Imperial

hi guys, recently i got my hands on the book Taoist Yoga: Alchemy & Immortality by Charles Luk, and i have a question. there is one passage that says, "The left leg should be placed outside and close the right one; this means the positive embracing the negative. The thumb of the left hand should touch its middle finger and the right hand should be placed under it (palm upward) with its thumb bent over the left palm; this means the negative embracing the positive." does anyone have a visual representation or can anyone explain to me in a more simple way? many thanks!

thank you!

Thank you for your kind explanation! can someone also explain the hands? I can only see the hands from the sides and do not know how the fingers should be thanks

Thank you! I take it that the legs are in a half lotus position and i can't make out much of the hand positions another question, would it be okay to do the full lotus instead of the half lotus?

I was chatting with a school friend through Skype. We were talking about our classes and all until we ran out of topics to talk about. He suddenly brought up questions like, "What is the point of life?," "what happens after death?" and so on. Those types of questions lingered in my mind for weeks. As a person, I have stuff that I love to do. Won't it be a waste to just die like that? Working towards something for so long and just in the end to ... die? I started searching up immortality. Obviously, news about scientists developing immortality methods with new technology and part-machine bodies. I didn't like that. It wasn't natural. I wanted my body to stay natural. Being a Chinese and a Buddhist, the next thing in my mind was Taoist immortality. It immediately popped into my head. I started searching it up and doing some research across the Internet. ... And that is how I got here, as I wanted to partake in this community and learn something new. I then started learning about spiritual immortality. I thought that it would be fun, manifesting as many different forms and travelling the universe. I want to feel the joy of being unbounded by nothing!

Hi! I have some questions regarding a few exercises/meditations. What is "fire in the belly"? Is it a meditation technique? If so, how do you execute it? I also want to know what is "body breathing." I tried to find some information online about "fire in the belly" and "body breathing" but I couldn't find any that were plausible at the least. Also, how do you manage sexual energy? Is there a technique for it? Thanks!

Thanks for the detailed reply! May I know what techniques are used for cultivating "fire in the belly"? Is reverse breathing needed for a spiritual fetus? o:

Okay, I'll try. D: Also, what does reverse breathing do? I know it is a way to gain energy as we breathe like that after some cardio or exercises, but what are the effects?

My face when ... .

Thanks for enlightening me! Are there anything I should refrain from eating, or anything that I should eat?

Thanks for all the replies. It's great to have many knowledgable seniors! Can someone explain body breathing? I want to read more about it. Oh, and embryonic breathing is normal breathing, right? Stomach expands when inhaling, and contracts when exhaling?

Thanks for the replies! Another question: is there an exercise for "ch'i follows the mind"? Looks like I need to research a bit more on "body breathing." I'm trying to follow the meditation exercises here: http://internalart.tripod.com/the%20art%20of%20meditation/meditation.htm Unfortunately, the website has not been updated for thirteen years.

Wow, now I can understand it from a scientific viewpoint. Thanks! I also tried learning the meditations from this site, but unfortunately it has not been updated for 13 years. Which is why I asked about the "fire in the belly" and "body breathing" because I couldn't find any info about it online. ]x

Do you guys think it is a good idea to wear blindfolds when meditating? It's very distracting to keep your eyes from opening while it's closed! D:

Sorry, I misread the topic post. My apologies.

It is the "Way" so it is a path? Credit and source: http://internalart.tripod.com/taoism/ifyou.htm

I've heard stories or talks about how some people can just live on their internal energy alone. They don't have to drink or eat anything. What do you guys think about this? Do you guys think it is actually possible?

Thanks! It'd be great if I ever reach a state like that! I won't have to worry about food expenses or money. Then I can hopefully travel around the world and see the most beautiful places on earth! I can then devote my life developing my internal practices without worrying about society or money!

I see. What do you think of the methods?

This seems similar to this: What do you think of this? Source: http://internalart.t...immortality.htm I'm not sure if it is very accurate, especially the time.

Yes, wearing a blindfold helps you relax the muscles on your eyelids so you can concentrate.

Can you explain what this means? Thanks.

Please forgive my ignorance, but, in your own opinion, what do you think you need to become an immortal? Without following a specific sect or school, what is important in an immortal? Going way back a few thousand years, there are pioneers that [probably] started of as a martial artist, and eventually found ways to achieve a higher position/realm, and taught those methods for which has been passed down from generations to generations into what we now call sects, schools, or doors. There are numerous of these, while they differ in method, they most likely achieve the same goal. Do you guys think it has something to do with 氣 (ch'i)? Is it the gathering of ch'i and compressing it into the dan t'ian? Is it refining the ch'i? Balance it between Yin and Yang? Converting it all into pure Yang? Is it the opening of channels? Is it converting the jing into shen? A spirit body? Super high energy frequency? How about breathing? Is it meditation? Or is it a martial arts practice? Both Shaolin and Wudang do some sort of martial arts training. I have read somewhere in this forum that said that both Zhang Sanfeng and Bodhidharma reached level 72. What were their similarities? They both studied a form of martial art. They both meditated at some point. How about walking? I'm sure they walked for numerous days. Zhang Sanfeng traveled around China. Bodhidharma traveled from India to China. Do you think walking plays a part to achieve something higher? In short, what do you think is the basic core essence of an Immortal?

Sorry about that.

In your previous post, the two dan t'ians you were referring to is the lower dan t'ian and the heart dan t'ian? As for ". . .deveop qi one has to do particular exercises to tighten the lower dan tien. . .," are you referring to qigong? Or is this a very specific exercise? Thanks!