Aetherous

Scrape your fingernails against your outer forearm for about 30 seconds, with medium pressure. Not enough to actually damage the skin, but not at all gentle either. Your skin should become red, and warmer. That's "wei qi". You can objectively test that a change has occurred...the temperature will truly be different in that spot versus another area of your skin. You can also just sit there after scraping, and subjectively feel the change that occurred...there's more sensation in the forearm you scratched. Now you've experienced qi.

As far as I know, Mandarin, and pinyin is used for Romanized writing these days as opposed to Wade Giles. There are reconstructions of Old Chinese pronunciation, but that's a specialized field of study which is incomplete... for convenience people use Mandarin.

Yep definitely. Our theories should be able to have real world results...if they don't work (such as the theory of manifesting, and trying to prove it by choosing to manifest 1mil into your bank account) then it's a sign that those theories might not be accurate. I only said 1 million dollars because that's the most common thing people talk about when it comes to manifesting.

This simply isn't true whatsoever. Look at the on topic sections of the forum. Also, I knew that the recent change (pitting the Trump threads) wasn't going to satisfy.

That's not at all true.

So, in terms of getting a million dollars....?

I made these again this holiday season. The secret to getting it look right is to press the center on the smallest part. Kind of turn it up on its side so the smallest edge is facing upward, then press down into that with your finger. Here's what I mean when I say "the smaller edge". Just put the bigger edge down on the table and the smaller edge facing the ceiling, then press down on the center of the smaller edge. Then it makes this correct shape: Pearl sugar is a must for them. Also, don't be afraid to cut them slightly bigger. Here's my correct, but not yet mastered version: It looks kind of wavy because I pinched it while rolling it. Also, not enough filling. Just this morning I successfully made this, although not masterfully. I used a plastic fork to stir it around in the pan, which worked well. Here's the key: instead of thinking of the eggs as undercooked on the inside, you should think of them as becoming "custardy". There are varying levels of being cooked that we can think about: Raw Not cooked enough, so that it's still runny Custardy, so that it's cooked, not runny at all, but still isn't fully set Well cooked so that it's set (how most of us eat scrambled eggs/omelettes) Over cooked so that it becomes brown. So, it won't be runny at all. But it won't be solid...it's creamy. I was really impressed with how good it was.

Is that like taking the path of least resistance? Or simply following the steps without grinding one's gears (wei wu wei)?

This is a matter of semantics, but... I think our destiny is the ultimate story we're meant to be the hero of. It's the path we walk when we're in alignment with our true nature. We need to become who we're meant to be, in order to have realized our destiny. Just think of the hero who has yet to set out on his journey...he's told "you have a great destiny" by a seer. Fate, on the other hand, involves those experiences which we have no control over. We try to make a plan, do the work to accomplish that goal, and then it fails for some reason - that's fate. The fates have messed with us. "Well, that's fate" so they say. To some extent, of karmic reactions being real, that is also fate. I think fate is something to be wise about, and circumvent, or something to overcome directly if possible. Life throws a challenge at us, and we're supposed to deal with that one way or another. I don't know what's up with manifesting. For me personally, it seems to have haphazard results at best, if it works at all...and I prefer thinking more practically when it comes to accomplishing things. (Such as: knowing what you want and don't want, formulating a goal to get what you want, create a plan to achieve the goal, formulate actionable steps toward fulfilling that plan, and do the real work that's required for each step, until you follow through with your plan and achieve the goal.) I suspect that "manifesting" might have more to do with being more subconsciously attuned to certain things. For instance, let's say you try to manifest an orange. Soon enough you'll see it in an ad on TV, or you'll see someone eating one at work. You must have manifested it, right? But perhaps those things happen every day, and while you're usually barely aware of it, now you were just more attuned to oranges and therefore saw them more often. This faculty of the mind can have some use. It helps us notice more of what we're looking for...but how many of us have "manifested" the million dollars into our bank accounts? Not saying it isn't possible...just that my results with attempting it aren't good, and that something else more realistic might actually be taking place other than what we're told is taking place.

https://www.quora.com/Will-Pinyin-Chinese-written-using-the-Latin-alphabet-ever-replace-the-traditional-Chinese-characters

Pulleyblank "Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar" (I've seen a PDF of this on google) Barnes "Du's Handbook of Classical Chinese Grammar" and "Chinese Through Poetry" Du's handbook is probably the easiest to begin with. Chinese through Poetry is the most beautiful to use, but is a little bit of an undertaking. Pulleyblank is a little bit more challenging to get into.

This is primarily what I've been slowly working on in an undisciplined way for the past few years. I'm not learning Chinese in the normal way, although I do plan on joining some beginning modern Chinese classes and trying to learn to speak it. But my primary interest is in accurate translation of Classical medical texts. (note that sometimes there are good Classical-Modern Chinese dictionaries, where it would help to be able to read modern Chinese...if you want to learn from what the academics have researched, that will be in modern Chinese...so even in translating purely Classical Chinese, it is immensely helpful to know modern Chinese). Pulleyblank and Barnes have good grammar books for Classical Chinese. Very important, but to be honest, it's really challenging for me to be dedicated enough to teach myself from these books. They are quite dense to read sometimes, and aren't immediately understandable due to complex linguist terminology. They really don't dumb down the English grammar for you. But from what I know, sinologists consider these to be good, and essential. Can't translate accurately without knowing the rules. I use Wenlin a lot, although its dictionary is modern Chinese...I find it super useful for working on the computer, copying and pasting characters to and from different places, and to get a rough and quick idea of the meaning of characters by just hovering the mouse over them. I also use the Pleco app, and have Kroll's student dictionary on there (the best Classical Chinese-English dictionary we have). Besides a dictionary, and a solid grasp of Classical grammar...like you said, understanding context and the way things were written at that time is important. They used funny turns of phrase in the Classical times, like the Han dynasty and prior. A more complex subject has to do with the different dialects, and how that changes how things are translated. There are also differing schools of thought in regard to how translation is done. Some people like an attempt at a word for word translation, for accuracy purposes. Others realize that Chinese characters don't always translate word for word, and sometimes even if they do, doing that style makes the English clunkier than necessary...so this other school of thought feels free to rearrange the sentence with its entire meaning intact, so that it flows better. But, this is important - that can only be done after the translator gets the most accurate as possible word for word translation. It's like taking an additional step, rather than being sloppy (like the first group of translators would assume about it). Anyway, me responding here is really like the blind leading the blind...but it is something I work on and maybe these things I do will be useful to others.

