Yen Hui

hi there All ~ Never before have a I consulted the Oracle about 2012, until now! I used coins, but since I could'nt find 3 pennies, I used 3 nickels. The question I specifically asked it was: "Will this world, in which I presently live, come to an end in December 2012?" The Oracle revealed Hexagram 5. Lines 1 and 6 were moving lines, and produced Hexagram 57. Line 6 of Hexagram 57 has troubled me a little, I must confess. I'll be contemplating this Oracle for some time! If any of you, with experience in consulting the Oracle, have asked it this question before, I would appreciate your reflections. Btw, I used the Wilhelm/Baynes version for this consultation. In the spirit of the Tao, Yen Hui

hi there ~ Perhaps something will catch your eye at these locations ~ Enjoy! 1 - Franz Bardon Hermetics, Fairy Tales, and Transpersonal Psychology http://www.lava.net/~pagios/ 2 - Bardon's Quabbalah and the Sepher Yetzirah http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6243/yudelove.html 3 - Franz Bardon Research http://www.geocities.com/franzbardon/index.html 4 - Franz Bardon http://www.divinenergy.com/franz-bardon/english/bardon.htm

Chuang-Tzu And The Chinese Ancestry of Ch'an Buddhism @ http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-JOCP/livia.htm

Hi there ~ Check out this website @ http://www.passtheword.org/ ~ Most of the material there would appeal to a Quaker. The later writings of William Law (after he came under the powerful influence of Jacob Boehme,) were very popular among 18th century Quakers. See especially his book entitled The Spirit of Love. Just click on each of the names, and a list of their writings available online will pop-up.

Seeing that Liu I-ming is a leading exponent of the Complete Reality Taoist sect, it comes as no surprise that his exposition reflects a Buddhist influence; but I'm more interested in Chih-Hsu Ou-I's Buddhist I Ching, which is another version, translated by Cleary. It's listed on Amazon.com, for anyone interested in checking it out @ http://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Ching-Chih-...TF8&s=books ~ I own a copy, so will reference it later, when I have more time.

hi there Taomeow ~ You raise some good questions, to be sure, and it is my intention to fully address them, according to my ability, or lack thereof, but that will take a little more time and a few more words than I can spare today, so please bear with me, and I will return to this assignment in a day or two. In the meanwhile, I will be contemplating my reply. Incidentally, I was wondering if Cleary's Buddhist I Ching is among your collection? If it is, I was wondering if you might summarize for us, (in light of what Wilhelm's version says,) what it teaches regarding Hexagram 31. That would be greatly appreciated! hi there Pero ~ You raise a good question, for sure. However, like Taomeow's, an adequate reply will take me a bit of time today, which I'm hard pressed for at present. The short answer is 'yes'; the essence of which is presented in the Wilhelm/Baynes version of the I Ching. Lin Chao-En (A.D. 1517-1598), I feel, is a classic example of this approach. Sinologists debate over whether he was actually a Taoist or Confucian. You can read a brief article about him @ http://kirkland.myweb.uga.edu/rk/pdf/pubs/linchao.pdf ... from the Encyclopedia of Taosim which refers to him as a Taoist; but near the end, it says he founded a School in the 1550's "patterned after that of Confucius", and spent the last 25 years of his life working "to propagate an accurate understanding of 'the three teachings'." So was he a Taoist, a Neo-Taoist, or a neo-Confucian? The article recommends a book on him, which is part of an open-ended series of 'Neo-Confucian' studies; and which can be presently obtained from Amazon.com @ http://www.amazon.com/Syncretic-Religion-C...TF8&s=books . However, what I'm saying here requires some qualification, obviously, which I will attempt to present later. Until then, suffice it to say that whatever qigong practices developed within Neo-Confucianism, they were ultimately imported from Taoism and modified to fit a predominantly Confucian program.

Hi there! Yes, it is a very special 'ancient' text, that was orally transmitted for centuries, and first written down around the 15th or 16th century. It belongs to the Complete Reality Sect of Taoism, and teaches a process for realizing your full human potential. There are four Englsuh translations of the text, that I'm aware of. Richard Wilhelm was the first to translate it from the original Chinese, and introduce it to the West; which translation was rendered into English. The two best English translations, however, are those by Thomas Cleary and E. Wong. Two Online Versions of It:- 1) => @ http://www.deeptrancenow.com/exc_golden_flower.htm 2) => @ http://essenes.net/sssecretflower.html ~ However, the Master said that: "Through one action, the fruits of a hundred thoughts are realized." (cf. @ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/cho...an_pt2_ch5.html ) The meaning of this, of course, is that your study must be grounded or rooted in practise! In other words, the Secret is not (nor can it be) comprehended apart from real practise.

