Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbalist) but the dosage information is very vague.

I think it is unlikely that many if any of the readers will be able to (or want to?) re-create the white tigress / jade dragon dynamic, but it is fascinating to read this description of the behavior of this particular lineage of Taoists in China.

The techniques are described in sufficient detail that it should be easy to practice them from the book. My personal experiences is that there are better techniques for drawing the energy upward (I did not see any references to using either sacral or cranial pumps), and I believe the ones presented in the book will work and are among the simplest. They might also be among the easiest, but that is a very relative term - this is not an easy subject.

This system is based on two particular male/female dynamics, there are other systems.

I am an experienced practicioner of dual cultivation from another school, so I will spend hours going thru this in detail. Would I recommend this as a first book / beginner's book - no. However it terms of the mechanical aspects controlling and channelling the energy it is more complete and useful than Jolan Chang's books or Stephen Chang's on the topic.

Rating:
Summary: overview
Review: This book is fantastic from a historical context. It really puts a strong perspective on the tradtions of sexual alchemy in traditional chinese society. The outlines of the five elements in relation to errection and ejaculation are very interesting.

The practical components of the book are a bit scewed, in my humble opinion. I am very well trained in both Chinese Medicine and Kung Fu, and have been since childhood. And though I believe this book is a very accurate and concise translation of the origional text, and the mentality of sexual alchemy in China during ancient times, I don't feel that this material is enough in itself to complete the goal of immortality.

But don't get me wrong this book is VERY important, along with the tigress manual, in achieving longevity and immortality through sexual practices. You should look outside of the reach of this text and explore the small heaven circulation in detail, the conents in this book will be enough on the topic of circuating energy, but you will need to gain further understanding in order to acheive more dynamic results.

Also a word to the wise, the herbal formulas in this book are very hot in nature, do not abuse them or you will end up with significant malaise. Consult a Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor to make sure you don't have too much heat or fire before taking the formulas in this book.

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