Monkeyman

Hi, I would urge you to find a teacher. These kind of practices can be very powerful and downright dangerous if you don`t know what you`re doing. Upper dantian excercises are generally for advanced students. You don`t want to build up pressure and heat in your head if you`re not properly trained in the basics. Therefore i think it would be unwise to do this without the guidance of an experienced teacher. If you are serious about alchemical Daoism you will need guidance. Simple as that.

yeah i love the amazing technical Brazilian "school" and ofcourse Pele is a legend, but can he provide such infinite wisdom too? if so , then indulge us .

That`s good advice. I agree that it`s better to focus on the things you can do right now, than worrying about the afterlife. Carpe diem! Living fully, as you put it, will probably make you a happy man (or woman) i think. Maybe content is a better word. I mean that`s what all the teacher teach and that`s what we all are looking for, and that`s probably why we are here on this forum. And yes, ofcourse the only true knowledge is the one that you can experience for yourself. However, one needs to be curious about things he doesn`t know in order to start to understand them. And it is this curiosity that has lead me to this question. Is that wrong? I don`t think so. Therefore it seems to me that you asked the same question for a different reason. Furthermore, you would be foolish to assume that I am a person who takes any knowledge for granted. If that would be the case, I would probably be more interested in Christianity or Islam or something (although I think there are some parts within these religions which are very much worth exploring) I think the most fascinating thing about Daoism is the possibility to experience firsthand the theories via meditations and other methods and therefore gain substantial knowledge. Like in this case, with proper training and guidance I think it`s possible for every person to go and see what the afterlife is all about. I think it`s very interesting to hear what these people have to say about it. So to conclude, i disagree with you. This question is actually not a waste of time.

"Sometimes something must happen in order for something to happen" -Johan Cruijff (famous dutch soccer player, the best ever) "Every advantage has it`s disadvantage" -Johan Cruijff "I love to work, as long as it`s work i love" -Johan Cruijff "Before i make a mistake, i don`t make that mistake" -Johan Cruijff "Coincidence is logical" -Johan Cruijff "I`m not religious. In Spain all the players make the sign of the cross before the match, if that would work, it would be a draw every match" -Johan Cruiiff "Soccer is a game of mistakes, he who makes the least wins" -Johan Cruijff "i`m against everything, until i make a decision, then i`m in favour "

No overload, very clarifying. Thanks a lot for the free lecture! One problem solved for me. Now i`m gonna tackle the problem of interpretation of specialized terminology. That will set me back a few decennia.(Do i smell another forum topic?) @ all Tnx for the tips guys!

tnx . great stuff. it raises all kinds of questions for me. i like that. however there is one basic question that has always bothered me with ancient texts. how do people know what these ancient characters mean in order to translate into modern language. is there some kind of dictionary, a standard? and if so, who wrote it and where did he/she get this knowledge. these characters are not in use today and haven`t been for generations right? although serious study might give a reasonably accurate explanation, there`s no way of knowing for sure i think. maybe the meaning of these characters got passed down from generation to generation, but then the meaning of these characters must surely have been influenced by personal insights and beliefs. and then ofcourse there`s the problem of somehow translating and explaining modern chinese language and concepts into something westerners like me can understand, but that one is solvable i think. you seem like the right person to ask this question. *bows in respect*

yeah, reading some of these forum threads, i started to wonder if this wasn`t a buddhist forum.

i believe there is no real consensus. so what do you think happens when you die? i have no idea. maybe the accomplished immortals on this forum can shed some light , since they can travel back and forth.

very important question? i think it`s a silly question, maybe nice for some mindbending, but we will never know the answer.

i`m just interested in taoism and this looks like a great site to feed from. i like discussing and exchanging knowledge so i become a member here. i hope i can get inspired here to lead a more fullfilling life. i have practiced some qigong, but it takes a lot of discipline to make some true progress and discipline is not my strongest point. i think inspiration is a good basis for discipline, so once again this site might help me. about myself: male, mid 30`s and suffering from early midlife crisis, or post puberty syndrome (if that exists). still not sure about that. a taoist would probably diagnose me with a serious case of being lost from the way. anyway, someone said to me that it`s a good thing to surround yourself with people who are into the "good" things in life and not into negative destructive forces like alcohol abuse or frustrated emotions and so on. and lookie lookie here, a web community full with wonderfull people who make an effort into personal development. long live the internet! allready big thanks to all the people here who are willing to share their ways of development and cultivation. i`ve read some articles here and their truly inspirational for me. anyway, i can`t wait to annoy you guys with my ignorance.