Ryan McCoole

Very good point, Spectrum. The Tao takes care of itself. Does personal effort matter? Yes. Will using 'energy hands' illuminate your spirit to reach the true Oneness? ...that is for each person, each living 'slice of the Eternal' to decide... We only have so much time in this form as human. The real question is: how *best* do we direct our efforts? -Ryan McCoole- "The Tao which can be told is not the Eternal Tao"

Oh I'm way far aways away, up in Lansing. What kind of events do they have every year? I had no idea it was that big, thats great.

Where in Michigan? I live there too.

I’d have to agree with goldisheavy here, our Yi, or intent, is the guiding force of the energy of our body, mind and spirit. W/o the proper intent, we could not carry on the alchemical transformations in Qi-gong, or guide our ‘small mind’ to the ‘illuminating Oneness’ so mentioned in Zen, where qi-gong isn’t necessarily a factor. The real Intent that, imo, I see in the Tao Te Ching, Hua Hu Ching, and the many other texts we have on our bookshelves is this: in everything that we do, we must constantly give up the barriers that separate ourselves from realizing the WE ARE the Dao. Not the barriers that separate us from the Dao, because that’s impossible, but the barriers that our own blocked minds or Yi create when it is misguided. Qi-gong works for me, and for years I thought it was because I was gradually refining my body to the utmost heights of the upper echelons of the Eternal health, longevity and path of sages that only the best can achieve. Then... one day it hit me: the more I struggled to harnesss/keep my Jing, hold a position, or try to fix myself in one state of being, the more I began to loose the very state I was tryting to keep. It was when I let my Yi flow freely, uncontrived, and gently relaxed into whatever life brings, that my practice got better and better. Ironically, the more I gave up, the more I realized I already had before I moved an inch. Immediately, of course, my small mind began to say “GOOD! HOLD ONTO THIS EXPERIENCE!”, but I remembered to breathe from my Dan Tien, relax, and let it flow. So goldisheavy has a good point, the moment we try to hang onto something, even if it is the best QI-gong, energy filling experience of our lives, the more we limit ourselves. Obviously this is a lot easier said that done. But if we were created, or came into being effortlessly, don’t we owe it to the Dao, to ourselves (one in the same here) to guide our Yi in this regard? Just some thoughts , -Ryan McCoole-

Hey Sean, I was checking out the site you posted for a few hours today, really insightful stuff that brings up concepts I haven;t thought about or heard of before. Do you have an AIM or e-mail I could contact you with more questions? In the Tao, -Ryan McCoole-

thanks Sean, I will definitely check it out! (very interested guy here, I've read all of Kosta's books, watched the John Chang videos and would deifinitely like to learn more) -Ryan McCoole-

Thanks Spectrum. You advised me to simply invest myself wisely last week, and the coins will get strung. Good words...since then, I've been harnessing the fact that its not the end result or how far you go. It's if you can get there with the right mentality, effort, and openmindedness. So less is more, but only if you put in the correct effort...balanced qi-gong practices, inner harmony and outer awareness? Thanks again. -Ryan McCoole-

Yeah Spectrum, I am interested in you'd expand on that and how thew more you conserve the more you gain...how can you best allow the "gold coins to be strung"? in the Tao, -Ryan McCoole-

Hello all, About three months ago you helped me in answering some Zhan Zhaung questions and about Jing in general. Every day, come hell or highwater, I do about 15 minutes of Standing like a tree basic qi-gong, with a couple more positions thrown in. Qi-gong truly is the best teacher abotu life, yourself, and your spirit. I had a few questions I’d like to pose. One.) Jing energy loss: sometime I go weeks, and sometimes I can only go days without releasing my Jing via orgasm. Not sure why its so hard and yet other times manageable. Any advice on how you control it and bring it into your Dan Tien every day? From all I’ve read, it is one of the main cornerstones of Qi-gong..and I have felt it. Two.) I started and still use The Way of Energy by Master Lam Kam Chuen for the past two years. How come Master Chuen doesn’t mention anything at all about Jing, or energy loss via orgasm in this book? How come other Taoist authors, like Dr. Yang, Jwing, Ming, end their qi-gong books with “One Hundred questions” adding their speculations as to how Jing really works, how it is lost, etc. Any thoughts from the Tao Bums as to the nature of Jing? Thanks a lot for your time, -Ryan McCoole- Tao Bum

Spectrum, I love the 'gold coin quote', thank you again for your wisdom...I am the kind of guy who never gives up. I may stray off the path, but I see every hardship as a lesson to the Dao, and appreciate your words. Nice picture, I tried searching for the Iron buffolo but nothing is coming up...could you exaplin this a little, I'd definitely be interested. In the Dao, -Ryan McCoole-

*nods* thank you Taomeow, that was really helpful! So, being a human, remmebering that we all come from the stars so to speak, naturally strengthens the Jing and Shen, and therefore you are ,more apt to conserve energy than loose it through a scattered spirit.