With all due respect to various teachers, lineages, and practitioners...may they all enjoy and benefit from whatever it is they practice... Last week, in my research, I stumbled across what was probably the original Hua Tuo five animal frolics. It's not spontaneous or a type of qigong. I would have to go back and try to find this text, but I'm pretty sure it was from the 4th century CE. Just letting people know that in the Chinese culture they often falsely attribute new things to old names, those old names who had nothing to do with the new thing. Practices have been altered throughout history by people who didn't understand them, but merely heard of them. Or perhaps sometimes they try to improve upon a method. Another good example, besides Hua Tuo's five animals, is the "six healing sounds", which were not sounds (or mantra type things) at all, but were originally different types of breathing. For instance, if in the cold weather you blow on a window and see it fog up, that's a type of breathing which clears heat. If you purse your lips and blow quickly and direct the air toward your skin, it feels like cold air - that's a different type of breathing. These types are some of the original methods, which later people falsely called the six healing sounds. Hua Tuo's five animals was originally a pretty vigorous physical exercise, which when I read it, was like nothing I had ever seen from the modern qigong marketplace. Hua Tuo apparently recommended to perform it until soaked with sweat. It wasn't a qigong, and wouldn't cause spontaneous movements. So, do keep in mind that whatever this practice is, it's not Hua Tuo's. Someone else made it into what it is today. If people ask, maybe I'll make the time to try and find that old passage in the text again, to show what was more likely the original method...and if that happens, it'll take place in another thread so as to not take this one off topic.

Not only animal sacrifices, but there were also human sacrifices in the ancient world. Apparently a spirit would be happy with the sacrificed life, whatever it was, or the odor of it, and would bring benefit to the group of people as a result. At least this seems to be the belief of what it was about, looking back. Aside from this possibly false notion, I really have no idea why they'd do it, or why it was basically a global phenomenon. It seems clear that the world hasn't ended after we've stopped sacrificing the virgins, so it seems to me like we've evolved away from a destructive and useless primitive phenomena.

A good article I just saw today: http://www.chinafile.com/library/nyrb-china-archive/search-of-true-dao?fbclid=IwAR2dGUhHzh2tTHOE169w1rr6flL8OAtLxPbv9IpwisV1mHRLIorgBYf3djw I don't necessarily agree with everything the author says. For instance, he points out that religious Daoism began in the 2nd century CE (long after the political-philosophical Daodejing was written)...but later tries to claim that one can't separate the Daodejing from Daoist religion.

The big open spaces and full of life thing is real about military service. I had many great experiences being out in nature both during training and while deployed overseas. The world is beautiful sometimes, and we can realize this especially when we're forced into a situation of being out in the middle of nowhere. But people who vacation to the national parks, or go on an African safari etc, can see beauty, too. There are also jobs that take one out into nature: park ranger, forest fire fighter, tour guide, hunting guide, etc. Movies are made to be enjoyable, even if they're about war...they usually last 2 hours. Real life military service lasts 24/7 for years, and it's only enjoyable every once in a while. There are lots of downsides...but there are many upsides, too. I think only people who want to defend their country should join. It's not like the only other alternative is the typical "office job".

Some conspiracy theorists are pretty dedicated, and I'd say spend their lives studying their topic of interest...much more so than the average person who has simply read of the work of experts...and unlike the accusation that they all just fall for confirmation bias. Anyway, I mostly agree with you here, and am really just playing the devil's advocate. I have a distaste for strongly worded appeals to authority. Well, I don't disregard it. Knowing that it's the third leading cause of death is part of being informed.

Having blind faith in what authority figures tell us is just as easy...perhaps even more so. Did you know that the third leading cause of death in the US is modern medicine? There is always room for questioning. The truly scientific mind doesn't sweep anomalies under the rug, out of fear...it tries to explore them. To address the topic of thread: Room 237 was a fun documentary. I'm a big Kubrick fan. I don't know whether the first moon landing was faked or not. If I cared about this subject a bit more, I'd be looking into wandelaar's book recommendation.

I'm always impressed with "hands reaching below the knees".

This article is super interesting... https://www.academia.edu/10513801/Yangzhus_Guiji_Yangsheng_and_Its_Modern_Relevance I hadn't heard of Yangzhu prior to this. He was another thinker during the Warring States period. According to the article, he was an influence on Zhuangzi. His own writings don't exist, at least anymore, but he's quoted by a number of different sources from that time period. He disagreed with the self-destructive aspects of the Confucian and Mohist philosophies. He was kind of like Epicurus.

I don't think enlightened ones are impotent, and I think they can still have sex...they just don't cling mentally.

Yes please, once you have time. While I totally understand the logic you're presenting, I think an absence of craving might not work that way in reality.

Do you have a reference?

Does it say that they become impotent? I imagine someone could still have sex and enjoy it without having craving.