KuroShiro

21 hours ago, 3bob said:

anybody read Peter Breggins (MD) books about the dangers of anti-depressant drugs?  (and dangers of to fast of a withdrawal)

Everyone should stay away from them. Same with the high cholesterol drugs, antibiotic over-prescription. These 3 clearly show us that Western Medicine is sick.

You might also want to check out Dr. Kelly Brogan.

1 hour ago, vonkrankenhaus said:

 

This also like the clock experiment in the book "Stalking The Wild Pendulum".

That goes something like this:

You put a mechanical clock, one with visible second hand going around, in front of you, off center from field of view.

 

You look straight ahead, no focus on anything, but eyes open, and still seeing clock in side of vision, seeing second hand going.

 

Then, in your mind, think of something you know and like a lot - some place maybe - and you really get into it as deep as possible.

 

You keep clock in your vision, but never focus on it or think about it. It is just there, going.

 

You stay in thinking, really get into it.

 

You may notice the clock has stopped.

 

If you can stay like this, you can have a day in your thought, or longer, but use no time as experienced in the room you are in or on clocks, etc.

 

The instant you "look" for or at the clock, to "see" (know) if it stopped, it starts again.

 

Anything other than what you were getting into in thought - the clock starts again.

 

-VonKrankenhaus

 

 

HA, this has happened to me, sometimes I would look to the second hand (perhaps off center from field of view as you say) and I could swear it stopped, that is a slightly longer second but also physical stop of the hand (tenths or hundredths of a second).

13 minutes ago, freeform said:

The masters who’re diligently working in the mid to later stages of alchemy tend prefer to stay out of the public eye. All the ones I know focus almost all their time on training.

Are they hermits?

9 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

unfortunately no such either. At best, the modern teachers get to the light stage, which is not even necessarily a part of the process. And when it is, it is only 15% of the process

What process?

You're saying one can go through the process without getting the light stage? Is there anything else that is not necessarily a part of the process?

8 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

its seeing lights and colors and stuff

Seeing lights seems to be easy (and not to be given any attention). What else do you include under stuff? Spontaneous movement, physical/Qi sensations...?

On 11/19/2018 at 8:24 PM, dwai said:

In a talk I had with Master after class he mentioned that to understand the Tao Teh Ching, and
other such works, it is important to imagine that you are the only person on earth. Can you be right or
wrong then? Is there good or bad?

Is this a trick question?

I'd say yes you can be right or wrong, there is good or bad.

On 11/19/2018 at 11:12 PM, Jeff said:

That being said, if there is only one person on the planet, then to me there would be no right or wrong, or good and bad.  Since you are the only person, everything would simply be self referenced, and just your view on things.

What if that person would go on a rampage and cut and burn all the trees? Would that not fall under right/wrong or good/bad? Perhaps if one starts by looking within it is as being the only person on Earth.

It seems that as long one is in the realm of Yin and Yang, operating in the physical world then these dualities are important and not to be discarded, even if one "reaches" Tai Ji.

All True Traditions seem to emphasize the importance of strong moral values, good character.

On 11/19/2018 at 11:12 PM, Jeff said:

Since there is just you, there would not even be a language to have such words or concepts in the first place.

1 hour ago, wandelaar said:

 

Interesting! Do you happen to know when chapter 8 was first written?

Of course not.

It's irrelevant when it was first written.

16 hours ago, Lost in Translation said:

 

This seems to me that your teacher is telling you to develop a personal understanding of Tao instead of taking his or anyone else's. TTC and other works are guideposts pointing to the way, they are not the way itself.

I think there is no sense in trying to intellectually understand the Dao De Jing. First you have to look within, truly care about yourself.

One has to walk The Path. The Dao De Jing seems to be the understanding/sharing of a Master who has walked It.

19 hours ago, dwai said:

I was reading my first teacher's notes - his records of what his master taught him over several years (he maintained it like a diary), which he gave to my taiji brother and myself. He writes in his notes from 2000 --

This points directly to non-duality and the context in which works like DDJ should be studied and understood. Feel free to discuss  

 

 

Thank you very much dwai for this thread and everyone for their posts.

