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I just wrote this post on meditation: http://adifferentpath.blog.com/2014/08/31/meditation/ I do not normally "toot my own horn" outside of sharing such things on Facebook and Twitter. But I think I have stumbled onto something worth sharing here. These words may be of some help or use to someone. Feel free to discuss this post in this thread. all feedback is welcome.

Hello, An initiation in London is coming up for Xiao Yao Pai and I am thinking about attending. It sounds interesting. I just wanted to ask anyone who has been initiated and done the practices what there experiences have been with Xiao Yao Pai. So, what are your experiences? Both 'normal' (improved mood, health, etc), and mystical (seeing auras, communicating with deities when you didn't before, increased intensity of energy in practices, healing abilities, OOBE, etc), and, whatever else (like improvement in practices)? If you can (concisely) describe the practices involved that would be appreciated too. Would the practices involved be called Neidan? Neigong? Qigong? Any (concise) relevant information would be appreciated). I'm still quite new to Chinese and Taoist terminology.

http://longmenpai.blogspot.ca/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=9 Quote: Mr. Cheng, male, from Busan , Korea. The followings are excerpt from his practice diaries. I have always liked Duke Zhou (周公) since I was a child, therefore when I was in the fourth grade, I borrowed the Confucius classics, Four Books and Five Classics (四书五经), from an old gentleman in my neighborhood. The old gentleman was a Confucius scholar, I studied from him and due to his influence, I started to develop a deep passion for traditional Chinese culture. I did not follow my father’s expectation and entered a Buddhist University instead, then, I began cultivation. The Buddha said, “all is created from the heart”, I thought then where do our hearts come from. This was the question I have been pondering on. After meditating on it for 9 months, the following was my conclusion: 心心本是空，莫问何处生。 夜月照天地，寒风摇竹林。 (Roughly: Hearts are originally empty, do not ask where they are from. The moon shines on the ground, the cold wind shakes the bamboo forest.) Beginning in 1991, I was the Abbot of two thousand-year-old temple in Korea (Guangde temple and Duoshuai temple), even though I came to China to study, my positions were held for me until 2009. When I was an Abbot, I always had this empty feeling about my lack of real achievement as a cultivator, so in order to search for the great Dao, I decided to come to China. I didn’t find any high level teachers nor any suitable methods however, so I entered the Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine University to study TCM. 5 years of undergraduate, 3 years of Master and another 3 years for doctorate. Then I entered another doctoral program at Shandong University to study Pre-Qin dynasty literature. I wanted to write a thesis on “the link between Man and Heaven and Earth”, among the relevant literatures there are “Zhou YI Can Tong Qi”, “Ling Bao Bi Fa”, “Zhong Lu Zhuan Dao Ji” and “Wu Zhen Pian”, after reading them I realized that if I don’t know Dandao, I could not appreciate the Chinese Culture and Chinese Medicine at a profound level. Motivated by this, I began to search for people who has this transmission, I managed to meet the author of “Notebook on Internal Viewing and Observation” (内证观察笔记), he recommended “Opening the Dragongate” (Da Dao Xing) and “Walk on the Great Path” (Xing Da Dao). I was extremely excited after I finished both books, and with his introduction I was able to meet Mr. Shen Zhigang. From April 9th to April 19th, I went to Lanzhou and studied with Shen laoshi for 10 days. Shen laoshi taught me the core materials of internal alchemy, setting up the stove and installing the cauldron and the gathering of internal medicine. I had quite an experience only after a few days. I have studied Chan Buddhism for more than 20 years but I have never understand completely what the Buddha meant by “micro white brightness”, I can only interpret it superficially but I had never had actual experience of it. After coming to Lanzhou for three days, I have experienced “micro white brightness” and there is a series of transformations in my body too. I could feel the vibrations in my organs when I worked on the five elements. I was happy, excited and energized every day. I couldn’t even fall asleep for a few nights. Learning dandao has filled the empty part of my heart. After the 10-day class, I left the following poem in my notebook: 炼三宝，贵在呼吸； 修内丹，全凭口传。 世面言丹法，皆是口头禅； 明师引入门，无非真实法。 寻大道之颂 ——4月26日炼安神祖窍后而作 大道本无言，无名而无形。 若无借言说，不能显大道。 昔伏羲作易，后昆晓乾坤。 老子著经也，全彰道与德。 二圣明根源，兹以知还本。 人皆有性命，由此修大道。 魏老人撰书，凭易参同契。 丹道据天道，有钟吕传道。 灭邪小儒骇，传世为真宝。 谁知长生药，只在自身中。 As instructed by Shen laoshi, I continued to practice everyday for a month. Then I came to Lanzhou again on 9th May 2011 to continue my study of authentic internal alchemy. Shen laoshi furthered my study by systematically instructed me on the crucial steps of internal alchemy (Set up the stove and install the cauldron, internal medicine, external medicine, fusion of elixir and channel SHO). 20th: Morning and evening, we practiced enhanced method of gathering internal medicine, no reaction in my organs. 21st: Morning : Continued enhanced gathering of medicine, no reaction. Evening: Continued enhanced gathering of medicine, organs began to vibrate and got stronger and stronger. 22nd Morning: Continued enhanced gathering of internal medicine, organs continued to vibrate strongly and I almost lost control. With the guidance of the teacher I was able to take control again. Evening: Same as in the morning, after tuning my body position, I was able to control myself nicely. 23rd Morning: Use the first method of Ling Bao Bi Fa to practice the three-universe breathing and lower field, I could actually feel the stove and cauldron in “Set up the Stove and Install the cauldron”, very interesting and wondrous feelings. Evening: Began to gather the external medicine, I could see the spirit light going down to my lower field. 24th Morning: Practiced gathering of external medicine. I could see the spirit light but found it hard to condense them. Afternoon: We packed out stuff and headed off to Mount Xing Long. I had read the annontation of the Wu Zhen Pian by Liu Yiming and now I could come to the place where he cultivated, I had a deep respect for this place. 25th Morning: Enhanced method to gather the internal medicine, I could see the colors and their changes inside my organs. Afternoon: Continued enhanced gathering of internal medicine. Not only was I able to see the changes of the colors inside my organs, the outside bodily vibrations caused by the internal organs' vibration is calming down and getting into my internal body. The high frequency vibrations of my organs gave rise to a feeling that are interesting, calming and comforting, very special. Evening: Practiced Ping Heng Gong, I worked on a thousand-year-old giant pine tree. I could smell the fresh pine scent which permeated my entire body. This was my first contact with this divine tree and already I had this wondering feeling. I was very excited. 26th Early Morning: I practiced Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree. Again, I could smell the clean refreshing pine scent. When I was doing Zhan Zhuang with my back facing the tree, I could see different outlines of many temples with my eyes closed. Shen laoshi said that Liu Yiming had built over 70 temples on this mountain, no wondering I could “see” so many. Morning: When I was working on the external medicine, I could see great deal of bright yet transparent spirit light that permeated my whole body. When I condensed the light in front of my eyes, I retrieved it down to my lower field, it felt like a stream of water flowing down from the upper field, though the middle field and into my lower field. My three fields were bright like a sunny day. Afternoon: Same as the morning. Evening: Met with the divine tree again. When I was doing the Zhan Zhuang, I could see spirit light of deep green color flowing down into my lower field for more than 30 minutes. Afterward I "saw" many temples again. 27th Early Morning: Met with the divine tree again. The pine tree qi flowed through my ten fingers into my body and collected in my lower field. During Zhan Zhuang, I saw with my eyes closed a tree in front of me. Shen laoshi explained that this is “reflection to the origin”. Morning: During external medicine, the spirit light in front of my eye was sparkling and was making popping sounds. I could feel its incredible strength and it made my head vibrate. When I retrieved the light back into my lower field, my lower field started spinning and vibrating rapidly at the same time. Afternoon: During meditation, once I closed my eyes, a flood of bright golden color spirit light appeared in front of me. The light then changed into white color. When I retrieved the light, it felt like unlimited amount of it was filling into my lower field. My lower field wouldn’t stop vibrating. When I worked on Installing the spirit at the ancestral chamber practice, the strength of the spirit light was too great for me to condense. Evening: Met with divine tree again. During Zhan Zhuang, I continued to see the ancient temples, the mountain, the streams and old tea-colored walls of houses. Nighttime: Secret supplementary practices. 