Wood Dragon-Metal Horse

My teacher recommended I get the James Legge and D.C. Lau translations of the Dao De Jing and one more from a native Chinese person. Does anyone have any good recommendations for a translation done by a native Chinese person? Also I would be interested in any recommendations you all have. The second book is Zhang Botuan. He didn't recommend a author for this title. Does anyone have some good translations to recommend? Thanks much for your time.

Thanks much. I am curious if you, or anyone, can comment on the differences between Pregadio and Cleary in their translations of this work?

Do you have any recomendations on good translations of "Understanding Reality"? My teacher only reads in Chinese, so he doesn't have any knowledge of translations. Though he will give me feedback and help with the one I pick. Thanks much

Have you read other translations of the DDJ? I actually have the copy from Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. It seems really artsy but well done. I'm just curious on the quality of the translation. Also I have yarrow sticks from Jane English for I-ching. They are very nice.

So assuming I have a teacher, which translations of understanding reality are good?

Well it only outlined what teachers aren't, not how to find a good one. Seems to me there are no good teachers in Texas! What would you suggest for reading that will help my cultivation? What do you consider to be good work that will help me to understand Dantian rotation and cultivation?

Where does one fine "proper guidance" in these texts?

I suppose I don't fully know what my purpose is. I'm looking for more info on Daoism and to cultivate inner alchemy. I have been told that it is a good read for anyone interested in cultivation.

Thanks much for the suggestions y'all. But now it looks like I have many more books on my list! Do you all have any opinions on the versions I spoke of? I will probably end up getting them, but my teacher said he doesn't read translations (he's a native of China). So I am interested in opinions of them.

I'm just going to leave this here... https://upliftconnect.com/truth-about-the-chakras/ Just check it out. It's an interesting read.

I'm not too familiar with what you are talking about exactly... I do have experience with something kind of new age called "Light Life Tools". They are based on the cubit measurements from different Egyptian locations. They are 1/1,000,000 the equatorial and polar diameter of earth. Slim Spurling is the maker I am familiar with but a few people are making them these days. He made rods, rings, and other shapes with these measurements. A friend left me with a couple of the rings and they seem to be pretty great.

As far as shielding goes, I would like to add these representations: So the first image is a toroid overlaid with a few sacred geometric shapes, and can be likened to the different aspects of our own fields. The second is a rendering of the human body and its associated magnetic field. The last is a picture of iron filings around a magnet. Notice how Bai Hui and Hui Yin areas appear open. This shape is the same as earth and every object with an electro-magnetic field share. From the atomic scale to the galactic, and I assume larger and smaller... Peoples fields will vary. Some will have large fields, some will have very small. Some people will have blockages and where those blockages are in the body will correspond to a point on that field. Interesting to me that a blockage can increase electrical resistance. Where resistance is higher the electric field will most often be measured as higher. When our resistance is low and we have no fire we have a very smooth and integrated field that is closer to mixing and being one with the field of all. When we have a strong field it can perpetuate an incoming energy. Think about a spacecraft using the gravity of a cosmic body to change its velocity. Now imagine the spacecraft has no control and gets slightly too close. What happens? The gravity consumes the spacecraft. The spacecraft would head towards the well of gravity and as it gets close it will be pulled closer and closer until impact. What if the the cosmic body was a star "on fire"? The spacecraft would burn up. What if the the cosmic body had control over its gravity? It could lessen the gravity and allow the spacecraft to fly on by. What if there was no field around the object? What it was one with emptiness? The spacecraft would never even have an opportunity to crash. What does any of this have to do with what y'all are talkin' 'bout? Relax your gravity. Take a moment to face the incoming object. Adjust yourself accordingly. If you are too fire you may not get all the info from the incoming object as it burns on landing. If your field is too strong (still fire) the ship may just crash and get lodged. The faster it is going and the more mass it has, the deeper in may lodge. If it hits a sinkhole (weak spot in your field or body) it may go deeper. If however you notice the object coming, you may be able to adjust accordingly. Allow it to get close, learn from it, hear its call, understand it, and you may be able to fling it away like a gravity assist. Become one with all and nothing? Well then, what is there for it to hit? As well, your field is made of tiny fields. Each little field can do the same as your large whole field, and so on. Of course there is a lot more to this and less. *edit: Also the more you practice the less you have to think about. It becomes natural to allow things to pass over, through, or around. There is a hard way (think hard martial arts) but I am less experienced with that. I think that if you were to just "attack" back at the incoming you would have less interaction and learning. Someone is throwing a punch at you. You punch their fist with more power. You injure their fist, and yours but less. This sends their hand back into the world but it is hurt and looking to regain balance or homeostasis. Your hand is hurt and it needs the same but maybe less. You instead redirect the punch with a circular motion? You have to involve more accumulated learning and information and learn more from the technique. Maybe the energy of the attacker orbits and tries to land again... Maybe it is flung (physically, psychologically, energetically) and will not return. See the aggressor coming before they do? Dissipate the situation and the punch is never thrown at you. Different levels of attainment, training, thought, awareness...

So I have been reading a lot of back posts and topics and have found lots of great information. One that I found was from an interesting member, Li Jiong. It seems that he may have moved on from TTB but his info is interesting none the less. I'm wondering if anyone cares to discuss and clear up something he was talking about? What is meant by gradations? Can anyone expand on what is meant in terms of specific exercises? Maybe building a foundation would be things like "Pulling down the Heavens" and "Old Man in Tide Pool"? These would open and clear stagnation and allow the beginner to start the feeling. Next maybe simple belly breathing leading to MCO and reverse abdominal with opening and closing of hui yin? What are your opinions and insights? Let's discuss!

