On 20/9/2023 at 10:17 PM, blue eyed snake said:

 

"The worst"

Now that's quite a judgement. 

 

This is a forum, not a teaching environment.

 

I used the special character ' '. 

 

It is not but from the very moment someone states:

 

1. This particular form will move the Blood, disperse Heat & Stagnation and clear Dampness. But bear in mind that the process may take a long time depending on how long you had them for taking into account your age and lifestyle factors. 

 

2. Practising between midnight and past sunrise will be greatly beneficial to the Wood meridian network. 

 

You are teaching already! 

 

4 hours ago, wstein said:

A minor issue it that there is a hostile minority that makes it impossible to discuss certain topics, example: enlightenment.

 

To avoid like the plague. Not even monastics dare to touch this highly personal and complex subject, what would you expect from a lay practitioner who spends more time in front of his keyboard than practicing for real. 

The 'worst' are the ones that disappear after posting here for years. If you are really accomplished you never give up on guiding others and caring about them unless of course their motivations are purely to satisfy their egos; so I personally ignore them.

 

Even after 60+ years of practice a famous Theravada monastic in northern Thailand never failed to say hello, ask about their backgrounds, countries of origin and show genuine care for the spiritual path they chose to follow. I was told that the Ajahn did this short ceremony of welcome at each Vipassana retreat in his temple. I was part of a group of Westerners who attended in Dec. 2008. 

 

He could easily delegate that job to a senior monk but as someone with a good heart and in his late 80s he preferred to to that himself.

Recommended readings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practicing in the Five Forces: Water/winter.

 

Planet Earth is a huge library and your best teacher. Taoism was born and developed in the mountains, the sea, the desert, the trees, the lakes and the rivers.

 

No books will ever replace that.

 

 

 

Likewise, spring and summer being the best seasons to clear anger from the Liver & Heart organs and associated meridians since both organ networks are dominant in both seasons (Yang).

 

 

No difference or whatsoever with any other hours except the specific organs being dominant at that time.

 

I'd personally combine walking + seated meditation; let's say a 1/2 hour walk + 1/2 hour sitting format. 

 

 

Are you Horse of a Dog? Move and stay away from ZZ.

 

Are you an Ox or a Rooster? ZZ will be of great benefit.

 

Look at practices like walking meditation or Ba Gua Quan as their main idea is constant non-interrupted movement. 

.

Work specifically when Wood & Fire are activated (11am-2pm) and in the wee hours (from midnight to sunrise). 

 

Good luck! 

This is how it works:

 

1, Qi blockages at all various levels.

2. Imbalances in the Five Forces/Elements creation cycle which is happening constantly within you even though you aren't aware of the process.

 

When you physically move on to the next incarnation you'll piggyback the above unless it has all been cleared out.

 

This is the cause & effect according to Taoism even though it isn't approached like that as opposed to the Hindu view of karma. 

 

Just like their domesticated counterparts, it turns out feral cats can’t resist playing with a dangling feather boa. 

 

Feather boas lure feral cats, study finds

 

But the wedge-tailed eagle, unreal. He is boss and smart as just by the way he looks at the camera. 

And that is what makes us HUMAN right here right now, not in the fictitious la-la land. Mindfulness, middle way, the present moment. Chop wood, carry water before and practice. It's paramount being grounded. 

 

The OP will benefit from the following reading:

 

https://www.lionsroar.com/forum-do-you-believe-in-miracles/

 

 

Btw, you are already in that other reality but let's not forget about this other one either.

Your question has been answered already in your quote. Add full time meditation practice as well which I missed to mention. A good practice would be Vipassana. 50/50 walking/seated meditation in a 24/7 practice setting.

 

You would need a teacher in any of the methods including the full time meditation/retreat. 

1. Do a bit of circle walking every day or every other day. One needs to have practiced continuously for at least a decade (or more) of consistent and dedicated practice. 

2. Go with the flow as every year is so different. Next is the Wood Dragon. Big change from the Water Rabbit. 

3. The rest find out for yourself. 

 

 

On 24/8/2023 at 6:07 PM, RobB said:

Before anyone gets too excited

 

And so Taoism started to become intellectual overtime...and endless books written and people going further away from natural laws due to their egos and intellect. 

 

Same happened to Buddhism.

 

The birth of RELIGION and DIVISION.

 

 

Double thread:

 

https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/55035-one-for-the-daoist/

 

 

5E are always within you and that's how reality is created by your own Mind interacting with the 5 Forces. It is a constant, non-stop mechanism similar to the inner workings of a clock.

 

8 Mother Palms are specific hand postures which stimulate certain organ-meridian pathways. You can find more detailed information here. 
 

https://www.internalartsinternational.com/free/mother-palms-of-ba-gua-zhang-part-1/

 

https://www.internalartsinternational.com/news/mother-palms-of-ba-gua-zhang-part-2/

 

The author is not providing specific details about the link between Palms and internal organ theory since he has published a book about it; hence you need pay if you really want to know.

 

Ba Gua Quan schools will differ with the Palms; eg. Cheng style has different Palms compared to the ones linked above likewise with Gong Baotian or Liang styles. A Ba Gua teacher will provide with further instruction in this regard, but there are teachers out there who don't really emphasise on the finer TCM/medical theory details as they are more focused on the combat aspect of the art. 

