mjjbecker

https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/49349-help-needed-to-translate-alchemy-book/?do=findComment&comment=891527

The translator referenced here has been a personal friend of mine for some years now, and asked me if I would post on this. As long timers here know, I said I would never post here again, so that should give some idea of my regard for the person in question. He is someone who I have spent a fair amount of time around here in Beijing, so I can vouch for his credentials directly.

 

Most importantly, this is something that I believe can benefit a lot of people, and that is why I am happy to lend my support to it.

 

So, why participate? What qualifies this person to translate these kinds of works?

 

Firstly, he has completed a degree course in TCM at a prestigious university in Beijing, in the Chinese language. He is now doing post graduate studies in Taiwan, again in the Chinese language. Anyone who knows anything about TCM knows that it is inseparably connected to Daoist thought and principles. Someone who sincerely studies Chinese medicine is also doing so the same in respect of the Dao.

 

Further to his academic studies, my friend has also sought out capable and qualified experts in Chinese medicine, at his own personal expense in time and money (and continues to do so.) He has always shared what he has learned with others, and not just kept it to himself. I can personally testify to his skills and sincerity.

 

He is a practicing, lineage Daoist. He has teachers who are authentic lineage members. Not theorists, faux philosophers, or lightweight intellectual dandies, but people who live and breathe the Dao. People who drink deeply from the well, not the typical shallow draught brigade. 

 

As if full time studies were not time consuming enough, in the years that I have known him, he has always been busy helping numerous people with numerous problems, from medical issues, to spiritual assistance from authentic, legitimate Daoist lineage masters. This is something he continues to do. 

 

I know the subject of college tuition fees is a thorny one. Those who have worked to pay their own way through college know how hard this is. Imagine doing so in a foreign country and culture. There are some who feel they should get something for nothing, but ultimately someone has to pay. People have bills to cover, not to mention their own precious time to use wisely.

 

There has been, and continues to be, much debate over what Daoism is, and is not. I would think anyone who sincerely wants to know would jump at the chance of supporting a person who sincerely wants to share this knowledge; a person who has the academic and intellectual ability to do so, and who has access to recognised, lineage Daoist masters who can advise and guide on the important details.

 

My friend could easily just read these books and enjoy them for himself. He doesn't personally need to translate them, and he already has well paying translation work. Translating obscure texts doesn't pay anything like what commercial work does, and not many translators actually have a clue about this kind of material. This is a great opportunity for people who don't have Chinese language skills and access to authentic sources. I would urge people to take it. If not, then it is a real loss for non-Chinese speakers, and real understanding of these subjects will remain privy to only a small number of people.

 

I'm returning to my self-imposed exile, so please direct any questions you have to the OP.

A great deal of our growth in the arena of expanding our awareness and on the path of enlightenment has more to do with the simple basics and far less to do with the so called

"advanced" practices.

 

Perhaps people should ditch the 'basics' tag and instead think more about 'fundamentals'?

 

Without those fundamentals there is nothing. Come to adore them and they will adore you back.

For the OP.

 

Are you familiar with HFW and his 'River Cottage' TV series'? He did a series a while back on vegetables alone. It was very interesting and included some Vegan stuff that looked worth investigating (not particularly practical while I'm still in China though). There is a book of recipies from the series that I like (I like most of his recipies and they are actually doable, unlike some) you might want to have a look at.

 

I also mention HFW because from the outset of his 'River Cottage' days, he discussed the ethical issues of raising livestock that you ultimately are going to kill.

 

When I lived in another city some Indian medical students had a local set-up an authentic Indian food restaurant. Wonderfully low prices, lovely food. A bowl of daal alone made for a fulfilling meal.

 

I'm not vegetarian, though I know someone that did become vegetarian after a lorry filled with livestock, on the way to the abatoir, went past them. By all means follow your own feelings on this. We are all here to learn, experience and grow in our own ways.

