steve

Yes, this certainly carries over to the main subject of the video linked above, xuan guan. While I do not disagree with his points and feel no need to challenge or debate, my Daoist teacher taught xuan guan as a very specific and precise location that was an important part of our meditation practice. Actualizing that point in practice had effects which proved for me, and fellow students, to be related to ‘non-local’ effects referred to in the video.

The fellow that made the video on xuan guan does a nice job discussing xing and ming and their cultivation in this and other videos.

Thank you for making that last point. Just because we had to invent the idea of dark matter to account for observations that our present theoretical framework cannot explain, does not mean dark matter actually exists. it may simply be that our theoretical framework is missing something important. That said there is some recent evidence that may further strengthen the idea of the existence of dark matter. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251129053349.htm

IMO, an accurate definition of Qi is certainly not the English word energy, particularly as that word is loosely used in non-scientific contexts. Qi is far more fundamental and relational/contextual than what is meant by the English word energy, even ATP related energy, and IMO the idea of storing, building, and blocking Qi, even the idea of feeling Qi can be very misleading, even an obstacle. My Daoist teacher, who was Chinese, was just like you describe - not overly concerned with things like translations and definitions of words and concepts. For him, any time we spent reading and studying concepts was wasted time we could have devoted to experiential practice. What makes you say "nobody is familiar with" ATP energy? It is a very basic concept in biochemistry and I suspect many of us here are quite familiar with it. There was a time that I had it memorized down to each chemical formula but I let that go about 40 years ago. While I do understand and appreciate your point related to the important association between "ATP energy" and Qi, I would disagree with defining Qi solely as energy, even that generated through the TCA cycle. I think that is too reductive and does not account for the many different contextual associations with 氣 or 炁 both in neidan and more general usage.

I was simply quoting Cobie. My agreement referred to my experience that as we get deeper and closer to what it means to be human, the fewer differences we are likely to find among ourselves. This can be seen on multiple levels - physical, emotional, psychological, energetic, metaphysical, etc...

I agree there is no difference at the core. There are meaningful differences on the way there, such as in language construction and conceptualization, not to mention cultural context. At least that’s been my experience. This is one reason why it’s so helpful to have friends who are native speakers when learning the language.

In a similar vein to the East-West dichotomy in understanding, conceptualization, and language discussed in the article above on Qi; I just stumbled across this quotation from Joseph Campbell that describes this fundamental difference in religious/spiritual life. “God and Buddhas in the Orient are not final terms like Yahweh, the Trinity, or Allah, in the West - but point beyond themselves to that ineffable being, consciousness, and rapture that is the All in all of us. And in their worship, the ultimate aim is to effect in the devotee a psychological transfiguration through a shift of his plane of vision from the passing to the enduring, through which he may come finally to realize in experience (not simply as an act of faith) that he is identical with that before which he bows." -Joseph Campbell Of course there are exceptions on both sides, but the quotation rings true in my personal experience with Eastern and Western religions and related practices and rituals.

I liked how the article pointed out fundamental differences in Eastern and. Western language and ontology and its effect on our conceptualization and understanding of Qi. I also like how it emphasized the contextual and relational nature of Qi which makes it a bit difficult to define it in Western terms as a precise quantity or substance.

I found this article on Qi to be interesting. Can't say I agree with everything it says but some here may appreciate it. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10874819/ Despite its growing utility I would urge some caution in relying too heavily on AI to explain neidan, among other things, regardless of language. AI does not have the power of human discernment, something I consider important when it comes to meaningful understanding.

Too general a question

Good question, evidence suggests positive reinforcement is more effective than negative in many cases. For me, somewhat, depending on specifics. For others, very easy.

In my mind, this is a different issue. This example is more related to rules and consequences. The master of a lineage does not need to feel forgiveness for the precept-breaker, they need to enforce the rules in order to preserve the tradition or insure optimal training. I can forgive someone and still expect them to be appropriately punished. The master can feel genuine compassion and forgiveness and still exact punishment in order to teach a lesson. The forgiveness is in my heart, the punishment is an attempt to modify behavior, two very different things for me.

Another important consideration here applies to those of us following spiritual paths like Bon, Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, and so on. Forgiveness and repentance are associated with the sense of a finite and persistent self. If we are able to release ourselves from the captivity of that limited idea of self, forgiveness and repentance are spontaneous and effortless. The degree to which we feel wronged, or that we have wronged, is the degree to which we remain attached to a finite sense of self. So the process of releasing and opening into the present moment, free of the baggage of expectations and judgement, naturally leads to forgiveness that is not dependent on repentance and to contrition that is not dependent on forgiveness. These are all must my own personal musings and I don't suggest or expect that my approach will work for others. Just sharing where I'm at on my journey, fwiw.

Forgiveness, for me, is a personal and private act of releasing the pain and bitterness of perceived offense. It has little to do with anyone else or their choices. It allows me to diminish my own burden, if genuine. Repentance or contrition is also a personal and private act of releasing the burden of having offended myself or others. It allows me to diminish my own burden, if genuine. If I depend on someone else’s repentance to consider forgiveness, or vice versa, I am only harming myself, no one else, withholding the possibility of healing and growth. My sustained experience of offense and the associated stress only harms me, it does nothing to my offender. Maya Angelou has some beautiful statements and poetry about the subject. The film Rubaru Roshni is a beautiful and touching film about forgiveness, highly recommended.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81243992