04 - ON THE UNDERLYING UNITY OF TAOISM, CONFUCIANISM, AND BUDDHISM:- " The dual cultivation of mind and body forms the foundation of Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian spiritual training. Some say that the Buddhists cultivate mind exclusively, the Taoists cultivate body exclusively, and the Confucians are concerned only with building harmonious social relationships. They think that these paths are incompatible because they don't understand the deep teachings of these three wisdom traditions. " As far as I know, while Buddhists focus on cultivating mind (and recovering original nature), they have secret teachings on cultivating the body. They emphasize cultivating the mind because they believe that it is best for their followers to begin spiritual development by returning to the original mind and letting original nature shine. The Taoists emphasize cultivating the body, but cultivating original mind is essential to their teachings. They focus on cultivating the body because they believe that it is by recovering the original body that the practioner can build a strong foundation for the root of life nd eventually attain original mind. " If you attain the highest level of cultivating the mind but neglect the body, you won't be able to keep original mind for long. If you can't keep the original mind, your cultivation will come to nothing and you won't be able to transcend samsara. If you manage to reach the highest level of cultivating the body but neglect to cultivate the mind, then the true energy of life cannot be held in the body for long. If you can't preserve the body, how can you penetrate the secrets of the celestial, terrestrial, and human realms? " The Buddhists have secret teachings on cultivating mind to attain life, entering the Western realm, and merging with the void. On the other hand, the Taoists have teachings on how to cultivate the body to attain Nirvana and be liberated from suffering in samsara. Buddhism and Taoism both have methods of single and paired cultivation as well as techniques of spirit travel. The Buddhists, after reaching the state of Chan stillness, can send the spirit out of the body through the top of the head. They have techniques that enable yin and yang to copulate and male and female energies to interact. The Taoists also have techniques that reach the same goals. " Consider this statement made by Lu Dongbin (i.e. Patriarch Lu, the Taoist Immortal): 'To cultivate the mind exclusively at the expense of neglecting the body is the first mistake of spiritual practice.' And Zhang Ziyang (i.e. Founder of the Southern Lineage of Complete Reality Taoism) said, 'If you understand original nature, you won't throw away your life energy. And, if you practice the paired method of cultivation, you'll be able to attain the great medicine, prevent the essence of life from dissipating, and become a realized being.' " Attaining a deep state of absolute stillness, emptying the five senses, completing the pill and accomplishing its great return (to the dantien), facing the wall for nine years, attaining omniscience at age sixty, and becoming one with original nature at age seventy - these practices all require cultivating both body and mind. Only when you have completed these stages of spiritual development can you enter the ultimate realm and merge with the void. Both the Buddhists and Taoists agree on this. " Bodhidharma once said, 'The three families - Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism - are built on the same foundations. Don't think that mind and body are unrelated.' Body and mind must both be cultivated jointly, and understanding the natures of qian and kun is the key to everything. " If you understand the teachings of the three paths - Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism - you'll know that they are not contradictory. They may use different techniques, but they all lead to the same goal. A great Taoist teacher once said, 'Let me tell you about the three paths. When separate, they are three; when combined, they are one.' If the Tao does not manifest itself through differentiation, the power of creation and transformation cannot be realized. If after differentiation the aspects of the Tao cannot be merged again, then they cannot return to the one source. Thus, the three paths build three types of foundations. Buddhism specializes in recovering the original mind; Taoism specializes in building the foundation of life; and Confucianism focuses on building a harmonious society. But, without original nature and original life, how can a harmonious society be created? " Many practioners of these three paths don't understand the essence of the teachings. They believe that Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are contrary paths. They inflate the differences and misrepresent the teachings. They voice their opinions, criticize each other, and stir up conflicts among the Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian communities. The three spiritual traditions have spawned many illegitimate children who have nothing but negative opinions of each other. These children don't understand that the three different paths lead to the same goal. Unable to see beyond their own perspective, they are convinced that a path different from theirs must be false. Such people need to look into the source of the traditions before they criticize or even talk about other spiritual paths. " In my opinion, there are three approaches but one source and one goal. In one path, life is recovered by cultivating original nature; in the second path, original nature is attained by cultivating life; and in the third, life and original mind are cultivated through building a harmonious society. Although these are three distinct approaches, they all lead to the one undifferentiated source. Ponder this saying: 'When naughty children turn off the lights, people will attack their own family.' " ( Eva Wong's Holding Yin, Embracing Yang, pp. 154-156 )