 

For anyone else in general, for health-and cultivation-the practice of fasting is well worth investigating. It is a practical step that almost anyone (medical condition allowing) can follow, regardless of budget or dietary circumstances.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131028230224-27307105-my-first-job-not-getting-paid-to-be-honest?trk=eml-mktg-inf-m-job-1029-p6

 

By

 

I got a paper route when I was 12. Although it began on a street grandly named Broadway of America, it was the smallest route in my hometown of Holdenville, Oklahoma: 28 houses with a penny a paper profit per day. When other routes came open next to mine, I talked my supervisor into letting me add them. Within five years my route grew from 28 papers to 156, and I had saved close to $200, which I hid in a hole under the floor in my closet. It was my first experience in the takeover field: expansion by acquisition.

I learned other lessons, too. My first year as a paperboy, I found a wallet on the sidewalk. Inside it were the name and address of the owner. I delivered it to the man, and he gave me a dollar reward. It was a windfall. My mother, grandmother, and aunt were on the porch when I got home. They never looked at each other. They didn’t have to. They were so much alike that their heads moved in unison, almost as if their heads were attached to one other by a string. They didn’t respond as I’d expected or hoped about the news of finding the wallet and getting the reward. I pleaded my case over and over. Instead they sent me straight back to return the dollar to the man.

“You are not going to be paid to be honest,” my grandmother told me.

So I had to go back to the man and give his dollar back.

“No, no, this is for you!”

“I know!”

“And you should have it!”

“I know!”

But I also knew better than to go against anything my mother, grandmother, and aunt told me. I gave the money back, and headed home on my bike in a downpour. I damn near drowned. I got home drenched and looking for sympathy. I could play the pitiful routine really well. Aunt Ethel didn’t buy it.

“If you hadn’t argued with us, you’d have been back before it rained,” she said.

 

IMO... that was an unnecessary plug... as he was more than novice... if you can detach and read what he wrote, he is incredulous at what he is reporting and writing... ergo, he has trained his whole life in something yet unprepared for what he found himself in.

 

This is a great lesson to be learned about the so-called practices chasers... (Not about you but there is a moral to this story for practitioners beyond the story).

 

Er, no. Cat commented that John Chang was speaking to a novice. Indeed he was, but I clarified the point. The audience in this case is not the literary construct of 'Kosta Danaos' (which the character in the book was-you'd know that if you'd followed Kostas' comments on the matter) but the reader.

 

And if you had paid attention to what I wrote, instead of trying to score points, you'd have noticed the bit about how the book was written in a specific manner for a specific audience and purpose, and that it was not about the 'practices'.

This book:

 

http://chinesebookstore.ecrater.co.uk/p/16478229/healing-impotence-the-traditional-chinese

 

Is actually IC based training. There are a series of exercises in it, not limited to the obvious focus. It isn't expensive either (from the above seller-others are asking silly money as it retails here in China for only 60RMB...) There are also recipies for treating impotence (boosting your jing basically).

 

I don't practice IC and think many of the benefits claimed can be found from other training. If you are going to use certain practices, it REALLY is a good idea to have close supervision from a teacher.

I sent this email to someone who asked me some questions about their personal practice. Some of the points may be relevant and of interest to others so I am copying it here also. I found the points raised applied very much to me as to the person I was addressing them to.

 

"Expectations. Stop it.

Perhaps it is your questionable taste in music (though I confess I like the t-shirts) that is holding you back? I recommend some Doris Day ('Que Sera, Sera') and Lynn Anderson ('Rose Garden'). No, I'm not joking.

Whatever the intellectual curiosity might be, it will get you-or anyone else-nowhere. AGAIN, I come to the point why traditional teachers do not tell students about things in advance of their actual experience of such things. It leads to preconcieved notions and gets in the way of allowing matters to unfold as they should. Profound experiences 'happen' rather than appear 'on demand'. Think of the best orgasm you ever had, and think about the times you tried or expected to repeat that experience. The expectations never equalled or approached the actual event as it happened, of its own accord.

As I understand it, there is just 'now'. The rest is just overlaying expectations onto reality.

We might never do anything if we spent our time agonising over what other people can do. You might never attempt to get laid if you spent all your time worrying about what porn stars have and can do (or worried about all the airbrushed images of 'perfect' physical specimens). Fortunately the drive to fuck is (usually) enough to prompt one beyond such worries, even if the worries never completely disappear. Neigong practice is the same. Most aren't going to approach Wang Juemin in this lifetime, but it doesn't mean the effort put in is either misguided or wasted-or not 'enjoyable'. There WILL be energetic changes happening, even if you are not aware of them at the time. 'Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, BOOM!'

