Nintendao

Daoism does also include a whole other side, of altar magic and spirit communication. Usually disregarded as woowoo delulu in more westernized approaches. Nevertheless is still practiced in much the same way as thousands of years ago. Practitioners learned to transfer qi into the altar or other tools, and even into other realms of existence. How can that energy exist outside the body? It's easy for us to accept electricity leaving its circuit in extreme examples like a tesla coil. Electromagnetic radiation is well understood and gives us wireless communication that even works in vacuum. There's no reason qi can't do the same types of movement. Needless to say the wattage level is so low that current technology can barely detect the external magnetic field of biological sources, let alone decode the infinitesimally intricate signal patterns that may be encoded therein. But it is there.

4. Plasma

Get ready for year of the Dragon

I recently noticed a similarity between the interactability of the pelvic floor with the lower dantian, the diaphragm with the middle, and the nasopharynx with the upper. Also as the abdominal cavity offers the most flexibility, the ribcage only partially, and the skull least of all, some varied approaches.

I think it is feasible that different cultivation methods can lead to variation in size, shape, and position of lower dantian. If that sounds weird at first, consider this: What is a fist? It's obvious to say that the fist is made out of the hand, but in order for a hand to be a fist we have to consider more than purely anatomical constituents. It's a matter of configuration and intention. I can make a tightly clenched fist, or a more hollow one. Specialized gongfu like leopard paw or tiger claw include quite some varying positions of the hand, still consider a fist. Even parts of the wrist getting involved. As usual I might be taking some creative liberties to help illustrate what I mean, and there are more to consider than solid tissues, like liquid chemical contents, electromagnetic properties, and on down the line. This goes for all three dantian but the lower seems to have the most wiggle room. Qihai point is to dantian, as laogong point is to fist. It can be noted as an energetic focal point, but to say that the laogong is the fist, or vice versa, can see how that doesn't quite add up. If i place my fist into my belly button, i can trace what turns out to include quite a bit of volume including both under and behind, and reaching back almost to the spine (depending on how much weight i've put on 😅) So yeah, just some thoughts.

blue skies, from now on there were lots of stars, at night little fluffy clouds

Hi Buddha Bums, I wrote this one hundred percent from memory and in my own words. Mostly is a distillation from The Heart of The Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. It was a fun exercise that i hope will illuminate a new facet or two of these familiar gems. Did i get it right? What are some additional examples? Four Foundational Perceptions Experiential suffering (a.k.a. attachment) is inherent to physical existence. At the very least, we are all literally going to die. In the meantime there will be widely varying degrees of hunger, thirst, tiredness, striving, decay, and grief. Even the positive counterparts to these have some potential to be problematic if overindulged. Discernment of root causes of suffering and ensnarement. The first truth may seem a bit of doom and gloom but it is only a call to attention of how interdependently arising all these phenomena really are. By positioning the awareness outside of the ever re-balancing cycles of cause and effect, it becomes possible to not take things too personally. Disentanglement of attachment is possible. From our new vantage point, we begin to notice what patterns perpetuate various outcomes. There should be a way to nudge our own tangled thread of fate out of tumultuous regions, and into more harmonious currents. A way to achieve liberation is to learn and embody the eight virtues taught by the Buddha. Eight Virtuous Ways Right View - what influences are we taking in? Right Thought - how are those influences being processed? Right Speech - what influence are we putting back out? Right Action - might any of our endeavors cause harm to self or others? Right Livelihood - do we stand to profit by harming or exploiting others, even if indirectly? Right Diligence - are we willing to work on improving the situation? Right Focus - is our energy being channeled effectively? Right Mindfulness - where do we fit into the bigger picture?

Let’s also not to forget Bodhidharma’s contribution! Physical conditioning to withstand injury goes a long way, and often carries over to helping with psychological and emotional strength too. If done mindfully. The right action may well include “emptying minds and filling bellies, weakening ambitions and toughening bones” Speaking of, i’ll see you beautiful bodhisattvas later. i’m on my way to the skate park, to hopefully not get smeared across the concrete too many times 😅 per ardua ad astra

Good stuff, all 🤗 Mindfulness of the bigger picture is a deliciously vague and pervasive concept. For me it may be as practical as maintaining situational awareness so as to not trip over the cat when walking accross the room. Then depending on how big the picture gets, or how small, or how interdimensional, consciousness itself as an elemental force. Anywhere from a single cell pulsing in sync with the Om vibration of the universe, to everything in between. Governance of our own internal landscape, to participation in society as a whole. Constant interplay between all virtues. For instance it takes right diligence in learning about all this, even if ultimately to shed it like a cocoon.

Off topic but i hope my use of the word deluded did not come across as being mean. Some words are weird like that because of the way they get thrown around in other situations. @Sanity Check i wasn’t calling out you specifically either. i want to help keep the tao bums as a welcoming place and i think you have some good ideas. Seems like the internet and the world in general is getting out of hand with some of the claims being made, and i don’t want to see people get roped into something. On the other hand i look on the bright side and know that there really is some kind of miracles out there if we keep working on it.

