wudangspirit

It has been a while sense I have viewed this. Sorry. I want to thank everyone for taking part in this discussion. It was helpful and you guys, in my opinion, are dead on.

Generally, those are shrines or qigong classes or schools. There are no working Taoist temples in the USA as far as traditional temples like Zixiao palace.

Well, I think this can help:

 

http://www.daoistcenter.org/organizations.pdf

Wow.... I just read some of your comments and if you all spent 1/2 the time cultivating that you do on arguing who's right and who's wrong about cultivating you'd already be immortal!

You all just took 10 years off your life of leaking Jing Qi and Shen

hahahahah!!!!

Tao Bless

This is how you return to stillness. My thoughts exactly. Don't attach and return to your dantian

Did you try to breathe deep into the Dan Tian to center yourself and stabilize your mind....???

What kind of meditation are you doing? You should detach from any feelings and go back to stillness

This is something that has been happening over the last week or so while I meditate. I get into a thoughtless and blank state, and it feels as if my body is pivoting in a circle, rotating counter-clockwise for roughly 270 degree's then clockwise for around 270 degree's. Back and forth. I am wondering if anyone has a similar experience or knows what's up.

 

Thanks.

I think it is about finding the right teather for you and whether you are comfortable paying for it or not. No big deal. Your Tao is your Tao.

Find the right teacher that teaches you what you are looking for. My only criteria was:

Does the teacher practice what they preach?

Does the teacher show physical proof in their own life of attainment and knowledge?

Can the master's teachings and guidance make a difference in your life, if you practice?

Does the teaching you learn apply to your life and your Tao (your way)?

Do you have Yuan Fen (common affinity) with that teacher and their teachings?

Do the teaching make sense to you?

That was beautiful Stig.

I completely disagree with this notion.

A Master is someone who master's themselves and will openly teach those who are willing to learn. If someone cannot learn how to meditate from these guys from a beginner then how can someone learn from them? Where would they learn to meditate for four hours in total stillness to begin with. Your theory has holes my friend.

The "story" of Wang Liping says he learned from a beginner from immortals. They trained him from a total beginner learning step by step and could not even sit for 10 minutes at first. Do you think Wang Liping would hold himself higher than his own Masters and not except anyone who already knew how to meditate for four hours? I think not.

My suggestion is to keep looking and he will find who he is looking for, for his own reasons.

lol, i completely disagree with wudangspirit (no offense to you of course)

 

As a counter-point...

I suggest you increase the amount of time you can meditate in full lotus. Masters like Sifu Wang Liping for example, wont even train you until you can sit comfortably for four hours in full lotus. Also Masters like Chunyi Lin emphasize diet and flexibility. Most all things require concentration as well, so focusing on that will help(imo). There are certainly many "Masters" out there and they can be masters of anything. There are many masters of music and art, master of certain skills...anything you were looking for?

 

It seems most masters nowadays, since we have the internet and live in the "communications" age, seem to sit still and simply make themselves known, rather than wander around like in the olden days. I'm sure there are still hermits and wandering taoist sages but I doubt they'd just appear to you. I'd say take a look at some systems out there and pick one and stick with it. Most advertised systems are just beginners stuff to initiate the layman, perhaps for future lives. For those who are serious for progressing it is my belief that the masters of these systems will share the more "inner circle" teachings as you progress.

Also the idea that masters nowadays eating and living like common man is partially true but tricky. If you're talking about masters of wisdom and alchemy...well no they don't have to eat if they don't want to, and they will likely not act like the baboons and fools of this modern society, lol. However that also doesn't mean they'll act like an alien. They'll still be human, they'll still feel and laugh and live but not like people nowadays. I'd love to see Buddha chillin at a party drinkin 40s and munchin on sum weed brownies lololol, dressed in classic hipster clothes listening to his ipod :lol:

 

Buddha: Yo bruh, check out this mad chick I totally banged last night.

Jesus: Oh shyt son, that girl is whack. U wanna try this new vaporizer i picked up?

Shiva: Heeeey dudes, I brought the rum and coke. Sumone wanna play sum Mario Tennis? Cause i've been wantin to play sum mario tennis, that Daisy chick is HAWT!