The wonderful thing about nearly dying is the appreciation it should bring of the moment, of life and the beauty of the 'here and now'. Much nicer than stomping around with shit coloured spectacles on surely? Why worry about the end of the world; yours personally and/or everyones? Find the beauty in each situation. See the moon clearly on the surface of the water.

Now then, it just so happens I can give you some sound technical advice, which I know is what you are after (though it won't work anywhere near as well without following the 'user instructions' above).

Do the STANDING Stillness Movement. Why? Because, in my opinion, it will open up a person quicker than the sitting. Given your injuries in particular, I recommend this. I'm of a mind that sitting is great, but what to practice and when will vary. I've a feeling standing would be the right focus for you now.

Go through ALL the GoT exercises. Repeat individual execises to find which ones 'resonate' with your needs at this time. Like tuning forks and a piano, once you've 'got' the note you can move on. Pick a few moves and put in some quality time on them. That way you'll 'get' the frequencies. For Michael, it may work to run through the whole lot in one session, but I believe most people need to drill and polish moves to the point they have truly accessed the energetics.

Keep a written journal and note down your observations (NOT expectations) of your practice, and any particularly relevant experiences related to the practice.

To recap. 1. Put your expectations to one side and instead put your attention to what IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING NOW. 2. Go through the GoT exercises, putting in the time required on each to 'get' the particular frequency of that exercise. 3. Put your thoughts onto paper and get them out of your head.

Do the above and you WILL find that you return to that level you are looking for (and surpass it). I have.

Finally, remember to get some quality time in thinking about things other than all this stuff. Everything has its place and time."

I was simply wondering if anyone had at least a theory on what exactly a dan tien, or chakra for that matter, was.

 

Kostas has written about it from a physics point of view in his books. I don't have them to hand, apart from the Pammachon one (hense the reason I quoted from that). He has a very solid background in hard science (aerospace work can be very unforgiving if you get things wrong...) as well as esoteric experience beyond the vast majority claiming expertise on such subjects (certainly not limited to a certain school and its method...)

 

The ancients certainly DID have a scientific approach. The problem we have is that very few people, now, have the actual experience to understand what was being stated. There is therefore a lot of wild speculation, with some of the worst being attempts to apply pseudo-scientific theories to these things (people with no experience of high level energy practices and a middle school understanding of physics and biology).

 

Why do those who know usually stay out of sight? Look at history, complete with its periodic purges (murdering sprees) of 'enlightened' individuals. Frankly, just look at some of the behaviour on this forum.

 

Lunch beckons, which is an infinitely more rewarding prospect that some of the replies that are likely to follow.

 

You see, most people who study the TTC did not grasp the most basic fundamental principle which is Wu Wei(無為). For easy understanding, we can translate it as "do nothing adversely". What it is really saying was not to do anything which would cause an adverse effect and back fired.

 

 

Here:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei

http://taoism.about.com/od/wuwei/a/wuwei.htm

 

Clearly you need all the help you can get.

 

For my part this is the straw dog that broke the camels back. Onto the ignore list you go.

I do think the video is useful and interesting for anyone doing these exercises, and the source does seem to be authentic and direct.

 

I can't, I really can't, be bothered to debate the matter of terminology or the validity of these practices. Suffice to say that if a 100 year old Xing Yi master of superb repute, and one of his top students, (who also studied neigong under Hu Yaozhen), Zhang Bao Yang (over 90 years old and still teaching) held/holds these exercises in high esteem, that will do for me.

 

If anyone with direct experience of Wang Ji Wu's lineage, or perhaps who have actually practiced the exercises, would like to chip in, I'm sure that would be instructive and interesting. Or we could just have the usual influx of opinion sans experience.

I had sex...I kind of forgot about the precepts and speculation I had held and just automatically seized the moment...it was just sex. It was just a thing, like hunger, or sleep, or anything else...I'm all for eliminating obsessions in life.

 

 

1. Just tell me you did practice safe sex.

2. That's right, don't obsess, don't analyse it.

I've been meaning to post this up but kept forgetting.