28th Early morning: Zhan Zhuang in front of the divine tree. With eyes closed, I saw mist-like spirit light filling into my lower field for more than 30 minutes. Fresh pine scent and flower fragrance flowed into my nose. At nine old clock in the morning, Shen laoshi said I am ready to try the Channel SHO. I burned some incense and prayed to the heaven. When everything was ready, I got into the full lots position. I regulated my breath, clamed my mind and strengthened my stove and cauldron. I felt that my lower field was burning and vibrating rapidly. After that, the Hui Yin point also began to vibrate then the qi flowed up my Du channel, the three gates on my back was broken though at once, my Heavenly eye point felt like it just exploded, my whole body was burning and inflating. There were many sparkling light on my body, liked firework. My tongue rolled backed and blocked my throat, I found it really hard to swallow,. Then suddenly after a “GU LU” sound, a hot stream flowed down my Ren channel into my lower field. After that, qi was like a spinning wheel inside my Ren and Du channel. When it was flowing slowly, it felt like an inch-wide white light. When it was flowing quickly, it felt like several light streams. The qi was flowing freely and there was absolutely no blockade. After letting it flowed like this for about 10 minutes, Shen laoshi asked me to stop. After getting off the lotus position, I felt relaxed and happy and I thanked my teacher. There was an interesting anecdote to this. I met with Shen laoshi before dawn, he said, “I dreamed at midnight that I went to visit a classmate in Qingdao, there was a long fish pond, more than 10 meters long and 1 to 1.5 meters wide, the depth was between 1.5 and 2 meters. Inside the pond, one can see many big fishes playing and chasing each other. There were many spectators around the pond and among them were friends and colleagues. Suddenly a fish jumped out of the pond, the owner picked it up and throw it back into the pond. When a fish jumped over the dragongate it became a dragon. I think this is a sign that you will open your SHO today.” I opened my SHO around 9:20 in the morning, the teacher said I was the 108th person that he helped to open the SHO. 108, a very nice and auspicious number. Afternoon: Sitting practice, I saw that the spirit light was clear and bright, my strength to condense qi had become stronger. SHO flowed again. Evening: Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree, I saw the temples again and I smelt strong flower fragrance. After opening my Channel SHO, I realized all the books on Daoist cultivation, internal alchemy etc on the market are pretty much worthless, what they describe are so different from the actual thing. The contents of these books are mostly empty words or just speculations of the authors. Same thing on the common understanding of “Wu Wei” and “Wu Xin”(“no heart”). A common interpretation of Wu Xin is that even the heart (Xin) is gone and that’s Wu Xin. However Xin is the most fundamental element, without Xin means there is nothing. So what is Wu Xin? For example, a bottle that contains nothing, we called it an empty bottle and not that the bottle itself is gone. Follow this then the concept of Wu Xin is clear, Wu Xin meant there is no polluted conscious thoughts in the heart. The heart of shining quietly is Wu Xin, without a trace of stray thought is “quiet”, when you know immediately a though has arise is “to shine”. No stray thought is the body of wisdom, once the level of the heart of shining quietly is reached, our heart then become the heart of the universe. Lu Jiuyuan said,” The universe is our heart, our heart is the universe.” This is exactly what it means. Buddhism and Daoism are not just about the heart, they have transcended the heart and the material world. People that have Western philosophy type of thinking all declare that Buddhism is all about the heart. If one can understand what is Wu Xin, then will he be able to understand what is the true meaning of Wu Wei and Wu Xin. They are more than the material world. The same thing can also be applied to Dandao, without actual cultivation experience, one can never understand the true extent and meaning of inner alchemy. There are only few true lineage of internal alchemy left in this world. I am extremely lucky to be able to learn the authentic internal alchemy of Master Wang Liping. 29th Early morning: Practiced Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree, while the mist-like spirit light was pouring into my lower field, another stream of spirit light entered the side of my left eye. My lower field vibrated and spun rapidly, SHO spun automatically. Morning: While gathering of external medicine, I found it much easier to condense but still I couldn’t condense all the spirit light. The light used to be pure white in colour but today it has a tint of green in it, very bright and transparent. Once the light got into the lower field, my SHO started on its own again. At first I was only able to feel the part of the SHO orbit below my neck but after I increased the strength in the lower field, the entire orbit could be felt easily. Afternoon: When fusing the elixir, the retrieved spirit light immediately appeared in front of my eyes. I didn’t listen to the daoyin and immediately collected the light into my lower field. The light poured down into my lower field like a giant waterfall and I could see many drops of pearl-like spirit light. I thought the scene was absolutely breathtaking! This beautiful scene continued for almost an hour and then I followed the daoyin again to work on installing the spirit at the ancestral chamber practice. Pure white spirit light flowed into my bladder, then it changed to grey and enters my liver, then it changed to green and enters my heart. Then it changed into tea-like color and entered my stomach, afterward it changed into sand yellow color and entered my lungs, afterward it changed into white and entered my kidneys, afterward it changed into grey and entered my bladder and finally it was still grey and entered my lower field. The ancients said that the five elements have their respective five colors, this is absolutely true. I was absolutely awestruck by their wisdom. Evening: I went to see the tomb of Liu Yiming. No one ever took care of the tomb and the place had been abandoned for a long tim. I felt very sad seeing this since I read his annotation of the Wu Zhen Pian before and I had respect for him. There was a really thick pine tree besides the tomb so I practiced Ping Heng Gong in front of it. When I did closed-eye zhan zhuang, spirit light immediately appeared in front of me. The qi here was different from the old divine tree, they were like misty pearls. After collecting them into my lower field and worked on the five elements, I felt for the first time qi moved vertically and horizontally inside my body. Qi in the liver moved from left to right and then from right to left and qi in my lungs and bladder moved up and down. The qi of the old divine tree shook and spun when it moved inside my organs. 30th Early morning: Practiced ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree, I felt that the qi wasn’t that strong today, so I recited mijue while working on the five elements. The organs vibrated slightly, the strongest one was the stomach. During zhang zhuang, I “saw” the roads and the pine trees with my eyes closed, and also the mist-covered forest. Finally under the influence of the spirit light, I spontanesouly worked on the Bagua Yi Sphere. Morning: During meditation, I was able to see the color change of the five elements and also the surrounding area. I was meditating on the second floor but I was able to see the peope and the floor of ground level. Afternoon: During meditation, I had experienced a new phenomenon, my mind was very clear but I wasn’t able to hear anything from the surrounding. But after a while I was able to hear the daoyin again. I then saw within light-yellow spirit light, there was a rice-sized red sphere entering into my lower field. The lower field then immediately contracted and expanded slowly, like a massage, it was very comfortable. Evening: Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree. During the bladder phase of the five elements, my SHO started automatically and I wasn’t sure what to do. So I observe my SHO while continued to work on the 5 elements. There were influences from the two affecting each other but they still managed to be run at the same time. Five elements is small restoration cinnabar while SHO is grand restoration cinnabar, I didn't know why they appeared at the same time. 31st Early morning: I changed a tree this morning, it wasn’t as big and as old as the divine tree, the feeling was also slightly off. The tree appeared in front of my