 

hahahahahaa, phew good laughs

 

Anyway, look around, see if you can find some reputable "masters", see if they teach a system and learn it, learn and master everything they have to teach, then they'll likely teach you beyond the "public" systems and you'll start having some fun. Personally in the US Chunyi Lin has the the notorious rep of being a crazy healer, Max Christensen is either a powerful magician or complete fraud, lol, There's Sifu Hata who teaches a unique art and is also connected to other highly reputable masters. I'm sure people on here could also recommend themselves and maybe others too

 

-Astral

You'll find who you are looking for when the time is right. However, do not get caught up in an illusion of ancient Shifu's who will not charge you. This is still the modern world and Shifu's need to eat and live as well. The key is are they giving you the value you are paying for and it is it within your means.

Like I have said in previous posts, you need to watch out for scam artists.

You can study with someone and if your life changes exponentially (in they way you want but maybe not they way you expected) from it, then I'd say you found your Shifu.

There are no secrets. People either will get it or they do not. The Tao is very dialectic and we have to see both sides of everything to understand the whole and then give up the concept to go deeper.

It is about self cultivation anyway. There are a lot of people out there after fame, ego and your money. You need to be careful.

What about this http://www.universal-tao.com/article/cultivating.html and the Secret of the Golden Flower. I don't understand the need for secrecy seeing as the world is already a disaster with weapons of mass destruction, enormous energy released by the tniest particles enough to destroy everything in its path. Why would they still keep it secret. Another Boxer's Rebellion perhaps?

Nicely put and to my point, yes Wudang was undeniably attacked but there still survived our lineage and teachings as they could not take oral tradition away.

The red guards did destroy many temples on famous Taoist mountains like WudanShang, HuaShan... they did smashed corpse and coffin of Wang Chong Yang , who established the school of Quan Zhen , into pieces yet these to Taoism are all material things, idols for mass, illusory and quickly dispersing as passing clouds on our head. Great Taoist masters' eternity can be compared to sun and moon, their powers to the storms and lightnings , their legacy as high-rising mountains and oceans .. so few decades of political upheavals is unlikely to be so hurtful as people think .

 

The so-called disappearance of Taoism or Taoist legacy is , in fact, some kind of illusion ; on the contrary , it reflects Tao's not having definite form(無定形) , its lack of any fixed tendency(無成勢) , its reluctance of coming ahead of events (不為物先) , yet its capability of reserving its own potential well .

No egoes here my friend. It has all been documented. A special on my lineage and grandmaster has also been aired on CCTV. Which is the Chinese Central Television (central government run by the way) and they still do not deny it. Not a glorious history by any means. Tough times and they went through a hell of a lot. I can back up 100% of my claims.

Just about every lineage I read about these days supposedly comes from some ancient teaching which survived the revolution in secret, it's hard to tell how reliable all these stories are though as I'm sure every lineage would love to have some glorious history and tale behind the teachings.

Two ways:

1. We can take the conversation offline on email. You can email me at [email protected] and we can take it from there.

2. You can go to my master's site to read more. I can assure you he is the real deal. www.wudangtao.com

are you serious? How? I mean yes, I would appreciate your assistance.

Where did you get this information? Couldn't be further from the truth. Yes the red guard did frequently burn down temple and take priests away to the re-education camps however they could not take away oral tradition. That is the beautiful part about it.

My lineage for instance has still kept the pre-communist orthodox teachings thanks to my grandmaster and master. If you are interested in these practices I can help.

I understand that the cultural revolution was actually a genocide of these enrgetic practices. Do you know of any Taoist practices that survived perhaps and were untainted by the genocide?

Not sure I am understanding what you mean by "pointer". Traditional lineages still exist in Taoist practice that have nothing to do with communist influence if that is what you mean.

Has anyone managed to find any reliable pre-communist "pointer" with regards to internal work and alchemy?

So then, what makes it possible to determine whether a movement is to our own good or against it? If there is no one correct protocol, then what is the guideline or directive or particular feeling or whatever that can tell how to move, which move is natural and which is not? I mean "making ourselves available to the life energy of the moment" is very nice, but find me just 5 people on Earth who understand this the same way.

Moving without expectation would mean not to expect the movement to increase my health, wouldn't it? Then how to practice qigong?

