Introductory Practices

(Tian Dao Gong)

Practice Guidelines
Practice in a serene state of mind. Never practice in
a bad mood or in an unstable emotional state. All the intentions and thoughts during practice are benevolent and
peaceful. During practice picture oneself as an innocent
young child.
Relax ones entire body naturally.
Never get greedy or anticipate results; be attentive yet
relaxed; devotion in practice with no expectations on success. By forgetting ones illness and suffering and letting go
of ones controls, demands and desires, one gently connects
with the Divine Universe and Tian Gong, through their
transmission to send out blessings to all of Humanity (one
is naturally included.)
Select a comfortable place to practice. Never practice
in the rain or strong wind.
Do not allow any spontaneous movement. If spontaneous
movement occurs, use ones mind gently to control it.

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 For weak practitioners, do not practice the standing

posture. For the elderly and anyone with a leg ailment, do
not force oneself to practice in the cross-legged, kneeling,
kneeling/sitting-on-ankles, or half lotus/half sitting postures. Eat lightly before practice.
Women who are pregnant or menstruating should
practice in the sitting or lying posture.
For daily practice it is best not to exceed three times a
day, with a duration of 30-40 minutes for each session. For
people who are in good health, practicing up to twice daily
is sufficient. For the physically weak, practices can be more
frequent but shorter in duration according to the need.
If one gets startled and feels uncomfortable during practice, use ones mind gently to calm oneself back to normal
and then either perform a closing or continue to practice.
It is best to relieve oneself before practice and wait 510 minutes after the practice to eat or take a shower.
If one is currently following another practice style,
there is no conflict involved in switching to Tian Gong.
On the contrary, Tian Gong practice will further strengthen the benefits and results from any previous training.
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 It is very important to perform a closing at the end of

each practice.
All the introductory practices, with the exception of
Tong Tian Gong, require one to perform a closing before
one can answer the phone, speak loudly or get up and
walk away.
It is recommended to bring the palms of ones hands
together in front of ones chest with the fingers pointing
upward before and after each practice.
If one has a serious mental illness, do not practice Tian
Gong for the time being without special permission.

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Six Practices Of Tian Dao Gong

Pathway to the Universe Practice (Tong Tian Gong)
Styles: Walking, standing, sitting-on-chair; kneeling/
sitting-on-ankles; sitting-in-lotus (or with legs naturally
crossed) or lying down.
Intention: Tian Gong sends out Celestial blessings of wisdom, well-being and auspiciousness to all of humanity.
Practice Method:
Preparation (Figures 1 2)
Spread your feet shoulder-width apart; align your feet
on the same line and have them parallel to each other or
pointing slightly outwards. Let your hands down naturally by your sides. Relax your entire body.
Your eyes are open naturally. Smile from within and
on your face. Enter a serene, natural, peaceful and calm
state of mind and pray for all of humanity to receive the
Celestial energies of wisdom, vibrant health, healing and
longevity through Tian Gongs transmission.

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Gently bring the palms of your hands together in front

of your chest, with fingers pointing up, and prepare yourself
to start the practice.

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 First Section: Listening to the Celestial Bell (Figures 36)

Place the palms of your hands tightly over your ears,
and tap the back of your head lightly nine times with your
fingertips, creating a dong-dong sound, like the ringing
of the Celestial Bell. Continue by removing your hands
from your ears so quickly that the ears resound. Repeat
this a total of three times. If practicing in the lying-down
posture, you can skip the tapping movement on the back
of your head.

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Close by bringing the palms of your hands together in

front of your chest.

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 Second Section: Climbing the Celestial Ladder (Figures

7 16)
Next, separate your hands to the sides of your chest and
make hollow fists with both hands; raise them to about
the height of your eyes, then drop them past your cheeks,
the sides of your chest, the abdominal area, until reaching
the thighs. Now naturally open your fists. Again raise both
hands to your eye level; make a fist and lower your hands
down to the sides of your thighs as if there were a rope
ladder in front of you and your hands were gently grasping

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the side rails of the ladder, continuously climbing upward.

You can also move your hands gently in turn to climb the
ladder. (You can start this segment in this manner to climb
the Celestial Ladder). With your hand motions, your may
walk around, walk in place, or stand still.

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Close by bringing the palms of your hands together in

front of your chest.

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 Third Section: Crossing the Celestial Bridge (Figures

17 21)
Bring the palms of your hands together in front of your
chest, with your fingers pointing upwards. Slowly rock
them in a left-and-right fanning movement in front of your
chest. Your fingertips should not go higher than your eyes.
Your body can sway along with the hands. The swaying
motions should not be too sweeping and you should feel
very little effort involved. You can move your feet or stand
still.

