Bindi

A return to youthfulness is referred to in the classics, have you noticed this physically?

In the book by Archangelis and Lanying there is almost a third translatIon, where each Chinese word has its exact translation in English beneath it, it adds another dimension to read that alongside the two translations. I posted a link to that book in the OP, I might start doing the same thing in these posts as it adds a lot when trying to understand it.

The first two words in the text are 太上 (Tai Shang), which two translators, Huang and Olsen have translated as Lao Tzu. I have a question about this, is this text believed to have been actually written by Lao Tzu by those who have researched it, or is it believed to have been written by someone else just using the title 太上? If it was written by Lao Tzu it was kept secret because it wasn’t mentioned until the 3rd century CE.

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has a copy of this text, or any information about it - The Exalted One’s External Illumination of the Yellow Court Scripture (太 上 黃 庭 外 景 經, Tai Shang Huang Ting Wai Jing Jing)

至道不煩無旁午， 靈臺通天臨中野， 方寸之中至關下， 玉房之中神門戶， 皆是公子 教我者。 明堂四達法海源， 真人子丹當吾前， 三關之中精氣深， 子欲不死修崑崙。 There will be no confusion and no troubles when arriving at the Tao. From within the wilderness the Spiritual Terrace is approached and Heaven penetrated. In the centre of the square inch is a barrier below. Within the Jade chamber are the Spiritual Doors. Teaching my own self, the gentleman can be seen. The Ocean Origin is the Hall of Illumination, giving order to Four Greats. The True Person prepares the Child’s Elixir for the beginning of a new self. Within the Three Barriers are the subtle Essence and Qi. The Child seeks to cultivate immortality on Kun Lun. - Olson Chih Tao, the Utmost Tao, is not troublesome. It has no side tracks that go athwart. Ling T’ai, the Divine Terrace, goes up to Heaven, and commands a view of the middle open country. From the cubic-inch dwelling to the place beneath the pass, and to all the doors and the windows of Yu Fang, the Jade Chamber, are all the places where the Prince teaches me. Ming T’ang, the Bright Hall, reaches in all directions to the sources of the sea of ways. Immortal Tzu Tan is right in front of me. In the three passes, the vital energy is thick and rich. If you want to be free from death, you should cultivate Mt. K’un Lun, the king of the mountains [the head, N.T.]. - Huang Great Tao is easy to practice, but you cannot see it’s highest point. The spirit on stage, connected to the Heavens, faces the unknown in the centre. It descends through a square inch pass of the heavenly gate, entering a jade room behind the gate. The True Man residing there is the higher self, a teacher within. At the top of the upper palate, four clear rivers join the sea of origin. True man prepares elixir for the new Self, on a three path junction, where Jing and Qi cross. If you want this gate to be impassable for death, build it to be like the Kunlun mountain. - Archangelis and Lanying

方寸之中謹蓋藏， 精神還歸老復壯。 俠以幽闕流下竟， 養子玉樹令可壯。 Within the square inch pay careful attention to conceal the Storehouse. Old age can be reversed to fertile health through restoring the spirit of vitality. When the heart bonds with the Secret Watchtower it flows down unexpectedly. Able to command with a staff from the Jade Tree, the Child is nourished. - Olson One should cover and hide carefully what is inside the cubic-inch, so that the spirits and the essence will return and the strength of the prime years will be restored when one is old. Together with the downflow from You Ch’ueh, the Dark and Mysterious Gate Towers, it will nourish one’s Yu Shu, the Jade Tree [the body, N.T.], and make the body strong and reliable. - Huang Carefully hide a square inch in the centre as a safe house, for a spirit to return the old and to recover fresh and strength. Remote mysteries flow down to establish completeness. Foster your Jade Tree in order to extend your abilities. - Archangelis and Lanying

I think we could encompass the conscious and the subconscious,, and the deeper mind layer that we call ‘spiritual’ (I definitely see three strata operating), it’s just that we generally don’t because we can’t. The way I see it currently, consciously working with the subconscious and rectifying its (YinYang) operation is the basis for initiating actual activity at the ‘spiritual’ level in an alchemical sense. Going from youwei to wuwei.