Hi there Sean and Taomeow ~ Many thanks to you both for the warm welcome! And thanks for taking the time, Sean, to answer my question on the Forum rule(s) on posting copyrighted translations of the Canon! That was helpful and appreciated. Taomeow, the answer to your query is kind of involved but I will try to keep it simple for now, but elaborate a little more on it tomorrow. Well, I suppose it's "the blend" that attracts me, but that in itself requires a bit of qualifying. Basically, I came to Daoism through the study of the I Ching; but also came to realize that the wisdom teachings of the I Ching were studied, practiced, expounded, and transmitted in each of the three great Traditions: Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. The ancients, Chuang Tzu and Lieh Tzu, teach that the Confucius and his disciples were essentially Daoists, and the Confucian wings of the I Ching clearly reflect a distinctly Daoist influence. Bodhidharma, the reputed founder of Chan Buddhism, was profoundly influenced by Chuang Tzu. Well, to make a long story short, I came to believe very early, long, long before I ever knew about Complete Reality Daoism, in the essential unity of these three great Traditions. And then when I found Complete Reality Daoism, well it was sort of like a match made in Heaven, as they say! Here's a few passages which encapsulate what I'm attempting to articulate, but very poorly. I will post others like them later, perhaps tomorrow if time permits! THREE QUOTES FROM CLEARY'S TAOIST CLASSICS:- 01 - " There is a Confucian saying, 'Find out truth and fulfill human nature, thereby arriving at the destiny of life; getting to the root of beginnings, returning to ends, knowledge encompasses myriad things.' This is talking about knowing birth and death. What in Taoism is called the study of essence and life is actually the true message of Confucianism, where it is called the study of human nature and destiny. " Furthermore, when the ancient sage chieftain Fu Xi first wrote the I Ching signs, setting up teaching embodying the celestial, using the Tao to develop people, there was no division into three teachings. Therefore it is said, 'The Supreme Celestial has not two ways, sages have not two minds.' " The first line drawn by Fu Xi represents the absolute. When there is one, then there are two; this represents the two modes, one yang, one yin. 'One yin and one yang -- this is called the Tao.' Looking up, gazing at the sky, Fu Xi wrote a line to represent heaven; looking down, examining the earth, he wrote a line to represent earth. In between he wrote a line to represent humankind. " Therefore three solid lines form the trigram HEAVEN, representing the 'three components' -- heaven, earth, and humanity. Two HEAVENS seperated, making three broken lines, form EARTH, representing the six parts -- the members of the body and the directions of space. " So it is said that the Tao establishing heaven is yin and yang, the Tao establishing earth is flexibility and firmness, and the Tao establishing humankind is benevolence and justice. The three components each have two aspects, so six lines form EARTH. " Speaking in terms of the person, the Tao establishing heaven being yin and yang refers to the spirit and energy of the mind; the Tao establishing earth being flexibility and firmness refers to the form and substances of the body; the Tao establishing humankind being benevolence and justice refers to the essence and sense of the will. " Mind, body, and will are represented by the three components of HEAVEN; spirit, energy, essence, sence, form, and substance are represented by the six parts of EARTH. This is what the I Ching means when it says, 'Find it afar in things, find it nearby in the body.' " ( Cleary's Taoist Classics, Vol. 2, p. 388-389 ) 02 - " Sages say the unique celestial design in one's being permeates the universe, including all philosophies and religions and all things. This is like the Buddhist principle of nonabsoluteness of self, person, being, and soul. It is also like the Taoist teaching of comprehending everything by comprehending one. In all of these there is a pervasive unity." ( Cleary's Taoist Classics, Vol. 2, p. 395 ) 03 - " When Buddhists speak of true emptiness, Confucians of noncontrivance, and Taoists of spontaneity, all are referring to embracing the fundamental, returning to the origin, and uniting with cosmic space. People with fixations cannot know this Way that is permeated with unity." ( Cleary's Taoist Classics, Vol. 2, p. 396 )

Greetings Fellow Wayfarers, I'm a 40's something male who has been contemplating Taoist writngs for several years now. I feel deeply drawn toward the Complete Reality School of Taoist Alchemy, but have no personal contact with any Taoist masters, or "completely realized people", nor have any way of making personal contact with them. Nor am I presently inclined toward regular attendance at a Taoist Temple, so it is difficult at best to delve deeply into the practise of Taoist alchemical writings. However, I do have many questions which I hope this website will help me with. At any rate, I agreed not to post copyrighted material, but will someone please explain to me what the rule is on posting selected quotes from copyrighted translations of Taoist Canonical writings. Would it be permissible, I mean, to quote, for example, Ware's translation of Ko Hung? Thanks for your assistance! In the spirit of Tao, Yen Hui

Master Lao says: Know the male, keep to the female; be humble toward the world. Be humble toward the world, and eternal power never leaves, returning again to innocence. Knowing the white, keep the black. http://home.pages.at/onkellotus/TTK/Englis..._TTK.html#Kap28 The valley spirit not dying is called the mysterious female. The opening of the mysterious female is called the root of heaven and earth. Continuous, on the brink of existence, to put in into practice, don't try to force it. http://home.pages.at/onkellotus/TTK/Englis..._TTK.html#Kap06