Gerard

I learned more in life from simpletons than highly-cultured intellectual thinkers.

 

Stallone is cool. Fire Horse likes Fire Dog.

 

 

On 25/9/21 at 3:25 AM, freest tramp said:

Most of you heard of the "inner smile" practice,

 

Pffff...and like so many other practices. I wouldn't even know where to start; it's called "spiritual materialism," and oh god get out of it ASAP or it will stagnate you and your practice beyond belief.

 

Didn't that guy write like an entire collection of books? 

I was going to edit my poet because I thought that providing a real life example would help practitioners searching for a good teacher. Then dmattwads posted first so let me list again:

 

1. My teacher. When I first arrived at the class he spoke to me and gave me a good idea about what the art is all about. He didn't show me an entire form to impress or even overwhelm me with more information as if we already plenty of it in our modern world; overwhelming in fact (poor suffering Stomach, always processing too much). Well he showed me little bit demanded from me a lot and indeed a lot of work I had to do from day 1. 
 

Let me say that a good teacher also demands a good and hardworking student; so it's a reciprocal relationship.

 

2. Another teacher I went to several years later because I wanted to learn another internal martial art to supplement my main practice.

 

Day 1: He asks me to follow and entire routine. A simplified version of the art but still long and complex. Obviously it was a mess and I had no idea of what was really going on. Tedious, boring only focused on form. 

 

He didn't charge much but he demanded little too and was only showing off how good he was at the art like a pretty swan. Maybe he charged little because he wasn't a famous teacher or because he wasn't really that good after all. Anyway I didn't want to find out and never returned to his classes. 

 

Today I haven't learned anything else except from my art. No need for more just focus on your practice and 'master' it (keep going till the end) rather than doing multiple things (jack of all trades). 

 

I also learned Vipassana meditation according to the Mahasi Sayadaw method. Seated and walking meditation practice. Very good stuff and available to anyone without having to spend a fortune or going through the perils of finding a legitimate teacher from the Taoist/IMA traditions. Just go to any Thai or Burmese monasteries and you'll learn how to meditate properly and correctly without encountering the pitfalls of self-learning or from books and online resources. Teaching is free in most instances or donation based in some. 

23 hours ago, XianGong said:

It is very hard for a beginner to find a good teacher, the main reason they cannot tell a difference between high quality "food" and "McDonald's". It all looks the same to them.

 

Yes true it is to a certain degree but ONE MUST BE SMART ENOUGH TO WEED OUT THE BAD TEACHERS. Keep searching if you haven't found and they will appear when you are ready not earlier. 

 

Signs of a good teacher:

 

1. Wants the students to excel in the art hence he's not there to promote himself or his art.
2. He has deep knowledge of the art hence he isn't a peacock showing off his wonderful plumage.

3. He is not teaching openly to the whole world. The little to not known type is better; however this is not always the case as good teacher can also be very well known and promote their arts openly to a wider audience. It is rare though but it happens.

4. They charge fairly not exorbitant amounts of money.

5. They live their arts 24/7 or close to that since they are also working on themselves.

6. Are linked or have learnt from a teacher that comes from a very well established and known lineage. 

7. Understand the needs of the students first and foremost. 

 

 

Got it! Knowing that guy is a Xingyi teacher who learnt his art in mainland China...Beijing to be exact then he probably purchased them in the open markets of that city.

 

Thanks for the tip.

7 hours ago, XianGong said:

What are the complications of scamming 2000+ people?

 

How about the millions that eat McDonald's food for example?

 

The corporation is still very profitable and it doesn't seem they are going to go out of business:

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/208917/revenue-of-the-mcdonalds-corporation-since-2005/

 

My advice: 

 

Find a good teacher; there are certainly many out there. 

 

I learnt from a very good one. Others will state likewise from theirs.

 

There always will be good teachers and bad teachers; bogus systems and proven and legitimate systems. Such is life. 

 

Hello,

 

I was wondering where in Asia is possible to buy a pair of these.
 

Thanks in advance. 

 

 

My experience on this subject:

 

1. Jing is semen indeed, BUT the underlying energetic principle. It's your root, the connection to the physical realm. Your animal sign (Yin) will tell you how much Jing you have and it is directly related to Kidney strength.

 

Water Pig lots of Jing. Rise families with several children.