eyes while I was working on the Ping Heng Gong and also while I did zhan zhuang facing the opposite way. The movements of the qi inside my organs were not balanced, for example, the qi shook in my right lung while it spun in my left. It spun in my right kidney but moved in line-movement in my left. Morning: During meditation, spirit light appeared as soon as I closed my eye, so I ignored the daoyin and retrieved the spirit light inside my body. I saw many imageries, mountains, sky, rocks and pine trees, they were very bright, just like seeing with eyes opened. During the ancestral chamber practice, the spirit light was transparent and my ability to control it was better, the condensed light got smaller. After it went down into my lower field, qi began to move between my lower field and middle field automatically. After lunch, I took a tour of the temple where Liu Yiming cultivated, the Zizai Wo. After talking to the daoist in charge there, I entered the temple and closed my eyes to meditate, very quickly I saw yellow color spirit light. After condensing it and put it in my lower field, the feeling was quite good. Afternoon: After the tour, I got into full lotus and gather external medicine, I wanted to continued the feeling I had in Zizai Wo. Immediately after I closed my eyes, the spirit light appeared. Condensed it and retrieved it for about 30 minutes. After the light went into my lower field, I started the five elements practice. When it got to my stomach, the SHO started automatically. So I quickly finished the cycle and to concentrate on the movement of the SHO. An idea flashed into mind at that moment, I heard the method of Macrocosmic orbit from Shen laoshi, so I immediately thought about my Yong Quan points, suddenly two streams of qi flowed up from my Yong Quan points, through my legs and into the Hui Yin point and then followed the SHO and into my lower field. A new pathway appeared: Yong Quan -> Hui Yin -> Du channel -> Ren channel. It flowed in this new path for about 20 times. While the qi was moving, it shined a bright light, it was beautiful. Finally, qi flowed in circles inside my lower field, from big to small, from one direction to the other. My lower field was burning, it was very very hot. Finally I quieted down and finished up the meditation. Evening: Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree again. During the five elements cycle, qi flowed between my lower field and middle field automatically. I wanted it to stop this movement but wasn’t able to. I asked Shen laoshi afterward and he said let them move on their own. 1st June Early Morning: After greeting the divine tree, I closed my eyes and regulated my breathing, the spirit light appeared immediately. I condensed it to the size of a green bean and put it into my lower field, the qi in the lower field began to vibrate. The amplitude was small in the beginning but then it got greater and greater and even moved back and forth inside my Dai mai, there was some small pain. Afterward qi in my right kidney started spinning and then my left kidney. Qi in the lower field circulated in big and then small circles. After letting it be for about 30 minutes I started zhan zhuang. The same phenomenon appeared. During five elements, the qi moved between my lower and middle fields. Then it started moving in the Dai channel and I again felt a slight pain. Morning: Learnt the practice of “Using the external five elements to open the channels” , then full lotus, light appeared immediately after I closed my eyes. Macrocosmic orbits ran for about 30 times. Then qi moved between the middle and lower fields. Then qi moved in big and small circles in both directions in my lower field. Then qi was collected in my lower field and started spinning rapidly. Afternoon: Practiced “External 5 elements to open the channels”, then full lotus. Light appeared immediately after I closed my eyes, after collected it in my lower field and worked on the five-element cycle, the qi moved between the lower and middle fields, I immediately finished the cycle to observe the qi movement between the two fields. Then Macrocosmic orbit started on its own, it felt like every meridians and channels were moving in my body, I could feel qi inside several meridians were moving at the same time, they had different colors, very bright and moved very fast. There were also white color qi surrounding them and I also saw qi moving in front of my eyes. The entire meridian system were moving rapidly and I was actually a bit worried. But I remembered Shen laoshi’s advice to carefully let them work on themselves, so I quieted down and started to observe and count the number of cycles. After about 70 times, the speed began to be reduced. I then put some intention at the yong quan points and qi immediately flowed up from there into my hui yin then Du and Ren channels into my lower field. After about 100 cycles, qi began to move between my lower and middle fields. Then the qi started moving in big and small circles inside my lower field. Then the qi was collected in my lower field and condensed into rice-sized ball ad started spinning rapidly. Evening: Met with my favorite divine tree again. Light appeared immediately and I collected it into my lower field and then qi started spinning. When I retrieved the spirit light again, qi started moving between my middle and lower fields. After a while, I observed my lower field and the qi started the circular movments. During Zhan Zhuang, Macrocosmic orbit ran for more than 10 times together with several meridians. My 10 fingers were full of qi and they were very hot, I could feel qi moving in my meridian. 2nd Early Morning: Met with my favorite divine tree again. Light appeared immediately and I collected it into my lower field. Then Macrocosmic orbit ran for 70 cycles, then several meridians also started moving, the Dai channel also moved. 3 cycles of five elements and stopped, approximately 90 minutes. Morning: Full lotus on my bed, light appeared immediately. Put it in my lower field. Got into a trance for about 30 minutes, then 2 cycles of five elements. Macrocosmic orbits 16 times. During ancestral chamber practice the spirit light was like a yellow bean, golden color and a layer of rainbow on the surface. Retrieved spirit light into my lower field, it then vibrated very strongly which caused my body to almost leaned back. It happened twice. Then I used the spirit light for the five elements practice, when it got to the lungs, qi started pumping from the yong quan points, so I quickly finished the cycle to observe it. Macrocosmic orbit started running rapidly for about 200 times. Then starting from my toes, I felt vibrations, heat, light and electric shocks, I could even heard a noise that sounds like electricity moving between two metal objects. The phenomenon moved up my legs, thigh, waist. And starting from the waist, a bright qi loop appeared, same thing happened at my chest. I thought this must be the new latitudinal orbits mentioned by Shen laoshi earlier. So I tried my best to remember their positions and numbers. But after I finished the practice, I had forgotten almost all of them, it was just like a dream. After lunch, I went to Mount Long Tou with Shen laoshi. I meditated on mount Long Tou and light appeared immediately, they looked exactly like pearls, they dropped one by one into my lower field. The lower field began to move on its own. The qi inside it then slowly spreaded out like mist. I felt there were several small objects spinning inside. Circular movements of qi then appeared in the lower field. Because it was too sunny, I quickly finished up. Meditating on mount Long Tou felt different from other places, the qi at this place was particular strong. Afternoon: Back to the living quarter, after some tea, full lotus on my bed. Macrocosmic orbit ran for several dozen times together with all the meridians. Then ancestral chamber practice, I did it twice and collected the light in the lower field. Since I felt that the qi did not dissolve completely in my lower field, so I increased my intention to dissolve the qi in the lower field. When I hold my breath to dissolve the qi, a flood of white light bursted out of the lower field and spread to the surrounding. I could feel that my lower field was expanding and contracting and it was breathing rhythmically. At the same times new orbit lines appeared. I thought this was embryonic breathing and so I was very excited. So just like this, I inhaled, hold and then exhaled and during each hold breath, the lower field would started breathing automatically, it was very comfortable. It was like this for about 30 minutes. While this was happening, my legs really hurt and they started shaking, felt really hot, it felt like my legs were burning. During reverse breathing and drawing in the anus, it exacerbated the feeling. After some time, the vibration and burning sensation started to subside, my left leg did not hurt anymore but the right leg continued to hurt. The entire session was about 2 hours. Afterward I went to Shen laoshi and told him excitedly that I had embryonic breathing and I described the phenomenon to him. The teacher said calmly, “This is not embryonic breathing. This is True Breath” and he told me a story. Some guy thought he had reached embryonic breathing, just liked me, and he went to ask Master Wang. The Master did not answered directly but during the class he said,”In order to have embryonic breathing, you must first have an embryo. To have an embryo you must first have Yinyang. To have Yinyang you must have Taiyi (ultimate unity), and to have Taiyi, you must first have internal and external medicine.” Evening: Met with the divine tree again. Light appeared immediately. The circular spirit light had a very special coloration. It was tea color inside but the boundary was grey. After collecting it in the lower field, the lower field began to jump. Afte Ping heng gong zhan zhuang and five elements, macrocosmic orbits started to cycle, the qi movements inside my meridians were very thin. Then the new orbits surrounding the three fields appeared. 