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Everything is within us, isn't it?

If so, then we should not look somewhere outside for any unknown substance as Tao... I mean if we can not understand it (Tao that can be written is not the true Tao...), then it is not the boundary... At least a goal to achieve some day.

But anything going inside of us can be felt... Do you agree?

The boundary is something that has some value for us. Or at least we think so. But often we forget that each of us is the main boundary, at least in its potential. There is only one thing left - to realize it.

Rgrds, Ilya

This could actually be a good discussion if someone wants to start a thread on it.

Thank you for the idea, Marblehead, maybe we can really reach some rational with this.

 

I thought that while time was passing and our civilization grew up with technical progress we started to forget something very important.

All this comfortable things are only things. The main thing going on in us and around us is life-qi passing from one forms to others.

Getting it and understanding it is vitally important I think. What for?

A good question. And the answer seems to me very easy - it is a matter of live and death, isn't it?

 

Or may by there are other boundaries in us?

Obviously we operate within the boundaries.

The boundary is something that has some value for us. Or at least we think so. But often we forget that each of us is the main boundary, at least in its potential. There is only one thing left - to realize it.

Rgrds, Ilya

Sounds good. Have you had any luck finding a teacher, yet?

Rgrds, M.

Yes, I have a qi gong instructor, he teaches me to do some qi gong practice. I think that finding a teacher is a combination of good luck and the will of ones heart.

Rgds, Ilya

Heck if I know. Which is why I'm throwing it out.

 

What are the basics? The beginnings?

What are the first few steps on the journey to aligning with Dao? Sitting meditation.. Reading the classics (which).. Giving up concepts of duality?

The best way to align with the Tao is to find a true teacher, start to listen and do practice. Without these things Tao will stay far away without any development.

You can practice smth but if you have no teacher or are not able to listen to then why will your practice be? You can have a teacher but if you don't listen or don't practice how do you plan to achieve results? You can have a teacher and practice but if you don't listen what will you practice?

Rgrds, Ilya

The simplest way is to follow the flow, because no efforts needed. Going up requires our will, work and consistency.

Generally after I eat my DT gets warm and it seems to me that would be a good time to meditate, but I remember reading that it shouldn't be done but I can't remember the reason why. What's the reason?

This is probably not the DT I guess, but the stomach and bowel fire. If you feel the heat in this area after eating it means that you have a good digestive system. Taking this into account, its better to give your body finish digestive process first and then do your practice.

Rgrds, Ilya

Hello, Ocean!

If you are feeling nausea after practice (I mean NOT after eating) then there is smth that makes you unbalanced. This can be a result of wrong qi circulation, some bad qi or tensions in the body in the areas close to stomach.

Correct practice and spiritual development will never lead to such results, because it will not bring harm in any case.

Rgrds, Ilya

Any combinations of breathing and energy movement are mostly product of our mind. Real qi gong doesn't deal with sending energy with your mind. Energy starts to move after the body is relaxed, the channels are open, you feel energy. These conditions can be achieved with correct exersises.

Rgrds, Ilya

Yeh I don't know how much is productive imagination in Daoist practice. Focus and breathing is the practice or there is something else to add to the cultivation of the LDT?

Correct taoist practice doesn't use imagination or any concentration of mind anywhere in the body. The focus is targeted on the exercises that involve energy movement using relaxation and some physical movements. Tho is my experience, but you can ask other participants. Look at near threads where Taoist alchemy principles were discussed.

Rgrds, Ilya

I have read that is 1.3 inch below the belly button, but then John Chang said that everyone has a different position for the LDT, for example he mentioned that indians have upper/lower (i don't remember which one of these) than the chinese.

I still don't feel it, but i focus in the area under the belly button.. so as you said with the practice it should reveal to me soon or later

I think that just concentrating of your mind on the ldt area is not productive. Ldt should be activated by practice but not by our imagination. It's like you begin to imagine that you have a solid ldt, next you imagine strong energy flows in the body and begin to think you have a progress in practice... But the only thing you have is a progress in your imagination, and maybe some deviations in qi flows.

Rgrds, Ilya

All our emotions are the result of unbalanced body and mind (xing). The best way to balance then is to harmonize our energies. All attempts to control emotions will lead to start other amotions, and lately the supressed ones will come back. It like the Ginny in the bottle - the more time you hold it closed the more gas will wait to go out.

Rgrds, Ilya

No feeling of breathe.

 

Because your shi Shen disappear.

 

Why you don't know this?

 

I thought you should know that.

 

If one's mind is not dead, dao heart will not appear.

 

If ordinary breathe doesn't stop, tai breathe will not start.

 

Then it would be difficult to have the pure Qi of the world.