Fire Horse very little. Celibacy is recommended for people born in a Fire Horse Year (1966, upcoming 2026).  Famous Buddhist monks were all Fire Horses.

 

2. Once a certain amount of Jing has been developed resulting from a healthy diet, fresh air and energetic-meditative practices one must move a lot in order to allow circulation of that Jing to prevent stagnation hence increased sexual desire. Sex is logically the best venue to dissipate/eliminate Jing. The downside of this is that your overall 'spiritual' energy will diminish greatly so you need to start all over again when Jing is lost due to sexual activity or leakage.

 

3. *One meal a day before noon keeps Jing levels in balance diminishing sexual desire. 

 

4. Vegetarianism decreases sexual desire enormously.

 

5. Fasting for long periods of time will also eliminate sexual desire and excessive Jing build up.

 

Buddhism follows these principles too but they don't talk about it officially the same way Taoism has. 

 

Hope this all helps. 
 

*Years of removing Qi blockages, clearing the internal organs, opening the joints of the entire body, softening of the entire tendon-muscular system, elimination of internal heat and dampness will finally allow one to cope with eating one meal a day (especially during the warmer months and depending on mental & physical activity).

On 26/9/21 at 8:47 AM, Bindi said:

 

Yes, yes, yes and yes. 

 

I agree Vipassana  is similar, but I feel Vipassana’s emphasis on the entire body distracts from what I believe the Daoist’s have gotten right, ie the dantians. I have found certain aspects of emotional work and dantian development go hand in hand. 

 

Buddha's method of development sees the body as a distraction and not only that ignores completely the Yin & Yang. Perfect for HIM not so much for people not like HIM. It's incomplete. The body thing I agree it's an illusion, a burden...but we can't ignore it because the Body leads to the Mind and if the Body is ill, weak and blocked forget about reconnecting with the Mind. 

 

One sometimes wonders if the Buddha had really any blockages at all because to dismiss or not even realise about the Yin & the Yang then something extraordinary must've really going on in his internal energetics!! 

 

Quote

I haven’t looked into his method. 

 

It's similar to what the astral projection method of Robert Bruce: tactile imaging and stimulation of the entire body while being in a state of complete relaxation.

 

It may or may not work for everyone.

 

Vipassana's method is similar too. You become aware of what is really going on internally while being or trying to be in a state of "present moment" and watching your thoughts all the time (monkey mind) until they fade away. From this moment on the real meditative work starts.

 

It's very slow process and may or may not work for everyone.  

 

IMO there is no best method but the one that works for you...and delivers the goods. Still a good method should primarily promote the following five elements:

 

1. Relaxation

2. Be balanced (yin-yang, 5 forces)

3. Actively work on Body-Mind blockages with the goal of dissolving them

4. Implements movement equally to the level of still meditative work. Movement should heavily emphasise on twisting, rotating, sinking, rising and expanding (Taoist five forces) while also actively promoting work that includes opening of the pelvic region, which is notoriously difficult to do as a result of our modern lifestyle.

5. Bringing/sinking the Qi down to the feet on a daily basis.

 

Edit. Note: forget about the dantians. It's irrelevant. Another FAD like the MCO, Kundalini and all the new age stuff that found its way into Taoism by some ungrounded followers who thought that developing energy in a certain way would allow them to become immortals? Why waste your time with it knowing that WE ALL ARE IMMORTALS in the first place!

On 17/09/2021 at 10:36 PM, StillWater said:

I'm pretty darn new to a lot of this, and the information I have gathered thus far is really from books.  I've read this forum here and there but it is so vast and extensive it is like walking into a library of scrolls and hoping you pick the right one

 

Welcome to our MODERN WORLD:

 

1. Information 

2. Technology

 

Both try to control our lives in EXCESS.

 

My advice:

 

1. Do not read books unless is for historical knowledge.

2. Find a real life teacher who is only focused on passing on a tested method via oral instructions; eg. Chinese Internal Martial Arts, Buddhist Vipassana (that includes walking meditation). 

3. You'll need to do heaps of grounding work; search for Youtube videos about the Asian Squat. This you'll be doing on a daily basis for the rest of your life.

 

When I attended Vipassana retreat in northern Thailand I was asked to stay away from the Internet, books a and discussing with others (except for my assigned teacher) the fruits of my practice. 

