Xuanming

Thank you for pointing out the "gate". You are right that the Mao-You gate is a way of the expression of time: morning 5-7am and evening 5-7pm. I am not sure that your readers would understand this type of expression on time without traditional Chinese culture background.

沐浴 Bathing Translation by Taoist Texts 1. 卯酉门中作用时， This is the time of work by the Mao-You gate, 2. 赤龙时蘸玉清池。
 The scarlet dragon immerses in the Pool of Clean Jade 3. 云薄薄， Thinly-thin are the clouds 4. 雨微微， Tiny-tiny it rained, 5. 看取妖容露雪肌。 Take a look at the charming appearance of the snow- white skin unveiled. ********************************************************** As I mentioned in my last post, your poem translation as art itself is very successful. Your translation is lovely, charming, delightful and excellent! But from the view of internal cultivation and from the meaning of the original poem, First line: Taoist Texts lost the meaning of Mao-You. Here, the meaning of Mao-You is practice time: morning 5-7am and evening 5-7pm. This is the first advice from Master Lü Dongbin to internal cultivators. Second line: Master Lü Dongbin gave instructions to internal cultivators: The red dragon immerses in the Pool of Clean Jade-Taoist Texts’ commentary on this line is the tongue around the inside of the mouth. I am so delighted to hear that you know the meaning of the Red Dragon is the tongue. (Be careful, please do not practice the ““Slaying the Red Dragon” here.) The instruction of this line is to put the tongue on the floor of the mouth. The pool of Clean Jade is located in the mouth below the tongue. Usually individuals practice Qigong to put the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth. But Master Lü Dongbin guides internal cultivators to put the tip of the tongue on the floor of the month to let the tongue immerse in the pool of Clean Jade at the specific time of morning 5-7am and evening 5-7pm. Taoist Texts’ commentary does not reflect the meaning from the original poem, but just links to another Taoist practice method on the internet, which looks close but is not the same. Third line: Thinly-thin are the clouds—this is the instruction on authentic Qi activation and circulation: A sense of Qi like thin cloud around your hands that also flows around the body. Fourth line: Tiny-tiny it rained—this is the instruction on deeper relaxation with authentic Qi circulation. With enhanced Qi sensations and circulation, both conscious mind and the physical body become more relaxed, this state of relaxation and authentic Qi circulation naturally induce saliva flow, so tiny-tiny it rained. This is true to experienced internal cultivators and Qigong practitioners but is false to Taoist Texts. It seems that Taoist Texts has never experienced the authentic Qi flow within and the state of Xuan or has never entered into the gate of Xuan (玄) yet. Fifth line: Take a look at the charming appearance of the snow-white skin unveiled. Taoist Texts totally lost the key point of this poem entitled "Bathing". The meaning of this line is the instruction from deep relaxed state to deep meditation. During the state of deep meditation, to observe the state of mind and to see what kind of images and thoughts arise on the mind screen: first see ugly appearance (e.g. some things done in the past that were not health-oriented or not ethical or were shameful, etc., and then clean skin like white snow--become clean and clear with successful bathing.) This is a natural process of internal bathing and internal cleaning. Taoist Texts linked to another Taoist practice method regarding true seed is born…, again on the internet, but it is not a reflection of the content of this poem. I greatly appreciate Taoist Texts’ efforts for translating this poem. Taoist Texts is smart, clever, with a very bright intellectual mind. I truly admire it. But, I am sorry to say that the commentary as shown above (last post) suggests that Taoist Texts did not understand the meaning of the poem, “Bathing,” at all. Ancient Taoist Classics such as Lao Zi’s Dao De Jing, Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, Master Lü Dongbin’s Secrets of Golden Flower, etc. are not intellectual mind games, but the expressions of internal experiences and realizations from internal cultivation. Don’t depend on the information on the internet only. Do you have your own understanding from your heart? You may have better understanding of the poem if you use your intelligence and wisdom within.

渔父词一十八首·沐浴 Bathing Translation by Taoist Texts 卯酉门中作用时，赤龙时蘸玉清池。
 云薄薄，雨微微，看取妖容露雪肌。 This is the time of work by the Mao-You gate, The scarlet dragon immerses in the Pool of Clean Jade. Thinly-thin are the clouds, tiny-tiny it rained, Take a look at the charming appearance of the snow-white skin unveiled. ___________________________________________________________________ Thank you so much for translating this poem for me. Your translation is lovely, charming, delightful and excellent. Your poem translation as art itself is very successful. Master Lü Dongbin is not only an excellent poet, but also a profound internal cultivator. This poem contains internal cultivation advice and instructions. It would be great if you would write a commentary regarding the meaning of this poem and the advice and instructions for internal cultivators.