It's like if the whole thing would be simply the joy of moving. As if it wouldn't matter at all how to move, which way, and how far, or how fast, but the only thing that matters would be to enjoy it. So you'd move in a way as you enjoy it. But then, isn't it kind of unethical to teach qigong for a high fee instead of saying "move as you like"?

 

 

 

This sounds very nice, but I have absolutely no idea what it means. Avoiding such sentences in general when talking about qigong and related issues, or strictly defining the terms used in it, like 'post heaven intelligence', so that they would mean roughly the same to everyone, would make it much easier to understand these practices.

This is a key term for Qigong practice. Post heaven intelligence is using the conscious mind that has been gathering all the information and storing it since your were born. It is what creates judgement and bias. In order to do Qigong correctly you need to have a still mind without the attachment of this type of thinking. You need to utilize the stillness to tap into your original spirit. THE REAL YOU without judgements. This allows you to trust yourself and begin to sense the real qi inside you.

While watching the animals in nature it allows us to get back to our own essential nature and reminds us to connect with our own original spirit. As for the movements, Qigong is grounded in stillness and the flow of qi can only be activated while in stillness then the body can begin to move. So going back to the Goose shaking his feathers, that was an inspired movement and intended for us to shake of the bad qi.

This movement is also done in white crane kung fu. It is not about imitated the animal exactly but when you can visualize a goose shaking off wateer off his wings you can also see how that relates to shaking off stagnate qi.

In healing work we also do this. You need to go beyond post heaven intelligence and realize the essence of the teaching and movements.

I was watching the Wild Goose Qigong practice and some questions occurred to me.

It's ok that people a long time ago watched animals and they thought that those movements might be vital and healthy. But beside this, why did they think (and why do we still think today) that this actually benefits us in a special way?

I mean just because the goose needs to shake its wings to get rid of water on its feathers, it doesn't mean that if we imitate that movement then it's going to be good for us. We don't have feathers, we don't have wings, why should we do a like movement with our hands? How does this whole thing connect to qi energy?

If qigong's fundamental principle is to align ourselves with nature, then shouldn't we align ourselves with OUR OWN nature instead of animals' nature?

Pai just means "school" or "style" so Hua Shan Pai means Hua Mountain style, referring to the style of Qigong practiced by Hua Shan Taoists... Not too shabby.... Let us know how you like it...

Pai means family or sect in Chinese

Your heighten your "mind intention" after training? Yi is mind intent.

We usually say that the Shen guides the Qi and the Qi guides the body. In Zhan Zhuang the Shen is still and that is how the qi begins to flow.

This is Taoist alchemical theory. Motion comes from stillness. Once you are still the qi will flow naturally and your root will be stronger as well.

Wuji meditation, Taiji, Qigong and Wudang internal kung fu is how I get more qi and conserve it by being aware of leaking qi through lifestyle and awareness.

Training is not a few hours a day but 24/7/365

You must nourish the qi you build and be aware of what can cause damage to it through everyday living.

Tao Bless

Wudangspirit

I think I get more qi through the IMA. If qi goes with yi, than zhan zhuang is where I get most qi out of my training. I exercise and heighten my Yi most easily in and after standing.

 

So, how do you get more qi?

Your heighten your "mind intention" after training? Yi is mind intent.

We usually say that the Shen guides the Qi and the Qi guides the body. In Zhan Zhuang the Shen is still and that is how the qi begins to flow.

This is Taoist alchemical theory. Motion comes from stillness. Once you are still the qi will flow naturally and your root will be stronger as well.

Wuji meditation, Taiji, Qigong and Wudang internal kung fu is how I get more qi and conserve it by being aware of leaking qi through lifestyle and awareness.

Training is not a few hours a day but 24/7/365

You must nourish the qi you build and be aware of what can cause damage to it through everyday living.

Tao Bless

Wudangspirit

I think I get more qi through the IMA. If qi goes with yi, than zhan zhuang is where I get most qi out of my training. I exercise and heighten my Yi most easily in and after standing.

 

So, how do you get more qi?

Marblehead,

TTC and Zhuangzi are not the only texts. Vegetarianism is definitely a must for monastics. If you are in the temple you ARE vegetarian.

If you are outside the temple you have your choice but it is recommended. However, balance it best. Too much meat can cause too much heat.

There is absolutely nothing in the Tao Te Ching or in the writings of Chuang Tzu that suggest one should be a vegetarian.