There’s a distinct possibility in my mind that Laozi didn’t name the Dao because he couldn’t name the Dao, not because the Dao can’t be named.

Lima, it’s not about you having anything to hide, it’s about using the hide function as a courtesy to some members who don’t get your pictorial style. I hope you do go on posting here though

Because I feel required to make something of what I first see as random patterns, I see a rabbit on the lower right corner and a mousy rat on the upper left corner.

I think a pertinent question might be how is the mind related to consciousness? I have a distinct impression that my consciousness operates at a certain chakra level (I first noticed it at the chakra just below my navel), and that over time my consciousness has risen and inhabited each chakra going upwards, like coming to a house and living there for a while, and leaving it each time to enter into the next higher house. The role of thoughts in this is high, it involves the issues in each chakra coming into conscious awareness, which is intrinsically thoughts and feelings, and conscious intention to shift to each higher chakra, but my mind is in the role of student, trying to learn and understand the content and requirements of each chakra on the way, and being told when to shift to the next higher one. So I feel that my mind, what I think, my consciousness, is being educated by this process, and this is it’s most important role, apart from survival.

“The idea of spiritual immortality...was that it was a fully awakened spirit, that when it dies, does not die, that... your spirit is so illuminated, strong, active, that even when you die, you can control your spirit and go wherever you wish. So this term spiritual immortality is really important here, because what it’s really getting at, is the fact that these teachings are going to teach you how to strengthen your spirit, so that your spirit becomes immortal. It’s not about the body here, it’s about your spirit becoming immortalised.” From the Yellow Court lecture series by Stuart Alve Olsen available Here, this excerpt starts at 26 minutes in.

My own personal opinion is that an immortal could only be related to the ‘spiritual foetus’ that is produced in neidan, the subtle spirit that is produced, I don’t know of course if this includes keeping the physical body, or continuing as only the subtle body.

According to Master Ludongbin (吕洞宾), Daoist master from the Tang Dynasty (8th century A.D.), there are 5 types of immortals: Ghost Immortal (鬼仙), Human Immortal (人仙), Earth Immortal (地仙), Spirit Immortal (神仙), and Heaven Immortal (天仙). Guǐxiān (鬼仙—"Ghost Immortal"): A person who cultivates too much yin energy. These immortals are likened to Vampires because they drain the life essence of the living, much like the fox spirit. Ghost immortals do not leave the realm of ghosts. Rénxiān (人仙—Human Immortal”): Humans have an equal balance of yin and yang energies, so they have the potential of becoming either a ghost or immortal. Although they continue to hunger and thirst and require clothing and shelter like a normal human, these immortals do not suffer from aging or sickness. Human immortals do not leave the realm of humans. There are many sub-classes of human immortals. Dìxiān (地仙—“Earth Immortal”): When the yin is transformed into the pure yang, a true immortal body will emerge that does not need food, drink, clothing or shelter and is not affected by hot or cold temperatures. Earth immortals do not leave the realm of earth. These immortals are forced to stay on earth until they shed their human form. Shénxiān (神仙—"Spirit Immortal"): The immortal body of the earthbound class will eventually change into vapor through further practice. They have supernatural powers and can take on the shape of any object. These immortals must remain on earth acquiring merit by teaching mankind about the Tao. Spirit immortals do not leave the realm of spirits. Once enough merit is accumulated, they are called to heaven by a celestial decree. Tiānxiān (天仙—“Celestial Immortal”): Spirit immortals who are summoned to heaven are given the minor office of water realm judge. Over time, they are promoted to oversee the earth realm and finally become administrators of the celestial realm. These immortals have the power to travel back and forth between the earthly and celestial realms.

We have two styles of processing information, one is linear and ‘left’ brain (yang), one is global and ‘right’ brain (yin). Both are processing styles, so both are illusory aspects of our perceptual processes. I think we shift between the two regularly and seamlessly, at least ideally we do, and to favour one style over the other is to favour yin over yang or yang over yin, instead of respecting the whole that they create. There is something beyond these two poles.