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Close

by

bringing

the palms of your hands

together in front of your
chest.

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 Fourth Section: Entering the Celestial Gate (Figures 22

28)
Spread your hands in front of your chest, with palms
facing outward, fingers pointing up, and your arms bent,
but not extended outward. In this position, make light circular motions in the same direction in front of the chest.
After making several circles, reverse the direction. The direction can be switched from time to time. The size of the
circles does not matter, as long as they are not too large.

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You can move your feet

and legs as you please.
Close by bringing
the palms of your hands
together in front of your
chest.

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 Fifth Section: Smelling the Celestial Fragrance (Figures

29 33)
With the palms of your hands facing each other, place
them on either side of your nose. (Optionally, you can first
press lightly with your forefingers on the Ying Xiang Xue,
an acupoint next to the nose, 18 times.) Then, gradually,
move them apart and then back to the sides of the nose, as
if making a motion of gathering fragrance. Continue moving them apart and together at a moderate to slow pace.
These motions can be big or small, as long as the palms

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of your hands are facing

each other. The movements
of the hands can change as
desired.
Close by bringing the
palms of your hands together in front of your chest.

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 Sixth Section: Immersion in the Celestial Rain (Figures

34 50)
In this exercise you feel as if your whole body and soul
are bathed in a sweet shower or rain that permeates the entire firmament and is cleansing your spirit and body. You
feel quite relaxed and joyful.
This section has three steps:
Step 1: Let your arms and
hands fall naturally by your
sides, with palms facing your
thighs and fingers shaking
lightly beside your thighs.

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Step 2: With the

hands at the sides
of your body, palms
facing upward and
slightly

forward,

shake your fingers

lightly as if to meet
the rain. While shaking, your hands can
move freely at the
height of the shoulders, in front of the
chest, or with one
hand higher than the
other, as long as they
remain in the general
posture

of receiv-

ing the rain; or your

head can look up to
the sky as your hands
unfold and spread
upward to greet the
rain. In other words,
as long as your palms

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remain upward and

slightly forward in
the posture of receiving the rain, you
can change the hand
movements as you
like. The hands can
shake as you please
or can remain still.

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Step 3: The hands take

turns making a motion
of lightly stroking along
the arms from top to bottom, but without touching
the skin.

The left hand

strokes the right arm, and

the right hand strokes
the left arm. When stroking, the fingers can shake
lightly or stay still. Then,
the hands stroke together or take turns stroking
downward in front of the
forehead, face, chest and
abdomen as if you were
massaging yourself after
a shower and immersing
in the powerful energy of
the Divine Universe. The
stroking motion should be
lively and gentle.

In the

whole process of immersing in the Celestial Rain,

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your hands and feet are well coordinated to reflect gracefulness and carefree spirit and you should feel comfortable
and smooth all over.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 can be done in sequence, or can be
done repeatedly in any order.
Close by bringing the palms of your hands together in
front of your chest.

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 Closing Exercise (Figures 51 57):

Gently place your hands over the navel, with the right
hand beneath for women and the left hand beneath for
men. Rub your Dan Tian (lower abdominal region) by
moving your hands in a circle nine times clockwise, then
nine times counter clockwise at a moderate to slow speed.
After rubbing Dan Tian (located inside the lower abdominal cavity underneath the navel), warm your hands by rubbing them together, then dry wash (without water) your

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face 9 18 times. How

to dry wash your face
is as follows: Place your
hands

tightly

against

both cheeks, push your

hands to rub upward
along the sides of your
face up to the midpoint
of the forehead; then
start to rub hard downward along the center

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line of your face. Repeat this cycle 18 times. Lastly, tap

your teeth gently 36 times.
Close by bringing the palms of your hands together
in front of your chest. This concludes Tong Tian Gong
practice.