 

Good luck

13 hours ago, Apech said:

It boggles the mind to think how this huge collection manages to cooperate to make us live.

 

What we truly are is indeed MIND BLOWING!

 

It goes beyond the physical as you know. Try to contain, measure or quantify "spirit." 

On 10/09/2021 at 4:47 AM, Taomeow said:

And to think how much progress we've made since then.

  

 

 

NONE. Taoism has covered this in-depth for millennia. The causes of disease have got nothing to do with microorganisms.

 

BTW:

 

Biologists estimate that 380 trillion viruses are living on and inside your body right now—10 times the number of bacteria. 

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/viruses-can-help-us-as-well-as-harm-us/

 

Why don't you become one...I mean unleash the spiritual master within? Rather than reading spiritual-fi books.

 

 

 

18 hours ago, anshino23 said:

What you are describing also sounds more appropriate for someone living in a retreat meditative setting and not someone who is a very active person in their respective communities,

 

Yes. My bad I didn't mention that. Sometimes I forget we are all at different levels. Glad you pointed it out.

 

But my experience is that the more you practice and further progress on this path the less food you need as well as not tolerating food intake after midday let alone after sunset. 

 

Anyway each to their own. 

 

Eating/adapting one's diet according to "seasonal changes" and "geographical location" is what the OP should really bear in mind. 

21 hours ago, virtue said:

Unsolicited personal advice.

 

My comment was directed to the OP who his asking for advice and because yours leads to *disharmony I logically stepped in and provided advice based on my personal experience.

 

Try to have dinner in the Buddhist monasteries in Thailand, for example. GOOD LUCK. 

 

https://www.watpahnanachat.org/about#practice-schedule (To refrain from eating after midday).

 

*To the OP, what exactly happens is that after midday the Yin starts to rise, the Earth Element which is in charge of digestion is completely inactive so any food intake basically sits in the Stomach and the Liver and during the Yin period that food triggers Fire, your body becomes too Yang. During night time the organ networks that are active (Pericardium, Triple Warmer, Gall Bladder from 11pm) should not be agitated with food intake; it only leads to trouble. One generates damp-heat and food stagnation by doing so. Food stagnation causes masses of lump that can be localised in various parts of the body not only in the abdominal region.

 

Further info:

 

https://www.mayway.com/articles/abdominal-distension-fu-zhang-pi-man

On 06/09/2021 at 12:27 AM, virtue said:

 

My typical dinner

 

 

This is when problems start and will damage/mess your energetic system ENTIRELY

 

My advice:

 

First meal first thing in the morning. 6-8am. Eat really well, like a king.

 

Last meal before 12 noon (optional).

 

Proven one is doing inner work for many hours a day & night. 

 

What to eat:

 

1. Primarily soups & stews in the cooler months of the year. Ramen, congees, soups using bone broths, slow cooked stews during the winter months, etc. 

2. Cooling foods during the warmer months. Congees should be still consumed during this time in order to protect the Spleen. 

 

Another perennial topic. An enormous amount of effort, dedication and discipline is required to tackle those 'emotions' which are nothing more than blockages you have carried on (will carry on if not resolved) from lifetime to lifetime.

 

Buddhism calls this Vipassana; that is, seeing things as they truly are.

 

*Gurdjieff's method is the same minus the religious content..

 

It's basically the essence of INNER WORK.

 

Hey,

 

Let me strongly recommend you taking up Bagua Quan. Teachers in Germany:

 

https://www.internalintent-germany.de

 

https://www.facebook.com/bagua.deutschland/

 

The second link is more martial arts focused but you still will learn to walk the circle which is the essence of the art.

 

Bagua DELETES EVERYTHING. 

It is a VERY SLOW and GRADUAL process. Herbs work better because their action is synergetic (they work together as a whole and each with their specific function). Like an army; herbs are categorised in a formula as emperor, prime minister, minister & envoy. 

 

Further info:

 

http://www.acupuncture.com/education/tcmbasics/herbprescrip.htm

 

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-you-should-know-about-chinese-herbs/

 

Healing all the organs and getting rid of damp-heat first expect a 10-year period of not more according how chronic it is.

