Nuralshamal

Dear Dao Bums, I will share my experience with Master Zhongxian Wu (known as Master Wu). I will share my experiences in the following points: 1) Overview of what of his qigong I've done 2) General overview of my impression of his systems 3) Big positive suprises with his system 4) Small negative aspects I've noticed over the years 5) Summary 6) Conclusion Overview of his qigong I've done I've practiced many of his forms and meditations, namely: a) fire dragon meridian qigong, b ) shamanic cosmic orbit qigong, c) talisman qigong and healing, d) TuGuNaXing ("blow out the old, take in the new" which is his preferred alchemical meditation), e) Stretching exercises for acheiving the lotus position f) and many more General overview of his systems He teaches different systems, namely: a) Emei Qigong b ) Dai Xin Yi c) Tai Ji d) Wudang Dragon Gate The Emei is more "spiritual" in nature in my opinion, as in this school you connect to the lineage through mantras, mudras and talismans, and thereby gain access to universal energy as well as the energy of the lineage. It is then through this connection you further your own energy, by plugging in to a larger container. My impression is that the Wudang Dragon Gate is a more "mainstream" qigong, meaning that it focuses more on stretching and strengthening the physical body, with a heavy focus on the lower dan tien and increasing health and vitality. Big positive surprises with his systems I was very surprised that no matter what he does, it works! Calligraphy, music, mantras, qigong, meditation, drinking tea, no matter what he teaches, there is a large amount of qi transmission taking place. There really is a possibility of cultivating your jing, qi and shen, your body, energy and spirit, through things such as calligraphy, drinking tea, playing music. This was a big positive surprise. The same goes for his healing methods; all these methods can be used for healing as well. And it works! Even though you don't have powerful qi yourself, by connecting to the lineage through mantras, mudras and talismans, you can get extra qi. Small negative aspects I've noticed over the years The first thing is that he doesn't always answer people's questions. This can be very frustrating. It's a two way street: you need to prove yourself to him, only then will he consider your questions. The second thing I've noticed which is very strange, is that people meeting him for the first time tend not to like him. His long time students worship him, because they know he is for real. He has qi, he has knowledge, and if you keep at it, he can really "deliver the goods". However, for some reason, people who don't know him tend to dislike him, e.g. when going to their first course or workshop with him. This is in stark contrast to other spiritual teachers I've met. Here everyone who meets them simply likes them for no reason. Summary He is a legit master, he teaches the real thing, and whatever he teaches works. He has the knowledge, experience, qi, skills, lineage and transmission to take you all the way from the body, to the energy, to the spirit, and to connect with the universe. The negative aspects are that he is quite expensive, can disregard people's questions, people tend not to like him in the beginning, and he surprises everyone with the amounts of meat and alcohol he ingests. Conclusion If you're looking to experience qi directly, his qi transmission is legit. If you're more into the spiritual side of things, go with Emei and learn the mantras, mudras and talismans. If you're more into the physical and vitalizing aspects of qigong, go for his Wudang Dragon Gate Qigong.

Yes, give it a go Just give a recording a go, start today, why wait? It's always best to get going and learn by experience instead of eternally pondering and analysing. Then you're in the process. That's been a huge life-lesson for me the past 3-5 years. Get going, pluck the lowest hanging fruit first (easy wins, low risk), then proceed from there to next lowest hanging fruit. Take action. Eg after a 49 day cycle of the recording (lowest hanging fruit, no risk, it's cheap and at home), then you'll have an even better ground on which to decide whether you want to go to a live workshop (which cost more time and money). 1 practical step at a time thought, feeling, action, repeat. Anyways, just my 2 cents, take it or leave it, all the best bro!

@hierundjetzt that's a great question. When I did the live 1 day workshop, it just worked immediately. I was practicing daily on my mother and sister, then 1-3x/week on my dad and his girlfriend (my parents are divorced). Just whenever I saw them. We all live close to each other, so daily when I had to practice, I usually went to visit them, so I could do the initial practice on my own for 20-60 minutes, then afterwards when I was full of the energy from the practice, I would practice the healing part, then afterwards go back into a room to meditate and do closing for about 5-10 minutes. After about 2-3 weeks, people started calling me, because they heard of it. That's when I tried distance healing for the first time. I did what Wu told me: just remember the last time you saw the person. Then visualise you're there with them again, then do the healing. It's a 49 day practice cycle to get the power, and even then it's not always a success. Wu told me him and another fellow student who had both been chosen to carry on the Emei talisman lineage had to go through a particular 49 day program at the mountain monastery. After completion, next day, they had to do a test to see if their practice had been accepted or not. So it's not a given. And they practiced at the temple itself, directly under a lineage holding master, daily offering elaborate ritual prayer and offering for 2-3 hours in a kneeling position to the lineage masters and much more elaborate practice. I also remember many of his students confiding in me that they feel completely spent and exhausted after healing others. Whereas master Wu told me the more he heals the more energetic he feels (because of the lineage hookup to unlimitied universal qi - so every time he connects with universal qi for healing, he also gets a boost). So honestly Wu has not 100% answered what it takes to get the full transmission and lineage hook up. Because these students that confided in me have spent 10-15 years with him, and I would guess they've done innummerable 49 day cycles. But then again, I've realized the past couple of years that it's actually super rare to have the discipline to do daily practice without fail for years and years, also just for 49 days. I thought it was normal (the discipline, daily practice without fail), I think it's because my dad was a gong fu master, so when I was as little as 4, if I woke up early (e.g. 4-6 in the morning), I would always without fail find him meditating. Then I was in the army for 14 years, this is ofc also a disciplined lifestyle. That's how I grew up, my dad lead by example, he always told me that daily practice without fail under a true guru from authentic lineage is the secret in spirituality. So now I've been going 12.5 years with meditation and 10 with qigong. I can't say why my practice of the talisman "was accepted", because it worked already before the completion of the very first 49 day cycle. Because at that point I think I had only been practicing Master Wu's qigong about 1 or 2 years or so. But the overall rule of thumb and my impression is: if you take any class from Wu (whether in person, online, or a recording - including talisman), and you actually practice everything as taught, to the T, for 49 days without fail, you too will get the power. Hope this helps! All the best bro

Yes, all from Master Wu is 100% safe However, would definitely recommend you take the time and effort to go to a live workshop. It's worth it!

