On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 7:14 AM, Marblehead said:

There are some of those here.  I don't know if they will speak up though.

 

 

I could be.  I think?  Maybe? I don't know. O well, it doesn't matter anyway. It's only a label. :-)

Being remembered.

6 hours ago, Marblehead said:

Yes, lucky you.  If you said you were I would likely ask you to define enlightenment.

Good thing then because I can't but if I took a chance at it I'd say clarity but then the question is clarity of what and I'd have to say everything because to say anything else would be too limiting.  But what do I know.

 

"I Can See Clearly Now" lyrics

Jimmy Cliff Lyrics

Play "I Can See Clearly N…" on Amazon Music

"I Can See Clearly Now"
 

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

(ooh...) Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies.
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies.

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's going to be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Yeah, hey, it's gonna be a bright (bright) bright (bright)
sunshiny day.

 

 

   

 

13 hours ago, Starjumper said:

 

Oh yes you would.  Enlightenment is a sudden and profound shift in your awareness that is unlike anything you would experience otherwise, and this has been written about in some of the descriptions of the experience. It is probably the most amazing thing that a person can experience.   It is like flipping a light switch, and the effect lasts for a day or more.  As it fades thinking returns and then the harder part starts, something which makes some people go crazy or commit suicide.  Warriors will face the music and learn from it, others go to the looney bin.

 

It happened to me so long ago that it has dinosaur shit on it.  Am I enlightened now?  Hell if I know, fuck if I care.  I guess it depends on definitions.  I never was interested in enlightenment, which is the right attitude, and I didn't give a damn about it either before or after it happened, but there's no doubt it was a big deal.  My teacher, who was so psychic that he could see the future, actually gave me a kind of graduation present when I came to chi kung class the week before it happened, and of course I didn't realize that till after the fact.  I guess he just wanted to give me another glimpse of his amazing abilities.

I must not be enlightened then.  Poor me.

On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 11:44 AM, Will said:

This is a very interesting, provocative question I've been pondering intensely over the last few days. Is it really desirable to become enlightened?

 

By enlightenment, I don't mean becoming a true sage or anything like that, but merely coming to realize basic Taoist "truths" (about how most dualities and desires are simply meaningless human inventions). 

 

Now, many people are very content with their lives when they are not enlightened. Perhaps they work for a charity or have ambitions to become a social activist. They believe that what they are doing is the right thing, and matters a lot.

 

Contrast that with me, who's currently "enlightened" in the sense previously described, and is feeling like nothing has meaning. This does not make me feel very content. Of course, Zhuangzi felt very content, but it took a lot of practice and dedication for him to reach that point. Whereas for those who aren't enlightened, I get the sense that many of them are pretty content without having to put in that kind of dedication.

 

In other words, isn't enlightenment the harder road to contentedness? Might I be better off trying to "forget" Taoism and postmodern philosophy and make myself like a "normal" person? Because what is really the benefit of all this uncertainty and nihilism? 

 

I suppose another question that ties in with this is, "Is happiness the only thing I should want?" I know I've discussed this here before, with no clear answer coming out of it. But, basically, if happiness is the only thing one can really strive for, what benefit have I gained by adding uncertainty and meaninglessness to my life? By contrast, if there is some "higher purpose" than my personal happiness, then perhaps the uncertainly associated with Taoism is okay.

 

I'm not actually considering leaving Taoism; it's just that questions like this really bother me. 

I'm wouldn't know I'm enlightened even if it shined in my face.  I it would be that way.

Just now, Marblehead said:

I think you got your point across.  Repetition really is a good teacher.

 

I'm glad you like it but the repetitions are an accident.  I reported my own posts and asked for the extras to be deleted.

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 8:47 PM, Nungali said:

Interesting how this tread subtly changed from  sacred masculine to divine masculine and then got criticised re the 'divine aspect of masculinity ' .    

That's life on a public forum.  Everything is pretty much is decomposing to fertilizer after this point.  But what the hell, fertilizer is important to growth.  :-)

22 hours ago, Kar3n said:

Can you provide some context? Or, are you speaking of men in general who do "spiritual" practices?

 

Every human has the potential to realize they are both sacred male and female. Clinging to one or the other for extended periods of time would seem to hold a person back on their path.

A guy in another forum started a thread on this subject and I found what he was saying confusing.  I believed he's a young man in his 20s and confused about his identity as a man and masculinity.  When I commented on this he shot me down like I was an idiot. (my statement must have touched a nerve) and now refuses to respond to anything I post.  I google the phrase and still think it's about men that are not sure of themselves.   So I thought, what the hell why not see what other people think of this and posted here.  It's been a good discussion, thank you all but I think it's still an identity or development issue for some males (especially young males) and I can understand that.    

What is this sacred masculine thing?  I'm just not understanding it?  Are men no longer comfortable in their skin and are looking to some divine source to justify their masculine characteristics or not to feel bad because they're a man.?

On 8/1/2017 at 2:53 PM, abdahorn said:

Hello , I am looking for the best herbs that can help to restore Jing along with acupuncture . I will definetly take He shou wu , and maybe goji berry and gynostemma.  but there is alot of different opinions when I try to search the internet. So please share with me what realy works

Are you following a balanced healthy diet now.   Herbs aren't going to do too much if you have poor eating &or life style habits.