Once again, poem four “Taming the Dragon” has nothing to do with the physical elimination of the menses, from the original Chinese poem, if you read the book and the content of the poem carefully. In traditional Chinese culture, Ancient Chinese Dragons are ultimate symbols of cosmic Chi (energy). It is said to be the most potent symbol of good fortune in the Chinese pantheon of symbols (http://www.whats-your-sign.com/Chinese-dragons.html). Red Dragon represents the root source of life, the nurturance and support of primary being, and within it, are found the primal waters of unity. Red Dragon represents the energy matrix lines that look like a web in the universe, through which all points are connected in time and space (http://www.astrodreamadvisor.com/Pages/red_gal_dragon.html). In traditional internal alchemy and authentic Qi cultivation, Dragons are symbols of creativity and vitality. Sometimes Dragon represents the functions of the liver and sometimes Dragon represents the power of the reproductive system, the essence of the Jing. During the internal cultivation process, Dragon may have different meanings at different stages of internal cultivation. For example, Master Lü Dongbin’s poem “Bathing” as follows: 沐 浴： 卯酉门中作用时， 赤龙时蘸玉清池， 云薄薄， 雨微微， 看取妖容露雪肌。 The second phrase says: The red dragon, who often dips into the clear jade pond. Do you understand the meaning of the red dragon in this poem? Can you help me to complete the translation of this poem? Taoist Texts or Hobo takes the meaning of Dragon from the fourth poem of Sun Bu-Er’s sequence to mean the elimination of physical menses, without reading the text and content of the poem, and then criticize Ms. Gonet’s translation as “keeps missing the point wildly…” which is misleading. Ms. Gonet’s translation and commentary on the fourth poem “Taming the Dragon” showed her understanding on internal cultivation and the important step of transforming the Jing to Qi for nourishing the Shen. It brings fresh air and new energy flow to internal cultivation from the view of the Complete Reality school. Thank you for sharing Dr. Elena Valussi’s article “Women’s Qigong in America Tradition, Adaptation, and New Trends.” The article examines ten publications on women’s qigong known as nüdan or female alchemy. This article is interesting and informative. I am wondering if the emphasis on the practice of “Slaying the Red Dragon- the physical elimination of the menses,” is actually appropriate for Women’s Qigong practice. Regarding the menstruation cycle, it is a good sign that the body is functioning normally. Menstruation is the outward proof that a girl is becoming a woman. Having a normal and healthy period means your body is functioning well. The menstrual cycle is a proof of fertility, vitality and creativity. “Slaying the Red Dragon” uses a technique of breast massage and internal visualization to eliminate the physical menses, but is this really a healthy practice for women? Who used this technique of “Slaying the Red Dragon- the physical elimination of the menses,” to gain female elixir and achieve immortality successfully? Qigong practice should improve health and wellbeing and the quality of people’s lives, including enhancing the functions of the reproductive system. Menstruation has important functions for women’s health. It should be respected, valued and honored but not repressed and abused. I hope that Women’s Qigong practice in US will grow and flourish, and with great health and realization.

I have read the book “Riding the Phoenix to Penglai.” I was very impressed with Ms. Gonet’s work on both her translation and her commentary. The two sets of poems by Sun Bu-Er are instructions on internal elixir cultivation. It can be extremely difficult and challenging to translate such poems from Chinese to English if the author has no personal experience and realization from internal cultivation. I found that the English poems are elegant and exquisite with clarity and realization. Ms. Gonet’s work not only expresses the quality of her scholarship but also reflects her internal cultivation and achievement. For example, 收心 (shouxin) has been translated to English as “Closing mind” (http://yang-sheng.com/?page_id=55) or "Restraining the Mind" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuowang. However, Ms. Gonet translated the first poem title 收心 (shouxin) as “Recalling the Mind.” This is an excellent translation and great start because it not only makes perfect sense for internal cultivation and Qigong practice, but also expresses great alignment with Lao Zi’s Dao De Jing and the teachings of the Complete Reality school, such as Lü Dongbin and Wang Chongyang, regarding the importance of directing the mind from an outward to an inward focus. I am surprised to read the statement in Hobo’s post: “The author mainly keeps missing the point wildly, like e.g on the link above she pontificates for an entire page on the 'taming the dragon' without ever mentioning that it specifically refers to the physical elimination of the menses.” Poem four “Taming the Dragon” has nothing to do with the physical elimination of the menses from the original Chinese poem. It would be very helpful if Hobo would share a version of English translation for detailed discussion on this topic. From the view of internal cultivation, Ms. Gonet’s commentary on pages 42-43 is outstanding and inspiring, particularly her additional essay on this topic on pages 90-92, is brilliant with the Western classical comparison between Eros and Thanatos. I don’t think that Ms. Gonet’s work is her own guesswork. I believe that her work is associated with her many years of internal cultivation and studies. There are a very few reference books about internal cultivation for female practitioners. This book can be a very valuable reference and immensely helpful for female internal cultivators. I greatly appreciate Ms. Gonet’s exceptional translation and commentary.

Hello Thanks for accepting me on the Dao Bums. I have been studying Dao De Jing and Yi Jing and Qigong for a long time. I am so delighted to find this website for discussing about the Tao and for learning. Xuanming