Dear Dao Bums, Question for you guys Do you have any interesting experiences with Jason Read and his Jasper Lake Maoshan Daoist Magic? I have seen a few posts here on Daobums about his books on daoist magic, but none about the actual daoist magic training with him. My own few observations A fellow qigong brother here on the forum that I'm corresponding with notified me about Jasper Lake Maoshan daoist magic training. I checked out his webpages and read all that I could, and am now reading through his book "Practical Daoist Magic". Webpages: I found the webpages extremely interesting, and I definitely felt what he's sharing to be real, authentic and substantial. I tried meditating on a talisman he's posted to connect with the energy of "the fire star" or Mars, and within 5 minutes I felt heat pouring into my body and getting heated up. I was extremely suprised how fast and powerfully it worked. I took this as a sign that what's he's sharing is truly legit! Book so far: The book is the same story in the sense that it feels very legit and authentic. All the history and mythology he's sharing is perfectly in line with what I've been taught by Master Zhongxian Wu (who I've learnt from for more than 6 years), as is his explanation for yin/yang, 5 elements, 8 trigrams (bagua) stems, branches etc. of course with some slight variations in their personal interpretations. His beginning practices "to cultivate magical power" is also similar to what I've learnt from Master Wu, namely building the lower dan tien, purifying & strengthening the 5 organ system, "retriving" or calling back the spirits of your organs as well as daily mantras for purification (mind, mouth, body, surroundings, pacifying spirits, calling upon the golden light etc). The idea of jing/qi/shen as well as mantra, mudra, visualisation and posture is also similar. All in all I feel it to be very real. What I especially enjoy is that as a westerner he explains things very clearly so that it's easy to understand from a western viewpoint. He also divulges the "secrets" of how things really work and explain the whole process as well as the end result. This is something my chinese teachers never do, they simply encourage you to practice, shoot down your questions, and never explain linearly and in a straight-forward way what things are, how they work, what the process is like, what the result will be or how to measure your progress along the way. The only thing that really made me stop and wonder, was that at some point in the book he says that 30 minutes before and after practice you shouldn't eat or drink (pretty standard advice), however then immediately after he says drinking "only cool water" is allowed. This is a huge shocker! Everyone knows that Chinese never suggest cold water, it should be either hot or lukewarm. This was a big suprise for me, and made me wonder and question how everything could be feel so real and authentic, yet this one basic thing was completely "off" for how Chinese qigong/TCM/cultivation usually rolls. Actually it was such a great shock that it made me question the authenticity of everything. Even though the fire star talisman worked (which I felt to build his credibility), and the explanations feel legit too (which also builds credibility) the advice to drink cool water was so off that it made me wonder and question everything about his whole story of training in China & Malaysia etc. This is what made me write a post here on the forum, I wanted to speak to my dao brothers and sisters and hear your experiences (if any) with Jason Read and his Jasper Lake Maoshan Daoist Magic training. I look forward to hear from you!

Dear Dao Bums, Here's my experience with the Simplified Kundalini Yoga by Vethathiri Maharishi. I'll describe my experience in 4 parts: 1) Overview of the system 2) My personal experience 3) Summary 4) Conclusion Overview of the system: Simplified Kundalini Yoga is the creation of Vethathiri Maharishi. It includes the following: a) transfer of energy from the master through touch, through the eyes and through the mind to open the chakras of the students (sparsa diksha, chakshu diksha and manodiksha) b ) meditation (on the chakras as they're opened progressively, the stars and planets, the 5 elements, the senses and finally the universal energy field and the universal absolute space) c) tratak or gazing meditation (on a ghee lit earthen clay lamp and later on a mirror) d) simplified physical yoga postures (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) e) transmutation of the sexual vital fluid through simplified kaya kalpa yoga (breathing and postures) f) introspection and refinement of character (analysis of thoughts, moralization of desires, neutralization of anger, eradication of worries, self-realization, sex and spirituality, and finally how to achieve harmony in the family, workplace and in all relationships) My personal experiences This is the best spiritual system I've ever tried. I've tried everything under the sun: mantra meditation, pranayama, tibetan and buddhist tsa-lung and meditation, dream and sleep yoga, physical yoga exercises, sexual qigong, qigong meditation, standing meditation, sufi mantras and meditation, rituals (praying, fasting, giving food and charity), pilgrimages to holy places, vedanta, jnana/gyana yoga, psychological self development, sexual transmutation, semen retention, daoist lovemaking, gazing on the sun, moon and stars and much much more. However, SKY still rules supreme as to the simplicity, power, effectiveness and practicality in all aspects. From the very first day, from my initiation into the system (where your lifeforce is transferred from the root/muladhara chakra to the brow/agya chakra) my life was never the same. That very first evening when I meditated after returning home from the initation, I had the deepest meditation of my life. My mind became still and peaceful, no thoughts or emotions, just pure and deep peace. After the meditation I was extremely energized and full of power. Furthermore, my sleep became the best it's ever been (and I've had life long issues with sleep). Every single initiation (brow chakra, root chakra, crown chakra, the universal energy state, lamp gazing) keeps surprising me as to its power. It just works. It's easy and simple, yet profoundly powerful. Summary SKY has been the best I've ever tried, and it keeps improving with every initiation. Furthermore, it's a complete system. It has everything you need: physical, breathing, psychological and energetic exercises, improvement of character, meditation and transmutation of the sexual vital fluid. Conclusion If you're into meditation, definitively check SKY out. It has changed my life. When I went to the first initiation, several seasoned meditators who've been meditating deeply and going on retreat yearly for the past 20+ years were also surprised at its power. They thought it sounded too easy... Yet it worked SO! Check it out Be blessed

@hierundjetzt Awesome to hear from you! The idea is to take the education online, yet receive the initiation face to face from your local centre. This is the foundation course: https://www.kundaliniyoga.edu.in/s/store/courses/Yoga for Human Excellence It's an intro to SKY, and the two initiations you can go to your local centre and get afterwards/during is Kundalini awakening and then agnya and muladhara chakra. When you've completed that, you can get all chakras opened when taking the advanced course: https://www.kundaliniyoga.edu.in/s/store/courses/Certificate-Course-Level-2 All chakras, and also learn highly secret and powerful meditations like lamp gazing, mirror gazing, 5 elements and 9 planets, 5 senses, nityananda (ecstasy meditation) and much more, it's incredible

