Blackfinger

uh oh........

I can't see Taomeow's response above... but my understanding of the 'stillness method' (though I haven't heard it called this before) is that in the course of one's practice(qigong/neigong, meditation, LDT awareness etc) qi will be drawn to the LDT and once this is sufficiently active, the qi will naturally want to leave the LDT into the perineum etc and enter the start of the MCO. In fact, it can be quite a struggle to prevent the qi from entering the MCO, when it wants to. Once started naturally, the MCO can be aided with breathing and posture etc, as well as 'song/releasing', especially through the clipping passes. The other way of doing it (the movement method?), I understand, primarily employs the imagination. My understanding is that linking the movement of the MCO to the imagination increases the potential for qi deviation depending on how the imagination is employed, and delusion (phantom signs of progress etc.), and also creates what can become a negative dependence by tethering the activity of the MCO to the imagination. Same principle, I understand, with the energetic level of merging kan and li (Which can be done by adjusting posture and centre of gravity so that the yi is, after time, free to reside elsewhere whilst kan and li are being merged independent of it.)

Yeh, I had signed up for the 3-year Diploma in Daoist Medicine/Acupuncture. I think it'd be amazing. Sadly, I can't commit to the three year period of study, at the moment. A real shame, as the emphasis of the course is on traditional methods, rather than many of the modern acupuncture qualifications which try to align the practice with western medicine to make it more acceptable and palatable, at the cost of diluting the original teachings. From what I hear, there are not many courses like this out there at the moment. There is a strong focus on energy work aspects and connecting with the needle to allow out yi to enter the patient's meridians and thus alter the qi quality accordingly. AH well... but yes, Heavenly Streams is a fantastic book, so hope you enjoy it.

Damo Mitchell's 'Heavenly Streams' book is all about the meridians and how to actively connect with them and 'feel' them...as well as changing the quality of the qi flow within to self-correct qi disorders (deficiency, stagnation, excess etc). It's hard work though, not a weekend's practice....more like months.

well, the chongmai fits the bill, but as far as I know that is on its own....

Could this not be the chongmai? Or possibly the Du and Ren channels (governing and conception channels, activated during the MCO)?

To place your awareness there and casually observe what is taking place, as opposed to forcefully 'staring' or having laser-like focus on the dan tien. If you are a naturally tense or stressed person, then it is likely that your default level of attention will be too forceful. It should be almost passive, like watching TV

This is quite an advanced practice (in order to move the 'pill', the pill must be created which itself is a result of long months/years of correct training), so I would advise starting with a simple dantien meditation, as mentioned in one of your other threads.

If doing lower dantien meditation, remember to use a casual level of focus. If internally-directed focus is too strong, this will cause stagnation problems over time. I have experienced this myself

Damo teaches external as well as internal martial arts, though for the Nei gong practice, there is an emphasis on conditioning the body first via simple core work and mainly stretches. The foundtions of this system concentrate around standing forms (WuJi) and awakening the LDT via these (weight over K1, fold at kwa to bring centre of gravity into LDT, and control of breathing & yi), so the physical body is important. However, the boot camp style external training is only for the external martial arts. That's not to say it would be detrimental to internal training, but certainly not necessary.

Sean - count me in. This is a generous and exciting offer. cheers

interesting in relation to the whole Mo Pai thing: Damo Mitchell states that the LDT is tethered to its central axis by four yellow coloured lines extending from four yellow meridian points (which can be seen with 'inner vision') with time these can/will disappear and the LDT is then able to spin/move more freely....

Nice quote...but seems rather...verbose...for a Daoist!

Hey Thelerner Just discovered this thread....have only read half of the first post so far (saving the rest for later) but it's a good read, very entertaining, informative...easy on the eye, crisp and solid prose. Kerouac meets Bukowski Thanks for posting - look forward to reading my way through the pages and if you have anything similar, i'd say: keep em coming! all the best

I would be very wary of taking instruction from someone who seems so fundamentally...ungrounded. I don't know anything of his work, but the drama of his life (and some rather unhinged posts on here from years back) have counselled me to steer clear. Just a caveat, all are free to make up their own mind