 

 

Cool. Pretty much what ancient Taoists in China saw within themselves happening while in a state of deep meditation.

 

Human = a miniature representation of the entire reality 

 

Heaven (yang)

↓

Human (yang-yin)

↑

Earth (yin)

 

Flawed forum system that doesn't let you copy-paste poster's comments. Because of the FLAW I have to reply like that, so sorry for excessive and UNNECESSARY posts on my behalf.

 

Fairy-tales:

 

1. Irrelevant stories that only entertain the child and immature.

2. Made-up stories that have zero factual basis.

 

Let's start with the list:

 

1. Ability to see Qi?

 

And who cares. Irrelevant. Directly related to Star Wars pop culture.

 

2. Ability to interact with the spirit world. Brother, make sure you fix this very world of yours you created with your OWN MIND than worrying about others!

 

3. Guide, teacher transmission. Basically, a gateway to the cults that plague religion and spiritual groups. Buyer beware of the bullshit that has been going on for millennia!

 

Now let's stick to the reality of spiritual development:

 

1. Grounding, grounding and more grounding work.

 

2. Yin & yang, two phases, four seasons, five forces, 8 trigrams, Qi or the force that binds material reality and interacts with the yin & yang forces within you following an exact organ-meridian pathway which shifts on a daily basis according to the 'time' of the day & night. 

 

3. Your astrological profile (yang-heaven-Babylonian system & yin-earth-Taoist) and Ba Zi (four pillars of destiny) make-up which will determine WHO you are now in this current cycle of your spiritual evolution (incarnation).

 

4. Hard work and practice in nature. You seldom here this on internet forums. Endless reading of books, microcosmic orbit and filling up the lower tantien? Seriously a waste of time that leads to nowhere.

 

5. Ah! The ENLIGHTENMENT stuff. Pretty amusing. It deserves a good bag of popcorn or chicharrones. 

 

18 hours ago, Neirong said:

I think the ability to see Qi with your own eyes and the ability to interact with the spirit world directly is like a waterboard between the world of mortals and the world of spiritual development.

it is not possible to explain those concepts in words, and not possible to pass through the wall without a guide or a teacher transmission. (And a lot of training)

 

 

 

 

18 hours ago, Taomeow said:

 

The same goes for the rest of the fairy tales.  Depends on who's telling them, and to whom, and what about...  

 

On 8/8/2023 at 3:30 AM, Zoya said:

I won't beat around the bush, I'm here to learn if the stuff I read in novels has an ounce of truth or if fiction and fact are too far apart.

 

 

 100% accurate:

 

Our favourite books for an introduction of Chinese Medicine

 

The rest (most) written by ungrounded, delusional and ego-driven individuals. Edit:

 

BASICALLY A BUNCH OF FAIRY TALES! 

 

 

Maybe the Greek island of Santorini?

 

"The beaches of Santorini are unlike most other beaches in Greece due to their special geological features.  Black and red volcanic pebbles cover the shores of the beaches with a backdrop of magnificent white cliffs.  This lovely peaceful island is one of the most romantic destinations in the Mediterranean. Couples from all over the world honeymoon here because the sunsets are so incredibly spectacular, and along with the scenery exquisite, the air is filled with the fragrant scent of herbs and flowers.

 

Oh and for cat lovers, it’s a dream come true!  Santorini  is home to an unbelievable number of stray cats much like the famous Japanese ‘cat island’ of Tashirojima.  The island is awash with blue domed Byzantine churches rounding off white villages that look they have been painted by cubist architects then decorated with bougainvillea and cats.

 

It’s a place to enjoy freshly caught fish and local wine by the water’s edge, as the local Orthodox priest chats with villagers while cats rub against your legs looking for tit-bits.  It was once said of these cats, that during their catnaps they dream of the days when they were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians and didn’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers for food."

 

The Cats of Santorini Island

 

I guess the photos depicted in that link are of similar quality to those in your book. 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe the Greek island of Santorini?

 

"The beaches of Santorini are unlike most other beaches in Greece due to their special geological features.  Black and red volcanic pebbles cover the shores of the beaches with a backdrop of magnificent white cliffs.  This lovely peaceful island is one of the most romantic destinations in the Mediterranean.  Couples from all over the world honeymoon here because the sunsets are so incredibly spectacular, and along with the scenery exquisite, the air is filled with the fragrant scent of herbs and flowers.

 

 

Oh and for cat lovers, it’s a dream come true!  Santorini  is home to an unbelievable number of stray cats much like the famous Japanese ‘cat island’ of Tashirojima.  The island is awash with blue domed Byzantine churches rounding off white villages that look they have been painted by cubist architects then decorated with bougainvillea and cats.

 

It’s a place to enjoy freshly caught fish and local wine by the water’s edge, as the local Orthodox priest chats with villagers while cats rub against your legs looking for tit-bits.  It was once said of these cats, that during their catnaps they dream of the days when they were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians and didn’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers for food."

 

The Cats of Santorini Island

 

I guess the photos of in that link are of similar quality to those in your book. 

 

Santorini is one place I'll travel to for sure!

 

 

 

Not exactly wild but semi-wild:

 

Aoshima, the Purest Cat Island in the Seto Inland Sea

 

Came across that site by accident. I had no idea cat islands existed. They are located in Japan.