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Every few years I find myself, inevitably, drawn to reading or receiving teachings on a few books over and over. They seem to expand every time I read them or receive teachings on them. Some of them are mysterious, like the Dao De Jing. Others are more straight forward, like the Path of Sri Ramana by Sadhu Om. Others are both, like Self Liberation Through Seeing With Naked Awareness. Each time I almost feel like I'm reading something quite different, which is of course a reflection of my own mind. I'd be curious to hear about specific books or teachings others return to over and again.

There is no difference. Dao = the One. They’re just different names for the same thing. Like in Christianity there’s loads of other names for God e.g. the good Lord, the Creator, the Almighty. Again, Dao = the One. There’s no difference. Laozi often likes to play with the fact that Clasical Chines was polysemic. So here 生 is used in different meanings in every line: 1. 道 生 一 (yi1 dao4 sheng1) Dao is the One (the origin of all things). 2. 一 生 二 (er4) the One (Dao) created the two (meaning sky and earth) 3. 二 生 三 (san1) the two (sky and earth) produced a few (三 ‘three’ also means ‘a few’) 4. 三 生 萬 物 the few gave birth to all the people that exist now.

Dao. Dao is ‘the One’, “the single Entity at the top“. "the One" was not given birth to; it's the 'unborn', the 'prime mover'. This translates 生 as "gives birth to". But 生 had many different meanings. In this context it means ‘to be’. The first line of your ch. 42 quote in characters is 道 生 一 (dao4 sheng1 yi1) 一 (yi1) in this context refers to 太 一 (tai4 yi1) the ‘One’, the ‘Oneness’. Beginning with the DDJ, in early Daoism ‘Oneness’ is significanct in terms of cosmogony. ‘Oneness’ often appears as a synonym of Dao. 道 (dao4) in this context refers to 一 (yi1). Dao is the origin of everything, which is also called 一 (yi1) 道 生 一 (dao4 sheng1 yi1) Dao is the the origin of all things.

I reread this book and listen to the lectures as if it was the Bible and always will. It is by a little known Norwegian awakened woman: https://www.vigdisgarbarek.no/content_en.html

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So you mix both systems? One medical qigong(ZHINENG) and the other heavenly qigong(FPCK). I think this is the same as me doing Spring Forest Qigong and FPCK. SFQ is also a medical qigong but I'm not sure if it uses heavenly energy, master Chunyi Lin teaches us to bring energy from the universe, but from what I understand, the energy we use in SFQ is not from heaven, it's our own energy, we just use it for helping us clear blockages, so even if it collects energy from the universe, the explanation is a bit different from FPCK, in which the whole energy comes heaven and thus it's considered a heavenly type of qigong. Can you send me the link to this? Okay so from these 3 quotes I can assume FPCK is a complete system by itself, is this affirmation correct? What I've been doing is Zhan Zhuang and then SFQ, so I build more chi and then circulate it through SFQ moving exercises. FPCK seems to work in this way but it's all in one system, so I could just stop SFQ and ZZ to focus exclusively on FPCK. I thought FPCK only circulated the energy through the body with the breath control but it's a more complete system than that. Thanks for this information.

From a Buddhist perspective (Pali cannon): There are 5 realms that make up existance. The hell realm, animal realm, ghost realm, human realm, and heavenly realms. Hell realms are beings who suffer in all horrible kinds of ways you can imagine. These beings, you cannot communicate with. They are busy suffering. Animal realm and human realm, we interact with in our physical world at various degrees. Ghost realms are made up of hungry beings. Craving, unsatisfied, hungry. In a hungry limbo. They are hidden from the human realm, but do sometimes overlap, but cannot really cause any harm. They are in like a broken record loop of craving. This is why they knock on the same door, walk across that same door in that house over and over again. They can be an annoyance, and there are ways to relieve their suffering to help them cross to the next phase of their incarnation. Human realms are made up of humans, spirits, nagas(Dragons), Yakkhas(kind of spirit troll). And like humans, spirits have various temperaments. Overlapps sometimes. Heavenly realm consist of heavenly beings/ gods/devas. They also have a mix of different temperaments and interest depending on the deva. But there are some general characteristics, and unique ones that the buddha talks about: - Devas generally are busy enjoying themselves, and their long lives. Most don't have interest in other realms, despite having knowledge about it. - The human realm, and most humans are actually very gross to devas. Not because of anything personal, it is like spiritual physics. Similar to how shit and mud is pleasing to insects and animals, but gross and dirty to us in general. - Virtuous people have a special aura/ light about them. And this is pleasing to devas, and it interest devas. This is why devas tend to interact with the buddha, or famous spiritual figures in religion. Virtuous people spiritually smell good and have a bright glow that devas/gods appreciate, and have interest in how they achieve it. There are suttas that talk about devas in different sizes appearing in the thousands flooding around the Buddha sometimes when he gives a dhamma talk. - Mara, the evil one, is a very powerful deva, interacts with humans, and tries to stir a lot of trouble and suffering. Mara is a unique deva with this evil quality, and also a cosmological position that will always exist/be born after one passes away. Mara also represents the symbolic evil in our hearts. Mara often directly interacts with highly enlightened beings like the buddha and his disciples, because he does not like the fact that the dhamma they teach gets people to stop playing in his playground of suffering he has constructed, shaped in the world. Many devas do have some sense, or memory of how they acquired their position. It was due to meritorious deeds, various virtues, generosity, etc. And because of that, they really celebrate it, and continue to enjoy its fruits for a long time. So when they witness virtuous beings, they are inclined to interact, question them, learn from them, and commend the human's achievement, share their own experiences, recommend virtue to humans for their benefit, and hopefully join the heavenly realms one day. (Mara is the odd one that is has different evil goals). You can sense this flavour of devas/gods, mara, in other religions.