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Remarks:
When performing this practice, there is no need to close
your eyes, go into a meditative state; you should refrain
from thinking about your illness, or making spontaneous
movements. Breathe naturally. One can practice these
exercises at home or during travel, before or after eating, or
during a stroll.
One can practice while watching television, or moving
the body gently in a dancing posture as long as the basic
practice posture remains intact.
During practice one can answer the telephone first
and then perform closing movements, or continue practicing after the phone conversation.
The movements should be in medium to slow speed
and as gentle, natural and graceful as possible. If the hands
and feet both move, they should be coordinated. The number, range and intensity of movements should be in accordance with the individuals physical condition, as well as
how relaxed and comfortable you feel after practice. If you
get tired during practice, take a break for a few minutes and
then resume practice. Each time, practice for approximately

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30 minutes. If you do not have enough time or a suitable place to practice, utilize whatever time and space is
available to you, whether it is five minutes, ten minutes, or
twenty minutes. You can select some sections to practice
or shorten the time for each section.
The effects can be enhanced when practiced in groups.
If feasible, the entire family or husband and wife are encouraged to practice together. It is recommended to practice
with a Tong Tian Gong video or music tape.
In practicing Section Five, Smelling Celestial Fragrance, some practitioners may smell various aromas. When
practicing other sections, some practitioners third eye may
open to see the various phenomena such as the Celestial
Ladder, Celestial Gate, Celestial Bridge or Celestial Rain.
One may experience clairaudience in hearing the sound of
the Celestial Bell. One may feel the sensation of energy in
the hands intensify. All the above and much more are the
possible good responses from this practice.
Tong Tian Gong can be learned easily and immediately
taught to others. Helping others by teaching the practice is
a very effective way to nurture and accumulate ones virtue,
and expand ones energy body.

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 Celestial Smile Practice (Tian Xiao Gong)

Style: Half Lotus and half sitting.
Intention: Tian Gong infuses humanity with smiles.
Practice Method:
Posture (Figure 58)
Sit comfortably with your legs crossed naturally. Men
lift the left leg to an upright folded position, making an
upright triangle, while the right foot remains flat on the
floor. Women lift
the right leg to an
upright folded position making an
upright

triangle

while the left foot

remains
the

flat on

floor.

Hold

the palms of your

hands together in
front of your chest
with fingers point-

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ing upward. Gently place the left hand, palm down, on the
left knee or leg, and gently place the right hand, palm down
on the right knee or leg. You may lean your upper body
gently backward (support behind the back is allowed) and
lift your face slightly upward. You may also choose to keep
the upper body straight but relaxed and the chin slightly
tucked in. The entire body is naturally relaxed and comfortable. Close your eyes slightly. Then engender a smile
from deep within your heart, letting it gradually emanate
and spread to reach every cell of your body and every pore
of your skin. Let the ripples of the smile continuously radiate and expand towards outer dimensions of time/space
until the human body as a microcosm and the Universe as
a macrocosm smile
together as one.
Closing: (Figure
59 64)
Change to sit
in lotus position
with legs naturally
crossed. The closing is the same as
Tong Tian Gong.
Next, rub along
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the center line of the soles of your feet 36 times. Using

either side of your palm, rub the sole of your foot along the
center line to stimulate your Yong-Quan Acupressure Point.
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Men rub the left foot first

with the right hand, while
women rub the right side
first with the left hand.
Then change to the other
foot. Rub each foot eighteen times. Finally, bring
the palms of your hands
together in front of your
chest in prayer position.
Suggestion:
This practice is most
suitable for those with
excess worries, depression,

sadness,

anxiety,

extreme introversion and

difficulty in opening up
or letting go.

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 Sun and Moon Practice (Ri Yue Gong)

Style: Standing, kneeling, kneeling/sitting-on-ankles, sitting-on-chair, or lotus positions.
Intention: Tian Gong transmits the Sun or Moon energy
to all of humanity.
Practice Method:
Posture (Figure 65 85):
Spread your feet shoulder-width apart; align your toes
on the same line; your feet should be parallel to each other
or pointed slightly outward; bend your knees very slightly;
let your hands down naturally by your sides; gently close
your eyes; relax your entire body; smile from within and on
your face; then hold palms together in front of your chest
with fingers pointing upward. (You may also practice in
the sitting-on-chair, sitting-in-lotus, kneeling or kneeling/
sitting-on-ankles positions.)
Sun and Moon Practice is comprised of Divine Sun
Practice and Divine Moon Practice. These two practices share the same posture, but differ in intention during

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practice. The practitioner gently connects to the Sun or the

Moon Divinity with respect and gratitude, and prays for
the transmission of the Sun or Moon energy to all of Humanity. Practitioners with differing religious and cultural
backgrounds will have different names for the Sun and
the Moon Divinity and thus can make their own choices
according to custom; for those with no religious affiliation,
they can use their mind to connect with the Sun and the
Moon directly.

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This practice is made

up of three ball-embracing
postures:
Lower Dan-Tian Style:
Hold the palms of your
hands together in front of
your chest in the prayer
position. Then open your
arms and lower them to the
lower abdominal area in
a ball-embracing position
as if embracing the sun or
moon.
Middle Dan-Tian Style:
Stretch out your arms in
front of your chest as if you
were embracing a ball.
Upper Dan-Tian Style:
Raise your hands high in
front of your forehead as if
embracing a ball.