I'm only a beginner student but would love to discuss this with you.

Is Waysun Liao your Grandmaster? I have 2 of his books (loved them both) but I don't know what is his School/Tradition. Doesn't Master Liao explain the Dao De Jing in his book Nine Nights with the Taoist Master? (haven't read it yet - wishlist)

18 hours ago, wandelaar said:

But maybe the teacher followed an esoteric interpretation where the political chapters are reinterpreted as referring to internal alchemical processes?

14 hours ago, Nintendao said:

That was my first impression, that it was meant as a hint, to make you think "what the heck could this chapter be about, then?"  As in the ones Jeff pointed out, it's clearly sounding like there are others involved. The key, I've heard, is that the nation is meant as one's own body, with the population and everything else being the different agencies interacting inside.

13 hours ago, Lost in Translation said:

That is an interesting take of the TTC. I've heard this before so there seems to be merit to it. Whether that was Lao Tsu's original intention... we'll never know.

Nei Jing Su Wen, Chapter 8.

4 hours ago, steve said:

The title of this thread sounds like a title for a Trey Parker/Matt Stone cartoon!

What about MTV Celebrity Deathmatch?

Catafalque (2-Volume Set): Carl Jung and the End of Humanity

Add to wish list?

6 hours ago, voidisyinyang said:

Chunyi said that Jim had the best aura of any student he had met. But he did describe one student's aura as being very advanced but she could not arrange  her life circumstances to train properly. I can't remember the details - that was at the Level 3 retreat in 2000. Jim was a kungfu master in the 1960s but a Chinese teacher said Jim needed to study internal martial arts like qigong. Jim would always win his fights but he saw his opponent in slow motion. He thought that was his "secret" but the Chinese teacher said - you see people in slow motion right? Jim was looking for a qigong master since that time - 1968 I think. Jim then had been studying shamanism and zen since the 70s and he had been born with abilities, then nurtured by his spiritual family. He asked me to help him write his memoir. He's been working on a transcribed draft for years now, someone has been recording him. So hopefully it will be published soon. He already gave lots of details to me about his training with Chunyi. But we can wait for the book for details.

 

So Jim started training full time (quitting his successful career) after a few years into the Spring Forest qigong practice, and he was already asked to be Chunyi's teaching assistant early on. So I met Jim in 1999 and he already was going around the class giving healings - using the sword fingers. Then in 2003 or so he did long distance healing on me but he did not tell me beforehand. I was sitting in full lotus at the end of class with him and he said he was going to go upstairs (in the qigong center) to do more full lotus meditation. I asked if I could join him and he said, "Maybe later." So I thought cool - I'll keep practicing and maybe he'll let me join him. So I rode bicycle home a few miles and dumpster dived a bagel (my only food for the day) and went to my room to sit full lotus meditation.

 

Suddenly the center of my brain was on fire. I thought - this is too strong to be the full moon. I had no idea what it was but it was too powerful! I stopped meditating. I went back to class a week later and Jim stepped into the hallway as I walked down it, and he looked me in the eyes:

 

"Did you feel anything?!"

 

I then remembered what he had said:

 

"Maybe later."

 

And I was so shocked that I could not answer him and so he knew the answer and we went into the class room.

 

So at that time he was doing 12 hour nonstop meditation at the qigong center. He did 2 hours nonstop of horse stance with knees parallel to the ground, just as Chunyi trained at Shaolin. So then he would eat a small meal a day. He did that level of meditation for years.

 

In 2005 he was declared the only qigong master, Level 2 of Spring Forest qigong. He did a lot of amazing healing - even of "club foot."

 

But it was not until 2012 that he then was allowed to go on a 3 month sabbatical of constant meditation and this is when he achieved his deep heart opening (beyond death). I had not seen Jim since 2005 but strangely right after his sabbatical I then went to see Jim on my birthday in 2013. This is when Jim healed my mom soon after.

 

So as Jim told me - you can be a qigong master with the third eye fully open but not necessarily truly enlightened with the heart fully open.

