VCraigP

the link you want for Podcasts is: http://www.hardlight.org/podcasts.html Cat's link was close but not correct. Just to save you a step. Craig

i'm pretty sure you don't even have the distinctions between "Fire" and "Water" type practices even properly defined in your head. Also FWIW Winn defines his and the Healing Tao systems methods as Fire and Water. Beyond that... I really like what Sean said. It is always difficult to advise someone what they should pursue. What are you drawn to? Do you have sufficient discernment to determine for yourself what is a good path? Do you have sufficient intuition to feel what is right and wrong for you? I would re read Winns discussion about the Fire Water dichotomy which Frantzis poses, and I would advise to read the interview with Frantzis recently published here by Sean. Just for starters. Whether Kundalini as a phenomenon can even be classified as Fire vs Water method I am not even sure. To me the main distinction is that so called Fire methods involve taking conscious action in the process, where Water methods just allow the process to unfold without "making" anything happen. I once had a teacher who insisted that doing "inner smile" practice overheats the heart because you are making something happen. This was not my experience by the way... The subject of whether Frantzis perspective about Water method vs Fire method as being completely different paths is still an open question. The idea of purely allowing, dissolving, etc vs engaging with the process and consciously interacting with it is a big distinction which is not limited to just Winn and Frantzis. Finally, if anyone can tell you what is "better, easier, faster" they are both wrong and they don't know what they are talking about. Craig

INteresting that you didn't stay on the Vic for 49 days. According to my teacher this is the amount of time it takes for a new regimen to become completely entrenched and replace old patterns. Looks like you stopped the drugs just in time :-) Craig

I don't think it matters. What matters is intent and ability to make the connection on a Shen level. The photo or image is just a jumping off point.

Wow Many teachers study with other teachers in this day and age. You seem to be expressing a very narrow worldview, and/or you are just a hater. As long as you are a living breathing human you have the potential to learn and grow. It seems to me this is what Shaktimama is doing. Why should this detract from her? Giving and receiving. I don't know why I bother. Shaktimama. Looking forward to your next report... Craig

Never have a been so close to using the IGNORE function

Measurement is not relevant. There are ancient mind body practices which can and do reduce hypertension. The fact that such tools of measurement did not exist at the time doesn't mean anything. It's really more of a side effect anyway. No one was sitting around saying "wow, your blood pressure is too high, go do this qigong set" It is just simply that certain methods and practices designed for broader purposes have the effect of reducing hypertension in a way which IS measurable.

Blastolio I know you are all about precision in communication so how about this. I don't care that he used imprecise language in his question. what I heard is the title of the thread, Can Taoist practice cure primary hypertension. dont care to pick apart the rest of what he may or may not have asked. Frankly I think you are being silly in focusing on that little piece of how he phrased the question. Craig

The answer is unequivocally YES. Next question please. Craig

For Sifu Terry to chime in might I suggest to ask a question in the FP thread. My impression is he barely has time to respond in that thread and is unlikely to find your query in this one. Recently I heard a teacher say that if you feel any sensation at all "that is a qi sensation". Not sure how useful that is. But perhaps what I mean to say by that is also about releasing expectations. Qi is both mundane and sublime. Emotional stuff coming up is not at all unusual, and I believe a sign that things are happening. When things come up you should stay with the practice until they clear. This is how to release and peel back a layer of the onion. then you get to bring up more buried stuff from deeper layers :-) Often in qigong practice if not emotional stuff, then feeling sick can come up, and again it is important to practice through this in order to clear it out. IF you stop when you hit such a barrier you have wasted your effort. Good luck in your practice. Craig

Hi all. Lately I have been spending my free time listening to Podcasts of interviews performed by Lama Tantrapa. He has interviewed so many great teachers in his series running for a couple of years now entitled "The secrets of qigong masters" http://www.blogtalkradio.com/qigongmasters It has been wonderful to hear the words of wisdom in these teachers own voices. Tremendously inspiring....AND FREE!!! Some of my favorites have been Dr Jerry Alan Johnson, Kumar Frantzis, Ken Cohen, Chunyi Lin, Roger Jahnke, Gary Clyman, Effie Chow. So many different experiences. So humbling and so mind expanding. I highly recommend it to one and all. PS - Yes Lama does plug his own material on almost every show, but he is certainly entitled and it is a small cost of admission to the minds of so many great people. PPS - More enjoyable then reading TTB so TTFN. PPPS - Can anyone recommend other great Podcasts?? Craig

Why do you have "beliefs" about Qi, Shen and unseen realities? I advise to discard labels about phenomenon. What have you actually experienced of Jing, Qi, Shen. If you have an experience, do you have to believe in your experience? No. Don't believe anything, explore and experience. By now I would think you would have many experiences of Qi at least to convince you of ... something. If I want to or am compelled to believe in something, it sounds like religion to me. I suppose I could believe in the Jade Emperor if I chose to, but this would have no real relationship to my experiences of Qi, or even what I might label as experiences of Shen. Tao practice is a grand experiment in my view. Your experimental explorations should yield information useful to yourself at least and you carry on refining the exploration from where that step has taken you. To return to the OP subject I find that one can apply critical thinking here and it is important in order to avoid self delusion about the outcomes of ones experiments, explorations and experiences therefrom. TTFN Craig