Calling all Indians also if you just know someone, feel free to bring them in or send me a PM

Dear Dao Bums, Those of you that know me are aware I've been searching for astral travel for some time. The best system I've ever done is Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY for short), everything works: the pranayama, the physical yogic exercise, building and transforming sex energy, awakening kundalini, opening the chakras, becoming one with the divine. It's so easy, so simple, yet it all works. It all works due to the grace of the master, Vethathiri Maharishi. He has devised a system of shaktipat were the enormeous energy cultivated by great masters can be transferred to the student, awakening his energy and chakras in minutes. From thereon, ok, you need to put in the work to "level up", but at each initiation you receive more and more power from the masters touch, gaze and even mind power. I finally became a master in this system after 5 years of daily practice, and I was so shocked. Just as easy and simple as my own chakras were opened one by one, just as easy the power from Vethathiri and my teacher comes to help me when opening new peoples' chakras. I was shocked. Everything just works, it's easy, more than 100 people in my country have gotten their Kundalini and chakras opened by now. All is well and good, I'm so spiritually content with SKY. Alas, there is only one thing that ails me, and that is astral travel. It used to be part of the system on the master's level, but has been removed. However, the past 3 years or so, I've managed to slowly build up a network of local masters I know. There is so much politics and hierarchy in India because of poverty and desperation, but there are several "rogue masters" that still teach astral travel. There is also official masters who were authorised to carry on teaching it in spite of the official stoppage. I finally tracked down one of these masters and her ashram in India, pretty close to the official temple. Now the next thing is that you need a local person to take you there, you need an introduction, a formal "he's good" from someone they know and trust, since astral travel is obviously a very powerful skill to have, and even more powerful to have in your teaching arsenal as a master, alongside kundalini awakening and chakra opening. However unfortunately, all the "higher ups" I know don't like this supposedly "authorised astral travel teacher" and won't take me. Further, the masters that do are afraid to be frozen out, because obviously any european there is rumored immediately, and he's afraid everyone will think he's taking me there because he's getting money from me and not because I'm actually a SKY master wishing to pass on the full system, including astral travel like Vethathiri used to do. Then he will lose his job, social status in the community and so on. So now I'm thinking about finding someone that's not "locked in" in that local community to help me. So anyone here on the forum Indian? Tamil would make it easier, as the temple and astral travel ashram is in Tamil Nadu. It would be about 6 months to take all the SKY online courses with about 1 initiation per month. After 6 months and having gotten Brahma Gyanam certificate and having had all chakras opened, this person would be eligible to go to the secret astral travel ashram (I will share name, whatsapp numbers, adress and so on). Then I would be happy to go there with this person anyone know someone who would be up for that? Full kundalini awakening, opening all chakras, learning astral travel through direct yogic shaktipat, even being given the power and blessing to also transfer this siddhi to others, what's not to like? It's a win/win/win

@Learner @Vajra Fist Thanks for chiming in and sharing your interest Great to hear from you both! Let me share in 3 points: 1) how to practice, 2) my experience, 3) conclusion 1) How to practice: The basic level is divided using the daoist trinity, Heaven, Earth, Man. There are 3 parts of each, i.e. 9 parts in total (3x3=9). The Human part consists of the techniques themselves, some main, some assisting, making it 6 techniques in total. The first one is a relaxation and visualisation exercise. The second is a visualisation and meditation exercise. The third is the sleeping technique itself (posture and mudra activating different points, as well as a two step meditation). The remaining 3 ones are qigong techniques to be done during the day to support (inner alchemy, open meridians, circulate qi, help with longevity, recover from ejaculation and protect the jing). The Earth part is about healing, group mind and ethical conduct. The Heavenly part is about states of consciousness and how to go to "the original state". 2) My experience: I was very positively suprised already with the first exercise, the relaxation and visualisation. It's super easy and simple, yet I feel like "I continued where I left off" in my cultivation progress realized with Zhongxian Wu's 3 year "jing dao" program. Where visualisation actually controls your body and becomes real. It's hard to explain and came as a big surprise, but at a certain point your mind and body become one. It sounds quite limp on paper, but in reality it's a huge surprise and weird unexpected shift in your practice. Hard to say what happens from here, but it's a new way of living and cultivating, a new reality where mind, matter and energy are the same, jing, q and shen unite, "mind and body as one". The first 2 weeks or so I found out I have a tension in my throat, my right eye and right side of my forehead, and no matter how much I intently relax it, the moment I stop relaxing it automatically tenses up again. Super weird. But from day to day you progress. Each part of your body comes under the control of your mind, you can relax at will. Further, the visualisation becomes real, felt and tangible and increases in power from day to day, week to week, month to month. Slowly but steadily. Some real "gong fu shit" each day is a drop of water in your vessel, a grain of rice in your sack, suddenly you have a whole sack of rice or a whole container filled with water, and you don't even know how it happened, as the daily progress was so miniscule, but suddenly a big shift happens. The second meditation is much slower to improve for me, but suddenly after 1 month, a slight "level up" in power came, so it's still progressing, albeit slower on a month to month basis instead of day to day. The sleeping itself, my God, the first 9-14 days were utter torture. I couldn't get comfortable, my neck, wrist and shoulders were killing me, became numb, tingled, lost sensation, joints hurt, it was unbearable. My sleep became worse, I started having creepy nightmares, I would wake up completely "wiped out" almost unable to get out of bed and function normally at work. It was hell. But suddenly after about 2 weeks a switch happened, my sleep and dreams became normal again, and my level of "feeling rested" also returned to normal again. Also the 2-step meditation done for the sleeping qigong itself happened faster and more powerfully, and more things started to take place of their own accord in my body. The qigong sets done during the day are also super duper basic, nothing spectacular in any way, shape or form, very comparable to what I've learnt from Zhongxian Wu, Chunyi Lin, ZYM, Jiang Yu Shan and so on. Very basic, very simple, yet you feel refreshed after, so it's doing something. In short, it works. 3) Conclusion So far so good. I feel like I've concluded John Dolic is a true master, and his sleeping qigong is authentic and from a real lineage. Where it can go, I have no clue. That's why I started this thread. It's been pretty tough to do daily, have seen some benefits and improvements, so it looks good, but really want to talk to someone about their long term experiences to see where it can go. Because on John Dolic's site it mentions controlling your dreams, travelling in your own and others' dreams, actual astral projection where you travel the universe out of body similar to a near death experience, seeing auras, opening your third eye, predicting the future, changing the future, healing, "genuine sleep" where your heart and breathing stops for hours on end and you only need 1-2 hours of sleep pr night to feel fully rested and much more bad ass superhuman feats, you can sleep and fast for weeks on end and much more. So kind of wanted to hear from someone if they've even touched on any of these incredible benefits after 1-5 years, and was also curious about what's in the "advanced level course" you can attend after 1 year of daily practice of the basic level.

