The practice of Neidan(內丹)

[DynamicEquilibrium]

7 hours ago, ChiDragon said:

 

Yes, I figured that there was something hidden in the username.  Without any explanation, I see 性命雙修 is taken place in your daily life. What a coincidence, Wu Wei helps me to do the same. 

So far it eased my heart from a lot of burden, improved my health, clarified my mind, pacified internal conflicts, harmonized my human relationships...all this is very real for sure.  You've said it all. The mutual resonance on our part 可算得是知己知彼. No wonder the friendly gesture is unavoidable.

Absolutlely right, same goes for me from your posts and writing style. 

I don't regret to have taken a step out, now i have a new friend. 

[DynamicEquilibrium]

6 hours ago, Nintendao said:

and heaven and nature sing!

 

have we arrived at the gate?

 

 

Thank you. 

 

The OP ask fundamental questions and makes a very good observation: 

 

"there are actually many "unknowable" elements to human existence. Why does one person have a good response with a certain method, while another person suffers a lot of setbacks with the same method, or even has a terrible side effect? Who can really explain it? Precisely because these things are hard to say or know, you don’t hear many people in Taoist temples saying, “This is the one and only way to practice” or “It will definitely end bad if you practice that way.” There are nearly infinite variables in life. So many things really varies from person to person."

 

In the same way, it is not rare that what we call 'love' between two people end up in the killing of one of the partner. Not rare too that our choices and decisions in many different areas of life make us end up in very difficult and complicated situations, troubles, disorders, problems, diseases.  

 

Taoism has ways to answer such questions, individually, it is called taoist counselling. There are reasons underlying tangible and intangible phenomenas that can be calculated, measured and analyzed which can explain why for exemple this particular individual should not practice by this way, and methods to establish a tailor made 'training program' for that particular individual. 

 

From the point of view of taoist counselling, it is a daring bet to engage head first into something without knowing the odds. 

 

Why nowadays we can't find these taoist ways in taoist temples, Neidan schools, online Neigong academies etc is very simple, the speaker in the video learnt taoist practice at the Baiyunguan in Beijing if i recall correctly. This is a very special environment with its historical and cultural history, but unfortunately the original meaning and purpose of this place may have change into something else around the 50's. 

 

Today, 99% of the taoist channels linking to the west originate in this 'something else' which is devoid of the original value, meaning and purpose of taoism as a prehistorical intangible cultural heritage, but as you can feel from your 9th sense, we are almost arrived at the gate. 

Edited 9 hours ago by DynamicEquilibrium

[Master Logray]

2 hours ago, DynamicEquilibrium said:

Thank you. 

 

The OP ask fundamental questions and makes a very good observation: 

 

"there are actually many "unknowable" elements to human existence. Why does one person have a good response with a certain method, while another person suffers a lot of setbacks with the same method, or even has a terrible side effect? Who can really explain it? Precisely because these things are hard to say or know, you don’t hear many people in Taoist temples saying, “This is the one and only way to practice” or “It will definitely end bad if you practice that way.” There are nearly infinite variables in life. So many things really varies from person to person."

 

In the same way, it is not rare that what we call 'love' between two people end up in the killing of one of the partner. Not rare too that our choices and decisions in many different areas of life make us end up in very difficult and complicated situations, troubles, disorders, problems, diseases.  

 

Taoism has ways to answer such questions, individually, it is called taoist counselling. There are reasons underlying tangible and intangible phenomenas that can be calculated, measured and analyzed which can explain why for exemple this particular individual should not practice by this way, and methods to establish a tailor made 'training program' for that particular individual. 

 

From the point of view of taoist counselling, it is a daring bet to engage head first into something without knowing the odds. 

 

Why nowadays we can't find these taoist ways in taoist temples, Neidan schools, online Neigong academies etc is very simple, the speaker in the video learnt taoist practice at the Baiyunguan in Beijing if i recall correctly. This is a very special environment with its historical and cultural history, but unfortunately the original meaning and purpose of this place may have change into something else around the 50's. 

 

Today, 99% of the taoist channels linking to the west originate in this 'something else' which is devoid of the original value, meaning and purpose of taoism as a prehistorical intangible cultural heritage, but as you can feel from your 9th sense, we are almost arrived at the gate. 

