Fa Xin

Perhaps. I’m not sure. I guess it depends where “here” is relatively speaking. I’m on my couch, I’m in my house, I’m in my city, my country. I’m on earth, I’m on this planet. I’m in this dimension. Where is that though? Where do we stand in our reality in relation to the universe? Is our universe a speck in the beard of some celestial monkey? theres no right or wrong answer, of course. Just want to challenge the mind. Do we really know this stuff? Is it actually important?

True😊 but where is here?

Haha, kind of joke, but serious at the same time... Are you anywhere other than "here" right now?

Lately, the idea of balancing out the yin/yang properties of food have intrigued me. Not knowing much about TCM, I was hoping some of the more knowledgeable people could share some insights and information regarding the yin/yang classification of foods and teas. Also, some possible signs and markers of which "side" (yin/yang) you may be deficient in. I think this is a great and basic way to start to enter the world of TCM, while also providing some basic health benefits.

Hello, gliding58, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello Brian, Welcome to TDB. Congrats on the falling away of "yourself" Now what? Well, I don't have any answer for you, except to say, there's nothing to do and nowhere to go. Just allow and be present, and watch it all unfold. "Famous last words" by Fa Xin. You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

Hello, lazarus, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello lazarus, Welcome to TDB... Sounds like quite the experience. "Without going outside, you may know the whole world." I don't know where I am half the time, but I do know that I'm always "here" - I can't seem to get away from it ... You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

I wouldn’t quite say an endorsement. I think his inner smile practice is decent. And I have enjoyed some of his books on qigong/tai chi. Never gotten into any nei dan or sexual alchemy stuff, nor would I want to try from a book, if I were so inclined. I think it’s a bit of a double edged sword to put such advanced practices into books. Could be helpful, but could also lead people to do things incorrectly or get into trouble with it. (From what i understand, which isn’t much...)

Hello, Hoang Nam, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello Hoang Nam, Welcome to the Bums... Sounds like a valid goal to me... I've seen a few of Mantak Chia's videos, he has some interesting material out there. You may find what your looking for in our section called "The Garden", lots of practices around sexual stuff. Have fun! You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

Thanks. Since you’ve already done breath counting, you can try “quiet sitting”. Just sitting in the moment and not doing anything. Just being. That’s probably more Taoist anyways 😊

Thanks for your reply. Just curious what about my post makes you think about zen? The concentrating on your breathing part? you can replace that with tai chi practice if you’d like. Really, it’s all the same as the context I’m putting it in. It’s all aimed at stopping the internal chatter and just kind of being in the moment.

I think that's a great idea. But, in all honesty, I do see a paradox in your message. You say, "loosen up my approach to life." Yes! I think all people can do with a little bit of this... But then you say "interesting experiment to test the practical real-life value".... This sounds to be more over-intellectualizing it... My idea would be this: Forget the practical application, forget figuring out the philosophy. Forget it all and don't really try to do anything. Just be in the moment and see what happens. That's a great experiment, but you can't look for any outcome. Simplify your life, in as many ways as you can. Turn the TV off while you eat. Focus on chewing. Sit alone for 15 minutes a day and just breathe and be still. Don't try to do anything. When you hear people arguing about politics, study their body language. Don't listen to the words. Observe them, but don't interact. Spend time in nature. The "Philosophy of the Tao" will naturally come to you, eventually. Then you won't even need to study Lao Tzu. You can read the books and say, "Oh, I know what he's talking about here." Just some ideas...

Hello, StudentofMovement, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hi StudentofMovement, We have many qigong teachers and practitioners here, and lots of threads about it. You can use the "Search" function on the upper right hand corner, and type in "qigong" to get you started. Being a practitioner of "qi" related things, I can say the biggest place to start is learning to RELAX. The more you can relax during a qigong practice, the more you'll feel. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll find many good resources here to get you started. You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

Hello, Penguin, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello Penguin, Welcome to the Bums! There’s lots about inner alchemy and qigong here. I’m sure you’ll find a lot of good stuff (I know I did!) You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

Hello, Jules, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello Jules, Denmark is a beautiful country. Any particular topic or tradition your drawn to on the forum? Glad to have you here. You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

It all seemed quite coherent to me, except for "Kantian epistemic spatialtemporal horizon"... Just kidding Congrats on your progress !

Ok, thanks for your suggestion. It was more a hypothetical scenario, but you raise good points.

Solid post, and just the type of info I was hoping for. Thanks. Suffice it to say, that someone who feels cold a lot, or tired... could do well to drink something like ginger tea? Or other yang things?

While I do acknowledge Daoism can be considered a "philosophy" and can point in a general direction - I tend to think that you'll have just as many different answers to your question as there are Daoists in the world. The reason being is what I alluded to earlier - it's not a defined philosophy - not in any workable structure, at least. A quick google search turned up these: "Cultivate virtue in the town, and it will be lasting." - TTC ch.54 "Ruling a great country is like cooking a small fish." -TTC ch60 "When the government is quite unobtrusive, people are indeed pure. When the government is quite prying, people are indeed conniving." - TTC ch54 "Good leaders reach solutions, and then stop. They do not dare to rely on force." -TTC ch30 Not exactly a doctrine that leads to solid or conforming thought IMO... Personally, I think Daoism is aimed at the "inner" world - more spiritual growth - and someone on the path leaves society to society. I suppose that's why they say Daoism is only one half of the Chinese philosophical coin - the inner half - and Confucianism would be the "external" or "worldly" half. But I really don't know anything... so don't quote me.

Your no fun ... 😛

Ahhhh, therein lies the difficulty. Your post brings up a good point. LT and CT wrote from such a place (and in such a way) that it can be interpreted differently on many perspective levels. Does this mean that their writings are interpreted through the filter of our own egos? By the lens of our personal cameras? thank goodness their books are *pointing* to the way, and not rules to be followed.... it’s a commentary, not a how-to. At least in my understanding of it. 😀

I enjoy Genmai cha ... usually I roll with Gunpowder Green, but it's a nice change for sure. I've always thought Green Tea was Yin ... However, Rice is said to be yang ... so that's a cool way of balancing the drink out...

Balance what exactly? The taste or the properties? I've heard Chrysanthemum tea is very "yin" ... I enjoy it alot but always drink it sweet...

Very very interesting post, I never knew that about the Alkaline levels...

Hello, !nverse, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello Stoictao, Welcome to the Dao Bums! It's a good sign you are exploring topics your skeptical of - having an open mind is the first hurdle to jump to learn new things (or so they say - I'm not sure if I believe them... ) Have fun and I look forward to seeing you around! You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin

Hello, Master Teresa, and welcome. Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go. Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, Fa Xin and the TDB team Hello Master Teresa, Very nice to have someone with such an extensive background. Very nice of you to share your knowledge with us, on your birthday also. Hope you will enjoy your time here - theres alot of qigong people floating around that I'm sure would love to chat with you. You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started. May you enjoy your time here. Fa Xin