I'm off and running, we sort of, first step for sure.

I'll give it a go. Thanks

Can someone set me up with a Personal Practice Discussion?  Also how can I look up another's?  I can't find a search for that section.

Thank you.

Is there a value for starting a thread in Personal Practice Discussion other public accountability and peer comments?  Who out there loves them and who hates them?  How do you request one?  I'm new here and indifferent at this time.

10 hours ago, silent thunder said:

I'm quite familiar with his book The Root of Chinese Qi Gong, but haven't read any of his others.

 

I appreciate his style and appreciate the manner he shares information in Root.

 

What are you getting from your reread?  Is it mostly theory or are there practical applications shared?

The first part of the book is history & theory.  The first read filled in some cracks from other things I read and was was inspiring.  I started doing a free form QiGong and was struggling, it was beating me up.  I decided to read it again after joining here.

With the second reading I discovered what I was doing wrong with my QiGong and now am following the open hand Wai Dan exercises p28.  I'm embracing the structure the forms offer.  My free form is by feel and intuition.  I did what I felt was right for the muscle groups I thought needed my attention.  Among other things I wasn't consistent.

The sections on breathing and meditation reinforce how I meditate and is helping me fine tune.  Like a review of the basics can never  hurt, right.  Like my QiGong my meditations vary buy feel & intuition so I'm "I'm a jack of all trades and master of none."  I have to be cautious about distractions, doing too many things at once and tangents. I'm a work in progress.

I enjoy what I'm doing now and believe when I improve my consistency and focus I'll reap the benefits months down the road and enjoy what I'm doing even more.

I'm  guessing this isn't a very exciting topic?

I'm re-reading "Qigong for Health and Martial Art" by Dr yang Jwing-ming.  Is anyone familiar with this book?

PPD?

3 hours ago, Mudfoot said:

I have work and family, so I do not practice 7-8 hours a day.

 

But I do not intend to become a daoist priest, so there is less demanded of me. 

 

I do formal practice at least one hour on my own, and add informal practice and when I practice with patients on top of that. 

 

When I learned my tradition,  there were 2-4 hours a day, I kept up with that (12years) until my son was borne, five years ago. And I had years of practice before I found a tradition I liked. 

 

And you will find that compared to many others here on TDB, this is a small amount of practice. 

 

For me, at this time, it is enough. My practice takes me through changes I wouldn't have dreamt of five years ago. 

 

But I hope to be able to put in more time again,  when the kids are older. 

I can do an hour a day.  I don't know what you mean by practice?  What do you do for that hour?  What is your tradition?  Sorry to as so many questions.  I can here for interaction and to learn more.  Thanks

A box full of junk is a box full of junk.  An empty box is just a box.  Emptiness is simply getting the junk out of your mind. 

I'm not expecting to be taken seriously until i'm ready to commit.  Yes I am at this point a tourist.  Hours per day?  I work full time and have family obligations.  Mudfoot  do you practice 7-8 hours a day?

On 9/16/2017 at 8:55 AM, Starjumper said:

 

Give up.  

 

Examine your motives, they are flawed.  

 

If you think being a Taoist priest is about learning philosophical 'facts' and then broadcasting them like the Western BS windbag counterparts then give up.  

 

If you don't want to go and personally study with a master for many years in seclusion then give up.  

 

If you think it's just about certain knowledge and not psychic ability and awareness of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the spirit world, which you need to correctly cultivate with a lot of certain types of meditation then give up.  

 

A true mark of a Taoist priest is that they have a beam of energy going out the top of their heads, like I do, and I aint no steenking priest!.

 

Why do you want to become a Taoist priest?

There is not anything to give up. My motives may be flawed.  I'll explore the priest thing for a year before I make a decision.   If you mean quit pursuing Taoism that's not an option at this time or I wouldn't be here.  

How do you know you have a beam of energy going out of the top of your head?  Is it a visualization thing?

Then I need to learn more about the various systems. Any suggestions would be welcomed.  

I'm more inclined to moving and standing system as sitting without back support is very painful for me.

2 hours ago, Mudfoot said:

Yes, as with all learning. Tuition costs. 

Teacher time, teachers Knowledge. 

Not to forget, all students who then publish books based on their half-understood notes which is both disrespectful to the teacher and, with the fact that they also starts to teach, in effect might take away income from that teacher. 

 

You can also see this situation from another perspective. 

What if the tradition was government sponsorer. Would then the Master/Teacher teach everybody everything for free,  or would he hold back and teach some parts of the system only to a chozen few? 

Probably Yes to that one. 

 

Is that fair? 

Probably not, but life is not fair. 

 

And so a teacher might prefere a student who invest money and dedication to the teachings, because that increases the probability that the student in question will spend his/her life continuing living the teaching, instead of seeing it as a hobby. 

 

A normal practitioner does not need that much knowledge to have enough practices to enrich ones life in whatever way one chooses. 

OK So how does a normal practitioner...actually what is a normal practitioner?...go about gaining this knowledge?

I've read a lot of stuff over the years, I meditate, I do a little Qi Gong.  I want to advance myself. 

Forgive me but this seems to be getting quite convoluted.  I would think in the spirit of Taoism this could be simpler.   So far it seems if you spend enough money you can learn more?   While nothing is free this sounds like a business enterprise and not a spiritual pursuit?