It may be useful to consider your various parallel incarnations as anchoring threads of light from a transcendent Entity that works through many physical and non-physical species and galaxies to contribute to the unfoldment of Existence Within the Cosmic Physical Plane it is said that the spirit (monad) that produces a human may operate up to 12 souls (solar angels) in parallel with each solar angel able to operate up to 12 human incarnations. My own observations are consistent with that proposition

Absolutely, do everything you can (and even what you think you can't) every time! Sail to Gaza, lay down under a logging truck, sit at the top of a 300 foot redwood, post angry messages anonymously online, whatever you can manage. I'm not talking about acceptance as being - abuse me and others, all is perfect, I won't resist. Acceptance is facing facts directly in order to deal with them with clarity and precision... and when necessary. Similar to wu wei - we act when we need to but that action comes from an intelligence that runs deeper than reactivity and conditioning.

wrists, very empty the crack between bones so dark that it always shines.

@Nungali hmmm. That didn't go bold, the way I expected--the mysteries of Dao Bums. He's the man, for eudaimania.

is carbon as well as can be today, or not? that is the question that is the question whether 'tis nobler, all that... pickled carbon, yum pickled carbon, yum down at the lake, algae blooms ducks glide by in pairs ok, only one duck here, not exactly gliding:

Thanks Cobie. I went ahead and started another thread here specific to verse 42 of the Tao Te Ching, for further discussion. I didn't want to go too far off topic from "God Interacting With Humans"

Great questions and would love to reply but no time now, another time. Bye for now.

Looking at the language used in the OPs link, as well as our vocabulary, it is kind of curious how the concept of light, shining, spark, radiating, halo, fire and related terms keeps coming up with when we are talking about the highest realizations: enlightenment. Why is that, do you think?

So that's what happened to the old Jake from State Farm! And that's why the site's anonymous! It all makes sense now.

No black robes allowed! 😊 Chinos and a shirt usually, as far as I'm concerned anyway. 😊

Painfully slow a bit earlier, now it’s fine.

Very speedy! 😊🙏🏻

i would say it is because of 33 years doing energy work which includes 10 years hands-on practice treating clients. Craniosacral training was my favorite and things accelerated from there. Doing craniosacral work tends to open things up and so people tend to "see a lot." It also requires developing a fine tuned sensitivity to palpation , feeling sensing listening at a very deep level through a very light touch. I also think i came into this lifetime with a store of previous experience carried over from previous lifetimes. I remember in my first craniosacral workshop we worked on each other and the class was a mix of beginner and experienced students. The person i was working on as soon as i started working on her reached up and put her hand on my arm and said "you've done this before." Some years later when I was receiving the Reiki level where they hands on put the symbols into you, the fellow providng the trasmission busted out laughing with his hands on my head and said "They're already there! You already have them!" With certain modalities as i learned them (even the advanced craniosacral with the Upledger Institute) it did not feel like learning how to do it, it felt like remembering how to do it. For me that is the indication it came with me from a previous lifetime. I remember reading that is why for instance a four year old little kid might be able to sit down and play piano pieces, because they are basically picking up where they left off. That makes the most sense, in my frame of reference.

Wow, you’re quite the hyper-responder. Or I’m a hypo-responder. I’m very happy with flying phoenix, but it took me a long time to feel anything. Even still you seem even more in touch with it, so I’m slightly jealous at your pace. What do you attribute your duck to water-ness? Are you very intuitive about energy work? Is it your previous experience with other qi gong? Maybe you’re just a better person than I am and have splendid karma.

