Shen wai you shen 身外有身

Translation

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“Having a body outside (or: beyond) the body”; “outside (or: beyond) the body there is another body.”

Definition(s)

▣ One of the expressions that describe the achievement of the Neidan practice. Equivalent, or closely related, to the term “delivery of the embryo” (tuotai). The “body” meant in this expression is the Yang Spirit (yangshen), called “dharma-body” (fashen) in some Neidan texts.

⦿ ZLCDJ 1: As the Yin is exhausted and the Yang is pure, they have a body outside the body. 陰盡陽純，身外有身。

⦿ ZLCDJ 9: When the Great Medicine (dayao) is achieved, the Yang Spirit comes forth. Outside the body there is another body, like a cicada casting off its skin. 大藥成而陽神出。身外有身，似蟬脫蛻。

⦿ XZSS 6 "Xiuzhen zhixuan pian” 修真指玄篇": If one is able to be without mind (wuxin) within the mind, and without thoughts (wunian) within thoughts, pure and clear to the utmost, that is called Pure Yang (chunyang). At that time, the three corpses (sanshi) will be eliminated and the six thieves (liuzei) will surrender.(*) There will be a body outside the body, but that is nothing peculiar: when Emptiness (kong) is smashed, then the intact body (quanshen) will manifest itself. 人但能心中無心，念中無念，純清絕點，謂之純陽。當此之時，三尸消滅，六賊乞降，身外有身，猶未奇特，虛空粉碎，方露全身也。

(*) The "three corpses" are a set of parasites deemed to reside in the head, the chest, and the digestive system and to cause weakening, diseases, and ultimately death. The “six thieves” are the five senses and the mind. See liugen 六根 six roots.

⦿ DDZZ 2: Spontaneously, one has a body outside the body; this is called the dharma-body of clarity and purity (qingjing). 自然身外有身，號曰清淨法身。

⦿ ZHJ 2: In the Supreme One Vehicle (zuishang yisheng), the delivery of the embryo (tuotai) is “having a body outside one’s body.” 〔最上一乘，以〕身外有身為脫胎。

⦿ ZHJ 3: What is the meaning of “delivering the embryo”? Having a body outside the body is “delivering the embryo.” 或問：如何是脫胎？曰：身外有身為脫胎。

⦿ WZP XJY 13 Comm. Lu Xixing: After the delivery of the embryo, Spirit transmutes itself, and outside the body there is another body. 脫胎神化，身外有身。

⦿ JDSBZ 20 Comm. Liu Yiming: After you coagulate the Embryo of Sainthood (shengtai), there are ten more months of practice of “nourishing warmly” (wenyang). When Breath (qi) is plentiful and Spirit (shen) is complete, you deliver the embryo from your own womb, and you have a body outside your body. You go beyond Yin and Yang, and you are no more restrained by the creations and transformations (zaohua) of Heaven and Earth. 凝結聖胎，更加溫養十月之功，氣足神全，脫出胞胎，身外有身，超出陰陽之外，不為天地造化所拘矣。

Pages that mention this term

• Yangshen 陽神 (← links)
• Fashen 法身 (← links)