Hey Hey fellow Tao bums, I have been taking Russian Systema classes for the past year with an instructor trained personally by Vladimir Vasiliev, the author of "Let every Breath..." a real good read if you every get the chance (my instructor ordered it for me). I also practice Qi-gong and full body breathing every morning. Russian Systema is as much about breathing as it is about martial arts and self defense (actually russian Syatems is not in competitions or tournaments, as the System taught is used to protect and defend only and using all means...it is amazing when you train that you learn what can be used against people that pose a threat to you or your loved ones.) I am curious though what your thoughts are on this: Let Every Breath places full emphasis on the breath and full body breathing (like breathing the pain out of injured areas and for better circulation, and does NOT reconize the belief in Qi (chi) or any other essense that is an addition to our everyday biological processes. Now, I practive Zhan Zhaung Qi_Gong every morning, so I myself happen to believe that I access the inner power dormant inside of me, this Qi, and bring my Shen in the here and now. So, what are your thoughts? Are systems like Systema on the right track, or do the Syatema Masters (like Vladimir) access Qi without calling it that? Or are all paths leading up the same mountain and we really walk in unison with different names? Be well, -Ryan McCoole-

Hagar, I couldn't agree more. I also have the Way of Energy book practicing Zhan Zhuang qi-gong and the same moving forms as discussed. What I found was that positions and postures, whether standing or moving or sitting, shift with the cosmic qi as they will...it is our job not to force anything, but rather step back and let the qi guide itself through and around us, penetrating to our core and joining us with the eternal movement in the universe. I wouldn't say that you time spent in the "wrong" frame of mind is a total waste though...everything is a test of greater Shen and spirit, as in the Dao De Jing, flowing water never grows stale.

I am in need of some guidance. My name is Ryan McCoole, I'm 20 years old and have been practicing Chi-Kung for over two years now in Michigan, specifically the Zhan Zhuang style ("holding thr balloon" or "standing like a tree".) Anyways, the training has me, and it won't let me go, no matter what I do. Every morning after practice I walk away sometimes sore, refreshed, and completely energized. I can feel the refined Jing vibrate in my Dan Tien, interacting with the rest of my body and the environment around me. But at times I fall. Being a college student there are countless pressures for me to loose my Jing, mostly psychological and mental. So, ever since I began practicing, I have limited myself, and tried to harness my sexuality continuously everyday by using breathing techniques to harness the Jing in the Dan Tien. But here's where I am having difficulty: I feel I have what some refer to as the WILL to go all the way, and I greatly admire the practitioners here who have taken steps to enlighten other people interested. I can go all the way, but sometimes *I don't feel I know exactly where I'm going to*. Basically, I feel I am harnessing my Jing, but struggle with how I can 'activate' the internal vibrations that you talk about (I believe it is similar to opening a chakra by flooding it with positive yang (refined Jing) energy. I think this would be a wonderful experience, but I am alittle lost on what I can do in my practice to get there, things I can do everyday to overcome my cravings to loose my Jing and harness my sexuality at the same time. Here are a few questions I wanted to throw at us Tao bums 1.) I feel blessed to have discovered Chi-Kung, but my life currently is a struggle between old desires and new spiritual development. What techniques to you use everyday to overcome the 'urge' to loose your Jing? I struggle and fall many times, and after each time I reprimand myself for just committing 'energy suicide'! I know the adverse affects, yet sometimes I still let my focus slip into my lower energy centers and loose the Dan Tien. What do you do, personally, to overcome this if you choose to be celibate? This is my greatest enemy, the one struggle my will deals with everyday. 2.) Is it possible (least of all healthy) to practice the day after an ejaculation? I know you loose five days after and four before (the sources vary), so I usually wait three days every time I 'give in' before practicing…like I said the training has me, and it wont let me go! Another note: Since I began practice I have learned so much about mysef and how my body, mind and spirit operate I am grateful for the oppertunity to practice qi-gong in general and hope to take it as far as I can.

