THE COLLEGE OF TAO
The original College of Tao and Integral Health was founded in China by Dr.Yo San Ni, a Chinese physician and Taoist master, as a means of providing his son, Hua-Ching Ni, and others with a classical education.
Prior to the Communist takeover, the college was re-established in Taiwan by Hua-Ching Ni (aka OmNi) who, in the mid 1970s, then brought it to the U.S.
When OmNi retired from active teaching in the mid 1980s, he returned to live in seclusion in China for many years while his sons, Drs. Mao Shing Ni and Daoshing Ni took on the responsibility of continuing the teachings of the Integral Way.
WHAT IS THE INTEGRAL WAY?
The term Integral Way describes the original self-cultivation tradition of Taoism, which originated in China and is far older than the later development of religious Taoism. It is this self-cultivation form of Taoism that is first evidenced in the Nei Yeh (perhaps the earliest written Taoist work according to Western scholars), elucidated in the teaching of Lao Tzu’s book The Tao Teh Ching, and has continued to be transmitted through the internal alchemical traditions of the various branches of the Complete Reality (Quanzhen) School.
The northern branch of Complete Reality Taoism became a monastic tradition and is more well-known in the West today. The southern branch remained non-monastic and its teachings were passed on from master to student and within certain Taoist families. The Ni Family is one such family.
The mission of The College of Tao is to preserve and to promulgate the teachings of the Integral Way Taoist Tradition of China.
Initially, The College of Tao offered a program of studies in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Later on, it also offered self-study and correspondence courses in the Integral Way Tradition. However, in order to effectively convey the vast body of knowledge and practice of the Integral Way Tradition, it became necessary to develop specialized institutes, which focused on particular fields of studies. Some of these institutes became independent while others remained within The College of Tao.
Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, also located in Los Angeles, California, was the first institute to branch out from The College of Tao and become independent. It was founded in 1989 to provide professional medical training in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In 1998, two more institutes were founded:
The Chi Health Institute oversees training and certification in the Ni Family movement and meditation arts.
The InfiniChi Medical Qi Gong Institute oversees training and certification in professional energy healing practices.
These institutes remain within The College of Tao and Integral Health.
Learn more about the Ni family legacy