 

The link was originally posted on YouTube during a 'debate' on Tim Cartmell's video of these exercises.

I've no intention of going into who is right or wrong or whatever (one can practice exercises in more than one way, depending on ones mood alone). I do think the video is useful and interesting for anyone doing these exercises, and the source does seem to be authentic and direct.

 

http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/39441868-1117945852.html

 

For anyone with the book it will be helpful in showing the exercises actually being performed.

 

Plenty of good information already.

 

It's good. Don't worry about it. Or perhaps don't become attached either way, to the 'highs' or the 'lows'. The 'highs' certainly bring into stark contrast the rest of life's experiences. With 'awareness', you have to let go, or you can drive yourself to the edge-or over.

 

I completely cleared up digestive problems earlier in my life using the 18 step tai chi chi kung exercises ('Shi ba shi taijiqigong'). I've posted some links up before for this info if you do a search. It can be found for free online and there are some videos on YouTube also.

 

Fundamental to anxiety and digestive issues can be issues with tension in the body. You want your belly to relax and sink down naturally. Once I went down the neigong path I found I could no longer do standard abdominal crunches. They restricted my breathing too much with the whole 'flat stomach' thing. Fortunately the Chinese martial arts have plenty of good waist exercises.

 

The exercises above will certainly help you to relax and to allow the organs to sink into their natural locations in the body. This will certainly help.

 

Another good set of exercises are the 16 Neigong exercises in Tim Carmell's Xing Yi neigong book. They look 'simple' but then excellent practices often do.

 

For people without a teacher to supervise them, I think moving exercises are better than static ones.

 

My number one recommendations for 'cultivation' are 'Stillness Movement' and the 'Gift of the Tao' practices. You can find plenty on this by doing a search on the forum. Personal preference and each to their own, but it works for me.

 

Finally, and fundamentally, never forget to keep in contact with friends and family. Don't be afraid to ask for help or just some company when you are feeling 'down'. They don't have to be practitioners of meditation or anything like that, just people who genuinely care for you. Without such help I would not be writing this now. When the dark night comes one needs ones anchors in the storm.

I just saw that myself last night on the RSF forum. My condolences to his family, friends and students.

 

People....

Please read, this is English. I was telling him where did I get the idea why the dan tien is a location or get the locations established so we can move forward.

 

Why feeding him more with abstract explanations.....???

 

Dumbing things down isn't educating. The OP asked a question and people have kindly spent their time and effort giving him good answers, not just 'primary school picture book and crayon' viewpoints.

 

Students don't learn from being given a few simplistic platitudes, they learn from being pointed in the right direct and being encouraged to go down the correct path. Sometimes that encouragement only needs be gentle. Sometimes it requires a hard kick up the ass, perhaps with the prescription being repeated more than once as needed.

 

If you find these things hard to grasp, then you can continue to choose to be ignorant, or you can attempt to bring your level up to the point where you can understand what is being discussed. Learning is moving forward, not choosing to remain ignorant. Unfortunately based on past evidence you'll probably choose to stay at the picture book and crayon level.

 

I've started to see the real benefit of the ignore user function.

-Celibacy alone ...It is NOT a valid spiritual practice.

 

Yes, but there are a lot of kids on this forum that think they know better, and ultimately are going to learn things the hard way. I know I've had to experience hardships in order for things to penetrate my own thick skull at times. I only hope these kids don't cause themselves irreparable damage in the process.

 

FWIW, I'll repeat myself again and say it is vital to have a teacher to guide you if you are going to try certain practices. At the very least a teacher than can help you when you do stupid things.

The more your yoga traditional the less chances to get K. syndrome. (KS).

People often have severe KS bc they rely on techniques rather than on Traditional system within Dharma teaching.

 

They get KS bc they have loads of impurities in granthas (three tan tiens). And when K is awaken it gives unpleasant feelings. Traditionally K. revered as Goddess or Divine Power which is located in outer space and descend from the top (7th chakra).

In its turn it starts to evolve kundalini within the body and this is process is most safe and requires the Shaktipat of guru from spiritual lineage or personal guru but latter does not mean that one can create his/her own technique and thus obtain Shaktipat. The technique must come from spiritual lineage and this is only the way to avoid severe KS.