“Neuroscientists can read brain activity to predict decisions 11 seconds before people act” - https://qz.com/1569158/neuroscientists-read-unconscious-brain-activity-to-predict-decisions/ If decisions are being made subconsciously, based on thoughts from past emotional and mental input as well as present circumstances, then this is the level which we need to be operating smoothly at, and the level that I am primarily interested in, as opposed to trying to manipulate the conscious mind. Perhaps the conscious mind is the mind that need merely witness the result of the interaction between unconscious thought and it’s resulting activity. If the conscious mind is unhappy with any result it witnesses, it can be merely an indication that the subconscious process needs attention, especially relating to previous dysfunctional emotional and mental complexes that are priming decisions and resultant actions. This is a similar position to the Neiye’s imperative to ‘Cleanse the heart-mind’ as a fundamental aspect of early Daoism - There is a numinous [mind] naturally residing within; One moment it goes, the next it comes, And no one is able to conceive of it. If you lose it you are inevitably disordered; If you attain it you are inevitably well ordered. Diligently clean out its lodging place And its vital essence will naturally arrive. This sentiment is also echoed in the early neidan text of the yellow court with - “Straighten the room in the middle so spirit would live within, Cleanse the heart-mind so it would be inclined to self-healing rather than self-intoxicating.”

There could be two levels of thought, a subconscious thought directing an action, and a conscious level narrator.

“Thoughts direct actions.” Is this true? This is what my paradigm suggests.

Oddly similar to this one Verse 204 of the Dhammapada, in a translation by Daw Mya Tin.

宅中有士常衣絳， 子能見之可不病， 橫立長尺約其上， 子能守之可無恙。 呼嗡廬問以自償， 保守完堅 身受慶。 Dwelling within [the face] is a gentleman constantly dressed in a crimson robe. If able to see the Child, there can be no illnesses. From East to West regulate. Restricted to one foot in length, it is foremost. If able to embrace the Child, you will be unaffected by illness and disease. Inhaling and exhaling within the spaces of the Thatched Hut is natural restoration. Guarding the Child brings about good fortune for repairing and making the body strong. - Olson In the Residence, there is a scholar who always wears dark scarlet clothes. If one can see him, one will not be ill. The long ruler is set horizontally on top of it. If one can guard that, one will be free from troubles. The breathings through the Hut are for self-fulfilling. If one can keep oneself strong and intact, the body will receive the welfare. - Huang At this seat, there is a high spirit that always wears red clothes. If you are able to recognize it you would never get ill. Around it a constant proportion is established, channeling the higher reality. adjoin it consistently and you will make no errors. Inhale and exhale from it, to accomplish self-fulfillment, and guard the whole body firm, capable, and ready to receive the experience of wonder. - Archangelis and Lanying

The mundane mental yang side of the yin yang equation, the mental aspect is hobbled, it can’t be a functional part of the yin yang equation until it is itself in good order. When the mental and the emotional parts are both in good order they naturally fall into right relation with each other, the yin yang equation operates smoothly and any further identification with it amounts to interference. Something like a metronome, if the the moving arm gets stuck on one side or the other it can’t operate smoothly, if it is unstuck it operates smoothly and everything that the mundane mind is required for operates seamlessly in association with the information brought in by the emotional side.

What on earth is not understandable about what I wrote 😜

If the three types of cognition can be named mundane, creative, and wisdom, only one level needs to be not identified with, the mundane, because it is the essence of duality, it is innately yang, and is already paired with it’s complement being the emotions/yin. But the mundane mind needs to be operating clearly before it is disidentified from. So I personally have spent my time bringing my mundane mind into its right operation, so that it can be the unhobbled half of its own equation, leaving me free to either pursue/identify with the creative or wisdom mind.

It seems to me there would be a world of difference in the long term outcome depending on which area you choose to place attention on.

Daoism for me is coming to understand Yin and Yang within, a line in the Dao De Jing is “Know the white, keep to the black”. Figure that out and the rest follows, over time.