dwai

Admin
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    8,420

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    77

Posts posted by dwai

  3. Posted

    23 hours ago, Sahaja said:

    It’s very interesting that he actually uses the term ling qi  on the video screen for  what he describes as extracorporeal qi in the audio. My understanding is that Ling qi can have  a pretty deep spiritual connotation whereas extracorporeal qi seems more of a general term that could mean many different things. 

    It IS spiritual. My teacher calls it "surface" power. We are not big on academic terminology - we focus on experience and application. 

    We apply it in all our form practice by activating certain points in our body as connection points for this surface power. For example, if you move your arm, the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints are expanded, acting as an energetic conduit to this outside qi. Mentally, the practice involves splitting the world into two halves (conceptually). As the arm moves forward, it pulls the half of the world (that is behind the arm) forward with it. If it moves backward, it pulls the half of the world in front of it. This is just an example on how to get started. Eventually it works in all directions, as if we are floating in an ocean of this "stuff" - each movement causes ripples or tidal waves depending on the power of our intent. 

    23 hours ago, Sahaja said:

     

    My experience with  tai chi is pretty limited, is ling qi something that is commonly viewed as part of the 8 energies or is his interpretation/usage pretty unique?

    According to a comment in his video, he says it is an artifact of the neigong he teaches (shendao neigong). But in our system, this is considered pretty advanced (as opposed to the "internal" hydraulic based system most taichi people seem to be doing). 

    23 hours ago, Sahaja said:


     

     I also don’t recall any reference to the 5 directions and how they might be related to this. 

    Can't say about his system, but in our system, the 5 directions have to do with the 5 elements, and they are, IMHO, application strategies - not alchemical things. 

    • Like 3

  4. Posted

    35 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

     

    That's a good approach.  I hold in rather low regard teachers who start talking taiji esoterica with beginners before they get the basics down pat.   (And "the basics" are huge -- a long learning curve!) 

    agreed 100%

    35 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

    When the student in the video tells the master that "it's like coming up against a wall" that reminds me of some "high end" push-hands encounters -- a wall, a tank, you name it, an unstoppable force advancing on you.   Though I must confess the opposite impressed me more when I had the good fortune to deal with it -- a cloud, a swath of fog, a nothing...  nothing to hang your hat on, I mean your skill.  I would like to see how a wall or a tank would fare advancing on a cloud.  :)    

    It’s interesting that you made the point. After I started with my teacher, I happened to get a chance to touch hands with his then second most senior student. It felt like a tank was coming at me, though he wasn’t really “turning it on”. It was intimidating. 


    My teacher on the other hand felt like a cloud (still does), and he can “disappear” at will and “reappear” suddenly, by which point it is too late to do anything. :) 

     

    A few years later, I touched hands with that person again (I didn’t get a chance to meet him in between). I felt like he was a child, and I could move him around at will. I figured  my skills had improved (I’d been working out with my teacher diligently for a few years, plus my own daily practice of 2-3 hrs).

    • Like 3

  5. Posted

    3 hours ago, Taomeow said:

    I have only watched it diagonally and recognized some of the ideas as legit, but I was surprised that throughout the presentation talking about taiji, no taiji distance with peng-lu-ji-an dynamics has been demonstrated, everything is happening at the kung fu/hard MA distance.  At 9:40 he says, "original Yang taiji understanding of peng-lu-ji-an involves manipulation of qi that is outside your body." (Could have thrown in  cai-lie-zhou-kao too while at it -- why mention peng-lu-ji-an in passing and never show what they are?..)  A more meaningful way to put it -- and not in the "original Yang taiji" but in any of the five major styles -- is that it involves manipulation of the qi of your opponent -- or his li if he ain't big on cultivated qi.  It's not some mysterious qi outside your body you are manipulating in a tuishou practice/fight situation.  The borrowing from the opponent is the cornerstone of this art, but he keeps talking about manipulating his own qi.  Do you agree with his take?

    I think he’s showing concepts, so focusing on a specific aspect he wants to demonstrate. 
     

    In our system we train all aspects, from close-range tuishou to the more esoteric. My teacher wants us to focus on the esoteric stuff, and the rationale is that the “normal” stuff ends up becoming more physical and we’ve already spent years on it. But for beginners I would not teach the more advanced concepts before they’ve spent sufficient time working on the foundational skills. 

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    11 hours ago, blue eyed snake said:

     

    being the subject of the extracorporeal chi of a master can be quite baffling

    In our system we work on two “external” qi aspects. One is our personal shield, which extends a few inches to a few feet around our body. The other my teacher calls the “surface” (which permeates throughout all the space). One very interesting exercise we do is holding a thin tissue between two practice partners. One is just holding on, and the other starts to pull the surface from behind the static partner towards themselves. The results are very interesting :) 

    • Like 1

  10. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Cobie said:

    It’s been a lifelong struggle to discern what’s on the outside and what’s on the inside regards my experiencing of qi (first experience at about 4 years old). (Sorry, still not watched the video)

    I’m sure it is hard to discern. But if you watch the video it might actually help you :) 

    • Like 2

  12. Posted

    2 minutes ago, ChiDragon said:


    I know what he is telling everybody. One who knows physics and observant should be able to rebut his notion about chi. To prevent any conflicts that might offend some of the Chi lovers, I will reserve my comments.

    Peace!

    You should have reserved your comments before making it 🧐

    • Like 1
    • Haha 2

  15. Posted

    4 hours ago, -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- said:


    I’m sorry but can we at least change the title of this thread to “The four kinds of Chi to be cultivated in Qigong (OPINION)” or “The four kinds of Chi to be cultivated in (Specific Type of Qigong)” as there is not only four kinds in every qigong system?