 

Ask people who sell you "kundalini" stuff if they have traditional techniques and if they teach Dharma rather than giving just bunch of techniques how to open 3d eye or muladhara. Some people just make up techniques, call it "kundalini yoga" or "high level yoga" and sell it for the purpose of personal enrichment. If they do not have ancient texts of their school and they refer to someone in the past who created these techniques you should do research on these people and tradition if it was really spiritual lineage where spiritual realization happened in the past. This should not be akin to "there was great yogi (taoist) in the mountain who created...". WHO was that yogi (taoist), what is the spiritual lineage? Sometime they refer to people who lived in the past and who you can't check... no texts... no tradition.. no spirituality... JUST techniques with some feelings of something in the spine. I read here in the forum some people were saying that their kundalini is rising... but imho they only believe it is Kundalini... Kundalini may have many qualities beginning from gross feelings in the spine and ending up with Divine Purity. It's up to you what is in you and which energy you activate inside of you. Not all techniques the same and not all of them spiritual. Even if they call it spiritual or say it has Divine nature. The only way to make sure you are on the right path is to make sure your system has roots in real authentic spiritual tradition. It is not qigong, not bunch of techniques, not self made bunch of techniques with breath, movements and so on... Spirituality is rather Dharma than technique. Beware people here who promote CDs, DVD's promising you kundalini. They crave for money raher than teach you spirituality

 

You've direct experience of KAP and the teachers then?

So what IS a dantian?

 

"place where energy storage and transmutation occurs". [courtesy of Yamu]

 

A couple of sources I trust have pointed out that what the Daoists call dantian, in classical medicine were called "jiao", or warmers/burners/heaters. Each of the sanjiao (three burners) are associated with various organs, not simply one structure*. They also relate to the skeletal cavities. So what could it be about the skeletal cavities, the organs and the relationships therein, that the Chinese kept seeing that they kept creating these categories?

 

And then what could it be like to experience and FEEL these relationships.....from within, ie "soma" not "body"...

 

* Both sources include the legs with the xiajiao (lower burner), and the head with the shangjiao (upper burner), which is not how most TCM texts discuss them.

 

I recall YaMu once saying that Wang Juemin said the whole of the pelvic basin was a dantien. I've also seen this mentioned by other Chinese sources.

 

An important thing, therefore, to keep in mind is that not all of the sources are saying exactly the same thing, and by sources I am talking about reputable sources, not the writings of those who have no experience of authentic teachings or their effects. (That isn't a jibe simply directed at one person on this forum, but in respect of various published 'authorities'.) It could be that the terminology has become blurred and misapplied.

 

As for modern scientific explainations:

 

"On the wall of a Chinese temple in Java, I found a thrilling depiction of yin and yang,

one that immediately made me think of the chakras of Indian mysticism and the

caduceus of the ancient Greek god Hermes (the Roman Mercury). Rather than the

standard black and white circular image made popular by Western literature, this

painting showed the two energies entwined like lovers, a male and female in form

depicted with embracing and intertwined serpentine coils. The caduceus, a symbol used

by the ancient Greeks and today erroneously instituted as the emblem of medicine,

shows two serpents entwined around a staff. A Mesopotamian vase in the Louvre, dating

to 2000 B.C., once again shows the two coiled snakes; this is the oldest representation I

myself have found. The astonishing fact to discover is that this symbol of the coiled

serpent was eventually adopted by Christianity as well, becoming the standard carried

even today by bishops and patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Church on their

patriarchal staff.

 

What does this seemingly ubiquitous symbol actually depict? Two plumes of energy

curled in a lovers’ embrace? Most certainly, and yet more. Nearly everyone remembers

the standing wave of physics from their high school classes; the particles that make up

the waveform follow the same path again and again, so that the wave seems to stand

still, a static shape composed of moving particles. It is important that we keep this

concept of the standing wave in mind because in the next section we take this idea from

the two dimensional to the three dimensional.

 

A common mistake, when looking at drawings of the chakras of Eastern mysticism

and their corresponding nadi, or “channels,” is to think of them as being two

dimensional; such is not the case. Like the caduceus, these representations in fact

depict the two energies entwined around each other in a three-dimensional helicoid.