3rd Early Morning: Stood in front of the old divine tree, spirit light appeared immediately. The circular light was white and sightly brown outside and black in the center. After pulling it a bit, the color changed to white outside with some rainbow color and the center was gold color. Retrieved it back to lower field and it began spinning immediately, the qi circulated in big and small circles and in different directions. Then I retrieved the light again and the Macocosmic orbit started running, the speed was too fast for me to count the number of cycles, it must had been about 200 times. During the cycles, when it was slowing down, I would strengthen my intention at the yong quan points and then it would speed up again. After the orbits, I closed my eyes to do Ping Heng Gong, suddenly the tree became a giant white column and there were some crossectional light loops. The qi moved from the bottom to the top just like the meridians in the human body. During Zhan Zhuang, the macrocosmic orbit ran again for another 200 times. New latitudinal orbits were also circulating. I looked at it carefully and recorded thir positions and number. I finished up after 2 cycles of five elements. The entire practice was about 2 hours long. I asked about the tree light column, Shen laoshi said, “Trees also have channels where they transport the nutrients.“ he further added that “The number of loops and their position you saw are correct.” Lifes and nature are so wonderful and mysterious! Morning: I took a tour of the Qi Zhen Dian. I stood in front of the oil pine tree in front of the temple for a brief moment. Once I closed my eyes, the light appeared immediately, its color was just like the sun. Retrieved it down to lower field and it immediately began to spin, the Macrocosmic orbit also spun for a few dozens times. The qi of the oil pine tree was soft but full, the tree has a beautiful and respectable appearance. Afterward, I went inside the Qi Zhen Dian, after praying my respect and burned an incence, I sat down to meditate for a bit. The spirit light was liked the rising sun at dawn, when I retrieved it back, its color changed into sparkling gold, it was very strong and limitless, it poured directly into my lower field. I kept at this state while I slowly stood up, I continued to retrieve the spirit light and not long afterward the macrocosmic orbits started runnning for a few dozens times. The power of this authentic ancient temple was so great! Afternoon and evening: Full lotus, light appeared immediately, I collected the golden color light in my lower field. Macrocosmic orbit started running and also the new latitudinal orbits. During ancestral chamber and five elements practice, the Macro orbit also started running for about 200 cycles. I sat in full lotus for almost 2 hours and my legs hurt a lot, but the meridians seemed to be auto correcting themselves and the pain reduced, although the pain was still too much for me and I took one leg down. After tuning my body and looked up, spirit light appeared again, I collected down to my lower field and the true breath happened again. I got into a trance, semi-conscious and dream-like. Suddenly, my legs started shaking and I felt that there were three channels moving up and down and the pain in my legs disppeared and the Macro orbit started running again. I was in this state for a while longer and then I finished up. The entire practice was about 200 minutes. 4th After migdnight: Full lotus, took light into the lower field. Qi started spinning in big and small circles inside the lower field. Tuned my breath, inhaled, held an exhaled. When I was holding my bretah, the lower field started breathing, a rope-like white qi band was leading the lower field to breath, then slowely, my ordinary mouth nose breathing stopped and skin breathing began. Macro orbit started spinning. When the lower field started spinning, the top part would exhale and the lower part would inhale, rising and lowering regularly. During Macro orbit, it raise from the back and fall at the front. It was very comfortable and I got into a dream-like trance state again. I was like that for an hour. Early morning: Met with the old divine tree, light appeared immediately. The first time I condensed the light to a small point, it escaped. I tried it again and collected it to the lower field. The lower field started spinning and the Macro orbit also started running. I could see the dvine tree with my eyes closed as though my eyes were actually opened., the only difference is that it seemed to be cleaner and clearer with my eyes closed. During zhan zhuang, I could see mountain, lake, sky and bamboo forest etc. Morning: Full lotus, light appeared, ignored daoyin. Collected light to lower field. Dantian started spinning. I continued to collect the spirit light which was light blue color. I used my intention to spin my lower field while holding my breath, I could feel the true breath. True breah stopped when I heard the daoyin for ancestral chamber practice. Collected spirit light down to lower filed again and the Macro orbit started to run. Probably because I did full lotus for too long the day before, my legs hurt a lot so I changed into half lotus. Not long afterward, Macro orbit started again until I finished the session. After lunch, we packed up to go back into the city. Our car broke down though so we had to stop at a service pit to get it repaired. At the mechanic's, it was still possible to make out the location of the Qi Zhen Dian and the Oil pine. Shen laoshi said it is possible to retrieve the spirit light of the temple even from this great distance, so I decided to try it. The spirit light of the temple appeared in front me immediately and not long after, the oil pine's light also arrived. How did I tell the difference? I remembered the different colors of the spirit light from yesterday. So I sat in the mechanic’s place and faced Mount Xing long to meditate. Not long afterward, the spirit light of the temple and the tree appeared although the pine tree’s light was weaker than the temple’s light. Both light were somewhat weak at first but it got stronger and stronger gradually. After I collected all the light in my lower field, I was going to do five elements but the lower field started spinning on its own, so I let it do its thing. This lasted for about an hour and in between, true breath appeared and I could hear the surrounding sound, I felt like I was about to get into a trance. The qi slowly flowed into my lower field and the Macro orbit started running, I let it ran for almost 1000 times until our car was fixed. 5th Morning: Woke up and the Macro orbit started on its own, so I straightened my legs and lay on my bed to let it run for about 40 minutes. The night before, I dreamed a giant snake that had beautiful pattern on its body. I was a bit scared so I threw a rock at it, it chased after me so I ran away. It caught up with me though but at that moment, a beautiful tiger appeared and bit the snake at the 7th-inch position, the tiger seemed to be hesitating and so it stopped. I thought, did the snake also bite the tiger? The dream ended at that point. Afterward, full lotus for about an hour, I used the spirit light to link up with the spirit light from Qi Zhen Dian, after a few minutes the temple’s light appeared and I collected it to my lower field. Not long after, true breath appeared. After more than 10 minutes, qi slowly flowed into the lower field. Qi moved strongly inside my lower field and it was very hot. I could also feel granular shaped qi in the lower field, probably because it wasn’t dissolved completely. Then I did five-element cycle three times and took qi back to the lower field. I still felt that the qi wasn’t completely dissolved but my legs hurt too much so I stopped. Shen laoshi’s plan was that after coming down from the mountain, the focus would be shifted to the discussion of the three classics: Zhong Lu Zhuan Dao Ji, Ling Bao Bi Fa and Taiyi Jinhua Zong Zhi. I had read the three books before I arrived at Lanzhou, the words weren’t so hard to understand but the actual practice and their true meaning were of course hidden and I was really not so sure I understood