GrandmasterP

Faith is believing in something that, deep down; you know isn't true.

Bible-God Inc. [Open for negotiation] One of the firm's three partners is always on the premises. Step inside and make us an offer. All major currencies [and bribes] accepted. We also take Amex,Visa and Diners Club [30% card charge].

Forgive an old man. I am both slow and stupid. You make a good point. Help me out here guys please. Marius is haunted by Xtianity. We are trying to put him straight. Right?

Excellent thread. I am new and was surprised to find so little on Divination on TTB whe it is such a big part of Taoism. This is making up for it. Most folk who come to our centre at first come either for their fortunes told, good luck practice advice or Spirit contact. I Ching is possibly the most profound Divination method and much else besides. Anybody with an idea of what trigrams represnt and element relationships will progress much faster with cultivation.

Without cultivation we are condemned to continue 'living our own experience'. Over and over again.

'Drunkenness, Lust, Avarice and Anger. Those who wish to cultivate must first remove these four obstacles my lusty lads'. [Grandmaster Chang]

Gotta dissolve that ego guys. It don't work if ego is still present. Cultivate 'n Chant.

Good point about words Sinfest... 'To get to the root of stillness one must view the world as empty'. [Whang Ch'ung]

You are right Mariu. ;-) 'Abrahamic' is just tech shorthand for Judaism Xtianity and Islam. Check wiki ts.

Tai Chi is the dogs proverbials of the external arts hence they pulled its teeth and slowed it down. Cos in the old days Tai Chi players did so much damage they more or less ran out of willing opponents Pa-Kua is Tai-Chi martial form but more so. Real 'down and dirty' with much less courtesy shown to the opponent. The beggars can't actually see you if you do it right [cos you're behind em]. I know the wise old guys at Stockwell Dojo Sinan and hear good words about the young lads too. You will be in good hands. Buy a bottle of Witch Hazel from Boots. You will need it to rub on after training. If you do decide to take it up it is a lot cheaper to buy your kit direct from Playwell online. Dojo prices are a bit steep for uniform etc.

By and large the Abrahamic paths are based on a book or books whereas we tend towards aiming to transcend written knowledge through practical training. You do find spirituality in some Xtian cultivations. The eremitical Desert Fathers for example or maybe Jesus Prayer cultivators in the Orthodox tradition but those ways are identical to ours and much of what passes for Desert Fathers wisdom such as the Philokalia is a gloss on Buddhist sutras or straight rip offs of Taoist tales with just the names changed. Jesus Prayer is Nembutsu-like as to a lesser extent is the Catholic rosary-repetition ritual. Anybody interested in cultivation is better off doing it than reading about it. 8 Strands of Silk Brocade is a simple but very effective way in.

That whole Heaven and Hell thang is simply an Xtian story. Other religions have similar. Folk seem to like the idea that those they don' like end up in a bad place whlst people they do agree with end up in Heaven. So Xtians onsign all the rest to Hell cos we int Xtians. Now that's their right even though they are wrong. I was brought up surrounded by nominal Xtians and as people they were fine,same as us. But the born again ones who take it seriously they are a serious pain in the erse. All fanaticism and fundamentalism is stunting. Nobody can reach their full potential by wearing blinkers.

Good post. Call it what you will, what you describe is a healthy cultivation. There is a notable difference between what you describe and the rather strident, almost fearful misinterpretations presented by some posters. Any cultivation which leads to disquiet,discomfort or psychotic episodes needs to be stopped immediately. The Tantric/Chakra and on our side of the fence.. alchemical attract fragile personalities. Those who feel disempowered seek 'power'to make up for a felt lack be it in relationships,self regulation or other. Those forms are therefore often waymarks along a road of descent into deeppychosis. They can make fragile people worse. More ill than when they began. Hence my words of caution. Beyond the counsel I have offered above; no professional teacher would jeopardise their practice or indemnity cover by attempting to teach or advise someone they suspect may have an underlying or praxis engendered mental health issue. Which at least one poster here clearly has. Our job in these cases is to advise cessation and direct the person towards qualified medical assistance, making a record that we have done so.

Excellent story Taomeow. There are no coincidences where spirits are involved and for sure the goddess of good fortunes was smiling in your direction via your friend's thoughtfulness in sending just the right book.

No matter how grim things sometimes seem to be things fall into perspective given regular cultivation. No point trying to change the world but changing ourselves, we can all have a go at that. As far as nature goes I'm pretty much in favour of it with the sole exception of slugs. Snails I can live with. Pretty shells even if they do nibble our cabbages. But one finds no redeeming features whatsoever in the common or garden voracious slug. Mrs GrandmasterP is of the opinion that slugs only exist to provide a suitable reincarnation vehicle for door knocking born agains and double glazing salesmen.

I suspect the real answer might be rather rude. ;-) Possibly dodgy to generalise about bums. From my short time here we seem to be a very varied crew. I stumbled across a nest of Kundalini bods in a dark corner on here earlier this evening. Sure t'be a Tantrist or two knocking about as well.Those two tribes stick together like sh*t to a blanket. Q: What do you call a Tantrist wearing a suit and tie?

Bankrobbers masks?

Good point. Sorta like delusions attempting to 'fill' an omnipresent emptiness. 'Clay is fired to make a pot Pot's use comes from emptiness' [TTC 11]. A most cheering idea, on so many levels..

Yes you can turn off 'Kundalini' anamatava. Have a look at 'folie a deux' as per my previous post... then smell the coffee and begin to heal yourself. Should you choose to. Or carry on as you are. Whatever makes anyone happy. But kundalini doesn't. Does it? Symptoms of kundaini psychosis include... Anger Paranoia Tremor Visual Hallucination Sound familiar?

Good post Steve. Osho's book 'When the shoe fits' is a brilliant intro to Taoism via some Chuang'tzu stories plus it has some great jokes. If you like to read Marius then there is a Romanian edition of that available. Happiness is happier than pessimism but Xtia ideas of original sin andguilt etc do make it a rather gloomy path. That and needing a priestly caste with exclusive rights to do eituals for the punters. By and large Taoists more or less can do all that stuff in temple ourselves wenever we like. No need to wait til Sunday mass and some old boy in a frock doing things 'for' the audience. Taoism is kinda participatory. Everybody can play. Our priests are more along the lines of caretakers.

Good post. Taoism is very pro people getting on, working hard and striving to excel. Those attributes are all at the core of cultivation. I do agree that TV and some media in the west anyway seem to promote a vacuous dumbed down celebrity style 'culture'. The work ethic of our students from the far east is way above that of most of those who come to us via the English school system.

Seems to be a bit of a yearning after 'religion' and 'ritual' around the board today. So for those who want a popular Taoist (and Buddhist) ritual that can pay dividends here's a couple of resources that'll help you emulate a practice that takes place in Taoist Temples each and every day around the world.. Buy your Quan Yin statuette from http://www.orientalworld.co.uk/products.php?PHPSESSID=f590b28c3b6be70dc59831916c49ecc9&cat=3&pg=5 Learn the Chant at Cultivate and also introduce Chant with Intention Then Reap the Rewards. PS: Oriental World in Manchester sell all sorts of Feng Shui and related goods at almost 'Chinese' low prices. It is all excellent quality. Most of the shysters you see selling kit online buy their stock from Oriental World then add a 500% mark up. There is NO minimum order with Oriental World..

Well you live and learn. Why asparagus juice I wonder?

................................. No mates then eh?

No cultivation - No happiness. Know cultivation - Know happiness Have a go at learning and doing this every morning Marius. You'll be as happy as Mr Happy from Happy Town within a month