Dear Dao Bums, I'm looking for long term practitioners of John Dolic's Sleeping Qigong (basic & advanced level). I've been practicing the basic level daily without fail for quite some time now, and have gotten good results. Ofc true cultivation is a long term practice, and the daily practice is pretty much the point of it all, no ultimate end goal, "just do it". However, I still feel a need to talk to and discuss with other real practitioners to share experiences and talk. It's extremely nourishing to me and my soul to "just be real". Not how things are sold, packaged, marketed or "supposed to be" in some ideal fantasy world that doesn't exist. The real, unfiltered, experiential truth. Grounded in personal, practical experience, not theory or stories. Unfortunately the "don't talk about anything to anyone" is huge in qigong, and especially many Asian cultures, so it's quite difficult to really talk to anyone legit. So looking for any long term practitioners of John Dolic's Sleeping Qigong to share experiences with and talk about the long term effects of the practice.

Thanks for your positive feedback, I appreciate it Yes, the esoteric and magical aspects are incredibly fascinating indeed, I really wished it would be "real", but I think it all comes down to the master. Ofc you need to practice diligently without fail, which is were 99% of students fail, but if you're one of the few who actually puts in the work, then what I've seen is that it all comes down to the master. If the master and lineage is real, everything just works. E.g. Master Wu, I was so suprised when I studied with him. No matter if it's calligraphy, drinking tea, playing music, healing, moving physical qigong forms, static standing qigong forms, seated, meditation, visualisation, IT JUST WORKS. I was exceptionally sceptical of healing and calligraphy, honestly I thought it was the most ridiculous I had ever heard: how can you generate energy from painting? But it just worked, it completely destroyed my mental paradigm and world view of spirituality. Similarly with SKY, this one dude on youtube claimed anyone's Kundalini could be awakened within seconds and raised to agnya chakra (third eye). I was like "come on, who are you kidding?" but all the rest of his content was pretty sound and well-informed, it was just this fantastical claim that stood out as implausible, whereas all else was really good. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt and went to see the master in my country, and lo and behold, my life was forever changed! There's no way I would have penetrated into the world of energy without the touch of the SKY master and his transmission of energy, similarly with Master Wu; without his transmission of energy backed by an authentic lineage, I would never have reached anywhere. On the contrary, the first 3 years of my qigong journey actually killed my health. Why? Because the master was fake, the teaching was fake, the lineage was fake. So my own bitter experience has taught me that it all comes down to the master and lineage; if it's real and authentic, everything just works and long term diligent practice can help you achieve anything imaginable. But if it's not real and authentic, you're at best wasting your time, at worst destroying yourself. Btw, if you find real, authentic esoteric and magical daoism, shoot me a message, I would love to know more

I've gone through quite a change of heart throughout this thread to be honest. I've been practicing daily without fail since I started - it's been 2 years now. After 2 years of giving myself and my life, spending 30-120 minutes daily (sometimes longer( this is how I feel. My advice would be: 1) firstly start practicing daily without fail under a true, real, authentic lineage under a true master (for qigong some I would vouch for would be Zhongxian Wu (Master Wu), Chunyi Lin (Spring Forest Qigong), Lie He (Ling Gui), Lu Xia and for Kundalini awakening and chakra empowerments I can vouch for Simplified Kundalini Yoga or SKY, I know many masters in the system, there are some in almost every country, so simply approach the nearest to you). 2) if after doing this real cultivation, acquiring the power to meditate, feel your life force as vibration, and heal yourself and others, you DON'T feel satisfied and still feel drawn to the occult, meaning rituals, magic, talismans etc, then you can do Jason Read's MaoShan primarily just for fun, knowledge and curiosity, but like I said, be careful about associating directly with Jason in a personal way, and I would never advice anyone to do it as a standalone system "as a spiritual path". He doesn't call himself a master, he calls himself a student and primarily a translator, and I agree with him. I'm sure MaoShan exists as a real and genuine path, with true masters, true powers and real cultivation, but after 2 years of daily practice my own personal experience is that it was fun, interesting, I learnt new things, so it was great for knowledge and entertainment, and there is of course some energy to be had from some of the practices if you do it daily, correctly and for a long period, but if I compare it to 2 years of daily practice under Master Wu, or any of the others really, there is simply no comparison. If I could go back and speak with myself before starting, I would still tell myself to start, yet see it as fun and knowledge. Because I approached it with a very serious and dedicated mentality, discipline, my goal was to get initiated and take MaoShan as my path, but if I could go back I would tell myself no, don't do it. I personally needed to try it, I grew from it, meaning I realized many of the things I've done earlier are really precious, and that all these metaphysical things and powers are not had as easy as it's written by Jason Read. E.g. it says that after 1 year of daily golden light mantra practice you can use it for lucid dreaming and astral travel, didn't work. I did it for 8 months straight, every single night without fail, no results (after completing the prerequisite of 1 year obviously). Compare this to bön lucid dreaming practice, I got results in the very first month. Same with Buddhist lucid dreaming. It comes down to the power of the master and the direct transmission from him. Dr Nida Chenagtsang was my teacher for bön, and Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche for Buddhist lucid dreaming. Because they are themselves at a certain level, they transmit some of that to you, making it faster for you to get results (if you do indeed put in the work of daily practice without fail, which pretty much no-one does). @Alfigar, I don't know your cultivation background, but I would highly advise against any white/european guru in anything energy-related (pretty controversial statement, I know). I have only met 2 white/european masters in all my life I would say actually "got it". That's Steven Sadleir (in SKY) and John Dolic (who teaches many styles of qigong). Other than that, all other white/european masters in energy I've seen almost always end up with some weird thing. They make it in their own image somehow, instead of taking it in its true context, they convert it to something "they think" it is, instead of taking it "as it really is". I would recommend any of the masters I mentioned above. It's usually best to get someone from the culture this knowledge is coming from, as they take it "as is", it's normal, it's natural, they understand its true context. I'm personally mixed and 60% white, and absolutely adore white/european culture and thinking, and really value the emphasis on the mental as well as intelligence, but honestly, when it comes to energy practices from Tibet, China or India, it's a completely different context. If you really get it, okay great, no problem. I ofc feel I somewhat get it, but that's due to cultural similarity, as well as having been in a rural Indian village since the age of 4, literally taking it in with the mother's milk. And I can also vouch for Steven Sadleir and John Dolic, an american and a yugoslavian respectively. Sadleir had the great opportunity of spending a lot of time one on one with Vethathiri Maharishi (the founder of SKY), and he's a true master. He can transmit energy to hundreds and hundreds of students at the same time, lower the energy to the root chakra of hundreds with just a wave of his hand, he's legit. Similarly with John Dolic. I feel Yugoslavia is more grounded than northern Europe in general, so I feel like it was easier for him "to get it" when he went to China at 20 years old. He stayed there for almost 10 years, and got a chinese wife. He also had some real masters. I feel like he gets it too. But many of the famous and respected white/european people acting as gurus right now, God, sorry to say, I feel they're all super weird and in no way deserving of the guru worship and adoration they get. They have reached something in their cultivation (some of them), but they've still not "gotten it", like really gotten what it's all about. Maybe due to culture, maybe due to having had fake masters, what do I know, but they clearly just don't get what it's all really about in the end. Maybe just because they haven't reached it. God bless and guide us all to the right path just sharing my personal experience (bought from blood, sweat, tears, lifelong cultivation and many bitter experiences), take what you can use and leave the rest, think for yourself and follow your own soul, it's the best guide you can get.