 

 

If you are interested in how west and east converge on Daoism, try this book

 

Dream Trippers

Global Daoism and the Predicament of Modern Spirituality

David A. Palmer and Elijah Siegler

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo26692000.html

 

 

 

 

[Master Logray]

16 hours ago, MIchael80 said:

100% wrong.

 

Yes, the Xing in cultivation is not only the character or integrity of a person which is a layman's understanding.   The Xing in Taoist cultivation is somewhat similar to other traditions like Buddhism, about the stillness, pureness, voidness of the mind.  The character/integrity are requirements. 

[DynamicEquilibrium]

15 minutes ago, Master Logray said:

 

 

If you are interested in how west and east converge on Daoism, try this book

 

Dream Trippers

Global Daoism and the Predicament of Modern Spirituality

David A. Palmer and Elijah Siegler

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo26692000.html

 

 

 

 

Thank you, a good reference indeed! 

[DynamicEquilibrium]

Hopefully in the future these very precious and key field scholars will write another book titled : 

'Reality Trippers

Forgotten Daoism and the Predicament of the Modern World'

Edited 5 hours ago by DynamicEquilibrium

[steve]

3 hours ago, Master Logray said:

 

Yes, the Xing in cultivation is not only the character or integrity of a person which is a layman's understanding.   The Xing in Taoist cultivation is somewhat similar to other traditions like Buddhism, about the stillness, pureness, voidness of the mind.  The character/integrity are requirements. 

 

The fellow that made the video on xuan guan does a nice job discussing xing and ming and their cultivation in this and other videos. 

[forestofclarity]

Xing and Ming appear to be open terms with a broad spectrum of meanings with different nuances depending on the context. People seem to want to cling onto a single definition rather than seeking the underlying principle. Which is fine is people want to argue on the internet, I guess, but I don't see how it will forward practice. It seems to me that the spiritual arts of China are in fact arts as opposed to engineering manuals. But that's just my opinion. 

 

Here is an article with actual references to classical material talking about this. Anyone familiar with Chan or other literature may see the pattern rippling with different terms. 

 

https://fabriziopregadio.com/files/PREGADIO_Destiny_Vital_Force_or_Existence.pdf

 

 

[DynamicEquilibrium]

1 hour ago, forestofclarity said:

Xing and Ming appear to be open terms with a broad spectrum of meanings with different nuances depending on the context. People seem to want to cling onto a single definition rather than seeking the underlying principle. Which is fine is people want to argue on the internet, I guess, but I don't see how it will forward practice. It seems to me that the spiritual arts of China are in fact arts as opposed to engineering manuals. But that's just my opinion. 

 

Here is an article with actual references to classical material talking about this. Anyone familiar with Chan or other literature may see the pattern rippling with different terms. 

 

https://fabriziopregadio.com/files/PREGADIO_Destiny_Vital_Force_or_Existence.pdf

 

 

 

Completly agree with you about the opposition you suggest, like a conflict between fire and metal, they may need more than only one mediator to facilitate their relationships and increase the efficiency of their communications. 

 

In opinion, it is very useful to know at least some about the background of a particular definition, for exemple, the very knowlegeable martial arts teacher in the video provides almost copy/pasted definitions and interpretations of those from Chen Yining, a scholar of taoism who extracted theories and practices from Neidan texts and participated in the establishment of the Chinese Taoist Association, a Chinese government religious institution whose quarterheads are located in the Baiyunguan in Beijing. His theories and practices may have became what we can call the 'modern general method of taoist meditation'. 

 

It is perfectly fine to move into that direction if it resonates, nobody has the right to say that's it is wrong to go there just because this or that nobody chose another direction,  it is just that the particular culture of the academic, religious, scientific, political, medical, military etc background and their infinite possible combinations will become the environement and in my opinion it is something we should at least be aware of, because if i am a dog, i really don't want to end up being raised by cats and then start to meow and purr believing to be one, later in life the traumatic realization that i actually lived for years like a pussy could be terrible!!

 

 

Edited 45 minutes ago by DynamicEquilibrium