Gerard
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Posts posted by Gerard
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IMO, the main difference between Buddhism and Taoism is that Buddhism believes that the mind is the only thing that really exists - and so they seek refuge in the mind.
Whereas Taoists believe that before the minds, there was emptiness...and so that is what truly exists eternally and what they take refuge in.
Personally, I believe that "first" there was emptiness, then maybe 3 "minds" arose...that then created our illusive universe. If that's the case, then both will take you out of the great dillusion and pretty far back...but Taoism just a little further.
No, Buddhists believe that every time the spirit is reborn body and mind is formed and within the mind there are four subgroups: thoughts or mental formation (sankhara), perception (sanna), sensation (vedana) and consciousness (vinnana).
Now if you are trying to identify yourself (ego) with that mind, you'll find it nowhere as it is purely a product of karma. It's not you.
However, Taoism does not contemplate the concept of karma -but I found this term being mentioned throughout this and other threads of this forum- and they just view the concept of reincarnation in terms of the soul migrating to another life, whereas Buddhists like myself understand that during the rebirth process a new conscious state is born carrying the seeds of good and evil deeds during its karmic evolution.
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I would take with a pinch of salt of what a so-called Chinese Taoist master has to say. Remember real Taoists don't go public and LYING is part of Chinese culture. John Chang paid the price for going public.
The main character of Chronicles of Tao apparently was born in New York.
About Wang Liping, who knows? Anyway Thomas Cleary is a Taoist himself and has been studying with a master of the Complete Reality School for many years now so he knows what is writing about.
There are living masters in China (and other parts of Asia) who are not teaching at all and are capable of those feats. They don't lie because they don't go public and never show anything in public. They have achieved Yang Shen bodies and are centenarians.
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I would take with a pinch of salt of what a so-called Chinese Taoist master has to say. Remember real Taoists don't go public and LYING is part of Chinese culture. John Chang paid the price for going public.
The main character of Chronicles of Tao apparently was born in New York.
About Wang Liping, who knows? Anyway Thomas Cleary is a Taoist himself and has been studying with a master of the Complete Reality School for many years now so he knows what is writing about.
There are living masters in China (and other parts of Asia) who are not teaching at all and are capable of those feats. They don't lie because they don't go public and never show anything in public. They have achieved Yang Shen bodies and are centenarians.
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There is a lot of misconception with ZZ. Let me put it this way:
Because one is fighting gravity the muscles need to carry an excessive load that will rise fire qi and hence tension.
So ZZ has a point of diminishing returns, that is the more or longer you do it the less benefit you get.
That is my case, after 4 years of doing daily ZZ I quit. It was developing my entire musculoskeletal structure not just the major muscle groups but all of them. Hence my dietary requirements were enormous.
In addition due to the fire qi build up (problem that was compounded by my internal energetic structure, fire horse, according to Sheng Xiao and 5 Elements Theory) my body became too Yang.
I no longer practice ZZ, just sitting Buddhist meditation (Vipassana).
However, I must admit that for a beginner (and perhaps for anyone that doesn't have a fire nature: sheep, horse or snake) ZZ is an extremely valuable exercise with all the well-known Qigong benefits.
Sitting meditation combined with moving Qigong delivers equal benefits.
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aren't your 'energetic requirements' primarily determined by your mind?
Define me the mind, please?
What mind, where, when?
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So basically, "grounding" is dependent on the mind cultivating, not what they eat. Keep to wholesome views, and still mind and heart, and there will be no problem at all.
Peace and Blessings,
Lin
Sorry if I disagree but grounding is dependent on Yin and Yang. Nothing to do with the mind.
If you are a cave dweller and meditating non-stop for three years then only live on "qi" and water due to their extreme Yin condition. However, if you are doing a lot of physical activity and/or living in society then eating meat/fish is not going to deter your spiritual progress as in this state you are more Yang and hence you would need more meat/fish and sexual activity.
It's all about balancing Yin & Yang according to our energetic requirements and own internal make-up following Shen Xiao (5 elements applied to Zodiac).
Remember that Siddharta Buddha died of eating either "mushroom delicacy or soft pork".
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Only a Buddha has no ego.
How many living Buddhas today in this earthly plane? None.
