RobB

So, Cthulhu is the Dao? Excellent!

Fixed that for you

We dont get told very much. Just get given exercises and told to go practice. I think it's to minimise potential for projection or unhelpful 'seeking'. There are things we're supposed to come across or discover for ourselves in our own way. The (very mundane) experiences I have had of physical connection or mental stillness etc have not necessarily been what I was expecting from that particular exercise or at that time but they all fit into the same general direction of development. Edit: Probably better to say that, as a beginner, I haven't been told very much. Maybe everyone else is being told everything and I'm just on the stupid track! There is a lot on the structure of the training and the qualities that we are seeking. But there is very little of: If you do A, you will feel B and this is because of C. Experiences can be fitted into the framework retrospectively but you're supposed to go out there and get those experiences first.

Celibacy to supernatural skills in ten posts. Classic Daobums.

Ah Ha! That's what you *want* us to think! :-) I sort of agree, in that I wouldn't dismiss something just because others described it as a conspiracy theory. Your list of military and corporate misadventures evidences that. However, when I use the term 'conspiracy theory' it tends to be aimed more towards those positions that start from a pre-supposed conspiracy and work downwards, fitting in evidence to suit as they go. Looking at evidence and building a pattern from that - that's just working things out.

My teacher has said that one of the first goals/achievements in Daoist practice is to be able to flow with the changes of the world- which I think chimes with much of what you say above.

Interesting - where are those from? I'll freely admit I know next to nothing about these things but they look more Confucian than Daoist to me. No 10 look more like a Bodhisattva-vow arrangement but then I dont know anything about Buddhism either :-)

I'm not aware of any Daoists precept against killing. I'm not sure I'm aware of any Daoist precepts now i think about it.

I am not sure that this is so different from 'rudderless' and 'nobody is in control'. It is interesting though. To what extent is the tao working it's incomprehensibly complex mechanisms - chaotic. Clearly there is no rudder (or tiller rather) to grasp nor any one individual directing the action but is it 'directionless'?

I like Alan Moore's take on conspiracy theories: “The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory, is that conspiracy theorists believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is actually chaotic. The truth is that it is not The Iluminati, or The Jewish Banking Conspiracy, or the Gray Alien Theory. The truth is far more frightening - Nobody is in control. The world is rudderless.”

I'm guessing ... The Grauniad - right?

Thanks @Gerard, I've been working on the jibengong of our school for a year - and continue to work on it. Squatting is, as you point out, excellent foundational work. I'm nearly there with the ATG squat!

From a beginners perspective, 8 arm shapes corresponding to the 8 trigrams are used for strength training and for finding lines of force through the body. This is the case in my current practice but has been also true with my previous teacher. These are practiced/investigated statically and circling. There may well be more (there usually is!) but that is where I am at the moment. I also haven't actually done a great deal of this practice as I'm currently focussed on circle walking without falling over! There is a host of stuff on https://jiulongbaguazhang.com/, some of which sort of corresponds to my understanding. It goes off into some very different areas than my practice though.

I've done bits and pieces of Tai Chi and Bagua over the years and have recently come back to Bagua practice for just this reason - TC is too bloody complicated. With Bagua I can focus on being terrible at a small number of motions. This means that once I have the external choreography down I can practice and practice on the internal details - round and round and round ...:-)

Hi @Taomeow, do you have any recommended resources for the Bates method?

@old3bob asking the real questions!

Walk, do some weights, get out into nature, exercise, fully inhabit your body. Establish the yin to support the yang. The deeper the roots, the bigger the tree can grow.

I'm not sure that Venant Wong is doing the same thing as the Doc Morris crew. Wongs website doesn't seem to reference any of the KAP I distantly remember.

Does anyone have a link to Doc Morris's spider stretches? They might be what Toni is looking for.

Recently got introduced to the work of John Bauer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bauer_(illustrator)

Hi @Takingcharge, you could contact Serge Augier. His Stone Warrior training might be appropriate for your situation.

Hi Ed, good to see you, man. Hope you're keeping well. I don't know Jesus but, from what I hear, I think he'd be pretty relaxed about all this chatter. Cheers Rob

John Blofeld, writing in 1978 'Taoism - the road to immortality'

Potentially heretical @Taomeow but I gave up coffee for the 10 weeks as well :-)