I would like to hear more from others on that also. Also would like to confirm that Flying Phoenix is compatible with Zhineng. Zhineng taps into draws on qi from "out there" in the universe, from the earth and beyond. Does that qualify it as a "heavenly" qi gong? My background and training as a bodyworker (and licensed health care practitioner) with experience in several different healing modalities, has been when working on others to NEVER send from myself, but always connect to another source to send, and have it come through me but not from me. The reasons are two fold: to avoid depleting myself and to avoid taking on other people's stuff. (If gunk is being released from their system, i don't want it coming in to my system.) So when Grand Master Doo Wai said (earlier post) that we can always tap into the Flying Phoenix Healing Qi (seen by some as visible columns reaching to the sky), that sounds to me like it (a) identifies the source stream flow; and (b) gives us permission to access. Any and all input from those with more background and experience and knowledge is greatly appreciated. I am a beginner with Flying Phoenix qi gong. Thank you.

The five standing which i do as a set all together are what is on the Flying Phoenix DVD volume 1 by Sifu Terry Dunn. The other DVDs in the series (Volumes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7) cover other parts of the Flying Phoenix system. The description of what is on each volume is shown here on the catalog page: https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html Bending the Bows (it is one of the five standing) for 18 times was recommended on this thread and i have found that very beneficial.

Zen Mind, Beginners Mind is one I return to time and again. Currently halfway through Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith by Thich Thien Tam, and can see myself rereading it again.

in an earlier post Sifu Terry Dunn indicates that Flying Phoenix "subsumes" Zhang Zhuang. So for me it feels like I didn't really "stop doing Zhang Zhuang" but that it is covered included contained within Flying Phoenix when I do the set of five standing together as a set. That is my understanding. (For me the difference is that I feel more with Flying Phoenix, there is no pain after, i can hold the stances for longer, more naturally drop into no-time state, and the residual effects carry over into my daily life to a greater degree.)

yes. for now I am fine with the five standing as a set mid-day (60 miniutes), and one seated in the evening (7 repetitions). The tracking log i use documents 100-days on one page (shows daily blood pressure, walking, and qi gong practice). My focus for now with the Flying Phoenix is eyes closed, verrrrrrry slow, deep relaxation, and resting deeply within. to savor the goodies and enjoy the show.

I'm beyond impressed by Big Merla! This is one of my favorites but she's got quite a collection of covers.

From what I have witnessed, the gods or demons or whatever aren't too exceptionally malicious but it wouldn't surprise me if they could do anything they desire. Imagine what it would be like to be an immortal being with all power over this level of reality. Might be boring.

So, does initiation has to be people dressed in black robes and sacrificing babies, or can it also be like… you just sort of in?

I tend to return to the Dao De Jing, the Dhammapada, and the Gospel of Matthew. Lately I've also been revisiting The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn, especially The Game of Life and How to Play It and Your Word Is Your Wand.

I got my DVDs today ! Hooray this makes me very happy.

You might enjoy Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist who studies the interconnected social life of trees, and their relationship to the mycelial network.

um, that is not what I meant, more like high level high voltage guardian beings (like some gods) do not "suffer fools gladly"...

BKF=Bruce Kumar Frantzis (he later dropped the Kumar).

if the view is expressed on a forum which is dedicated to discussing paths of religion and spirituality, that god is not good, then it is reasonable to ask if that view is being expressed by an atheist. It helps clarify and provide additional data and a baseline for understanding each other's views, and participating in the conversation, if someone chooses to do so. my view is that bashing other posters and denigrating other paths is something for me to avoid (that is for myself to avoid engaging with, and avoid engaging in). Seeking to understand something that perhaps is problematic can be a fruitful discussion. Understanding other views i may disagree with can be engaging conversation.

A couple of months ago it seemed to me that the demarcations between individual elementals and between individual nature spirits (lesser devas) reduced markedly. This seems to be part of a greater cohesion/transparency within the flow of life force. Has your ability to sense within the mineral kingdom increased recently?

I remember in grade school (this was back in the 1960s) when there was a history lesson and the teacher was describing that the native people talked to the stones and the trees. The tone of the teacher and the classroom was a blend of pity and condescension and superiority. Most of the kids in the class were laughing and guffawing and shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. My immediate reaction upon hearing that however (i was about 7 or 8 years old) was I remember thinking all of the following: how did they do that, when do we get to study that, when do we learn how to do that, i want to learn how to do that, and what were the trees and rocks saying. i waited a long time in school many grades went by and many classes and many books all through middle school and junior high and high school and to my dismay it was never taught. Never once did i doubt the reality, i just wanted to know more about that and learn it. Eventually as a grown up i was able to pursue that on my own.

Many years ago I was in a workshop session. We were instructed to imagine that we were another being. Most chose dogs etc. For some reason I put my attention to a quartz crystal. Immediately I could see that the etheric structure (nervous system) of the crystal was directly connected to all the quartz in this galaxy. This allows instantaneous communication throughout the galaxy

diamond in the dust dirt distinguished from carbon is carbon as well.