 

And can't be one with the heaven.

I have heard about it, but personally don't have a tai breath. That is the reason why I am only asking about it, but don't write any statement on this. Again, this kind of breathing differs from our common one and this was the reason why I asked you about it - have you achieved any kind of breathing that you described in your previous posts?

you are lucky

try jumping of the buildings in those states...

 

I wonder where Matrix movie got their ideas... Is it like a common test or something?

I am afraid I'm not ready to test whether I am sleeping or not jumping out of buildings :).

Speaking seriously, I never managed to stay in a dream after understanding that its a dream for more then several seconds. And in addition, successful cases when I awaked were rare. So I stopped this practice because it seemed me useless.

In dream yoga, we train ourselves to recognize we are dreaming in the dream and to take control of the dreamscape. In learning to be in control in our dreams, we can similarly be in control of, and make changes in, our waking lives, often in ways we would not have thought possible.

I had similar practice some time ago, but every time I managed to realize that I am dreaming in that particular moment, smth made me slowly awake without a possibility to stay in a dream. This practice was very interesting to do because every evening I was guessing if I awake inside the dream or not. But I guess this practice leads us from reality to some unreal worlds.

Rgrds, Ilya

When get into the secret door, the breath will disappear.

 

Will feel like whole body breathing

 

Like the breath is in the spondyle

 

Then, this spondyle breathe will disappear again

 

There are many layers of breathe

 

Hope you can experience all the layers

Do you have that breathing with the whole body without just entering the air into the lungs?

I have this question because your statement contradicts classic biological principles and directs us to some certain neidan achievements.

Rgrds, Ilya

If that is so. I can't help but think that's a little foolish. I enjoy the Tibetan idea that if we learn to become lucid in dreams we can continue to be lucid during the bardo after we die. I mean wouldn't a Taoist like to work on having clear dreams at least ? I could understand not flying around at night lucidily for entertainment. But if there are subconscious hang ups do Taoists just focus on their waking practice and feel things will work them selves out in dream

Tibetan practice of bardo helpes to reach the level of so called ghost immortal after death. This level is described by Zhunly Zhuan when he teached Liu Dongbin. Taoist try to escape this level because it is like a trap when a being can't reach higher levels due to lack of energy, absence of any body and also can't return to physical world.

So from this point dreams will not lead you to any solid results.

Rgrds, Ilya

I saw some people think there is no goal in dao.

I don't think so.

We personally can have goals on our way to Tao. F.e. my goal is to develop myself as deep as my fate allows. But following to Lao Zhu, Tao is not merciful, Heaven and Earth don't treat a man in a kind manner, and Tao is perfect, so it does not have any goal itself and for any one personally. It's our own choice. I thought it was clear to everyone.

Rgrds, Ilya

Tao does not have any goal itself, but we do. Can have at least. If one personally does not have any goal then its his choice and destiny, but if he has, then it can correspond to Tao. This is the difference - do not mix Tao and people's behavior.

Rgrds, Ilya

I am thankful for your effort to advertise Chinese daoism culture.

 

But if you can listen to a native speaker of Chinese.

 

You will learn more and misunderstand less of dao.

Tao does not differ from one language speaker to another. It is open for everyone independently of his native language and nationality. This means that even Chinese can make mistakes in Taoism if they misunderstand smth, as well as not native Chinese language speakers can have a deep understanding of Taoist approach.

Rgrds, Ilya

I just heard another opinion about heat in the body from a qi gong instructor. Heat can be a result of body resistance for qi circulation due to a wrong route. In this case it can be even dangerous.

Rgrds, Ilya

I come to understanding that best products are the ones which I want to eat in this particular moment. This has a clear correspondence with Chinese nutrition principles. This does not exclude other principles like phases (water, wood, fire... etc), termal nature, yin-yang and so on. But it is the simplest thing one can start doing right now.

Rgrds, Ilya

I don't know if the Daoist canon the dream subject has been taken into account as would be interested to know what is it's point of view of it.

Taoists try to escape dreams and do not use them in practice because dreams are a product of our mind. Taoist approach streams to develop body and spirit but not mind and fantasies. This is Taoist approach to dreams as I heard about it.

Rgrds, Ilya

Yeah, absolute statements can always be proven false because of at least one exception.

Golden words written in the right place . I just wanted to point out that our mind is not so perfect to be followed everytime. Some decisions we take are rather irrelevant and unpredictable, and all this stuff is happening due to disharmony in ourselves, to some extent. Here we return to the theme of practice.

The question is what do you mean under breathing. Is it the simple air entering and quitting process accompanied with mental qi direction into the LDT or some other activities...

The first is like common qi gong.

Rgrds, Ilya