Dear Dao Bums, I wanted to share this simple set of exercises: https://www.diamondbodypractice.com/videos It's from the Diamond Approach & Diamond Logos. An integration and further development of Buddhism, Sufism, Daoism, Hinduism and Psychology. I wasn't much impressed when I just briefly looked over the exercises, but I was curious so I decided to try it with my wife. I felt a kind of connection with the "field of the school" coming down and creating a space of "holding" as well as transmission throughout the exercises. I was quite intrigued, as it focuses on the center beneath the feet, the belly center, heart center, head center and the center above the head as well as the central channel linking them all together. It also encourages you to inquire into your experience, explore your body and soul mindfully. Now it's been just over a week, but my wife is feeling energy vibration in all centers as well as her hands doing the "aum" mantra movement, and I am quite impressed with the whole thing to be honest. So just wanted to put it out there and share it, hoping to benefit all living beings

Dear Dao Bums, Went down a youtube rabbit hole lately, where I found some very fascinating interviews with black magic masters from Asia. I'll share the links and put a few of my comments on each, so you can decide if it's worth watching for you Malaysian "Ghost King" He shares his life story and how misery let him to this path of black magic and dealing with ghosts. I was surprised how human he seemed during the interview. I also felt he was surprisingly sincere in sharing his truth and life story, as well as how he sees his craft. Black Magic in Thailand, Part 1 & 2 What I found interesting in this interview is their magical "technology", meaning how their system works. He shares that there is a master which passes on the craft through initiation, and then later you get your own "spirit" which is your main helper. Another "take home" from this interview for me was that whenever you "open" your spiritual abilities, sight and so on, it will attract local spirits. Therefore in his lineage there's a way to open and close it, so as to not unecessarily attract spirits. This was huge for me, as I've struggled a lot with spirits after I started my lifelong "daily cultivation without fail" in 2013. After official mantra initiation a lot of things started happening around me, especially when I was travelling, and I never understood why. The system I was practicing was "pure spirituality", meaning simply purifying my soul and karma with the goal of serving Almighty God and all living beings. There was no magical or occult component, all was simple self-purification as well as acheiving inner peace. And when it really got bad, no one could really explain what was happening, nor help me overcome it, even all my traditional gurus (indian and chinese) who were very powerful. They simply didn't know about this part (spirits) and therefore couldn't help. So it's comforting to see that there are actually whole, traditional, authentic and just legit systems where all of this "spirit dealing" is systematized and well understood. Here's part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGOC9SKDr28 Thai Occult Magic & Love This one I just found funny and amusing. It really struck me how "human" and "sweet" thai people seem compared to some of the other asian nations that typically show no emotion at all. It's of course a cultural thing, also a cultural bias on my part, but still interesting for me to note (might be different for you of course). He kind of seemed like a "don", which I thought was fun Take Homes It seems there are indeed legit magical systems and lineages out there, who've really systematized how to alter our life using occult means, including ghosts. I would love to have a legit master and system so I can simply put this whole spirit thing "behind me", as it never really interested me, and I don't care much for it. I just want to be happy and healthy and enjoy the beauty of life as God intended. It's only out of necessity to overcome suffering that I'm looking into these things, because there was no one there for me when I needed it, and I understand now that it's a super rare, niche skill to have. I guess it's my own past life karmas coming back, and of course it's a part of God's divine plan, I am just trying to "Sherlock Holmes" what God wants for me in this area, since these things keep happening to me (spirits). All the best, hope you enjoy Let me know your reaction or take-homes from whatever video(s) you watch