When drawing the nadi and chakras on wall paintings in simplified form, however, the

artists of India and Tibet opted for a two-dimensional view as easier to draw and

comprehend. In fact, the DNA strand itself has this very shape, a doubly entwined

helicoid around a central axis: What does all this mean? Is it mere coincidence? The

Universe is fractal: that which occurs macrocosmically must occur microcosmically. I am

convinced that what establishes our being (our personality, our physical capabilities, our

very soul if you will) is nothing more or less than a standing wave in the “gravitational”

field. This wave replicates itself fractally, initially taking shape in the field of space-time

within the DNA of the embryo that is to become our body; the DNA is the “yang”

manifestation of our “yin” profile. As we grow older, this wave is still with us, and makes

up a network of peaks and nodes that give substance to our existence.

 

Appropriately, as we mentioned, the Greek word for evolution (or development) is exelixis.

The word means, quite simply and unquestionably, “from the helix.” How did

they know about the helical strands of DNA, lacking our modern technology? That they

were aware of them seems clear. Both the word exelixis itself and the fact that the staff

of Asclepius, god of medicine, depicts a helix entwined around a central axis (the snake

is representative of a standing wave), corroborate this thesis. I believe that the ancient

Greeks discovered the helix within themselves through self-awareness, first

contemplating the matrix of larger standing waves that comprise our central axis and

then focusing awareness to smaller and smaller levels ad infinitum, in this way revealing

the fractal microcosm within our being."

 

Kostas Dervenis, Pammachon.

 

The above book has a chapter discussing the above concepts within modern scientific research. The free PDF file can be downloaded from Lulu for anyone who is interested in seeing how biology and physics explainations can be applied to these ancient concepts.

 

Consider that the Yin/Yang symbol might be a cross-section view, not simply of energy centres, but also of the movement of energy along the channels in a spiral manner. It would explain why some schools of thought do not include the dots of yin and yang within the other channels. Perhaps these dots were a later addition, that may or may not have showed a different understanding or concept.

 

Whatever manner one chooses to 'explain' such things, my personal belief is that the experience is far more important that the academic discussion. Truly experiencing the workings of the universe within the body goes far beyond any intellectual exercise in gaining true understanding, IMO.

Yes, after one "gets it" it will be on the same level as "Listening"; it can just happen when needed, without effort.

 

Standing Stillness-Movement is simply one of the more awesome things I personally have experienced in life. I remember initially I didn't like the standing as much as the sitting Stillness-Movement and didn't practice it as often - a big mistake on my part which was corrected after Master Wang kept gently asking me about my progress with the standing.

 

 

The running qigong is an advanced part of Stillness-Movement practice. The walking qigong is a part that is taught within the basic training but requires practice.

No DVD's on this. The Gift of the Tao does have prerequisite training for running qigong as was pointed out by RV.

 

Basically a person can start out with the Gift of the Tao, attend Stillness-Movement training, practice, then demonstrate over a period of time that they are the type of person who can handle advanced training, THEN I will teach them running qigong. But that said, if a person attends just one workshop and diligently practices Stillness-Movement & Gift of the Tao, demonstates to the universe an achievement of virtue, then the underpinning for the running qigong is there. At that point it would take only a week or so to teach it; BUT at that point is the beginning, like starting over, as the techniques of running qigong each take some time to master. And there are 4 publicly talked about techniques within running qigong.

 

The walking qigong mjjbecker speaks of is a good starting point for the running as certain elements are there. But it is a complete other system after one masters the walking and the walking utilizes elements of Gift of Tao and Stillness-Movement.

 

I'd add you have to be careful. I applied something Michael told me about the running qigong while I was walking and nearly got bowled off my feet. The burst of power was such. Careful, orderly practice is the name of the game.

I wrote this shortly after practice. It describes precisely what I did and what happened, though I am using poetic language.

 

Duality. Separation. At the beginning there is duality, there is separation. Irritation, annoyance, distractions. The outside world and the ego grate against each other.

 

The ego will hold back any progress. It has to be released so we can reconnect with what 'is'.

 

Movement. The movement starts. Qi travels down the arms. The laogong, the palms, the fingers. Streams and pools of heat.