Aspiring ones: some
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Have you tried meditation alone for let's say 15 years twice a day or 5-10 years full-time (+/- 8 h per day) before saying soemthing this?
No i have not and have no desire to and would never recommend anyone to meditate that many hours per day
Why not?
To change our ego-centred minds takes a long, long time of meditative practice and the more hours one meditates (according to their internal energetic make-up) the better and the quicker the results.
Breathing methods??? That sounds the fire path to me. Hmm..Not recommended. The water path is safer and produces the same results with no side effects.
I wouldn't recommend fire methods to a "fire horse" (Sheng Xiao/Chinese Zodiac) like myself
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I am just curious of others thoughts and opinions, on what constitutes enlightenment, and how one knows when one is enlightened.
Because if I post my personal opinion on such complex metaphysical topic I'd be given an answer according to existing traditions and schools of thought I am going to give you two links that might shed some light on your query:
http://www.urbandharma.org/ibmc/ibmc2/sudden.html
http://www.kusala.org/udharma6/enlightnirvana.html
On the other hand, once I came across an online Buddhist site that contained a more traditional view of what enlightenment would entail from a supramundane perspective. However I didn't bookmark it but I still remember some details of what was said in it:
1. Sudden realization of all lifetimes
2. Ability of see all worlds, astral and celestial
3. Etc.
However, you shall not seek these as they are basically siddhis, which in turn will enforce our egos and deviate us from the path toward spiritual enlightenment.
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Personally, I'd stay away of anyone who calls themselves as a master and wears fancy silk clothes. That website you linked to looks like an emerging commercial venture.
Real Taoists don't go public. Remember that.
Currently living in Brisbane.
The meditations he teaches are practiced along side moving/standing forms to focus on the regulation of your body and mind to achieve a state he calls pure land. A state where your body and mind are in total harmony,Your organ energies are balanced and your psychology is lifted and not troubled by anything .You can not achieve this state with meditation alone.
Have you tried meditation alone for let's say 15 years twice a day or 5-10 years full-time (+/- 8 h per day) before saying soemthing this?
Through out the training he will often check your body to see if your at that level and some times supplement your training with herbal formulas and until you are he will not teach any higher level methods that involve cultivating chi. To speed up your progress he gives empowerments
Herbal formulas are useless if your diet, sleep and lifestyle are deficient.
Some of the moving forms he teaches at the foundation level are level 1 and 2 Xiang Gong,Lok Tong King,spontaneous Qi Gong,Tai Chi and when you get a bit more advanced he teaches Yi Jin Jing and breathing methods
Fancy names for the following basics: stillness, tamed mind and internal organs health that allow unblocked flow of qi.
Breathing methods??? That sounds the fire path to me. Hmm..Not recommended. The water path is safer and produces the same results with no side effects.
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Let me offer you my personal approach to this topic:
I guess most users here are White Caucasian or Black. Hence their strongest component of Yin & Yang duality is Yang.
Well, if we take this as main premise, we must think that our sexuality is totally opposed to those ethnicities in which Yin is dominant, i.e. Native American (North, Central and South) and Asian.
We cannot possible have ability to regulate our sexuality to the extent Yin-based ethnicities can. It would deny one of the laws in which Tao manifests itself.
Just be content it what you have and keep working in your Karma which IMO is more important than taoist longevity. Morality is the foremost principle to any spiritual practice.
For the rest of us, regulated ejaculation is easier and less traumatic. Just listen to your body and let it dictate its needs after you have controlled several influencing factors: Yoga, various Neijia and Qigong practices, diet, age, gender, rest before Yang starts rising (11 pm), external living conditions (city, village, mountain), work and physical requirements.
Namaste.
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I want to start practicing Tao, but there are some problems...
in General Discussion
Posted
I suggest you do the following:
Sit down on a cushion(s), close your eyes, breath in and breath out and let go.
Do this for 20 years.
Then come back and see where are you at.
Here are some manuals. Free available to anyone. No frills.
http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_m.htm
Taoist:
http://www.1stholistic.com/Meditation/hol_..._meditation.htm
It doesn't matter what method you follow as long as you are able to control your mind.
Personally I believe Vipassana is on the apex of meditations. Available on the Buddhist link.
Enjoy the path.