 

So then in 2015 I was driving the car and Jim was in the front seat and I was ranting about politics and I would not shut up. Jim said, "But I'm on your side!" This did not convince me so I kept ranting and he got super quiet. Suddenly I felt this strong electromagnetic force pulsating deep on the right side of my heart. So I was shocked into silence. Jim then said:

 

 

So I knew from my research, as the book Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality states, the source of the Yuan Qi is on the right side of the heart - and Ramana Maharshi says that the right side of the heart is the "secret pinhole" to the "formless awareness" of the Universe. And the right side vagus nerve goes from the reproductive kundalini energy to the right side of the heart - which can cause death when the right side vagus nerve is over-activated.

 

So this "enlightenment" experience for me confirmed that Jim had transcended death (and also I got a taste of transcending death).

 

 

Thank you.

Do you know if the aura changes with cultivation?

So Master Jim went through Small Death?  This seems to be very important for a healer as it greatly increases his/her healing power, right?

On 11/16/2018 at 9:25 AM, Gerard said:

More things to focus upon and not siddhis, ungrounded yabba yabba for which spiritual practice is so notorious for and the need to argue:

 

1. Morality, morality, morality. Can't stress this well enough.

 

2. Being a good person.

 

3. Overcoming the ego. One of the most challenging tasks.

 

4. Overcoming sensual desire. A level above number 3. Very, very, very difficult task.

 

5. Wisdom. It comes with 'soul' age.

 

Are these goals? Maybe but I see them as a by-product of correct practice.

 

And people create religions. Taoism is more science really. Focus on this science in order to work on points 1 to 5.

 

Happy practice!

Thank you.

Could you please elaborate why you put number 4 a level above number 3?

Sunyata and Wu Ji have to be "reached/lived(?)" to be understood and perhaps there is the possibility that 2 people will have slightly different understandings?

Taoist Texts said that "Broadly speaking yes. Sunyata, Wuji is the place where Nibbana is."

I don't know if Nibbana is the end level.

10 hours ago, Bindi said:

 

Is the aim for primordial qi/wind to flow freely through wuji/hundun?

You're not asking me right? I know nothing.

If someone has some insights regarding this and could please share them that would be great.

16 hours ago, Zhongyongdaoist said:

 

No, I am saying that Pneuma is not the same thing as "matter-energy", and to my knowledge has never had a usage like hyle, one meaning of which is "wood", as the universal substance that is differentiated by morphe/forms.  On the other hand qi has had just such a usage when used in the context of li.

 

Look up pneumatics and pneumatology and then come back here and tell us all what pneuma is.

 

In each of these words "pneuma" means very different things, in pneumatics it is ordinary air as the subject of a branch of engineering that produces such things as pneumatic drills, and in the other it is the Holy Spirit in Christian Theology, and in neither of these is pneuma the same as qi and prana.  The same is true of qi which is why I said:

 

 

The meaning of the character 氣, qì, will vary depending on context.  Used to make up a word such as qigong which has a rough equivalence to pranayama, then the "vital energy" meaning above is meant, and then qi refers to something similar to prana, pneuma and spirit interpreted as vital energy, however used within a discussion of 理, lǐ  and 氣, qì, as elements of a cosmology, then to equate it with pneuma in the sense of vital energy is misleading, its Greek equivalent would be hyle, or "matter" in the Aristotelian sense of the fundamental substance which in combination with li as form/morphe results in the world visible to, and experienced by sense including the phenomena which we ordinarily describe as "matter" and "energy", but which are complementary manifestations of an underlying "matter-energy" as primordial substance.  In this cosmological sense qi combined with the right li, would give rise to the aspects of "physical" energy which I mentioned as being the electrical activity of the neurons involved in typing this and mixed with another li would give rise to "vital energy" experienced in qigong, but qi in this cosmological sense is not reducible to "vital energy", which is why said that the discussion was misleading.  I will be explaining all of this in more detail as I continue in these posts.

 

ZYD

Thank you.