them at all. I read it again after I got back to the city and this time, especially the verification parts, I felt that I really do understand them especially since some of verifications had happened in my own body. After Shen laoshi had arrived, I asked him about dream, he said just go and read the third chapter of Ling Bao Bi Fa. The third chapter is the Mating of Dragon and Tiger and then I understood, isn’t snake a small dragon? Today, we mainly discussed the first chapter of Ling Bao Bi Fa, the Matching of Yin and Yang. 6th Morning: Half lotus for 90 minutes, pretty much the same as the day before, nothing new. Today we discussed the second chapter, the collection and dispersion of water and fire. Night time: Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, I ate too much in dinner, my belly was swelling. I sat down and try to dissolve the qi in my stomach, after some noises from my stomach, I felt more comfortable. I continued the practice and retrieved the spirit light from Qi Zhen Dian into my lower field. Two cycles of five elements and I felt plenty of qi. I did two times ancestral chamber and then two more times of five elements. After collecting the qi to the lower field, the qi raise up and it looked like a 4 inch long light band, I tried to force it back down to the lower field but wasn’t able to, so I just let it be. I felt the qi raise up from my back and flowed down in front, the strength and speed of the movments were unprecedented. I felt like it was moving at 2 or 3 times the speed of the Macro orbit. My whole body was very hot and sweating. After I finished up, I felt very comfortable. 7th Morning: Half lotus, light shifted and spun in front of my eyes. After collecting it down to lower field, qi started moving between the middle and lower field. Today, we discussed the third chapter, the mating of dragon and tiger. Evening: Full lotus, light appeared immediately, collected it to lower field. One cycle of five elements and the macro orbit started running. After that, I did the five-element cycle again, when it reached my lungs, the macro orbit started again. Not long after that, there were big movement up my back and down my front, the movement was very fast. In between, several meridians and channels were also moving. But I felt that the speed and hotness weren’t as good as the day before. After 90 minutes, I changed into half lotus and then did five elements twice. I finished up then and the session was 140 minutes. Afterward, I felt that my skin was especially smooth. Night time: full lotus, retrieved the light from Qi Zhen Dian to lower field. After two cycles of five elements, the macro orbit started running. Then after ancestral chamber practice, after retrieving the spirit light, true breath speared and lower field started breathing. It expanded and contracted regularly like a balloon and the expansion got bigger and bigger and I felt like I was about to float up. My whole body sweated and I thought suddenly, what if I exploded? So I decided to ask Shen laoshi before I continued. I slowly reduced the movement and finished up after another two times of five elements. 8th After midnight: When I was sleeping, I felt that the macro orbit was spinning, so I woke up and meditated. Half lotus, took light back and then did 2 cycles of five elements. Ancestral chamber practice, took light back to lower field, two cycles of five elements, took qi back to lower field. My lower field felt empty and it seemed there were a lot of space in there, I thought where was my Dan? Then I finished up but the lower field started spinning again, I thought what was going on? Why does it happen again? I asked Shen laoshi later and he said,”In college, the junior year ended and the vacation began, the senior year hasn’t started yet, and that’s the happiest time.” I thought about what it meant. Morning: Cross-legged, linked up with the old divine tree, the light I got back was fairly weak, took it back to lower field. Two cycles of five elements and then Macro orbit started. Two more cycles of five elements and I finished up. There was a new phenomenon, whenever I was meditating or resting, as soon as I moved my feet or stimulate the yong quan points, the macro orbit would start running. It was a headache, but a blissful one. Today we discussed the forth chapter, the Cooking of Cinnabar medicine. Nighttime: Full lotus, light appeared immediately, took it to lower field. Macro orbit started running. Two cycles of five elements, ancestral chamber practice, I felt that my ability to control the light got better, two cycles of five elements, macro orbit, latitudinal orbits, entire meridian system moved up and down. 80 minutes in total. 9th Morning: Half lotus, true breath appeared. Saliva pouring out from under my tongue, I swallowed them to the lower field. Macro orbits, entire meridian system were running. I used my intention to contract some of the latitudinal orbits, they got smaller and smaller but their speed increased. Two cycles of five elements and then I finished up. 90 minutes in total. Today, we discussed the fifth chapter, the golden crystal flying up from the side. Nighttime: Full lotus. Light appeared immediately, took back to lower field, then five elements twice, then macro orbits and latitudinal orbits. After ancestral chamber and five elements, the macro orbits ran again. Then I tuned the latitudinal orbit and following my regulations of my breaths, the orbit got smaller and smaller while the speed increased. This time the upper, middle and lower field were connected in one line. The broken line is no longer broken! It was just like a meridian and starting running. Afterward, my legs hurt so I finished up. 70 minutes in total. Night time: Crossed legged. Light appeared immediately, took it to lower field. Five elements and then macro orbit, latitudinal orbits and entire meridian system started moving. I decreased the size of the latitudinal orbit to make it run faster. The broken line then also started moving. I was worried that the qi might burst out from the Tian Men so I use the body universe and personal universe to regulate it. Qi moved up and down between the upper and lower field. Afterward, I saw the sky, clouds and mountain ranges just liked with my eyes open. Then, I saw a flood of light, it was transparent and golden color, liked a curtain. I was going to finish up but the Macro orbit and latitudinal orbits just wouldn’t stop. So I continued to sit. 200 minutes. 10th Midnight: Half lotus. Light appeared, took it to lower field. Five elements and then macro orbit, the speed was much faster than before. Latitudinal orbit, broken line started moving. Used body and personal universe to regulate the movement. Qi moved to lower field. Then I saw the edge of the personal universe, I was sitting inside a big sphere, very bright, liked the scene when I opened my SHO but just without the stars. Morning: Half lotus, light appeared, took it to lower field. Five elements, macro orbit, latitudinal orbit. Qi to lower field, then it wanted to go up. Lower field spinning, five elements again. Finished up. In the afternoon, I left my place of rebirth, Lanzhou. I went home happily and a changed person. Conclusion A limited lifetime and an unlimited universe. How can a human obtain a lifespan that is as long as the heaven and earth? The ancients observe the movements of the heaven and earth, they understood the transformation of yin and yang, the movements of the sun and the moon. And using these observations, they revealed the rule of the great Dao inside the human body. This is Dandao, ordinary people only used their normal eyes to see man, things and the universe, but they don’t know how to use the Heaven eyes to see the world behind the ordinary world. Life is short, normal people don’t know how to escape the pain of living, like birth, old age, diseases and death. Living only in the material world, there is no escaping these pains. But if they looked back and read the wisdom of the old sages and started learning and practicing dandao, then there is a possibility to escape. The “On true immortals” chapter in Zhong Lu Zhuan Dao Ji is excellent, and one should study it carefully. Through the personal guidance of Shen laoshi, I was able to experience firsthand the pre-heaven movements of qi (SHO, macro, latitudinal orbits) and also the shining brightness of the original spirit and ling xing. I have changed completely as a person, from inside to outside. I understood what is meant by “Dao is not far from human”. By studying the three classics and the verifications in them and the things that happened inside my body, I was able to understand the Zhong Lu Dandao is the complete method and perfect integration of theory, method and verification. It helped me reaching a new level of consciousness and a deeper appreciation of traditional Chinese culture. This ended my 15 years of study in China at a high note and I hope a full ending would be possible with my own further tireless effort. June 10th 2011 at Lanzhou. End of the quote. Where are you in your [neidan] cultivation? What do you do? What do you see? What do you think?