@Chang dao ling you could argue that Sri Vidya is a kind of white magic, due to the yoga + bhoga combination. It includes all 4 purusharthas (dharma, artha, kama, moksha). E.g. Ganapati spiritually works on your negative, animalistic karmic tendencies from past lives (sleep, sex, food, safety), karmic doshas (pitru dosha, whatever doshas you have) and unblocks everything preventing you from advancing both spiritually and materially. Materially Ganapati brings financial stability. He removes hurdles and obstacles, karma, opening the karmic pathway of sufficient wealth to sustain yourself and your dependents, so you can get the necessary artha to go further in spirituality. Bala Tripura Sundari spiritually brings you peace of mind as well as joy and a fun loving, inncent nature, "frees your inner child" in psychology terms, materially you get Kama. If you have a wife, she'll become more playful and sensual. Otherwise, you'll attract a lover. Matangi is an attractive force, similar to attraction/vashikarana mantra, yet dharmic and white magic. In a group of the opposite sex, at least one of them will be attracted to you (after you do Matangi sadhana that is). If you don't have a partner, no worries, one will come to you much more easily after. If you do have one, instead Matangi will help you in whichever domain you're lacking. If you need a job, she'll a attract it to you etc. So both spiritual and material help. Varahi is a repellant. Spiritually she will protect you from evil spirits, evil eye, curses, black magic etc. Materially she'll make sure any enemies or rivals in your work, family, friend group, whatever, all enemies will be destroyed or at the very least paralyzed (stambhanam). Finally Tripura Sundari gives both dharma, artha, kama and moksha, all in one. She'll fix your material life so you have what you need to feel safe and secure, and be able to continue to pursue spirituality. So most magic is covered: money, sex, love, attraction as well as protection/purification. It takes some time of commitment to do purascharan for each devata: do the japa, puja, homa, tarpanam, marjanam and bhojanam. Depending on your karma, you might have to do several purascharanas. However in the end, it's worth it. Especially when you get the Meru, it is yantra raja, contains all Gods and Godesses, opens all chakras and nadis, gives all 4 purushartas and all types of siddhis. If you go through all devatas, and you get the blessing, you'll get direct guidance from the Goddess, the Guru, or find a Guru who can show you how to use the Meru to achieve/manifest whatever you desire materially and spiritually.

In both the subjective and objective dream world, as well as the subjective and objective astral world, experiencing blindness (according to tibetan dream yoga) is a sign. It means that your liver has a problem. The liver spirit (similarly to qigong and tcm) is viewed as housing sight as its spirit. E.g. kidney spirit is hearing, lung spirit is smelling, heart spirit is tasting, spleen spirit is touch and liver spirit is sight. When you travel in dreams or in the astral world, it's your spirit travelling. So if your spirit has some issues, it will signal you. In tibetan, qigong and tcm view, body, energy and spirit is one and interdependent. So if your physical liver or your liver energy has a problem, it affects the spirit, as well as vice versa. The liver spirit manifesting compassion in daily life if its healthy and balanced, and a tendency to anger if there is some issue there. It could be your physical liver could use a boost (diet & lifestyle), or your liver energy (mantras, mudras, talismans, herbs, spiritual practice and/or lifestyle). All the best!

I know in general these practices do exist. I've had several teachers approach me in dreams. One was before we met physically (Sifu James McNeil). Another one came 2-3 times after we met to "check on me". This was Sifu Yang from Calligraphy Health. Master Zhongxian Wu (Master Wu) has talked to me in my dreams about 5-10x over the years I've learnt from him, though he himself says it's not him, it's just that you're "resonating" or connecting with his energy. His energy then takes his form, but it's your own dream, just featuring his energy. It's discussed as a possibility in the sleeping qigong taught by Nan Yun, and it's mentioned that he himself visits students or patients in their dreams to heal them. His sleeping qigong is taught by Sifu John Dolic. However, I will say that McNeil told me that both the dream and astral world is very different from ours, and that free will reigns supreme. E.g. he is a sifu in a sexual qigong and daoist lovemaking system, so he would venture to "practice" during the nights with some of his key female students, who were also his lovers in real life. However, he says that their own soul or spirit gives explicit permission, otherwise it's impossible to do, even for him as a master in the subject. Unless their spirit/soul says yes to practice with their free will, there's nothing he can do. So according to him it's most likely a normal dream you had, i.e. you experiencing your own psyche in your own thought generated world.

Pretty old post! But let me chime in Philosophical Answer Evolution takes place through karma and reincarnation. We pass 7 kingdoms: Mineral, plant, animal, human being, wisdom, divine and bliss. We're currently about 50/50 between animal and human being. In about 3000 years this world will enter the True Human Kingdom, which is the paradise described by all religions: health, love, peace, prosperity and happiness. Animal behaviour means me and mine first, to the detriment of you. Selfish. Human behaviour means others before me, to the benefit of others. Sefless. So the 50% goodness in our world is due to the slow awakening of our human nature, whereas the 50% bad in the world is due to all the selfish, animal natures acting out. We get karma in 3 domains: 1) towards ourselves, 2) towards others, 3) towards the animals The rule to stop all creation of bad karmas (which create suffering for us), and to only create good karma (which gives us goodness is: 1) never hurt yourself or others, in neither thoughts, words nor deeds, 2) help alleviate the suffering of others when possible, 3) compensate those you've hurt and ask their forgiveness 4) be a blessing to all living beings. To optimise karma in each domain, some practical tools are: 1) towards ourselves (look after sleep, food, stress, lifestyle, make sure to exercise, think positive thoughts), 2) towards others is the above general rules, 3) become vegetarian or even vegan. To overcome whatever suffering we're currently going through the best tool is prayer. Prayer is a science, I've shared some of Martinus' thoughts on it here: https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/39530-the-power-of-prayer-why-does-it-work/ So in short, evil is necessary for spiritual development in the current phase of planet earth and our own soul development. We start 100% evil and selfish, and then the more evil we do, the more negative karma return to us. The more negative karma, the more we suffer. The more we suffer, the more compassion we develop for the suffering of others. When we reach the point of being unable to hurt ourselves or others, we're in the clear, all karma is wiped clean and forgiven. Practical Answer There is of course also just the simple, daily, practical part: e.g. if our suffering is healthwise, we can investigate how to heal ourselves with diet, herbs, qigong, exercise and lifestyle, then we don't suffer anymore. Or if it's due to relationships: we can read and study about that online and learn practical tools to deal with the issues we're facing and getting our needs met. Similarly with love and sex. If it's due to money, we can learn and study about money, budgets, networking, career, investment etc and start to level up and rid ourselves of worry and debt. If it's mental and emotional, we can work with that with therapy, counseling and of course qigong and meditation for peace. So if it's something practical, we can rise to the challenge and overcome it. Wish you all the best