There might be exercises you can stretch and strengthen the laogong area of your palms but that particular bottle demo is a physics trick you can try it any time just be careful! Believe me I am not into being a debunker but anyone claiming that had anything to do with qi is either trolling or deluded. Although sometimes displays like that do get used by genuine practitioners as a way of sparking interest and encouragement. to answer your second question literally any qigong set you can pick up will begin to develop your senses and abilities. Just do it every single day and keep track of your progress even a tiny bit at a time. Eventually get a feel of where you can take it. If you want to go straight for the big guns then Flying Phoenix Qigong and AuthenticNeiGong.com are solid choices around here. If you only want to do books then Damo Mitchell is a frontrunner, who also offers video subscriptions. We could go on and on I’m sure but thanks for listening! ☮️

Just last night I had a dream about riding a bus. I can’t remember ever having a dream that I was riding a bus, despite having ridden the school bus during my entire public schooling. Immediately before going to sleep I was a little bummed out about something. I had randomly run into a video related to Authenticneigong.com on Youtube, and went and checked on the site. There is a 2-day workshop coming up in just a couple weeks! My automotive insurance payment is due at the end of the year, and it is almost the exact same amount as the entry fee for the training. I don’t have enough money right now to pay for both. I’m at a point in my life where I only use my car a few times per week. First this morning I pulled up the local transit routes and see stops right at most of the places I drive to. Plus whatever extra walking or skateboarding for the last mile to and from the house is surely worth the exercise. Might be time to finally shake up my transportation paradigm. I am stubborn as hell though, so even there’s room for procrastinating until the February work shop.

Absolutely. In this day and age words like alchemy, cultivation, enlightenment, have been through so many adoptions and abstractions that without additional context or within a specific lineage, we may have to accept things as a spectrum of what they are even referring to. I definitely do not want to lead this thread into debate or critique though. There's more value in connecting and sharing personal motivations and expectations for our ... practices. For me it probably all started with sheer admiration for and inspiration by characters like Kwai Chang Caine or Cord the Seeker are just the first to come to mind. Then we always left wondering, just what exactly the old blind guy was teaching those kids (beyond the obvious of how to whup ass). With the recent proliferation of xianxia manga I can only imagine what kind of ideas people might get into! With any luck and persistence, these pursuits often do mature into authentic endeavor, at the very least giving many years of increased health, capabilities, and discovery of deeper natures. In other words I think fantasy can play a great role in motivation people to look for actual truths that are beyond the mundane. I'm sure there are some highly accomplished engineers that at some time daydreamed about being Ironman, or skilled acrobats that dress like Spiderman.

Air guitar i love it. Would you be willing to provide any examples of individuals, living or historic, who do/did the real deal? Also any elaboration of whatever thing the alchemy is supposed to obtain?

Right on. Best I can do for now is refer back to the book e.g. Fashen

Yes that is pretty close to it. They say that when you become a dedicated practitioner, then a FaShen body of the master will come to help you in various ways. However there is some controversy as to the validity what is really going on in this instance. And that if you don’t follow the rules there can be consequences.

Cancel culture. Founder of that system got labeled a racist for pointing out that people of mixed descendancy might encounter certain difficulties in gaining the favor of ancestor spirits. Never said they are bad people. Just the way that kind of thing operates, at least historically. Also he is being called mentally ill for talking about some kind of extraterrestrial energy vampires. And that’s just some of the most superficial problems that people have run into with it. It’s actually become quite a sensitive topic so I am going to shut up now! (but basically, yes, their qigong/meditation type practices are pretty standard and effective, but possibly connected to something ..unexpected?)

先把乾坤为鼎器，次将乌兔药来烹。 既驱二物归黄道，争得金丹不解生。 悟真篇#一 First you need cauldron and tripod, like this: 鼎 Then you apply the fire, which is your awareness. Don't have to make it do anything; just be present. You know it's cooking. Can you see the steam rise all around, and then condense in the center? Keep doing that. Even if you are awake or asleep, stay vigilant. When you can maintain that slow fire, the next steps will become more apparent. The body falls asleep but the awareness stays lit. Instead of flying off into random dreamlands, you can pick up and work with internal vibrations directly. I don't know the alchemy formula to mix them into. That is where you need the master. There are at least ten thousand other tips and tricks to help with staying focused, or increasing energy levels, if needed.

just spit out the words tweet it loud like birds, to all who have ears to hear

I wondered about that! I checked in my hardcopy of Wu's version from Shambala Dragon Edition, and it is capitalized there. The other occurrences of 反 are not. Interestingly the capitalized Return is also in chapter 16, except there translated from 復. Archangelis transliterated 反 as "cross-over" and 復 as "renewal"

I like John C.H. Wu translation: Contemporary nerd interpretation: Matter made of atoms is corporeal; can be interacted with five senses. Atoms are made of quantum field fluctuations; completely imperceptible (without the use of high tech machines, or subjectively via sixth sense) Returning nature of movement is illustrated by the arrow of entropy. High energy particles produced in large hadron collisions have been observed to "blink out of existence," as their energy is dissipated back into the vacuum, or transferred to surrounding particles. The use of the Tao consists in softness... In order for my own awareness to interact directly with the subspace communication network, both mind and body must first be conducted in a very subtle manner. That is why todays quantum computers have to be cooled to near absolute zero. The slightest of "noise" can influence the quark-spins we are attempting to measure and manipulate.

endless more to go from one moment to the next riding upon waves

Lol yeah! could be a dodge, in case the opponent sweeps low while ducking the high spear? Maybe as Galen noted, a deliberately exaggerated way of training the back leg to support one's weight during that position. It's true a lot of what is in classical forms doesn't translate directly to practical maneuvers, but rather over time to sculpt and strengthen certain angles and edges.

Hi @galen_burnett, I learned some pretty good kung fu a decade or two ago. I don't do the forms anymore but still find myself applying the principles daily. Later when I learned nei kung, it was from a tai chi school, so was able to advance a little faster. For instance already having a trained horse stance and rudimentary "sinew changing"

lost all my Kitkats break me off a piece of that sweeter than gold bars