Before I listened to anyone I listened to music. It has always brought me into a moment of surreality. I create music often and have been opening myself up to knew forms from all over the world. I do this simply to do it. Would anyone like to share Tao music? Music that you feel flow through you. Music that could be perceived as divine. Music you love (I trust your ears) Or anything relating to "authentic" Taoist music.

"The word that can be spoken is not the eternal word" That brings up some kind of feeling for me personally in regards to joining this forum. But honestly something called to me to put in a post and see just who are on these things. Within the last year I read over and over again the Tao Te Ching. Different versions can be particularly interesting in being giving a new spin. I have also been taking yoga more sincerely just because it helps me get into my body and really feel like I am present. Meditation has gone with it hand in hand and I have even realized my heartbeat getting very slow. I would love to hear from anyone practicing any type of Taoist art! How you feel it brings you closer to the Real. Look forward to discussion!

Hello. It is nice to discover such a forum with dedicated practitioners. I love mountains, nature and the way of nature. I study nature, martial arts, yoga, qigong and meditation and I enjoy learning about myself in these practices. nice to be here.

Interesting blog post questioning the role of meditation as a universal panacea: http://magicoftheordinary.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/danger-will-robinson/

Sometimes we think the "cities" are bad and we move to the country. But do we choose to play the guitar because we hate the piano? (Hint - this is not a county vs city argument or a cave vs busy city argument)

We have some meditators here that are very good technical long meditators - it would be good to mention techniques for staying awake during what I refer to as "hitting unconsciousness". I use breathing techniques but I no longer know from what tradition they came (if any). Ya Mu mentioned a comparison between Zen and Qi people meditating, wherein awareness was quite different and the creative part of the brain was stimulated in the Qi people. I am not sure what the main differences are between a Zen meditation and a Qi aspect but I use a mix of teachings that I have learned over the years and also invented on my own, and staying in an aware state and not sleeping or going unconscious has never been a problem for me during meditation but it may be that Raja Yoga meditation is good at this which was my original early path or? I do not want to imply that I don't hit walls of unconscious energy - I definitely have but I move through them - they usually only last a few minutes but sometimes they are quite tenacious - in any case, I do not stop the meditation. In some 40 years of meditation I can count on one hand the number of times I have fallen asleep or konked out from hitting a wall and I don't think I need all of the fingers. I would say that in those 40 years I have very rarely stopped a meditation short because my body clearly needed sleep and meditation was pointless, probably also something I could count on one hand. I bring this up because one should start meditating with a reasonably good bank of sleep already in ones space so that falling asleep should not be a technical problem ( you don't start if you are exhausted). My point is that I agree with the general notion that it is highly beneficial to sit for long periods - certainly at least 1 hour. But quite a few appear to have problems with the Unconscious Energy Walls and do not sit for more than 40 minutes and usually less than that. If you can offer clear concise techniques that you have experience with for moving past the various walls to long meditation, please offer them up.

Hello, I am looking at prospective retreats to go on when I finish this degree (as a little holiday, and maybe to clear a lot of gunk out of my system). There are so many free retreats to go on (which is great), but, I'm just wondering where to go, if anyone has any personal recommendations of schools, locations, organisations, teachers, etc? Generally I just want to go somewhere where I can do some kind of meditation (preferably some kind of mindfunless of breath, but, whatever works), for a long period of time. However, if there are any Taoist/Neidan/Neigong/Qigong retreats that involve meditation, I'd be interested in attending (not so much for Yoga, as, I already know a lot of the language, and I'd like to learn some Taoist terms/techniques, etc). I could perhaps just dedicate the time at home, tell others in the house that I will be silent for a week, turn off my computer/internet for a week, and draw up a timetable of meditation, practice, reading (got a lot of JAJ material to get through) and walks etc. I guess the advantage of a retreat is no distractions. Any thoughts welcome.

What is the longest you've ever meditated straight in a single session?

Hey , so to start off with I should say that I am a complete novice in meditation, but I had some experiences that I would like to hear your opinions on. The other day I was sitting in meditation. It was the fourth time I had ever attempted meditation. I was sitting in the half lotus form and breathing deeply whilst focusing on my lower Dantien. I started feeling a weight, like someone had placed a stone in my stomach and there was this tingling sensation all around the weight. Does anyone know what this is? Is this an indication of doing something right or wrong? Or was it merely my stomach muscles reacting to the breathing or something? Okay so how does this tie in with Lucid dreaming or OBE? I am no stranger to lucid dreaming and experience lucid dreams often, but there are two scenarios that I experienced that I think could have been outer body experiences. To be clear they could have been normal lucid dreams but felt so much different. The same tingling sensation was present during both these experiences. Case 1: I was taking an afternoon nap when I had a dream of me waking up on my bed in the position I was when I fell asleep. The only reason I knew I was dreaming was because I looked at my door and saw that it was open. I never sleep with an open door, so that's when I knew I was dreaming. I walked through my house and went outside. There were dark figures standing everywhere in the streets and on the lawn. This freaked me out a bit and I woke up. Throughout this experience and for a little while after waking I felt that same tingling sensation in my head. Case 2: I was in my brothers flat taking a nap between classes when I had a dream that I had woken up and was getting out of bed and walking around In the flat. I knew something was strange and I experienced the same tingling sensation in my head again. I thought "Its happening again!" and then woke up with the tingling still in my head. Does anyone know what this tingling sensation is and if the sensation experienced whilst meditating and those of the lucid dreams/OBE's are related?

Alright, just for the record, i am not trying to troll or anything. To complete level one of most systems, i believe one must meditate in total concentration. How would i meditate in total concentration, what am i supposed to feel while meditating, what is it supposed to be like. Can i just visualize myself breathing while meditating, or must i have nothing in my head at all, not even visualizations? Can i look straight at my eyelids without thinking anything, will this work? And my second part to my topic is, what is standing meditation, and how would one build chi with it?