Hey @Perceiver, thanks for sharing, great topic. Yes, I will gladly share my own experiences as well as why I think it works. Some Early Experiences First experience 4-10 years old When I was a kid, whenever I was in the state between awake and dream (passing through this intermediary stage while falling asleep), I would have visions and hear sounds in my right ear. I just thought this was normal. However, when I was about 10 years old I started to get scared of it. So I asked my dad about it. He said that I should pray to God about it. After that, it completely stopped and I could sleep soundly. Second experience, 13 years old My dad took me to see his guru in a village in India since I was just 4 years old. He was a huge influence on me, my dad and our life, my dad went on a yearly retreat under his guidance for almost 20 years until he passed. I was about 12 years old when the guru passed on, and we were obviously all pretty sad for a while. In that period I wore some of the gifts the guru had given me last I saw him alive, it was a simple kind of mala-like necklace, I always wore it, day and night, I would never take it off. When me and my dad was on a summer camp when I was about 13, I was still wearing it day and night. However, one night I went to a local football field and did some gymnastics, sommersaults, wind mills etc, just having fun as a kid. When I got back home, to my great horror I realized my necklace was missing! I quickly figured it must've fallen off during my gymnastics. I felt so sad, and in that moment I prayed "God, if you're real, please help me find this necklace, it was a gift from the guru who's now passed, I will never see him again, this is the last memory of what he gave me, the last time I saw him before he passed. If you let me find it, I will forever worship you". I went back to the football field, it was pitch black by now, the grass was high, and the mala/necklace was black and quite thin. When I was there I realized there is no way I will be able to find it, it's too big an area, it's pitch black, the necklace is too small, even in broad daylight with 10-20 people going over the field, probably it would not be possible to find it. Lo and behold, as I prayed again, I started having visions. In the black behind my eyes I saw a blue arrow. It pointed left, then I went left for some time. Then I closed my eyes, it pointed straight ahead, I went ahead. I continued like that for maybe 5-10 minutes, and lo and behold, I closed my eyes and saw it pointing downwards - I opened my eyes, kneeled down, AND THERE IT WAS! I cried with happiness, put it back on, and went back home again. God is real! Proposed Explanation For Mechanics Of Prayer When I was 18 years old, just before being drafted to serve in the armed forces, I read a small booklet by a Danish mystic called Martinus. It was called "the power of prayer". In it he explained the exact divine mechanism of prayer. I was blown away. It all made perfect sense! Since that day, I started praying daily, many times per day, 'round the clock. When going out of the house, before eating, before transport, before school, before meeting friends, at all times I was in direct prayerful contact with Almighty God. Then I went into the army where life was obviously very tough. No sleep, no food, physical exhaustion, grueling conditions etc. I was spinning my internal prayerwheel 24/7. This was where I really experienced first hand, that the science of prayer is real. It's predictable, it's logical, it's precise, it never fails. Prayer is the easiest and simplest thing to do, yet it's the most powerful thing we can do. Science Of Prayer According to Danish Martinus there are 4 levels of prayer we ascend through the more we pray. It's a muscle we develop. Level 1: The wishlist This is when people first start praying: please dear God, give me a ferrari, 10 million dollars (tax free please), a supermodel wife and a harem of 36 beautiful sexual goddesses of all races, colors and exciting body types, and never let me work another day in my life or have any kind of difficulty ever again. Amen! Unfortunately, this prayer goes against most rules (rules I will explain down below). Hence it's seldomly fulfilled. This makes people stop and disbelieve in the power of prayer. Level 2: energy to overcome my self-created karma This where you ask for the strength, power, energy and positive mindset to go through whichever challenge you're currently facing. This is actually the intended use of prayer: psychic comfort. Imagine holding open a tap, the water comes gushing out. While holding the tap open, we simultaneously pray: Dear Lord, let not even a single drop of water flow out! That's what we usually do, when we ask God to relieve of us our suffering. We ourselves comitted thoughts, words and deeds, sent a certain energy out into the universe. However, when the consequences return, we try to rid ourselves of it through prayer. Sorry, no can do. If you open the tap, water's coming out. If you hit others, you will be hit. No matter if you're a sinner or a saint, if you jump from a tall building, you're going to fall down. So prayer cannot safe you from yourself. However, it can give you the strength to take your karma like a man. Just like Jesus could forgive his executioners, like Muhammad could endure 3 years of ridicule in Mecca, like Moses could endure freeing and later leading the quite troublesome Israelites through the desert, like Rama could take 14 years of exile in the forest, this is the true power of prayer and its best use: go through any conceivable scenario with completely equanimity and mental balance. Level 3: praying for the best solution for the greater good, even at personal cost e.g. ménage à trois where your wife is now in love with another man; it might be that in the eyes of God, this is actually what's best for the universe. This new man and your wife will truly be happier together and be a greater blessing to the world. This is obviously very painful. However, if you pray over an impossible situation for the best possible solution, even if it's to your personal detriment, quickly you will be inspired exactly how to proceed. Level 4: direct back and forth communication with God This is the highest level and comes naturally to all with practice. Whenever you pray to God, God answers you back. When you reach this level, you'll be at the same level as all the prophets and avataras. No matter what the universe throws at you, you can never be rocked. You have the power to accept it as your self-created destiny, and through prayer you get the strength to go through it with perfect equanimity, inner comfort and ease. The 3 rules determining whether a prayer can be fulfilled is: 1) God's plan for the universe, 2) Your personal life plan, 3) Your self-created karma. If your prayer is in accord with these 3 rules, IT... WILL... ALWAYS... BE... FULFILLED! No exceptions. This means complete, sure fire 100% prayer fulfillment guarantee. And yes, this is the most powerful tool we've all been freely given by Almighty God. How to know God's plan for the universe? This will take a little study of Martinus' thoughts about the universe, but said shortly we are eternal, uncreated, immortal beings, forever evolving through karma and reincarnation. In our current cycle we go through: 1) mineral kingdom, 2) plant kingdom, 3) animal kingdom, 4) True Human kingdom, 5) Wisdom Kingdom, 6) Divine World, 7) Kingdom of Ecstasy Then we start over again in a higher cycle. We're currently 50/50 animal and human. So current point for us is to rid ourselves of our animal, selfish nature, where we hurt others for our own gain, and instead cultivate our human nature of tolerance, love, forgiveness and intellectuality. How we do that is through karma: the more we suffer, the more compassion we develop for others. You do bad, it returns, you suffer, your learn your lesson. There is no shortcut - to proceed to true human being we need to develop our love and intelligence to the next level. Love and compassion is through suffering, intelligence is in competition for the daily bread. Once these are balanced, you start to level up. So if your're in any way, shape or form praying for something that will cause pain to yourself or others, it can never be fulfilled. Similarly, if you're praying to make your karma go away, it will never work, as the karma is the only way you develop compassion. As spiritual development (includiong love and compassion) is the whole point of existence, obviously you can't override God's universal laws with it. Anything that's considered good for you and all living beings will be heard, anything that's bad will be ignored. You can see a symbol explaning prayers of different levels and how they're fullfilled or not fulfilled here: https://www.martinus.dk/en/online-library/symbols/index.php?symbol=21 You can read the full explanation here: https://www.martinus.dk/en/online-library/ttt/index.php?mode=opslag&bog=62&stk=21&pkt=6 If you're generally interested in spiritual development, meaning of life, judgement day, karma and reincarnation, sex, pretty much the TRUTH about life (including meditation and spiritual practice, health, sickness and healing), here's all his symbols: https://www.martinus.dk/en/online-library/symbols/ God bless you!