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The selection of the

above three postures depends on the condition
of your physical strength,
health condition and practice level.

You may start

with the Lower Dan-Tian

Style,

then

proceed

to

Middle Dan-Tian and Upper Dan-Tian, progressing

gradually from easy to more
difficult levels. Practitioners
with too much heat energy
such as high blood pressure
should not practice the Upper Dan-Tian Style and the
Divine Sun Practice.

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98

99

100

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When you become tired while practicing in the styles of

Sitting-on-chair, Sitting cross-legged, Kneeling, or Kneeling/sitting-on-ankles, you may choose to switch to one of
the following: Natural Sitting Style (Figure 70), Natural
Cross-legged Style (Figure 74), Natural Kneeling Style
(Figure 78), or Natural Kneeling/sitting-on-ankles Style
(Figure 82).
The Natural Styles can be chosen for beginning the
various practices such as the Sun and Moon Practice, or
separately as individual practices for meditation and cultivation.
Natural Sitting Style: Follow the sitting-on-chair style
of the Sun and Moon Practice, but instead of holding the
hands in front, rest them on top of the thighs with palms
of your hands facing either up or down; or you can gently
place the hands upon the lower abdomen to protect the
Dan-Tian areafor man the left hand underneath and for
women the right hand underneathwith the thumb of the
upper hand lightly pressing on the Lao-Gong Acupoint
located in the depression on the palm of the lower hand.
Natural Sitting-cross-legged Style: Follow the Sitting
Cross-legged Style in the Sun and Moon Practice, but instead of holding the hands in front, rest them on top of
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your thighs, with palms facing either up or down: or you

can place them gently upon the lower abdomen to protect
the Dan-Tian area.
Natural Kneeling Style and Natural Kneeling/Sittingon-ankles Style: Follow the Kneeling and Kneeling/Sitting-on-ankles Styles in the Sun and Moon Practice, but
instead of being in the ball-holding posture, your hands are
positioned in the Dan-Tian Protecting Style.
Closing:
With the Standing Style, Sitting-on-chair Style and the
Natural Sitting Posture, the closing is the same as Tong
Tian Gong; with Sitting-in-lotus (or with legs naturally
crossed), Kneeling, Kneeling/Sitting-on-ankles Styles and
the other three Natural Styles the closing follows the Celestial Smile Practice.

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Suggestion:
This practice strengthens your energy. It will enhance
your health, heal diseases and expand your energy body
quickly. If you can stand, practice more in standing. Make
sure you control the intensity and timing of the practice
well. The best criterion is how you feel afterwards you
should feel relaxed, comfortable and not feel tired. If
you cannot practice standing, adopt sitting and kneeling
styles.

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 Community Practice (Gong Zi Gong)

Style: Lotus position or with legs crossed naturally.

Intention: Tian Gong transmits the Universal messages of
world peace and global service to all of humanity.
Practice Method:
Posture (Figure 86)
Sit with your legs naturally crossed or in lotus position;
then hold the palms of your hands together in front of your
chest; tuck in your chin slightly; close your eyes gently;
smile from within and on your face; be relaxed and natural;
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place your hands at the sides of your body until there is

30 to 45 degrees between your arms and your body; your
shoulders are relaxed and even; your elbows are bent into
a natural curve; the fingers are in a natural curve shape
and relaxed. For men, your palms should be facing downward and slightly backward; for women, your palms facing
upward and slightly forward. The posture of this practice
resembles Chinese Character Gong (for the community,
which means public, sharing with others, open to all).
During practice, let yourself enter the spiritual dimension
of serving the world and unifying with the Universe.
If you become tired during practice, you may choose
to switch to practicing in the Natural Cross-legged Style
(Figure 74) in order to restore your energy. You may also
set yourself up in the Natural Cross-legged Style when
first begin the practice, then proceed on to practice in this
posture.
Closing:
Same as Celestial Smile Practice.

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Suggestion:
If one is overly attached to personal gain and loss and
lacks the cultivation of the Greater Self and the concept of
Serving the world, one should concentrate more on this
practice. If more and more people perform this practice, it
will expand the power of peace globally.

