Wilhelm

Given the supposed Wu Xing correspondences with the De, is superior virtue said to arise when a certain level of harmonisation is reached?

Congratulations man! (I think? Lol not sure whether you're happy) I wonder now if it's not such a big deal to you whether you'll notice any improvements in your energy levels 👀 FWIW I'm not doing anything esoteric with my partner, but when we got over the initial spike of desire I found sex to be an enjoyable but nonconsequential experience. If you're comfortable with the idea I found a useful thing is to bring her to satisfaction without letting yourself get there. The body seems to retain the benefits of harmonisation pretty well then (though I don't do this every time! I'd be a pent up prick by now haha). I don't think it would work if you're not able to settle yourself down afterwards though. Also this is just personal experience I don't have any science/theory behind it 🤷.

The comprehensive guide is an updated version of the Daoist Nei Gong book, and the Dao Yin, Medicine, and Alchemy books cover separate topics

I'm glad it didn't get to that point! I think you're a clever and well-intentioned guy, and I hope you find creative and ethical ways to actualize your vision - so that the execution of your vision doesn't impair your cultivation!

Ah I'm sorry about that. It means Lower Dan Tien, which is a field in the lower abdomen that in practical terms becomes the primary energy center were developing in a lot of Daoist systems for a long time. Well I'm definitely not qualified to determine whether they're the same thing! The guys I know who know the most about this are @freeform and @Shadow_self , though I'm not sure if their Buddhist systems use the term 'empowerments'. I'm sure if they have something they want to say on the topic they'll pop in at some point

Does embodying the correct ethical qualities increase a student's probability for success (all other things being equal)?

Yeah this took me like a year to get a handle on this haha, and if you actually wanna do any of this stuff it's gonna take larger leaps of logic than this one. It's a bit intellectually uncomfortable but you're going into a brand new field - there might be some concepts that challenge your understanding of things. Btw I think you've got more than enough irreverence to fit in around here. Glad you found Damo's book.

Thanks Awaken In relation to the topic of ethics - did you mention this quote to hilight that the ethical foundations of all three of these traditions might be important to consider? I certainly hope not! Because that would be a very broad study in and of itself

Very interesting, thank you. What different does it make in your tradition - let's say two aspirants have an equal potential and ability but one holds more closely to the ethical teachings than the other. What outcomes might they expect?

I don't practice those ones but they seem to emphasize the hips and just more, from what I can gather. Her shins don't seem to be moving all that much in a way that could strongly damage knees (though I think that's because her hips are already pretty open)

Transmission is HUGE in Daoism. I've heard from several sources that it's hard if not impossible to cross stages of energetic development without transmission. The stuff I know about includes activation of energy centers i.e. LDT, but also that you can be actively 'helped' through various stages of energetic development - even very late into the process. Aside from this is the passive field effect you get from being in the room with other practitioners i.e. if you're training LDT activation with a bunch of people who have it you're more likely to succeed. It goes way deeper though and I hope the folks who know about that pop in to tell you

Did I double post? 😬 Sry. Plz delete

Ah ok, that makes sense! I will look into your black liver and rabbit marrow articles to understand better.

Is that right? Interesting! I had thought the Kan and Li would be a way to divide Qi into Yin and Yang. Thanks for elucidating further.

Thank you very much. So you're saying the black liver and rabbit marrow relate to qualities of the light that can appear upon closed eyelids during meditation? And you're saying knowing the Yin and Yang of Qi is insufficient because it doesn't include this other level? (Which sounds to me like it's Shen-based).

I'm sorry to press, but you're talking to someone who's very inexperienced with this 😅 Please tell me if I'm asking too much, but what is the rabbit marrow and black liver? I usually understand things best in relation to the body and mind complex, and maybe it's a translation issues but these still seem metaphorical to me.

Very nice, that makes sense. I was told Journey to the West also has a meaning that describes the alchemical process. When I read such things they seem almost purely metaphorical, but do they read as practical instructions to you? Thanks for elucidating! This is where I run into trouble a little bit. I've been taught various understandings of fire and water that relate to Qi, but I know nothing of Gold and Wood. Could you please tell me how to understand that?

That's right, about ten years - though I only look at the classics every couple of years or so to see if I understand them any better - and each time it's a bit better but not by much!

Yes please! For the last 10 years I've learned enough to barely scratch the surface of these nouns. It'd be very interesting to know what's at the core of them

I had a different guy come to mind 😂 there must've been a couple Hopefully not too much! For all her achievements she always seemed a bit nuts to me. For all I know she had her finger right on the money but I had been under the impression she was one of the originators of the new age tendency to take blue and yellow and red and make brown out of them.

I'm not sure it applies to all traditions but the fellow I study from mentioned offhandedly that the Xian Tien/Pre Heaven application of the system he teaches has 72 levels (and I think the Hou Tian has 3 or 4). So it might not be exclusive to Mo Pai (but from what I've been told Mo Pai isn't exactly Daoist so those parallels might not be ideal to make).

Thanks for sharing. Although my translation app is not ideal it still seems this text is based in the sort of metaphorical language that a beginner might not be able to understand. Do you have any recommendations for how they might learn the applications of metaphors used in these texts?

Yeah I see the argument like this: Upside: good teacher is imo most efficient way to progress Downside: when you start out you don't know anything and will probably not pick an good one

That seems a very efficient way to approach an intellectual pursuit, and about as close I can imagine to effective self-scrutiny for sure. Did you find learning breathing methods or other physical techniques from texts difficult though? There's obvious a very physical 'skill-based' facet to the arts that can be hard to track down discernable instructions for, and then you've got to puzzle out whether you're getting the correct result...

My brief experience as a self taught practitioner was both lackluster and unfulfilling. I appreciate that everybody's different but I made more progress in my first day of class than I did in my first year 😂 I'm of the opinion that some skills are more efficiently learned kinesthetically, but now with a range of online tuition I know people are learning skills through audiovisual input too