Very interesting stuff everyone. Good reading. It seems that asking a straight forward question will be answered with a sort of koan.. Not that these answers didn't get me what I want... But to be more straight forward, here is something I have learned: In order to ready ourselves for a true teacher and neigong leading to medicine there are a few things that can be done in order to have the process be less risky. Of course one could take to the sometimes more religious route and go straight to Tao, but this takes a much more adept person it seems. First, ready the body. This comes first with diet. A diet based on leafy greens seems to be the best no matter what your genealogy. Think about us in balance with the planet. We were hunters and gatherers. If we were nomadic, what was the most abundant food source no matter the season? Greens are everywhere, even beneath snow. Greens are abundant in and around water. If you are familiar with the seasons and how they affect our food sources it is easy to guide our decisions on food. Berries, large fruit, nuts, and root vegetables all come and go with the seasons. We may be able to get these foods for most of the year, but in no way would we have access to the same fruits and veggies all year. The last touch is animal flesh. Now I know what the texts say about flesh of the beast. But back when we were in balance with nature of Earth there were many more animals and it would have been easier for us to have the small amount needed to keep us physically healthy. Just look up liposomal vitamin C. Of course this only comes with healthy, live plant eating animals. Keep in mind the amino acids need for collagen replication. Now what is necessary from our diet from a physical standpoint is very roughly outlined. The animal flesh is one that is debatable and is your choice, but it helps for the next part. Also keep in mind the great impact it would have on our earth if we were to support the re-integration of ruminants to our grasslands. Our grasslands with ruminants on them are the greatest carbon sequestering resource on Earth. They are the lungs of Earth and the ruminants are the blood/qi moving the resources. Physical strengthening.. If we were in balance with Earth nature we would have had to be active. We would walk, run, crawl (quadrupedal movement), lift, carry, throw, climb, balance, stretch dynamically and statically, and swim. These activities will open our channels, connect our brain and enteric nervous system to the rest of our bio-energetic nervous system. Being active will not only allow us to feel the energy of our bodies and ready our systems for internal alchemy but also allow us to get the most of our diet. Without movement our metabolic processes slow and our reproduction of DNA degrades. Keep in mind epigenetics and the effects of plant RNA on our system. The last part of this health trio is the mind. In a natural setting we are constantly learning and absorbing. We learn to quiet our minds in order to hunt plants, animals, and materials. So this equates to mindfulness/emptiness meditation. The key here is to not try but do. I particularly like what Taoist Texts gave us a few posts up, "Turning the Light". These are all things that we can learn by ourselves or from a book or the web. These are objectives that will lead us to healthier lives and ready us for the cultivation of the internal. This does not mean that the internal cultivation is not risky. But it can be less so. Once we feel peaceful, our emotions no longer rule us, and our bodies feel happy, glowing and strong, we will have a foundation that will allow us good progress into the inner world. This is just one way. This is one way. This way almost everyone can use, either in part or whole. Discuss? *edit: Don't forget sleep! Ample sleep is necessary before we know how to gather energy from other sources.

This is interesting.. Which system of alchemy would you identify with this?

So I am starting study with a new teacher soon. He teaches large frame long form Wu Taijiquan and Neigong/Neidan. I'm excited to finally have a teacher come into my life in person. Of course I'm not putting too much expectation into this but none the less it is interesting. I wonder if any of you can recommend questions that I should ask him or myself? He seems pretty open and has been studying and practicing for over 35 years. His master was Master Ruan Rong-gen who I think learned from Wu Jian-Quan. I don't know anything about these people and haven't found much other than a wikipedia page on Wu Jian-Quan. Yeah, so any questions you all think are important for me to ask him and myself before or during my new training?

Yes I agree, but in many traditions they use specific practices and meditations for each "level". For some you will not develop LDT until you have awakened your MCO. In others the focus is on purging and tonifying before we cultivate any internal or external. What I am really trying to discuss here is what the different processes are and what the commonalities are. In Li Jiong's post he talks about people practicing the same, first step so to say, for years without moving on. Let's start with his opinion. If he were still around maybe he would chime in. But since he is not what do you think his first step would be and what would the end goal of that be? I am not speaking of a particular exercise, but instead what is he attempting. I saw this in another thread. It seems to be simplified and to the point. In the foundations what are some of the practices we may partake in? It seems basic mindfulness and emptiness meditation along with exercise and stretching would fall into that category. But what are some of the signs that we have accomplished enough to move on to the next "gradation"? Yes I know that a teacher becomes more necessary at this point, but can we not discuss? *edit: Yes I know there are other ways of moving throughout this chart, but for now it's a satisfactory image for the purpose of this discussion. Let's not treat each other as though we don't know, but instead discuss what we do.

Chrono

Stand under

R. E. S. P. E. C. T. That's what

Steve, thank you for your opinions and tip. I really do appreciate it! Jim, I like your analogy. I also enjoy your pattern of communication.. Thank you to everyone who has made me offers of their own. It is great to finally be a part of a community in which I feel relation.

These two questions seem to be right on track with what I was thinking. Thanks!

That seems fair. It's not that I don't have some experience, just have experienced things before. I ask here and now because I seem to feel it is necessary and cannot come up with many questions, if any, that I feel are worth asking. He told me to have questions for a conversation after my first lesson. I'm trying to see if I agree enough with questions from you all in order to ask him. If you have some none mental questions (whatever that is) I would love to know them. What I will end up doing is having a conversation with him and if any of the questions you all have posted come to mind I will ask. Mainly I am interested in questions about Taijiquan because I have never studied it. But it is helpful for me to have others input and get my feelings flowing when trying to converse about Neigong.

Thanks, I'll ask. Brian found his website, does anything there answer any of this for you? It seems that yes he trains push hands, but I knew that.

Yeah that's him. I hadn't seen his website.