Dear Dao Bums, Intro: I was super stoked to discover this gem of a text today: 白羽黑翮靈飛玉符 - Báiyǔ hēi hé líng fēi yù fú - White Feather Black Wings Spirit Flying Jade Talisman In short, it supposedly originates in the Southern Period of the Eastern Jin dynasty (266–420). Contents: It presents a cosmological origin story of the text, supposedly also in secret language sharing its version of the secrets of alchemy (if one can decode it). Thereafter it's very short and to the point. It presents 5 talismans, one blue, one white, one red, one black and one yellow. For each talisman it shares the secrets of its cultivation: 1) name of the spirit cultivated, 2) years of practice required, 3) where in the "heavens" you can fly to upon completing its cultivation, 4) who the "recipient" of the talisman is, 5) where to put the talisman on your body to actually start your spirit flight, 6) color of silk to write it on, size specification for the silk, and where on your body to put it when cultivating, 7) direction of the 6 Jia and 6 Ding while cultivating. My interpretation: Based on my experience with internal alchemy as taught by Master Zhongxian Wu, nearly everything in the text is in code. Unfortunately I won't say I've reached a sufficient level to be able to interpret the text with full confidence, but I have some viewpoints I'd like to share. It would also be very interesting if any of you are Chinese speakers, to hear your understanding of the original, Chinese text. Many of the details given (years of practice required, where in the heavens you can fly to, recipient of the talisman, where to put it on your body, direction of the liu ding liu jia) are very simple to decode. It simply shows the element of each talisman. E.g. blue/green is Eastern qi, related to liver and gallbladder, your left side, and when it says you'll be adorned with a "blue/green" robe, it just means the color of the qi during your visualisation and the heavenly qi you'll ascend to/connect with. Number of years is related to numeroloy, and all the numbers give away the relationships with Trigrams, Hexagrams, Heavenly and Earthly Stems, Timing of the days, Seasons of the Year, Astrology, Meridians and Organs, in short the whole symphony of Chinese qi culture. What I personally loved about it is the simplicity. Just one mantra to be said before practice, then you do the visualisation for each talisman, and you're set. It will refine your body, organ, qi, jing, qi, shen, meridians, qi field, feng shui, everything all the way up to the immortal fetus leaving your physical body to take flight and explore the cosmic qi. One talisman for each element. Further, I'm super interested in astral travel, and this text alludes to it in great detail - feathers, wings, take flight. Of course it could be interpreted in many ways. The talismans are all called "xxx ling fei yu fu". Then replace the xxx with: Shang (blue), xia (white), zuo (red), you (black), tai (yellow). Ling I know also means "spirit" or soul, as far as I remember "ling qi" is the chinese term for the japanese Rei Ki, meaning universal qi. Ling also means soul - if a qigong master cannot make it rain (in the old days), it's said he hasn't got "ling" or soul. There's no soul behind his mantra, mudra, talisman and dance form, hence the Gods/Heaven/Cosmic Energy don't respond to his practice. Fei can also mean lung, relating to qi in general, breath, mist, vapor. The names also seem to allude to the 3 Hun Souls, shang, you & tai (tai guang, shuang ling, you jing) It makes sense that in out of body travel, it's the Hun that travels (as one Hun has our eternal soul which reincarnates, another Hun has the soul which remember all our past lives, and last Hun our intelligence). But I don't know what "xia" and "zuo" could be. Overall each name kind of "gives away" the true alchemical purpose (xxx ling fei yu fu), to refine each of our 5 elements to the highest degree, reshape our body in the shape of the universe (astronomical constellations), get our spirits back into our body (hun soul and organ spirits), using qi (the fei part) and cultivate ling or soul. Don't know if the "yu" could refer to the OG shaman king Yu who through stepping connected with the big dipper, the seven stars, yin/yang and the 5 elements, sun/moon and the 5 planets. Maybe it means that we will also fly in the cosmic qi like he did if we do this practice. Conclusion Any Chinese speakers who would like to give their understanding of the text? Any alchemy people out there, who could point to any living tradition using this text as their alchemy guide? Link: http://www.ctcwri.idv.tw/CTCW-CMTS/CMT01洞真部/CMT0102神符類/CMT0102ALL/CNDZ010205白羽黑翮靈飛玉符.htm

Hey bro, thanks for chiming in! Super interesting bits of info Yes, it's a super different kind of moral code for sure. The first initation I had was hindu mantra diksha, about 1 year after spirits started searching me out wherever I went, whenever I did the mantra, even though it was just mantra for inner peace and purification. Thanks for sharing your stories! Yes, it's super fascinating

No no, I just used google translate I just wanted to see if anyone knew more about this system.

I'm looking forward to @Earl Grey and @senseless virtue chiming in with the Dong Fang Shui Gong of John Dolic & Nan Yun would love to their thoughts based on their experience with this system. What I know from Master Wu's sleeping qigong is that as long as your sleep quality is better, that means you're doing it right That's one of the main things: sleep quantity and sleep quality. The more quality the less quantity you need. My best experience in retreat was "black out sleep on command". I experienced it 2 times in retreat, and maybe 2 times at home on my own. It takes a long time of dedicated practice, and it also depends on your karma from previous lifetimes how fast the full effects will fructify. If your karma is good, it's super fast.

@senseless virtue This is incredible! It's 5 years later now, did you do the advanced course too? Would love to hear more