HOW TO GO IN SEARCH OF TRUTH

[Starjumper]

Nice explanatory power. Like I said, my nei kung instructor never mentioned MCO, and actually got a little indignant when I told him about it. I'm a synthesist and have always had a knack for research and pattern recognition. This served me well in college and work but I'll readily concede a shortfall if it has rendered my Taoist learning curve a little bumpy. I enjoy my Taoist library nevertheless, except for the Chia material.

Okay. Could you kindly do me the favor of sharing with me what you know about the background of these movements/postures? This is the system I practice after 20-30 minutes of Embrace Horse. It takes me another 30 minutes to get through the nine movements. Thanks in advance.

 

Straight out of The Book of Nei Kung by C.K. Chu -

http://www.amazon.co...80282357&sr=1-1

 

EMBRACING HORSE 30 min.

 

RIDING THE WILD HORSE

 

PLAYING P'I P'A

 

THE COMPASS

 

DOUBLE DRAGONS LEAP FROM THE SEA

 

RHINOCEROS GAZES AT THE MOON

 

RIDING TIGER

 

PHOENIX SPREADS WINGS

 

HITTING THE TIGER

 

OWL TURNS HEAD

 

There's a little problem with names here so I can't be of much help with your question. For example, I don't know

embrace Horse but I know Horse Stance and Embrace Tree (post stance), those are two different but related postures with different goals. I know four levels of Phoenix Extends Wings so I don't know which you are referring too, but it is a lead in exercise to the inside and outside palm changes in Pa Kua. There's a fifth level but it's complicated and I didn't practice it so I forgot.

 

I recognize most but not all of the other ones from tai chi, but of the ones I recognize I can't recall exactly which movement they refer to. I'm not very good with names.

 

There's another thing, these movements can vary widely depending on the application, there can be several martial and several energetic purposes to it, depending on which variation you use, so it's hard to say which variation you are doing. However it is likely that most of these movements are in my chi kung system in one form or another, but different than they are in tai chi due to the focus on the energy cultivation aspect. I would probably recognize them if you could post videos that contain these movements and then I can comment on them.

 

If the Owl turns head is what I think it is then that's a good one.

 

The thing is that when the goal is that of arriving at the formless then you find that you can vary one movement little by little and eventually it is like a different movement but you get to see all the aspects in between. Due to this variability and formlessness it was the policy of my teacher to not use names for movements as this would tend to solidify a certain version in your mind. Arriving at the formless is totally different from and at the opposite end of the spectrum from the spastic flopping around done in spontaneous 'chi kung'.

 

In any case Chu looks like a real person and so I expect what he has to teach is probably fine.

Edited July 28, 2010 by Starjumper7

[Spectrum]

Truth is very unsubjective when it comes to gravity and wild animals. Taoism Observes what is natural. Finding a good internal teacher may be hard or easy, I stumbled upon the truth of emptiness, it has LED me on the most crazy adventures. Once oi stepped foot on the path it's resulted in some of the most amazing moments of my life. The Tao is great and unknowable, mind is one. I was fortunate to cross paths with Yee Chuan people. The basic tactics of practice are to

still the mind and engage in natural activities. Work and quintesence are one, it is the mind that separates then. Although I saw amongst white clouds, the book it was based on also has many Taoist hermits still practicing on the main dragon lines and in the caves of china, which goes un mentioned in amongst white

clouds. This is where the people who feel they have 'advanced' their practice ... Can observe further

Edited July 28, 2010 by Spectrum

[Spectrum]

The mco is a real phenomenon. Just because you have not experienced so ething does not mean the phenomenon is not real.

 

Those are movements of a variety of systems. The classical forms are usually strung together as a kind of movement wisdom education. There are a variety of path s through the forest I guess you could say.

 

Have purpose for training and experience the benefits First Hand. Word of mouth is only as good as finding the source of the story.

Edited July 28, 2010 by Spectrum

[fizix]

Haha, as above so below; there is only one true teacher.

Edited July 28, 2010 by fizix

[Owledge]

Don't think, feel (Bruce Lee and Qui-Gon Jinn said that, so it must be true!)

I hope this was meant jokingly. Bruce Lee is an extremist in some areas, probably lacking insight in others, and, well, Qui-Gon Jinn is a fictional movie character.

Not to say that the saying doesn't contain wisdom (although it could have come out of a fortune cookie), but your reasoning seems quite poor there.

 

I showed my teacher a couple of his books and he said it looked like a bunch of unrelated stuff that someone threw together.

Of course nobody is perfect, and people can become inflexible in some areas. "I showed my teacher a couple of his books and he said..." is a kind of sentence I can remember reading/hearing many times. And a master being powerful is not at all a guarantee for being modest and not enjoying to debunk people. I don't say your master is that kind, because I don't know him, I'm just mentioning things that should be considered. Quick judgment doesn't fit a wise master well.

 

Plenty of people put a shit ton of videos up that have literally ZERO VALUE.

Cultivate wisdom and you can find value in them.

 

Edited for speeling

A recursive joke.

 

It may be true that when a person is ready the teacher will appear.

The problem with that saying is: It can't be disproven. It inherently proves itself in every case. The saying could be reduced to the most fundamental principle of the interaction of all things, or like attracts like, or practice makes a master, or from nothing comes nothing, and so on. I hope you understand what I' trying to say.

 

If the Owl turns head is what I think it is then that's a good one.

Real good one: Head turns owl.

 

..., I stumbled upon the truth of emptiness, it has LED me on the most crazy adventures. Once oi stepped foot on the path it's resulted in some of the most amazing moments of my life.

Can you please explain what you mean by that?

Edited August 1, 2010 by Hardyg