I've just seen this from a Xingyiquan site:

Qi is the life essence, or energy, that enlivens all things. The concept of qi is found throughout Chinese traditional arts, ranging from medicine and acupuncture to gong fu and feng shui. Qi is divided into two types: cosmic qi and human qi. Cosmic qi encompasses air, movement, gas, weather, and force, while human qi implies breath, manner, and energy. The two types of cannot be clearly separated; in fact human qi is strongly influenced by cosmic qi.

On 11/7/2018 at 4:15 AM, Bindi said:

It's not ideal, but this is the wikipedia definition of Taoist and Buddhist emptiness:

 

Taoism

In Taoism, attaining a state of emptiness is viewed as a state of stillness and placidity which is the "mirror of the universe" and the "pure mind".^[23] The Tao Te Ching claims that emptiness is related to the "Tao, the Great Principle, the Creator and Sustainer of everything in the universe". It is argued that it is the "state of mind of the Taoist disciple who follows the Tao", who has successfully emptied the mind "of all wishes and ideas not fitted with the Tao's Movement". For a person who attains a state of emptiness, the "still mind of the sage is the mirror of heaven and earth, the glass of all things", a state of "vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and non-action" which is the "perfection of the Tao and its characteristics, the "mirror of the universe" and the "pure mind".^[23] 

 

Buddhism

The Buddhist term emptiness (Skt. śūnyatā) refers specifically to the idea that everything is dependently originated, including the causes and conditions themselves, and even the principle of causality itself. It is not nihilism, nor is it meditating on nothingness.^[18] Instead, it refers to the absence (emptiness) of inherent existence. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emptiness

If you are talking about Sunyata and Wu Ji, Taoist Texts confirmed in another thread that they are the same.

On 11/13/2018 at 3:54 AM, voidisyinyang said:

yeah you can ask the only qigong master I trained with on an individual level - http://guidingqi.com He's one of the few African-american medical qigong masters - Jim Nance. He knows me better than I know myself. haha. I met him from taking classes from Chunyi Lin http://springforestqigong.com and Jim was the teaching assistant of Chunyi - starting around 1995. Then in 2005 he was declared the only Level 2 qigong master student of Chunyi Lin.

Do you know if Master Jim Nance practiced only the public SFQ  or did he receive inner door practices from Master Chunyi Lin?

5 hours ago, Zhongyongdaoist said:

Which is accurate but then follows it up with a comparison to “pneuma” which is in a sense misleading

Are you saying Pneuma is not the same as Qi, Prana?

5 hours ago, Zhongyongdaoist said:

I don't know how much detail the OP wants about Daoist Religion, but there is a lot to it and it is both a fascinating study and rewarding practice.

Do you have a Daoist Teacher?

I'm not the OP but if possible I (we?) would like a lot of detail.

4 hours ago, flowing hands said:

There is a deep misunderstanding particularly in the west of Dao philosophy and Dao practices as being two separate things.

Dao philosophy or Chinese Philosophy?

5 hours ago, flowing hands said:

Modern Dao religion has its roots in Oriental shamanism

Exactly, I just don't know about the Oriental (being the origin) part, do you have any insight regarding this? That's so way back it's not easy to know for sure. I've heard about a possible connection between Sumer and Chinese civilizations.

15 hours ago, exorcist_1699 said:

From Taoist viewpoint,  whatever consciousness we  get , even Enlightenment , doesn't necessarily  lead us to immortal , it  really depends on how deep, how thorough  our mindless Mind influences our body (  Buddhists hate  to talk about the body  ,  we Taoists don't mind ..) ;   even in Chinese Zen, we get the famous  formula of  how deep  Zen mediation is  in  correspondence with  what effects we get :

 

1) The initial stage of Zen ("初禪念住"  ): No mind and no fluctuations of ideas ;

 

2) The second stage of Zen("二禪息住") : No breathing ;

 

3)The third  stage of Zen ("三禪脈住")  : No heart beat  at all ; 

Are there more stages in Chinese Zen?

From Daoist viewpoint, where do you place the 2nd and 3rd stage?