 

One of the Gift of the Tao (GoT) movements. Often when I do this particular move I will feel the laogong heat up, along with the palms. There may be heat down the front of the arms and considerable heat in the finger tips.

 

The arms circle. Inside and outside combine. The light expands. The heat expands. The arms, the body. The heat of the Sun is within and without.

 

Another GoT movement. The 'inner fire' becomes apparent while doing this move. There is heat both inside and on the 'outside' of the body.

 

Heaven and Earth join. Heaven and Earth combine. The promise, the caress of creation strokes the inside. The centre delights.

 

Another GoT move. Using INTENT, Heaven and Earth qi are drawn in and meet at the dantien. Yin and Yang combine at the dantien. It is quite an amazing feeling.

 

We bow to the Divine. We bow to the Ancestors. We bow to the teachers. We look inwards to see outwards.

 

Seated. Respects are paid. There must be gratitude and humility. The INTENT goes to the dantien. LOOK IN THE BOOK AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Study and practice are rewarded: Assuming this or that is not relevant, without investigation, means a person will only remain ignorant.

 

The Sun’s light, the Sun’s heat expands. The dawn has come. The Sun rises. Within and without, I am the Sun.

 

The 'inner fire' expands to encompass the whole body. I use the 'Sun' very specifically as a choice. The feeling is like being in strong summer sunlight. It is that kind of 'solar' heat.

 

There is no North, South, East or West. I am the Sun. There is no inside, there is no outside. I am the Sun.

 

The heat is 'inside and outside'. It is totally encompassing. When you sit or face the sun, of course the heat only touches in one specific direction. The heat here though is 'everywhere'.

 

We bow to the Divine. We bow to the Ancestors. We bow to the Teachers. We look inwards to see outwards.

 

Joy and gratitude is felt for this priceless gift. The path of practice yeilds its results and rewards, and one should never succumb to ego, thinking one is special or better. We are indeed standing on the shoulders of giants, but we are not seeing further than others before us. Drop the ego and 'see'.

 

The Tao is all. All is the Tao. The Gift of the Tao is Great.

 

Drop the ego and 'see'.

how can i feel complete sexually from a spiritual sense unless i do not share sexual company with another? how could i do so on my own, unless i was asexual? Can I just absorb sexual energy from people in everyday environments?

 

There are male and female paired practices that are not sexual.

 

Also, just by being around people there is an exchange of energy. It isn't an accident that qigong masters have people practice together in groups.

update! further insight: i read somewhere that often, women may (subconsciously) try to "pull" an orgasm or ejaculation from men during sex. i'm not saying women are energy-sucking vampires lol, but i very much believe that they can sense the energy in men and may find it more "comfortable" when a man is the dull, unexcited state of post-orgasm, i.e. he's lost his juice....this is all deeply rooted in the subconscious and internal energies.

 

No, it isn't 'insight', but it is intellectual masturbation.

 

Sex is an act of creation. This requires the merging of energy from two sources: the male and the female.

 

More often the 'problem', if you're looking for one, comes (pun intended) from the man rather than the woman. It is the man who has 'an itch he needs to scratch', to get his rocks off. It is the man who is chasing after 'release'. Look at who has driven the growth of the porn industry. Men, and male demand.

 

Yes, men throw away energy and women seek it, but do try to remember who contains and grows the new life. Given this, of course the woman seeks energy from the man.

 

You really might want to try spending some time around a woman in an actual relationship rather than continue to engage in this speculation, because that is what it is.

 

Stop the speculating and get some real experience.

Yes, that's the white tea. From what I can remember its the first time I've tried white tea. In the past its been pretty much all the other main types.

 

Go to the different big cities in China and it seems you can find what the locals term 'Tea Cities'. In my experience they are quite similar in layout. The people selling in these places often come from the provinces that grow the tea and might even be supplied directly by their own family concerns. The sellers in these places have a depth of knowledge you won't find in most shops.

 

Its worth looking around other Asian countries with big Chinese populations. There are some top-notch experts in these communities also.

Not an entirely unproductive day. Find of the day was a four year old aged white tea.

 

Not the best of pictures but done on my cell phone while on the move and with one hand full.