Antares

The Dao Bums
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    1,305

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

Posts posted by Antares

  2. Posted

    1 hour ago, Bindi said:

    Previously I was speaking from personal experience regarding kundalini and the central channel

    There is an option for how to direct the yuan qi and how to use it. Some schools may utilize the central channel, but from a Daoist perspective, that considered as the wrong path. Old Indian schools and methods were quite similar to the daoist perspective but they were changed afterwards

  4. Posted

    10 hours ago, Bindi said:

    The Upanishads (c. 1000 BCE – 500 CE)

    You could have simply provided quotes about kundalini from this text without referring to AI. But for some reason, you decided to turn to AI. This means that you are not interested in primary sources and you trust questionable sources. But can there be truth in questionable sources?

     

    6 hours ago, Bindi said:

    I do highly doubt that the British influenced indian concepts of Kundalini.

     

    Did you personally see the original texts and you proved their authenticity? I gave an example of how easy it is to manipulate the dates of supposedly authentic texts. There is no need for doubt here, just investigate. Or blindly believe in concepts imposed by others. It's up to you — the red or the blue pill - what is your choice?

  5. Posted · Edited by Antares

    3 hours ago, Bindi said:

    Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad (c. 9th-10th century CE)

    I wouldn't trust AI (Agnostic Idiot). Once, out of curiosity, I tried to find some answers in daoist texts. This idiot not only made up the text himself, but then also created another text after I pointed out that there was no such text. It apologized, but then made up a text again. Moreover, I generally do not believe in official dating in history. 99% is forgery. Especially when it comes to British India. As for this excerpt, I found that it actually pertains to the Yoga Pradipika, and as I said, it has a later dating, but again, it shouldn't be trusted. The text could have been written later. For example, I found a claim that the text Goraksasataka was copied in the 17th-18th centuries (the British period) from original texts that are supposedly dated to the 11th-12th centuries. Where are the originals themselves, who has seen and studied them?

     

    Quote

    Goraksasataka teaches “the esoteric sarasvaticalana” also known as "the stimulation
    of Sarasvati." Arousing “the Kuṇḍalinī, the coiled serpent goddess who lies dormant at the base
    of the spine in the unenlightened" is the set task for the practitionerTo accomplish this goal, Goraksasataka suggests specific breathwork rather than use of bandhās/mudrās unique to
    the “The Medieval Transformation of Yoga” period.

    What is this Medieval Transformation of Yoga” period?

  6. Posted

    I did some research and looked into 12th-century yoga texts, and there was nothing about kundalini rising up the central channel. There was a notion that it is some sort of chakra in the palate and nothing else. Therefore, the idea of rising power seems to be a modern concept that was invented recently (perhaps when the British invaded India)

  9. Posted

    18 hours ago, Sinai said:

    Jefferey James from Texas

     

    To me it looks like qigong. If you use your Yi to lead Qi it is not neidan approach. Also he talks about post heaven elements.

    Mantak Chia is qigong "master" too. Wang Liping? IMHO, it is better to engage yourself in Yiquan or Taiji, and you will benefit more

    • Like 1

  10. Posted

    On 08.04.2012 at 10:44 PM, dwai said:

    . Moong dal is the easiest to digest and this diet is very easy for the digestive system, while at the same time being very nourishing.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe here. How about cooking yellow lentils instead of yellow moong dal?

    • Like 1

  12. Posted · Edited by Antares

    2 hours ago, silent thunder said:

    Bruce did not describe these processes, nor coin the phrases. 

    Here is an article written by Bruce's student:

    Quote

    The Water Method, first coined by Lao Tzu, author of the Tao Te Ching, twenty-five hundred years ago, comes from the teachings of the Taoist oral tradition and has existed for many millennia. For this reason, I like to refer to it as “Old Taoism” in contrast to the Neo-Taoist tradition or “New Taoism” which surfaced around one thousand years ago. Old Taoism uses a soft approach to create change in the body, qi and mind, mimicking the characteristics of water. Most notably, water follows the path of least resistance, a principle that is embedded into the fabric of Old Taoism’s theories and practices.

    Much, much later, these techniques were transformed, likely due to crossover of qi practices from other traditions, and the Fire Method was born. Mixing and matching systems has been common throughout history. Similar to many Buddhist lineages, which were also flowering throughout China and Tibet at the same time, Fire practices make use of visualisations as a primary vehicle for manifesting change within a practitioner. The Water Method uses feeling, the kinesthetic sense, rather than visualisations in order to carry an individual deep into themselves and develop lasting change based on the state of their internal world.

    Yes, indeed, the water qualities  were described by Lao Tzu in DDJ but I personally not sure there were such  phrases as Water Path and Fire Path to describe the differences between schools at that time. But there have been Fire and Water which have they own unique qualities and methods that work with them. In DDJ we can find such terms as:
    上善若水 水善利萬物而不爭，處眾人之所惡，故幾於道 - The highest virtue is like water. Water benefits all beings and does not compete, dwelling in low places that people disdain. Therefore, it is close to the Dao
    孰能濁以靜之徐清？孰能安以動之徐生？  - Who can make the muddy water clear by stillness? Who can bring life to restfulness through movement?

    -----------------------------------------------
    Here I see an indication of the necessity to achieve stillness, and then movement within stillness. One could say that this is similar to the movement and quality of water, but Lao Tzu did not distinguish between concepts such as the path of water and the path of fire. There are methods based on action and non-action, there is yin and yang, and the phases of yin and yang.