     

    Or even simply “Types of Chi to be cultivated in Qigong” 

     

    Such absolute statements are misleading for newcomers wishing to learn. 

    If you like to counter him, make a different post countering his perspective. I think its time we put this bickering behind us. 

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 2

  16. Posted

    1 hour ago, Cobie said:

    Imo there’s a stage where the persistent targeting and  questioning of one particular person, in this case CD, becomes a form of bullying. I’ve reported this post for the attention of the admods.
     

    Moderator's Note: Mutual respect needs to be the bedrock of any interaction; otherwise, we will lower the level of discourse very quickly. If members don't like CD's posts, please put him on ignore or use the downvote feature. There is no need for name-calling and/or ad hominem. At the same time, it is not a bad idea for CD to introspect why he is generating such reactions from within the community.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

  17. Posted

    22 hours ago, Eden said:

    Yes but everything is interconnected, interrelated and interdependent... so those who achieve some sort of spiritual awakening through a more meditative path, inevitably will have energetic shifts and transformations of the body, mind-body-consciousness-spirit-chi-nervous system-physiology-brain chemistry-prana-kundalini.. all interrelated.

    I think it comes down to what one focuses on. :) 

    22 hours ago, Eden said:



    maybe there are different depths to how deep realization can be? or how deep spiritual realization has been integrated?

     

    Realization of true nature is one and done. There is a permanent switch. But how the mind reconciles with it of course is dependent on the story each person holds on to. Some entirely let go of all stories, so there’s nothing more to be done. 

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    Imho, energetic awakening is not necessary for spiritual awakening. Different paths (could) have various methods, results, and goals. For a Hindu Yogi (Yoga is a broad term not restricted to Patanjali Yoga), the objective is Self-Realization - not profound energetic awakening. However, some take the Kundalini awakening path to it. Others might use the path of self-inquiry to get there. 

     

    All those things you mention might happen, but they might not. It depends on the sincerity, fortitude, and respect for the tradition and teacher they follow. The rest will fall into place if we take care of those foundational things. 

    • Like 3

  19. Posted

    2 hours ago, Cobie said:

    Yes, a characters is not a word; it’s a ‘meaning field’.

     

    I think it is a fascinating language. I think the English term for Chinese characters is ideogram (an idea symbol?). So maybe it is not so much a meaning field but a symbol representing an idea, perhaps?

     

    Indian languages are like that, too, to a certain extent - the same word can mean completely different things based on context. That's why there are so many untranslatable words - e.g., dharma - does it mean duty, religion, or characteristic based on natural law (among others)? All of them, but depending on the context.

     

    I had a philosopher friend (sadly, he passed away in 2022) who did some exciting work in what he called "biocultures."

    His hypothesis was that different cognitive frameworks arose from within different cultural contexts. Some were visual/pictographic, some were sonic (based on sound) while others (modern/western) were word-based.

    Quote
    Quote

    I remember a student of mine who approached me after class to question what she called the interpretation of the people of the Rig Veda ( 2500 B.C.). According to her, I had to be wrong for she could not conceive how people could see images with the brain, much less make them. I tried to explain to her that images are something everyone has or makes. For instance, I asked her, what is your image of your own mother when you are not with her and I ask you, as now, about her? Her answer was:

    "The only image of my mother I carry with me is m-o-t-h-e-r." Spelling was as far as her brain could imagine. I found this example subsequently repeated by other young people.

    https://www.medhajournal.com/the-biocultural-paradigm-the-neural-connection-between-science-and-mysticism/

    Quote

    Following these comments we may conclude that human biological systems are not one brain, or one mind. Instead we have five primary brains, and five independent and interacting minds. Where "culture" interacts with "biology" neural passages open and brains are affected. Where " culture" does not activate "biology" no neural passages and no brains develop. Thus we may have more or less complete humans, more or less complete biological systems. The human biological system does not only have five possible brains, five possible biocultures, but each brain in turn gives rise to a "shadow": a delay mechanism in perception that accounts for reflection on perception. This delay mechanism can account for what we loosely call the self. This shadow sitting on perception accounts for our many conflicting wills. Perception, reading, interpreting are always linked to the "self" as a biocultural bias involving perceiving, reading and interpreting. Furthermore, while the right hemisphere – the reptilian, limbic, right side of the neocortex, or as named earlier, maia, mythos, right brain mimesis – has direct access to the world, to the origin of perception, and produces a "holistic", "integrated" image of the world, the left hemisphere – left brain mimesis and logos – is largely isolated from the right side of the brain, though drawing from it all its information, that it returns to the system in the form of "concepts" or "abstract ideas". The left hemisphere works in isolation- not necessarily subject to the general rules and interests of the integrated brain, and it can even turn the tables on the rest of the brains and reverse or even cancel the natural order of the other brains.

     

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    I cannot emphasize enough the value and power of self-regulation in human interactions. This is especially true for online interactions (such as on TDB or other social media platforms). 

     

    I understand that people have different views and opinions, but we need to temper our enthusiasm for expressing our opinions with how they are perceived by our peers.

     

    This comes down to the age-old adage - "know your audience." 

    With the right audience, a particular opinion or viewpoint can be downright scintillating—the person expressing said thoughts might be perceived as a rockstar or celebrity. However, if the opinion and the audience are at odds, it can lead to a terrible experience for both. 

     

    I'm not suggesting we should be disingenuous or pretend to conform to our peers, but how many times does a message that is not well-received need to be repeated to the same audience? Maybe we must introspect and figure out why our message is poorly received.  This is where self-regulation comes into play. A skillful communicator will realize that their message is not generating the kind of response they were expecting and either re-evaluate their viewpoint, modify their message, or recognize that their target audience needs to be different. 

    • Like 2