But what is a BKF? It reminds me of KFC and now I'm hungry

Interesting. Damo Mitchell told me take two tiger penis & call him in the morning if symptoms have not diminished. But I think he might have been joking.

There are many ways to deal with anger, but the general one I'm more familiar with is to strip it of its story and feel it fully. Usually what keep anger going is engaging with it-- I can't believe he said that, who does she think she is, etc. Instead of doing that, one may just feel it as it is, without trying to modify or change it. This allows it to fully express and dissolve, i.e. to be digested into the consuming fire of awareness.

I know it's a serious matter, but I can't resist offering my favorite movie scene dedicated to anger management: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEE7xzwogMc

Yes I have heard the same and had it explained to me this way when I began seriously studying my religion in depth and was told not to mix it with other religions. I balked at this and was arguing with the (religous leader). .I wanted to know the inner secrets of the religious body of work and I wanted to know why i couldn't access them if i was also engaging with other religous texts ideas and practices. He explained it to me like this." if you try to have a relationship with two women at the same time, the relationship will have problems and will lack depth. It will only ever stay at a very superficial level. No woman is going to share and reveal the depth of her innermost secrets unless and until you demonstrate a committment to her and stop sleeping around with others." Then i got it. Same principle and I understand it and agree. In reading this thread i am fascinated to hear also that in the qi gong world for the different schools types (what is the word to use?) there are in the same manner inner secrets which not everyone has access to. And that to be worthy or capable or selected to access those inner secrets a person needs to qualify and prove themself in some way. I just love that. I especially love the stories of the sages (this is drawing from my religious background) who even at some point in their studies and learning were basically told "oh if you want to know that you will need to be taught by _______ (name of earlier sage, now deceased) in the heavenly realms." So only those who had developed the skill to access information from the heavens could obtain certain learning. Other sections of the secret learning were only ever shared with one person per generation. I am reading that is also done in the qi gong world. Good stuff, lovin' it.

Thank you Turnip for the in put and insights. I could use some help in understanding and discerning between the different types of qi gong I have heard mentioned: medical qi gong, martial qi gong (that one I get, it is for fighting), spiritual qi gong, internal qi gong, and now with post above heavenly energy source. When it comes to motivation reason intention for doing qi gong, then that part is clear and easy for me. My reasons for practicing qi gong are: medical, healing, health, and religious (I don't use the word spiritual but that's just me). But it is not yet clear to me what category of qi gong a certain type is (except for martial, that one is clear, and not on my radar at all). So I could use some help in clarifying that, I don't want to engage in any types of qi gong that may be contra-indicated. The two types of qi gong I am practicing and learning are: Zhineng qi gong and Flying Phoenix qi gong. They both are described as "meditative" which in my understanding puts them in the category of spiritual (religious in my parlance). They are both done eyes closed (a few exceptions). And I do them both for the same reason motivation intention goals. But since they are different schools (not sure that is the right word) I do not mix them, and I separate them apart in the day. Would you say that they are both heavenly energy source (from post above) and so not do both? Thank you for help and insights in my understanding and evaluating this. How do I know determine figure out if a qi gong type is "heavenly energy source"? I have a healthy regard and respect for paying attention to contra-indications. edited to add earlier posts found; this answers some of the questions i've asked ahhhh, here is information from p 41 of the thread from Sifu Terry Dunn, identifying Flying Phoenix qi gong as medical / healing spiritually transformative and this from page 236 of the thread, it confirms that Flying Phoenix is a "heavenly energy source" qigong (still working through reading the entire thread from start to finish, up to page 42 of 242. I'm also working backwards from page 242.)

You should start a thread on this in esoteric section . There are various types of alchemy , I have written on DBs about some of them , particularly , I practiced 'earth alchemy' ' . A way of transforming soil , hence crops and food . You may remember that the prima materia was designated as “Adam’s earth”, and Michael Maier tells us that Adam carried this earth away with him from Paradise. There is an old legend that Adam, when driven out of Paradise, carried some of its soil away with him. This earth was said to be red, and “terra rubra” [red earth) is also a name for the prima materia. ix some of that , with the 'other ' prima materia (one is a form of the other ) , that many documents cryptically describe as dung ; ' it is every where { consider the time this written , all transport was horse of bovine powered } underfoot , in the streets , the people use it ( for fires and heating ), the rich never see it , the children play with it in the streets ' ... and so on . Put it in an alembic (made from cow horns) and place it in the athenor ( a type of slow oven , or buried in the earth for ' constant warm temperature' ) and , as the earth energies go into it and circulate , little creatures appear in it ( I seen them under magnification ) ; red ones , black ones and a few white ones . Then it is ready for the next stage . Imagine my fascination to find this later : Unless one wants gold I would advise either 'earth alchemy ' - energized food , or 'psychological alchemy ' - balanced and developed psychology .

and marzipan scones under sapphire skies, trees creak, mint breeze enfolds me