15 hours ago, exorcist_1699 said:

Of course, the highest stage of Taoism ,as mentioned  above ,  is  the qi-lization  of the whole body and consolidation of  it  again at whatever place/ time in this universe at our Mind's own will .

 

People may be astonished by my " careless"   talks  about no breathing and  no heart-beat : Isn't  no  breathing means no oxygen entering  our brain, and it means great harm...?

Not careless at all, if one studies Chinese Medicine it makes perfect sense.

So, both no breathing/no heart-beat and breathing/heart-beat are natural, how cool is that?

Do you know if the no breathing/no heart-beat are just temporary stages/states (when you first "reach" that stage) or can they be sustained for long periods of time?

1 hour ago, dwai said:

The context where my master uses this word is actually as follows —  

 

He is someone who can manifest taijiquan’s mysterious powers...one of the few I know who can actually deliver the goods. 

 

When asked how he does it, he says “I just pour my love into the other person. If they  don’t know how to how to handle it, they will fly away....”

 

In this context he said “to issue power, there are many ways. You can put a strong emotion and it will work. But what you put in will also solidify what you cultivate in your nature. If you choose anger, it will work, but it will make you angrier each time you use it. If you use hatred, it’ll work too but it will poison little by little”. The most effective thing he found is to pour love. “Keep practicing with a loving atttitude and that’ll become your nature”...  unconditioned, unattached feeling of love, compassion is what works best according to him. Having trained in the cold (empty) way of manifesting taiji power and also the loving-kindness way,  I found the love way to the more powerful. 

Thank you very much for sharing this!

Did you you feel a nurturing presence, on your very first contact with your Master's power?

On 10/30/2018 at 2:22 PM, inthe5am said:

"Crystal" deodorants are typically made from mineral salts, such as potassium aluminum sulfate (also known as potassium alum)

It has aluminum in it, I can't use that :/

19 minutes ago, Kar3n said:

I have seen some DIY deodorants and antiperspirants made with coconut oil, arrowroot powder, clay and essential oils. it might be worth looking for some recipes you can make yourself if you are looking for natural options.

The truth about alum and aluminium:

https://trueorganicofsweden.com/blogs/blog/natural-potassium-alum-vs-synthetic-aluminum

I don't use deodorant

16 minutes ago, freeform said:

 

Yes exactly.

 

But not only that. A good teacher will often also give a Shen based transmission that will over time help to align your quality of mind to what is required.

Like a Spiritual Seed?

13 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

Nibbana is the end goal, immortal ghost is one of the stages leading to it

Is Nibbana the same as Sunyata and Wu Ji?

12 hours ago, freeform said:

 

Should be a simple thing to answer, right?

 

But unfortunately as with most things in the internal arts - it depends...

 

Firstly it depends if you can master the prerequisites for sinking the Qi. Body structure, quality of mind etc.

 

You also, generally wouldn’t be ‘sending Qi’ to below the ground. You could certainly sink your mind down through your body into the ground - and that’s often done in the closing movements of many systems. That’s a good thing to do.

 

There’s also the complication of Yin Qi and Yang Qi. Yin Qi readily moves between you and the ground. Yang Qi can, but you’d probably not want to as you’d be using it for training. You’d also need to be bare foot on the ground for that to happen.

 

Also - why would you want to send your Qi below ground? It might have use in one system and no use in another system. 

 

So it’s always rather complex if you isolate elements out of their context. That’s why there needs to be a system in place - so that you’re doing things to achieve certain aims that move you further down the path. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you.

On 10/30/2018 at 10:17 AM, freeform said:

The real process of sinking the Qi takes time and correct methods. It also takes transmission from an authentic teacher (otherwise it just takes much more time). It can initially be achieved in anything from a few weeks (with the help of a teacher + correct methods) to years (with correct methods only).

On 10/30/2018 at 10:17 AM, freeform said:

If you have some Qi in your Dan Tien (this is where transmission from a proper teacher comes in handy) it is drawn to it and begins to settle there increasing your Dan Tien consolidation over time. 

When you say transmission from an authentic teacher are you talking about transmission of Qi from teacher to student?