11:33

No. This is too philosophical. It doesn't change in the way you think.

 

You still have to clean the house.

It's not philosophical to me, its based on my experiences. If I drop the ego, the ego can't do the house cleaning, something else has to do it.

Treat yourself good! So it's necessary to set up a discipline of how you take care of yourself.

 

It's not so hard. Just get a little exercise. Eat balanced. Don't stay up all night.

Who is doing these things? Without an ego there is no one doing them. Right?

Amazingly to my eyes it seems we have managed to achieve a bit of both, Aldus and Orwell all at once (though leaning more to the Huxley)

Thank you Brother K,

I wrote a nice response but it seems to have disappeared...

I won't try to re-write it though.

If I (the ego) isn't what is moving, then what is moving?

Bulk herbs are terrific if you're perched on the top of the herbal learning curve. Synergism is an awfully important thing in TCM. I am almost entirely unschooled in herbalism.

You can get that book, "Tonic Herbs" used for very cheap on amazon, it is supposed to be a very good book, with herbal combinations and such.

Nothing whatsoever.

I don't believe that. Just based on personal experience.

I can see how needing something to support your ego (such as God), is then a crutch... But it doesn't mean that there isn't something, case in point the enlightened people who walk the Earth, they don't lose their homes and not have food to eat and have life just stop still...

That sucks.

EDIT: Clearly SOMETHING has to support you. It says it clearly in the Tao Te Ching that he who gives up everything attains everything. That the Tao nourishes and supports all things. Is this not meant in any spiritual sense alla God?

If I let-go of thought and enter emptiness, if I let go of ego, then what will assure that I don't rot and loose my home and die?

Is this where these ancient teachings meet the concept of God? Is God or the Tao what ensures my body doesn't go without food or shelter? Because if I let go of the *I*, it does beg the question "well who else is gonna take care of 11:33's body, his home, his loved ones, etc, etc"

I took the opening question to be something along the lines of "how could the unitiated feel chi?"

Yeah probably I thought someone reading this might find it useful to know about. I didn't even know what the San Guan was at some point, so the more information the better for anyone reading.

When in doubt you can look for the herbs in bulk and get better prices per lb probably.

For easier to find herbs I really like:

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

They don't have deer antler though which is supposed to be potent good stuff.

On another note, I've heard that Teegarden's book "Tonic Herbs" is very good. I want to order it soon for my Chinese Medicine library.

All the Best

My video camera battery went dead so as soon as it recharges I am going to post a video of the sword form I am learning and maybe you guys can tell me what I am doing.

Hey Darin,

Don't you just love the internet?

When I had the Three Gates opened along the Du meridian in my spine, I remember that I could immediately feel my chi flowing like little streams around my body much more than before (when I could barely feel it, even though I'd been practicing for a year). I think it is called the Three Gates or San Guan??? Usually the point at the mingmen, behind the heart and behind the head. Don't know all the technical acupoint names, though.

Erdweir,

It's all good. Sometimes in life, not everyone is what you think.

To be clear I didn't mean that everyone's thoughts are useless. I meant everyone's opinions ABOUT ME are, unless they take the time to really understand where I'm coming from. That's all. Nothing more nothing less.

In the future if I suspect someone is saying something to me that is based in not even knowing anything about me I will respond with this:

<Fart Sound>

Simple as that.

What some of you may be missing is that there is no traditional Master-Student relationship being played out here on TaoBums.

If, for example, I was Confucious' disciple, the entire situation would be different. For one Confucious would know me personally. He'd know my past. He'd know what I don't know, what I know, and where I am in the middle Confucious, being a master teacher, I would give my utmost attention to.

If any of you are Taoist/Buddhist/other masters, please make it known, and I will take your opinion (About me) with more care.

Otherwise, your opinion (about me) is an opinion. Floating out in cyber space, that opinion about me really only has two ways of being of value to me: is it from a person who knows me, knows where I am coming from? Or is it from a master, who not even knowing me has so much insight that I will consider carefully what is said. Without either of those things then it's just two students AT BEST, two talking heads AT WORST.

It's not personal. But being around cyberspace long enough there are opinions everywhere. If I didn't have filters in place, that would be a mess.

lol

What can I say, this is his BIOGRAPHY from HIS OWN website ...

 

 

YM

Yes, I understand... I am a little disappointed. I thought I might be able to find him in Massachusetts, but now I know he's a fraud... C'est la vie!

I assume outright lying is not a trait of a Taoist disciple?

I looked at his old site and that kind of outright lying makes my stomach churn.

That video was impressive. I guess imitation is one of the many ways of the Tao. Tht bird could impersonate cameras, and chainsaws, amazing!

Thanks for noting this guys. I was thinking of seeking him out in Massachusetts, since I'm in RI, thinking he was a classically trained Taoist... Now I am thinking otherwise

Hi,

I'd like to discuss Taoist diets, and your thoughts or experiences with them. In my studies of Chinese Medicine I've learned a lot of fascinating stuff about how food is like medicine, each food affects specific organs in the body. So if you have particular imbalances, then particular foods will help harmonize them. I've also found it in the reverse: I will naturally prefer foods that balance the particular imbalances I might have. Fascinating.

One good book about this stuff is: Healing With Whole Foods, but it is reallllly vegetarian oriented, and many Taoists wouldn't agree with that, but otherwise there is tons of good information, and you can just add meat to the mix if you want.

Some books I've heard are good, but haven't gotten to read yet are the books by Daverick Leggett such as Recipes For Self-Healing

What are your thoughts about traditional Taoist diets, and also Taoist food therapy (using particular foods to correct imbalances)?

All the Best

I've even tried to entertain the idea of me being gay, looking at guys, etc... But it just doesn't work, because it's all in my mind and not in my body.

Hey Pranaman,

I feel what you're saying. That is one experience, but if he is experiencing legitimate physical feelings of unattraction to women and genuine sexual attraction to men, that's something different altogether!

Oh one more thing, which is not something I am 100% sure on, but I have heard from my qigong Sifu that in traditional Taoist understanding homosexuality was considered an imbalance (health-wise), and not natural. Now, I know that isn't something our liberal-minded modern attitudes are supposed to agree with, but if you're going to accept some parts of Taoism, one might AT LEAST consider the other parts.

All the Best

Hello,

Are any of you in a Taoist monastery or cultivating daily under a Taoist master?

What are your spiritual practices, meditations, etc? I'm really interested, and trying to find my path.

If its been discussed to death, then could y'all point the way to some links?

All the Best

Hmmm...

Just a suggestion,

If you want to try something taichi-like, you can always learn some form of qigong that doesn't put stress on the knees.