Hey there Bums, Tomorrow is the start of my 10-day Vipassana retreat. I wanted to share this out of excitement with you guys, and hopefully bring to light to Vipassana incase those that don't know about it. I wrote an article about it here (Appreciate any input, comments or experiences shared here) Once my 10 days are over I plan to write a very long and detailed "report" on how I found it to be and the benefits of it. Thanks Beginning of the article. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The single most beneficial habit that I started for myself was meditation. In the past 2 years meditation has: helped ground me, worry less, relax me in stressful situations, teaches me to enjoy life, slow down, think less negative things about myself, define who I wasn't, and I have been able to consistently grow from it - and it's free. I am writing to help shed more light on meditation and hopefully get you to try to meditate if you don't already. If you're looking for more reasons on why to meditate I suggest you check out: Why You Should Meditate and if you are interested in learning how to meditate: How To Meditate I've done a lot of research into alternative ways to practice meditation, and have personally experimented with all sorts of meditations. There is no right way to meditate, and since we are all different, finding the type of meditation that works best for you is only going to make it easier on you. It's going to allow you to enjoy meditation much more, and continue this habit. After sticking to meditation for over 2 years I came upon the word Vipassana. Being curious, I read into it, and found it increasingly interesting. After some further research I was convinced - I wanted to try this. So I applied, and after two weeks I was accepted. Four months after my acceptance I finally get to start. Tomorrow is that day that I begin Vipassana and I will be doing nothing for 10 days straight. And by nothing, I mean I will be strictly meditating every single day from 4:30AM until I go to sleep which is at 9:30 PM for 10 consecutive days. It's a total of 120+ hours of meditation and I know it's going to be challenging both mentally and physically as they have a very strict menu, time table and rules and regulations. (things I don't like to follow) My acceptance letter What Is Vipassana? Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills. (Example - The Art of Living). In the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. The whole purpose is to meditate until you become "empty". We all have ideas of who we are and what things are. So Vipassana is there to teach you to do nothing and just meditate - you get contemplate, reflect, observe your bodies sensations and live your own experience. By doing this you can learn to empty the mind and let go of your concepts, fears, beliefs, perceptions, ideas, perspectives, ideas and just see things as they are. How Much Does It Cost? When I read about how it works, it reminded me of the concept"pass it forward." Which means you pay for the next person in line or in front of you. There are no charges for this course. It's all for free, yes free! Everything from, rooming, food, and accommodation. They pay their expenses by accepting donations from people who have completed the course and experienced the benefits from Vipassana. This is so you can give the opportunity to the next person. Also the teachers conducting the course, the course managers and all those who work in the kitchen are all volunteers. Everyone is there to help each other. How Long Does It Last? It can be either 7 days, 10 days or 30 days. There are some courses that go on for longer. But in order to qualify for these classes have to of completed perquisite courses. All you are doing is meditating so they teach you the technique and then you have "x" amount of days to practice. The technique of Vipassana Meditation is taught at courses, during which you will learn the basics of the method, and can practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results. It's a total of 120+ hours of meditation, which means over 12 hours of meditation per day. How Hard Can It Really Be? What Are You Going To Be Doing? Here is the daily schedule The Vipassana technique is used to help you become aware of the impermanence of everything that exists. This is all done through the breath. Meaning that for 120+ hours I will be in complete silence and not say anything for over 10 days. I have had some powerful and creative experiences when I was silent for a whole day; I am looking forward to what 10 days will mean for me. Vipassana meditation has three practical aspects to that they focus on developing. Here they are: Firstly, throughout the 10 days you will follow Sila, a code of conduct whereby you refrain from speech and actions that are harmful to yourself and others. Secondly, for the first three and a half days you will practice Anapana meditation, the observation of the breath, to help calm down and concentrate the mind. Thirdly, from Day 4 onward, you will practice Vipassana, the meditation of mental purification by insight. What you cannot bring to Vipassana The toughest part for me is going to be their food schedule. Since I workout and I like to remain active I require a lot of food. I just eat a lot. I also eat meat. This course provides only three meals per day (I normally eat 5-7!) In the mornings I normally eat 4-5 eggs depending on how hungry I am. Now I will be served oatmeal porridge, cold cereal, and toast are served as well as fresh fruit. For Lunch I normally eat a lot of meat along with beans, rice or some sort of carbohydrates. Here I will get rice and vegetables, and a protein such as tofu, lentils, beans or paneer. They also serve this mean with a salad. So far this doesn't sound too bad. At 5:00 p.m. they provide a light evening snack that is served of fruit and tea. This is going to be my biggest challenge as at night I eat anything I can find. I anticipate weight loss as well as some sort of mild hunger. I currently weigh 170 pounds, and will re-weigh myself when I am finished. Where Is It? Since I live in Canada, the one that I will be going to is located in Egbert, Ontario. If you are from Canada and you are interested in applying check out their website. There are courses around the world, so if you have any hesitations or questions let me know, I'd love to help. What The Point Of This Post? As stated above, the most inspiring and creative outlets that I've had happen to me have come from meditation or some sort of silence. This is going to the extreme for me. 10 days of only meditation and silence. I plan to write a very long and detailed post on how 120 hours of silence affected me. Questions and Comments If you have any questions or comments for me, let me know below. Question for you: If you've done Vipassana, how has it been for you? How has meditation benefited your life? Do you struggle with starting meditation, if so let me know why? Sources cited: Vipassana Centre, Wikipedia

If you were scheduling a retreat, how would you lay it out on a timeline and what would you put in the slots?

Psychological Issues and Spiritual Practices: Shouldn't Practices Trump Therapy/Medication? (This is taken from a previous thread, but [in addition to another thread] I thought this could do with a thread of it's own [i hope it doesn't seem I'm flooding the forum, searched through but couldn't find a similar discussion.) Any thoughts on how spiritual practices work in general and how this relates to mental health would be much appreciated. Taken from: http://thetaobums.com/topic/34480-looking-into-new-practices-for-mental-health-enlightenment-and-then-perhaps-immortality-;-in-woteva-order-formerly-taoist-systems-of-practice/ I agree with finding help, specifically tailored to the problem at hand. But, in addition, here is some story and some thoughts about mental health and spiritual practice: After an initial year (years ago) of aversion to ANY western method (during my spiritual, put your money where your mouth is phase), I have since been in contact with western medicine doctors, therapists, etc for the past few years. No doubt, CBT and medication do work, and seem to have been the only thing that has worked for the severe anxiety (which will teach me to think in black and white "Only spiritual practices should help blah blah, etc")-(mainly the CBT/I believe [and the science points to] that it results in new neural pathways/neuroplasticity/a change in brain structure). What Do Spiritual Practices Do? This makes me wonder about practices in general. Aren't spiritual practices about clearing out the karma/conditioning/habits/attachment to-or-belief in thought-fear-worry-separation/fear/lies/falseness? This is how I have been taught/come to understand energy practices like Kriya Yoga, Tantra, Yoga, etc, that the spinal breathing is clearing obstructions/conditioning/karma out. And, then, self inquiry/meditative practices seem to be about highlighting Truth/True self, sitting/being with True self/stillness and slowly seeing through thought, undoing reactivity and attachment to thought/feeling, becoming less identified with noise and more with silence/stillness/emptiness/nothingness underneath/behind/between/at the birth of the noise, building new neural pathways perhaps/most likely, and in becoming less identified with noise, less noise arises? What Is a Psychological 'Problem'? All a psychological condition is, is an extreme instance, high on the spectrum, of a trait/phenomena that is present in ALL humans: fear, neurosis, depression, psychosis, etc. We all experience these things, but when one area gets out of balance it's labeled pathological, but it's all just noise, and spiritual practices are surely about clearing out this noise/and or attachment to/belief in noise, no? (this isn't typed argumentatively, in case it comes off that way; I'm genuinely asking myself/pondering all of these issues currently). CBT works. I guess CBT is like a forced kind of self inquiry type thing, that focuses on the specific issue at hand. It is very similar to the lower stages of self inquiry. So Why Not Just Do CBT/Therapy? So, you may ask, if CBT works, then why don't you just do that and then once you're sorted get back on spiritual practices? Well, it worked, (CBT and an SSRI [i hate medication, but I was out of options]) I had about 1 month of being fully 'functional'/back to normal compared to how I was when all of this pathological instance of anxiety started, but then it came back. So, I guess I should just keep up with CBT and stay proactive with that (perhaps set myself a weekly CBT reminder practice for life, like a spiritual practice, to keep tabs on myself) but, it's hard, AND, the fact that the issues came back points to me to a more underlying issue perhaps, maybe? I don't know. I'm sure with pro active CBT for years I would hopefully, eventually restructure/rewire my brain so the issues are non existent, but, again, this is difficult, it's very easy to relapse, and, why can't a spiritual practice also do this? Or, at least they should help right? (these are half rhetorical questions). In addition, CBT, for me anyway, to fully work, I need (or at least feel I need and have in the past needed) the help of a physical therapist, to 'bully me' (I joke, but being almost forced in an agreed way is needed) into doing exposures/the CBT work. Self help materials don't seem to be enough. Hence why a spiritual practice to clear out mental gunk is preferable, as, therapy is expensive, and government/NHS support takes ages (I've been waiting for over a year now for an NHS therapist/psychologist, after seeing one initially and it working my sessions ran out). Again, any thoughts on how spiritual practices work in general and how this relates to mental health would be much appreciated. Thank you

Hello various internet entities, I have long browsed these forum and recently found myself returning to them for the value of the discusssion. And today I specifically created this account to ask one question that I have been challenging myself with answering. Can we practice/meditate/do significant energy work while working on other things? I think to myself about how much time I spend each day seriously meditating (usually a half hour to a hour), and think but what about when I am doing other things? Does that count? I ask myself, and answer, sometimes. I at most do fusion of the five elements, open my third eye point, do some chi kung, or ground myself by connecting deep into the earth. And in many ways I think this is helpful, but it is going to help me achieve enlightenment as I define it in my Taoist practice? I answer, I am not sure. I don't think that everything I do energetically/meditatively needs to be towards that specific end, but I think it might be anyway. What do you think?