    ---------------------------------------------------
    萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和 - All beings carry Yin within themselves and contain Yang, combining these energies to achieve harmony
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Overall, it seemed to me that Bruce spoke of the path of water as a path based on non-action. This is the path of old Taoism, in contrast to later schools where, for example. visualizations, asanas and breathing techniques are used a lot,

  13. Posted

    On 07.01.2025 at 2:49 AM, Bindi said:

    In my post where I responded to doc benway I did also give my perspective about the nature of reality, using my dream to explain my perspective. 

    From a conditional perspective, practice can be divided into "cleansing" and "gathering" qi. As an example, Bruce Frantzis describes spiritual practices as the path of fire and the path of water. Indeed, there are different approaches to practice—some that focus more on cleansing, while others emphasize gathering qi. Sometimes these practices work together, involving gathering qi, cleansing, and replenishing. But sometimes there is more emphasis on cleansing and dissolving, it depends on a stage of a practice. 

    If one engages only in cleansing practices, sooner or later imbalances are inevitable. However, I still don’t fully understand what is meant by the path of duality and non-duality nor where this division of practices originates. All genuine practices, in the end, should lead to a non-dual state of mind - heart. Nevertheless, there are different approaches to practice. As I mentioned above, it’s not best approach to focus solely on one aspect, such as cleansing at the level of energy and the body.

    We have two energies—yin and yang—and both must be cultivated. As for Eros, all superficial layers should be removed from sexual energy, while simultaneously jing must be cultivated. And then it becomes possible to discover a state of non-duality.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    2 hours ago, Bindi said:

    the entire spectrum of ideation and emotion are seen as the manifestation, or dynamic ornamentation, of the base and the direct realization of this depth and breadth of integration in an active and lived sense is the fruition. In this paradigm, it is the very differentiation of self and other which is the fundamental impediment to integration, so the work is done at this level of differentiation, as opposed to at the level of the multitude of experiences, emotions, and ideas that occur to the source of differentiation, the self

    Honestly I tried to understand what these word mean but I did not succeed. It is better to use daoist terminology to describe the process. The devil is in details. The base you talk about can be post heaven shen (heart - mind).
    I cant really understand what you are trying to achieve. But I believe that methodology is more important than philosophy in this case.
    The latter matters but practice is more crucial here

  15. Posted

    14 hours ago, Bindi said:

    Overall, as I understand it, Geof Nanto proposes that the necessary "work" for spiritual growth involves engaging in the differentiation of Eros and Logos or xing and qing. This contrasts with the nonduality paradigm, which suggests that integration arises by realising all thoughts and emotions as mere expressions of the base, and that this realisation itself constitutes nondual awakening.

     

    Can you explain what this differentiation means and what it involves?
    Also, what do you mean by "expression of the base" in this context? 

    And what is the way you propose to realize it?

  17. Posted

    41 minutes ago, Geof Nanto said:

    Maybe if you read my OP properly, you’ll understand what I mean. I wrote xing and qing.  I know it’s not something taught by contemporary neidan teachers

    The practical aspect here plays a greater role than intellectual understanding. There is no point in comparing the Daoist understanding of this process with Jung's understanding, as the latter was not a practitioner of Daoist alchemy. Therefore, his understanding is merely intellectual masturbation. AI merely rehashes these concepts, turning them into a product for intellectual entertainment of the mind.

  18. Posted

    1 hour ago, Geof Nanto said:

    I will add though, that my worldview is continually evolving based on my progress with working with xing and qing together; of attempting to marry xing and qing so they work together with each augmenting the other. 

     

    So if I get it right in your practice you are trying to bring together your Xing and... Eros (emotions, desires)?

    May I ask who inspired you to do it this way?  

  20. Posted

    On 25.09.2024 at 10:17 PM, ChiDragon said:

    This contains two symbols from the Yijing(易經). Do you know what they meant?

    In my humble opinion these are postheaven fire and water - Li and Kan. They must be cultivated and purified. When they are full they can be reversed and thus transformed from postheaven quality into their preheaven state.

    trigram.png

    • Confused 1

  21. Posted

    3 hours ago, Taomeow said:

    There's other contexts too of course -- e.g. "grounded" in the psychological sense

    I believe it more depends on whether one's meridians are open and thus one can be grounded on the level of qi. Also "ground" is not physical in this context. Ground is Earth which is the central element in WuXing, so psychological state depends on the state of energy - whether all elements are balanced and how qi flows in meridians.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted · Edited by Antares

    7 hours ago, Forestgreen said:

    Means the foundations are not solid enough. 

    That's true. There is the building foundation stage in daoist practice. Ofc it is not possible to realize if one has not authentic method.

    Another issue people stumble upon is Hun and Po balance in the practice and daily life even if one has got an authentic method of cultivation.

    If one works on Ming mostly the Po will be strengthened and there is a chance to fall into desires and lust and that is where most people balk at in their progress...

    If one works on Xing mostly there could be another sort of problems. Both issues relate to Hun and Po balance.

    Dual cultivation of Xing and Mng is the best solution. The more balance one has the more chance to control desires but it is not easy task anyway. I am not talking about methods people get from the books or any sort of videos which are not authentic in most cases.

    The problem becomes insoluble in such a case

    • Like 1