Now I think I understand beter why my teacher likes to use the term "Chinese Wisdom Traditions" for his transmissions of Taiji, Qigong, Calligraphy, I Ching (yijing), Qin, Xinyi etc. All of which seem "Taoist" but may arguably not actually be, depending upon your definition of course. I AM A TAOIST. My definition is my own and I allow no one to correct it! I am a follower of the way. I am ignorant, and yet I seek. Earlier in this thread someone mentioned seeking "the root" and they were talking about texts. These are not the root they are not even the branches but maybe the leaves. The philosopy is not the root. The practices are not the root. The Religion is NOT the root. I seek the way, therefore I am a Taoist. I have learned something about tools to help illuminate the way, but it is not this, not this, not this. I am a seeker. Right now I seek to release my attachment to stories about myself, labels which obscure my true being. I think the best thing a Taoist could do would be to disavow being a Taoist. Not this , not this, not this. But rituals, labels, costumes, forms have a certain romance to them. Hard to let go. Still on the way, as are all. Craig

Awesome interview. Also check out his podcast interview with Lama Tantrapa which I mentioned in the "Free Wisdom" Thread. Plus I find it a personal triumph that he pointedly refused to answer my question about Lineage transmission. Mr Frantzis, if you are reading this, RESPECT. It was a question born of curiosity of how the melding of these Eastern traditions into the West are happening. You have every right to refuse to answer as it is indeed HIGHLY personal. Thanks again to Sean and Bruce Frantzis for bringing this quality information. Now I must go dig some more shallow wells...sigh. Craig

Sorry It already ended on March 2nd. Didn't you notice?

Heaven, Man, Earth. aka - The three treasures. Each has it's own three treasures. Heaven Sun, Moon, Stars Earth Water, Wind, Fire Man Jing, Qi, Shen A trinity is a seemingly universal model. Also agree that man is seen as the itermediary between heaven and earth. Which means that Man can be viewed in that trinity as having more to do with Qi than Jing...interesting. I suppose our energy body IS important. Craig

Qigong, acupuncture, external Qi healing treatment and herbs, probably moxibustion. Also Serrepeptase is a good suggestion not only for pain but for healing. See TCM Doc for ways to help DETOX from vicodin. I promise you your Liver is not happy about it!! Good Luck Craig PS - I never understood the claim of use of Herb for pain management. I figured people were just using it as an excuse to acquire medical MJ with symptom which is hard to prove objectively. PPS - Hello rationalization...

http://www.masterwu.net/articles_taijiqigong.html above is a link to Master Wu's DVD. This is the 8 move "mother form" for Wudang He Taichi. Also known as Zhaobao Taichi. fwiw Craig

5ET The trend towards instant gratification was begun with television. The idea that a problem can be presented and solved in 1/2 hour or even an hour is part of that programming which our TV civilization has internalized. this has become even more profound with the internet generation which is instantly gratified in so many more ways. What is gong? as in gong fu or Qi gong. Hard work and diligence performed over a long period of time. is this the absolute opposite of instant gratification which you describe? Yes, absolutely. My teacher has a simple Chinese expression - Heng teng. Heng, loosely means Sacrifice. Teng means connection. In order to make a connection you must make a sacrifice. In our school this relates directly to making the Heng sound in various techniques which basically helps you connect to the Tantien. making the Heng(sacrifice) creates the Teng (connection), in this case the connection with your own center. But this phrase has deeper meaning as well. Perhaps it also applies to Ming. I dont remember the phrase, but I learned it on TTB. It means having Ming with your teacher. Ming roughly means destiny or even Karma. I believe it is necessary to make the sacrifice and have good gong fu in order to achieve the Ming necessary to make connection with higher level instruction. Therefore, apply gongfu to WHATEVER information you have available to you. I believe this will result in the old adage "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear" 5ET the problem with modern communication is that so many students can now contact you, but in fact THEY are not ready for YOU, even though they were able to make the phone call or more likely email. Despite making this superficial connection they have no desire to make the proper Heng (sacrifice) to make a real Teng (connection). Thanks for your essay, I believe you are right on. Craig PS - 5ET and I are much nearer in age than the younger folks here (I'm in my late 40s) TTFN

Well sloppy I don't know how fast you type, but your replies were posted exactly 31 minutes after 5ET made his post. How much reflexion did you actually take. How much time did you take to think about his perspective and not just react to how he didn't get YOUR perspective. Yes, things are different for sure. Things change, for sure. You seem to think that anything you can imagine can be had by open source on the internet. Maybe you are wrong! maybe the live interaction with a teacher who has actual experience can do something for you which books and dvd's and youtube videos cannot. I posit that you do not know what you do not know. Your reactions to 5ET seem like just that, defensive reactions. Your sophistry is obviously highly developed and you have constructed quite a castle of rationalizations to avoid most of the points which 5ET is making. The terrible truth is that the realities which you describe may be true, ie school, money, time employers expectations, and they may FOREVER proscribe you from any achievement in the arts you profess to be interested in. Sorry. PS - One of my good friends who is only 10 years older than you travelled all the way from the east coast and transplanted himself on the west coast SOLELY in order to study with a teacher he had found out about. He continued to live near that teacher and eventually studied classical chinese medicine in large part because of this teacher. He achieved a lot by committing to this course of action. Craig

Thanks That's the one. Maybe even more polished than when I picked it up.

I too had noticed the Algae energy concept some years ago and had heard nothing else about it. This sounds really promising. Thanks for the optimistic report. Will be watching this and researching more. Craig

My translation is by someone named Shazi Daoren, a pseudonym perhaps? I find it often more direct and better than the Harold Roth. However I only just began to compare the two today. Wish I knew how to link to this original text so I could properly attribute it. Also, there is commentary by the translator on all 26 verses. Craig