Gerard

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Posts posted by Gerard

  2. Posted

    5 hours ago, Neirong said:

    People who talk poorly about MMA, a sport that produces fighters with lightning reflexes and massive strength, that compete at the highest level, claiming they are not real fighters because they follow some common-sense rules like no eye-gouging. 

     

    Yeah right:

     

     

     

    5 hours ago, Neirong said:


     on the opposite, 'internal arts' already have a terrible reputation in society.


    Far from that:

     

    Ba Gua Quan

     

    https://www.energyarts.com/bagua-why-practice-this-old-and-obscure-art-part-1-2/

     

    Tai Chi Chuan

     

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254613000999
     

    Xingyi Quan

     

    https://www.internalartsinternational.com/xing-yi-quan/

     

    Wonderful arts that will change your life entirely for good. 

  5. Posted · Edited by Gerard

    Not a problem. You are starting to mix various teachings, which is a bad idea especially in the beginning stages. Stick to your original source (Tom Bisio) and nothing else. Check others only for reference purposes.

     

    You need to combine circle walking with Foundation work if you plan to go deep. Check He Jing Han's video collection on YT.

  6. Posted · Edited by Gerard

    The problem with that instruction is the focus on the Palm. 
     

    Let's see:

     

    1. The Millstone Pushing Palm is advanced material. Only taught to students after at least one year of practice of the previous 7 Palms if the lineage contains this Palm as number 8; hence the name Eight Mother Palms.

     

    Other Ba Gua lineages start the set known as Ba Da Zhang (8 Old Palms) with the Millstone Pushing Palm. Their 8MP do not include this one. I prefer this methodology and it's the one I learnt.

     

    A better video to learn from is as follows:

     

     

     

    Liu Jingru (Cheng style Ba Gua) teaches the whole 8MP neigong set + mud walking stepping (one method of walking the circle).

     

    2. As a beginning student do not start learning any of thd 8MZl until walking is done correctly. I spent an entire month under my teacher's guidance before he taught me the first Palm.

     

    DO NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS AS THE ENERGIES YOU ARR DEALING WITH ARE VERY POWERFUL. BE WARNED.

     

    Also grounding work must be implemented. Refer to He Jinghan's YT Channel has he has released a ton on instructional material. Start from the very bottom (year 2005) and work your way up.

     

    It's difficult to learn Ba Gua from a video so you know. 
     

    Good luck. 

    • Thanks 1

  8. Posted

    Many recipes here:

     

    Chinese congee (porridge):

     

    https://www.foodandwine.com/soup/porridge/9-recipes-congee-cozy-porridge-you-can-eat-any-time-day

     

    https://www.brit.co/living/healthy-eating/how-to-make-congee-dinner-recipes/

     

    Japanese

     

    https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipe-index/
     

    Winter warmers 

     

    https://www.thespruceeats.com/winter-stews-and-casseroles-4157675

    *https://cerijoneschef.com/welsh-cawl/
     

    *Feel free to replace lamb with chickpeas & spicy tofu (see note) if you don't eat meat.

     

    The Welsh cawl is a bomb! It will awaken the dead. :)

     

    Note: here's how to make spicy tofu cubes.

     

    https://www.tasteasianfood.com/spicy-crispy-tofu-recipe/

    • Like 1

  9. Posted · Edited by Gerard

    TCM:

     

    https://vitalitymagazine.com/article/traditional-chinese-medicine-for-herpes/amp/

     

    You need to clear both HEAT & DAMP from your system being the Liver organ (Wood element) the culprit.

     

    There are specific herbal formulas for this but you need to seek  professional treatment. On top of that you need to follow a solid internal  energy method. Seated meditation alone won't  fix the problem.

     

    Good luck.
     

  12. Posted · Edited by Gerard

    Over time (if you practice well and have a healthy functioning Spleen/Earth Force) you'll end up eating only brunch as your daily meal. Around 10am or so.

