stillness; it is contentless, non-conceptual, and non-dualistic. One simply empties the heart-mind of all emotional and intellectual content." The texts of classical Daoism state that this meditation leads to the dissolution of the self and any sense of separate dualistic identity. Sima Chengzhen's Zuowang lun is a key text which outlines this method. The practice is also closely connected with the virtue of wuwei (non-action). Concentration meditation, focusing the mind on one theme, like the breath, a sound, a part of the body (like one of the dantiens), a diagram, or a mental image, a deity etc. A subset of this is called "guarding the one" which is interpreted in different ways. Observation (guan) - According to Kohn this method "encourages openness to all sorts of stimuli and leads to a sense of free-flowing awareness. It often begins with the recognition of physical sensations and subtle events in the body but may also involve paying attention to outside occurrences." Guan is associated withh deep listening and energetic sensitivy. The term most often refers to "inner observation" (neiguan), a practice which developed through Buddhist influence (see: Vipaśyanā). Neiguan entails developing introspection of one's body and mind, which includes being aware of the various parts of the body as well as the various deities residing in the body. Zhan zhuang ("post standing") - standing meditation in various postures Visualization (cunxiang) of various mental images, including deities, cosmic patterns, the lives of saints, various lights in the bodies organs, etc. This method is associated with the Supreme Clarity school, which first developed it. Alchemy A key element of many schools of Daoism are alchemical practices, which include various rituals, meditations, exercises, and the creation of various alchemical substances. The goals of alchemy include physical and spiritual transformation, aligning oneself spiritually with cosmic forces, undertaking ecstatic spiritual journeys, improving physical health and extending one's life, and even becoming an immortal (xian). Daoist alchemy can be found in early Daoist scriptures like the Taiping Jing and the Baopuzi. There are two main kinds of alchemy, internal alchemy (neidan) and external alchemy (waidan). Internal alchemy (neidan, literally: "internal elixir"), which focuses on the transformation and increase of qi in the body, developed during the late imperial period (especially during the Tang), and is found in almost all Daoist schools today, though it is most closely associated with the Quanzhen school. There are many systems of internal