 

1. Forget about books this stuff is very complex. 

2. It is a 10-year study to become a licensed TCM herbalist.

3. I wish I could help you finding a herbalist in Germany but I can't as I live in Australia at the moment. 

4. Try here and hopefully you'll be lucky:

 

https://forums.tcm.com

 

Note:

 

Once heat is cleared focus on STRENGTHENING the SPLEEN, which is an organ that loves nourishing foods like soups and stews. 

 

https://www.thekitchn.com/25-nourishing-d-159118

 

https://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth-stocks/soups-and-stew-recipes/

 

Ramen is something the Spleen will LOVE. 

 

https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-chashu-miso-ramen/

 

 

 

22 hours ago, Pedro said:

I also believe that my problem was night time meals (heavy, with lots of cheese). For too long time. Eating was a way to calm myself.

 

I'm from Germany by the way. Originally from Italy.

 

 

Yes that's one biggie: eating night time meals especially in countries like Italy or Spain where eating late at night is a cultural thing. Check the organ networks that are active during those hours and see the effect that eating + digesting (yang) has on them, kind of an explosion: boooom! The energies generated are DAMP + HEAT; they sit and clog the organs and meridians. 

 

 

21 hours ago, Pedro said:

She gave me for the first 2 weeks tablets with a Gentian "formula", a combination of 5 herbs.

 

Good luck with that! You'll never heal yourself by taking tablets. Herbal medicine is extremely sophisticated and complex. 

 

Yes she gave you a herb prescribed to drain dampness (long dan cao).

 

You need to obtain fresh herbs and decoct them according to the doctor's instructions. 

 

The most common organs that suffer from damp-heat pathology are the Spleen, the Large Intestine, the Urinary Bladder, and the Gall Bladder.

 

Imagine how much power the herbs need to generate to remove damp-heat from those organs. A lot. Pills do nothing. Go find someone else please.

 

Also treat the underlying conditions that cause damp-heat in the first place: diet, lifestyle (including sexual activity) and unresolved emotions.

 

All the best

Go see a TCM doctor specialised in herbal medicine. It's a lot more than just taking only ONE herb. 

 

Lifestyle, diet and emotional factors all need to be addressed to eliminate this condition. It is a very SLOW process.

 

Also one must stop eating night time meals.

 

Further info:

 

Damp Heat syndrome

 

Do you live in Spain?

 

 

1 hour ago, Pedro said:

acupuncture is now the therapy that slowly continues to treat the damp-heat syndrome.

 

Not a good technique to treat this difficult condition as it is persistent since it lingers deep in the organs and meridians. Imagine how much dampness people carry in the large intestine which itself is quite a large organ network. 

 

Herbal medicine is a lot better (and quicker).

 

Quote

Could it be that when you are in the middle of a damp-heat aggravation, the Zhan Zhuang training adds more energy and makes the "heat" aspect worse? I believe that my diet was the cause of all the problems.

 

ZZ is like an inflating the balloon type of practice. I'd advice you to start one that involves a lot of movement. If you have a sedentary lifestyle ZZ will aggravate your pre-existing conditions rather that removing them for good.

 

Quote

 

Too much milk products, adding to much dampness.

 

One reason. There are many others. Liver Qi stagnation is one of the main ones (excessive thinking, computer work, emotional issues, stress, not moving enough due to lifestyle).

 

Keep your practice simple. I can't emphasise this enough. The more complex and showy the forms the less internal and more ego-focused the art becomes.

 

 

 

 

Soul Ages

 

Not a Taoist reading or subject but regardless CONSCIOUSNESS does not differentiate between religions and sciences (Taoism as an esoteric one) and this link offers (pretty much like Jane Roberts did as an Earth incarnation of SETH) very accurate information about SOUL EVOLUTION. 

 

We are on a planet dominated by YOUNG SOULS and BABY SOULS; the rest of the categories are all spread out pretty much like statistical data. OLD SOULS are the outliers when reading statistical data.

 

This pandemic is a good example of how the planet is currently evolving. Technology (the young soul's favourite weapon) dictates modern life, which in turn is causing a lot of damage to the Earth itself (Earth phase in the Five Elements theory). Technology is associated with thinking and the ego which are Wood qualities (Wood controls Earth  in the Five Elements).

 

Highly recommended reading.

 

Enjoy!

 

*Note: Trying to figure out which article Iinked back then but I'm pretty sure it was related to the Universal Tao website. I couldn't find it. My apologies for deleting it.