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 Celestial Cross Practice (Shi Zi Gong)

Style: Standing, sitting-on-chair, sitting-in-lotus, kneeling or kneeling/sitting-on-ankles.
Intention:
Chest Protecting Posture: Humility, gratitude, self-reflection and repentance.
Cross Posture: Willingness to sacrifice for the sake of
others and all life.
Practice Method:
Posture (Figure 87 93)

Chest Protecting Posture: Spread your feet shoulderwidth apart; align your toes on the same line; your feet
should be parallel to each other or point slightly outward;
bend your knees very slightly; let your hands down naturally by your sides; relax your entire body; gently close your
eyes; tuck in your chin slightly; in a serene and sacred manner, hold your palms together in front of your chest with
fingers pointing upward; then move your hands apart and
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cross them softly in front of your chest as though you were

protecting your chest. For men, the left hand is beneath the
right hand, while for women the right hand is beneath the
left hand. (You may also practice in sitting-on-chair, sittingin-lotus, kneeling or kneeling/sitting-on-ankles position.)

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When you become tired during practice, you may choose

to switch to practicing in one of the Natural Style (Figure
70, 74, 78, 82) in order to restore energy, then proceed on
to continue with this practice. If you wish, you may also set
yourself up in any of the above mentioned Natural Styles
when first begin the practice, then proceed on to practice
in this posture.

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Cross Posture: Have your feet together; stand relaxed;

let your hands down naturally by your sides; gently close
your eyes; tuck in your chin slightly; in a serene and sacred
manner, hold the palms of your hands together in front of
your chest with fingers pointing upward; then spread your
arms outward to both sides of your shoulders; your palms
are at the same height as your shoulders; your whole body
resembles a cross. For men, the palms face downward,
while for women the palms are upward.

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 Closing:
For the standing or sitting-on-chair styles, the closing is
the same as Tong Tian Gong; for sitting-in-lotus, kneeling
or kneeling/sitting-on-ankles style, the same as Celestial
Smile Practice.
Suggestion:
The beginners should mainly practice Chest Protecting
Posture. Humility, gratitude, self-examination, repentance
and noble willingness to sacrifice for all of Humanity are
the best medicines to heal spiritual and physical sickness.
The more you can let go of yourself, the better the effects.
Those who are prone to self-blame or depression should
not perform self-examination and repentance; instead, they
should prepare themselves to receive Divine Grace with a
humble heart full of gratitude.

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 Celestial Pagoda Practice (Tian Ta Gong)

Style: Standing, sitting-on-chair, sitting-in-lotus (or with
legs naturally crossed), kneeling or kneeling/sitting-onankles.
Intention: Tian Gong transmits the Universal messages of
compassion and unconditional love to all of Humanity.
Practice Method:
Posture (Figure 94 102)
Spread your feet shoulder-width apart; align your toes
on the same line; your feet should be parallel to each other
or point slightly outward; bend your knees very slightly;
fill your heart with compassion; your manner is sacred; gently close your eyes; relax your entire body; hold the palms
of your hands together in front of your chest with fingers
pointing upward; then separate your hands and raise your
right hand until your thumb gently touches or points toward the Yin Tang Xue (the Third Eye), located in the
middle of the two eyebrows (to connect with the human
energy field); your forefinger and middle finger are together
as sword finger and point toward the sky (to connect with

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the Universal energy field); your ring finger and little finger
are bent toward the ground (to connect with the earth energy field). This constitutes what we call the upper Tong
Tian Ta (Pathway to Celestial Pagoda), which facilitates
the harmonious resonance among the Universal, Earth and
Human energy fields. The left hand imitates the right hand
to form another pagoda shape and is gently placed in front
of your chest. The tip of your thumb should be at the midway point (Shan Zhong Xue) between your nipples. This
is the lower Tong Tian Ta. Your mind should focus softly
on the centers of the soles of your feet. You can alternate
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hands. (You may practice in

sitting-on-chair,

sitting-in-

lotus, kneeling or kneeling/

sitting-on-ankles positions.)
If you become tired during practice, you may choose
to switch to practicing in
one of the Natural Styles
(Figure 70, 74, 78, 82) in
order to restore your energy,

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then proceed on to continue this practice. You may also

wish to set yourself up in any other above-mentioned Natural Styles when first begin the practice, then proceed on
to practice in this posture.
Closing:
For the standing or sitting-on-chair style, this closing is
the same as Tong Tian Gong; for sitting-in-lotus (or with
legs naturally crossed), kneeling or kneeling/sitting-onankles style, the same as Celestial Smile Practice.

Suggestion:
This practice can manifest and nurture unconditional
love and compassion in the hearts of the practitioners.
The more people practice, the more sufferers in this world
will be relieved and bathe in the sunshine, rain and dewdrops of love.

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