Hello, I am just wondering (if they exist at all) what the specific systems of practice were in Taoism and if there are any specific resources from which to learn them, books or websites that illustrate/explain the practices. I have done some searches but not come up with anything conclusive. I am aware of the existence of Neidan, Qigong, Tai Chi (I have only practices Tai Chi), but am wondering what the specifics are of such practices. Basically, I am looking into adopting a new practice or set of practices and am up for hearing any/all recommendations for books, websites, systems, or, possibly teachers/schools. You can review my previous readings/practices on the lobby. I acknowledge the effectiveness of non-dual teachings, self enquiry (Mooji, Adyashanti, Gangaji, Jeff Foster, Nisargadatta, Ramana), the direct pointing, realising what is always present, but, anxiety problems cause a lot of reactivity for me that is hard to cut through. So, I am hoping/thinking that, in addition to non-dual teachings, of starting a practice (meditation, energy work, etc) where I can hopefully cut through some of the internal noise/dissolve some of the conditioning, or re-wire my brain through a practice and the phenomena known as neuroplasticity, so I can get to a place of abiding silence and I can go deeper with my realisation and self inquiry, or simply just get to a place where I am anxiety free and happy. I am also interested in Chinese/Taoist Healing (mainly for mental health [which still has a physical cause in the brain, so should be no different from 'physical health' healing]). I hope I am posting in the right place. Best Wishes

I live in the town Umea in northern Sweden. I have been interested in meditation and healing and wants to increase my energy to help my self and others. I also had an whiplash accident 11 years ago and got problem with tiredness, bad sleep and pain after that. I am also interested to learn more about personal and spiritual development.

This might look a bit too new agey for some but I like the spirit and generosity and think there's some worthwhile prayers and meditations (supported by evocative background music): http://www.theangelsofatlantis.com/angels/

Are Zen's Mushin and Mindfulness compatible? Mushin would seem to share (only certain) traits with Mindlessness. (The primary difference that I can see is one of deliberation. Mindlessness is incidental. It isn't chosen. It may very well be a sort of default, whereas Mushin is deliberate - or at least attempted).

Hi, I would like some down to earth advice, please. Having ate some food, I read a chapter of a book, and then got into bed. Could not sleep so meditated. Not in a hardcore Zen fashion. Just nice and easy, let events flow and settle sort of thing. I could feel my body processing the food. There must be a chaka gate there which takes energy out the food? When my body had processed the food, I felt a whole lot lighter and more settled in my meditation. After a few minutes I felt an intense pressure at forehead. It felt like it was going to pop. I was a bit scared. I quickly rolled over and concentrated on few other things. I would like to know what such a intense pressure signifies? Should I have allowed it to pop ? Just before I felt this pressure, I also felt some kundlini-syndrome worms wriggling down my forehead. Sorry if I don't use the right terms but I don't know them! Reply however or as technically as you like; I have a good ability to comprehend this subject as I'm already reborn from my initial conception inside the One.

Hello Everyone! I thought I'd introduce myself, give some background, and explain my goals for utilizing these forums. Hopefully someone might be able to point me in an appropriate direction after reading. Soon I will be leaving on a sustainable agriculture initiative to work with some tribal peoples in South America. I will essentially be spending two years in a very remote place without running water or electricity with a decent amount of free time. This to me seems like the perfect opportunity to get some real work/practice done in qigong/yoga/neigong/neidan/weidan/etc and/or the other techniques discussed in these forums without the usual distractions of daily life. So, I've been digging around in the forums for a few weeks, as I wanted to do my due diligence before posting. After hours reading through with seemingly hundreds of tabs open on my browser, I feel I haven't made much progress in finding truth. Threads tend to devolve into arguments and heresay. So I'm hoping those with a little more experience can help me discern the Dragons from the Snakes. Who is legitimate? Who are the frauds? Wang Liping, Dr. Jiang Feng, and John Chang appear to be authentic in achieving a high level of mastery in their various lineages. David Verdesi is a controversial figure to say the least. Can anyone say with confidence who has real attainment and is worth pursuing as a teacher and mentor? I would love to hear your recommendations about where to start my journey. I hear one can injure themselves pretty severely if they train incorrectly. I'd like to eliminate that option from the get-go. Here are the books I own so far: -Opening the Dragon Gate - The Making of an Authentic Taoist Immortal trans by Thomas Cleary -Ling Boa tong Zhi Neng Nei gong Shu - Wang Liping and Richard Liao -Daoist Neigong - The Philosophical Art of Change by Damo Mitchell -Both of Kostas Dervenis books The Magus of Java and Nei Kung: The Secret Teachings of the Warrior Sages -2 of Bruce Frantzis' books on the water method of Meditation: Relaxing Into Your Being and The Great Stillness I would certainly also appreciate your recommendations as far as resources and books. So far all of the complex metaphors and translation issues has been fairly confusing to me. Does anyone have a preference for a translation of the Dao De Ching? I'm also beginning work with a yoga instructor so that hopefully I will be able to sit in Full lotus position by the time I leave for South America. Lastly, I wanted to share my motivations for pursuing this path. Obviously they are multifactorial, but ultimately it boils down to simply a yearning to understand the nature of existence itself. Who and what am I? Why do I or any of us exist? How much potential do I have, and how can maximize my ability to make a positive impact on the world? Don't get me wrong, of course I'm psyched about the abilities that supposedly come along with that understanding, but to me those are just awesome side effects and great tools for helping people. Anyway, I wish everyone the best and look forward to hopefully hearing from some of you soon!

Recently saw this cover on Time magazine regarding mindfulness training. Documented lots of studies regarding mindfulness and its benefits. It's good to see it get attention. And that it is being presented from a more technological and secular viewpoint is interesting.....but makes sense. Religion has failed society.....so it's better to share meditation from a technological viewpoint. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2163560,00.html http://sfinsight.org/MindfulRevolutionTIME.pdf My 2 cents, Peace

Using all my spare time for over a year I have developed a web app to make some suggestions to answer a few commonly asked questions on this forum; Which path to take? How can I heal / cure myself of “x” health issue? I have this problem in my meditation, what do I do? The app is centred around providing effective and practical suggestions derived specifically for each individual user. The best thing about it is that you can get a lot of the great benefits of TCM and put things into practice right away without needing to learn piles of TCM theory. All you need to do is answer a questionnaire that takes 10-15 minutes, after which the app will generate a customised health cultivation program for you. Meditation, exercise and diet issues are addressed for each individual user aimed at bringing the body back into a state of balance where the possibibilty of extraordinary health can be achieved. However I would like to say that although the underlying capabilities are working, it is a work in progress and has a pretty basic looking interface. In the future I hope to make it look fancier, but until then when I can review the situation, the whole system is free to use. In the meantime I would be greatful if you could give me some feedback, inform me of any problems you face while using the webpage, or if you find the app useful it would be great if you 'liked' the facebook page (you can find it on the front webpage of the site www.healthcultivation.com). This app shouldn't take the place of advice given by your doctor. If you have health issues you should always see your doctor first. Check out the app at: Online TCM Diagnosis To use the diagnosis system you must create a login account (free), so that your answers get saved when you proceed to the next step, saving you from needing to re-enter answers at a later date. I spent heaps of time making this so i hope some people can benefit from it.