     

    Before that try having breakfast as your strongest meal of the day where basically you only eat wholesome food. I used to eat ramen (with either braised pork belly or pan-fried + roasted skin-on chicken breast) and various traditional soup recipes but only in the colder months of the year. Ramen only up to mid-spring. Also Afghan and Pakistani curries with either lamb or beef but strictly in winter as you need that energy boost if you eat only 1or 2 meals per day. 

    For lunch (before midday) it was only something very light like miso soup & some crepes or a sandwich made with toasted bread slices.

     

    Once you eat brunch only if that's the case, switch to your main meal of the day and you eat anything you like making sure is healthy and nutritious.

     

    Once a week I prepare Japanese dishes like okonomiyaki (you need a lot of practice to prepare this one as it's not easy to cook without a teppan/iron griddle), omurice, katsu chicken, hambagu, yakimeshi (fried rice), Japanese curry and stir-fry dishes like yaki udon. 
     

    Meat can be easily omitted in Asian cuisine which makes it very versatile. Replace it with tofu or any of the wide range of Asian mushroom varieties. 
     

    • Thanks 1

  18. Posted

     

    11-1am is when the gallbladder meridian is activated. 
     

    Also 11-midnight is the peak time for Lower Jiao. 


    Lower Jiao involves the combined action of the Kidney & Urinary Bladder as well as the Small and Large Intestines. Also the legs. 
     

    Midnight is when Yin peaks.

     

     

  20. Posted

    Indeed, you have to move but without the essential nei gong skill Xingyi becomes just a form; a "tiger without its bones" as the old XGQ masters said. 

    One of the keys to the practice of the art is to be found in its name: Body (xing) & Mind (yi) as one; integration of form (xing) and intent (yi) as a whole inseparable entity since Body emanates from the Mind.

     

    In line with Buddhist thought! :)

     

     

     

  21. Posted

    17 hours ago, Taomeow said:

     

    I'd be curious to see your definitions of the terms "fact" and "proof."    


     

    Same as many other topics:

     

    1. Prove the Tao exists at all. 


    2. Prove that Qi/life force is a fact. 
     

    3. Prove that Yin & Yang is a fact and not a philosophical concept.
     

    You can detect the vibrations of the internal organs by using pulse diagnosis but this doesn't necessarily prove Qi exists or the physical existence of Y&Y.

     

    Same goes with past lives and past lives awareness.

     

    Buddhist perspective:

     

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijñā

     

    https://www.suttas.com/chief-disciple-ven-moggallana.html
     

     

    Hypnotherapy perspective:

     

    https://healingsoulhypnosis.com/12-things-you-should-know-about-a-past-life-regression/

     

     

    Prove any of it. You can't.

     

    Prove the nature of consciousness. You can't.

     

    Prove the location of consciousness. You can't.

     

    What on earth are we here for?

     

    What's the purpose of this forum if most of it can't be proven? 
     

     

    • Confused 1

  22. Posted · Edited by Gerard

    Pretty much Steve. This is what my teacher taught me. Good XGQ practice comes purely from STS, the root foundation of the art.

     

    He himself put a lot of effort into it and practising every day for years in front of the ocean certainly payed off.

     

    When I see him walking the circle I can detect the subtle and powerful influence of Xingyi in his form. 
     

    I think his Xingyi is a lot better than his Ba Gua. He is a Water Ox so it makes sense as Ox is a very slow animal and STS training favours his personality a lot more than an active animal like a Dog, Horse or Tiger. 

    • Like 2

  25. Posted

    On 9/4/2023 at 11:44 PM, Taomeow said:

     

    Despite all the fossilized patriarchal crap many of its schools picked up along the way and incorporated on misogynistic autopilot, taoism remains the only "path" with a physiologically sound premise -- the Great Mother. 

     

     

    The Great Spirit. Beyond sex and religion.

     

    The fact that we live countless lives BOTH in male or female forms is a proof that gender means little. Self-realisation is what really counts whether you are male or female.

     

    Two of the greatest quotes ever written:

     

    You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop (Rumi, a man).

     

    First of all, a soul is not something that you have. It is what you are (Jane Robert's-Seth, a woman).