 

In fact, Chuang Tzu tells a story where he is a guest and eats duck for dinner.

 

Peace & Love!

So did you buy the tapes? hahahah just kidding. Good report! Seems that the summit wasn't run by any real Taoist priests from China? I'd be very disappointed.

Sometimes you do not have to "go to the mountain" when the mountain is already in front of you.

www.wudangtao.com

Sorry had to plug my master. hahahahh

I know Mal was going to do something like this too... I was interested in doing something of the same.

 

First, I would like to thank the Taoist organization that sponsored the event. The summit took place in a 5 star hotel, they gave me free books, and served me a feast in a modern-day palace. I know some people have managed to turn Taoism into some sort of anti-materialist (read: dogmatic) philosophy... but they are fools. I enjoyed all of it. Thank you.

 

It is a shame that the majority of presenters were so terrible. The first evening was really dissapointing. One professor turned Taoism into the aforementioned anti-materialist dogmatic philosophy, (Jesus...) Another professor didnt seem to know anything about Taoism and used the floor to talking about climate change.. one guy was apparantly speaking english.. but eh... not really... and eh... some ridiculous screwball astrology/personality stuff.

 

It was pretty bad.

The next day was better. there were a few professors with a spot-on understanding of the tao te Ching, whom I enjoyed hearing from very much. I got one of their cards... I shouldnt have missed that other lady... but they were excellent. (give a woot for the academics !)

 

There was one lady who taught us how to move our spine. She was nice, but I didnt really talk to her.

 

There was another lady who was more of a crone, and she was nuts. She, of course, lectured on some notes she tore out of a mantak chia book.

 

MICHEAL WINN WAS THERE !! So amazing. I never thought I would meet a grandmaster. I crouched by his side and asked him, as genuinely, humbly, politely as possible if he could, maybe, help open my mind to reality. That he had a really big influence on my life as a teenager... but that i had since become skeptical because nothing really came out of the practice. He asked me if I bought his audio tapes... i said no, I read the books... he said I needed to by the audio tapes because the teachings go to the kidneys, and there is too much interference when you read a book, you just can't 'get it'. So I asked for a live transmission... he kind of ignored that... I need to buy his tapes...

 

So I continued on with lunch and met some dudes from hong kong. They seemed pretty cool. one looked like mantak chia ! One doctor (director of some or other in hong kong,) gave me his card... he seemed nice, though he talked about rituals and life after death and stuff... so... I half suspect he was testing if I actually read the TTC before.

 

Micheal winns lecture was completely bogus. He spent 20 minutes takling about how spiritual progress can only be gauged subjectively. for 20 minutes. (I just made the point in a single sentence. holy jesus it took him 20 minutes.) I got to ask him a question, and he dodged and spouted some stupid bullshit. Apparantly being a master wizard that can talk to atlanteans doesnt necessarily make you very smart.

 

He's an idiot. and probbaly much more than that.

There was one guy from italy who works on 'quantum fields' (I think he called them,) and he seemed to actually be the 'real deal'. he gave me his card, and I need to email him... Maybe he was just really handsome, who knows. hes the president of the Taoist association, italy. breath of fresh air standing next to the 5-element fusion screwbags.

 

Be careful guys. most of you are making screwbags out of yourselves. You do NOT want to be that crazy crone lady, and you do NOT want to be the next Micheal winn.

 

Just stay smart, stay scientific, and read lots of books, ok?

PS pelase dont judge me writing style here. If I wanted to do a good job of this, it would turn into a big deal....

Way to go Darin! No ego and a man who knows himself. Don't look back and keep going forward never to get back there again!

Tao Bless Man!

Ape is spot on! I am unbalanced and really unhealthy. Thats nothing to be ashamed of. I am what I am. I sit at a computer at work 8hrs a day. Lately, I have started exercising every half hour real quick at work and I havent had any fast food, sugar or Mountain Dew in a week. I am also keeping a video journal of my weight loss and fitness regimen that nobody will see until I am fit again. Back in 2005 I wore 30 inch waist jeans and ran 5 miles or more a day. Now... not so much.... but soon again....

 

I want to get back into fighting shape again. Getting thrown when your 175 is much different than when your 235! I prefer 175!!!