Yeah, everyone's advice had really shed some new light on what i thought was an exhausted topic...I feel more ready than ever to just "let go" and ride with the Tao. I am going to graduate with a degree in journalism and arabic as a minor, hopefully working for radio news or production (although being a qi-gong instructor woudl be amazing). Jing or no jing, the real truth is found in your ability to let go and be like water with the Tao. -Ryan McCoole=

Exactly! Books, like everything else, are a *guide*for us: this is your path, Jordan, and lerning to relax and be open are the keys And, of course, have fun with it! One of the things I tend to do is get way to serious and down on myself when I think I'm not living up to some artficial 'standard' or another, but learning Balance will really speed you along your path.

First off I would like to thank Spectrum, Owl, Todd, and Hagar for their advice, guidance and critiques. Haha, yes I definitely seem way to hard on myself (and I am at times), but I wanted to get everything into the first post. It is ironic: I read about truly letting go and flowing with the Tao, yet every now and then I desperately hold onto some form or idea with dear life thinking I’m doing myself a great service, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. Spectrum, you are right, I found that Qi-gong has a wonderful compliment in cardio vascular work, Tai Chi, or some form of balanced movement. I myself practice shadowboxing 2-3 times every week, and find that the energy generated through Qi-gong actually helps my movement, balance and positioning, as well as my perception of reality (I even find at times while shadowboxing that I can expand my awareness to outside the room, to the trees outside, and however far I allow myself to relax in the Tao.) Indeed, I have always felt better having more of a “charge” and not knowing how to harness it then being energetically depleted, and it has only been in the past few months that I’ve truly allowed myself to breathe and BE in the Tao. Owl, sometimes one needs to be reminded of the basics: Balance is the foundation of everything. I re-read the entire Dao De Jing (via your suggestion) and was reminded yet again of how important Wu wei is, the concept and practice of “not forcing”. Its not just living in an aimless state of ignorance waiting for things to happen top you, but rather a supreme “letting go” of your ego, concept of polarity (good v. bad) and an enforcement of Harmony and Oneness. I also read Trunks links, and they shed an illuminating light on classic studies. Todd, I read the first few pages of the book, and will finish the other few pages in the next few days. Indeed, I re-read my post and saw how utterly desperate it seemed! I wouldn’t be surprised if you imagined a young man sitting pensively in full lotus waiting for the Tao to bestow him with unutterable joys and enlightenment. Water flows wherever it is, and it last because it has nothing to hold onto or to slow it down. For me, these barriers were are the artificial constructs of polarity, ego, and doubt. Hagar, I agree completely (although I forgot it): How can a thing as powerful and wonderful as Qi be contained? It’s honestly like trying to squeeze the sun in a fluorescent bulb! Not that we can’t refine our vessels in our own bodies, but we refine them to help the FLOW of Qi, not squeeze it up until we can’t hold anymore and call it enlightenment. It was also great to meet someone who has walked the same path I am on right now, and knows the difficulties of such an undertaking. Yet, in reality, there are no difficulties are there? The only difficulty is in getting our perceptions of events and experiences to unclench itself from our constricted Shen, so that we may simply Be, pure and simple. Thomas Cleary’s “Energy, Vitality and Spirit” is one of my favourite anthologies on classical Taoist thought, because it synthesizes both the historical and practical aspects of Taoism, in prose that really penetrates your psyche when you really listen. I revisited the passage you cited, and realized that not only do misguided emotions lie at the root of all disharmony, but that even if we hold onto our emotions or take them at face value, we are already entering a static or “non-water-like” state! Thank you also for your guidance on post-ejaculation practice, as it illuminated what was a gray area for me. All in all, I am very glad that I stumbled upon the Tao bums, and I regret to inform you that I’ll be here for quite a while Your speedy responses prompted me to return the favor, and I hope to be there for others and share whatever experiences I have that may help them on their path of the Tao. *bows* -Ryan McCoole- “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.” -Dao De Jing, chapter eleven

Hello everyone, Ryan Mcoole here, I've been practicing Qi-gong for about a year now, and it's been great: both my body and mind have opened up to the universal energy that is the Tao! I hope to learn even more here, and I have alot of questions about training techniques and methods. I'm very glad to be here.