Chá Rén 茶人

"May I Never Be Complete. May I Never Be Content. May I Never Be Perfect." -Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 4 "Forge yourself in The Way. Touch upon all of the arts." -Miyomoto Musashi "Reject unworthy passions." -Shaolin Martial Apothogm "Given the proper stimulus, anything can flourish." -Mr. Popo, Dragonball "We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us." -Charles Bukowski "When Heaven makes a great turn, not even someone like you can remain in place." -Zhang Jue

I second Gerard's recommendation of sheng cha. I am sipping on a 2013 tuo cha cake right now. As mentioned, the older sheng cakes cost far too much (when authentic) to drink regularly, or at all in my case. I have a little tea pet lady that pours tea from her breasts into your cup; I only use her for my sheng tea, along with a dedicated Taiwanese clay teapot (a lot cheaper that yixing but still very aesthetic and functional). There is no better hangover cure than sheng pu'erh, kimchi, and a couple eggs. The Cha Qi gives the tea an extra kick/boost in a non-caffeinated way that lingers with you.

Going off what you said @silenthunder, I have had periods of my life where my diet was very clean and nourishing, but I was not doing breathing practices and was highly stressed from too much work. Thus, I received very little benefit from my "organic lifestyle"; none of it was circulating properly. It's the old adage "Flowing water never gets stale." Our bodies are not much different. (Proper) Breathing practices cause food, drugs, or any other substance to affect us differently than they would without.

-Eucommia Bark -6 Years or Older Korean Ginseng -Reishi Mushroom -Spirulina -Deer Velvet Antler -Very very good high mountain or old age tea (preferable oolong) taken as a tonic over a long time -Bone Marrow/Organ Meats There are a lot of options out there.

Except from Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing

Bee Pollen is nature's best vitamin. Natural Grocers sells it refrigerated for ~$4 for a quarter pound. It is the jing-product of millions of flowers. Think about it.

-Secret of the Golden Flower (Cleary) -Tao Te Ching -Havamal -Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) -Book of Five Rings -The Richest Man in Babylon -The Taiping Jing

I would also add most substances are gonna lead to liver qi stagnation and reduced jing with long term use, even one considered medically benign like cannabis.

Substances have a complex relationship with the human physiological system. I get subtle psychoactive effects from old age, wild-produced tea for example, because the roots are well developed in such plants and able to draw deep into the fertile Yunnan soil for rare and complex minerals, elements, etc. Taiwanese tea draws various elements from the ocean mist that forms a fog in the high mountains. It is well known that these teas have greater "cha qi" or tea energy than say your daily Lipton black. You are also more likely to develop what is known as "tea tipsy" from older tea trees, wild trees, or high mountain trees, especially when steeped strongly or for many infusions. As a side note for cannabis, it has historical uses in Taoism as well. The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica), attributed to the God Shen Nong, says cannabis seeds allow one to see spirits. I believe it has a warning of 100 days as well, going off memory. And of course there are many stories of old drunken Taoist hermits and such. I think the point is to use them sparingly as the Tao calls you to. Total abstinence is letting them control you as much as total abuse. And we all have our own nature to consider. My German uncle may be able to down 12 beers and be fine, whereas my grandmother probably should never touch the stuff. Grain(s) may even have a mild opiate-type effect, hence the old Taoist bigu style diets.

Hi Everyone! I am glad to have found a community of like-minded Tao-seekers, which are surprisingly rare in my corner of the globe in southern Colorado. I have been a short-time lurker, maybe 3 months. Former meat-head college football player and masters grad who started breaking down physically and emotionally real hard about a year into the workforce, and began questioning the truths he had been told his whole life. I suppose I am seeking clarity and more advice to continue my ascent into true wellness again, recovering that primal dan tien spark from my youth that has faded with overwork, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, alcohol and cannabis abuse, and jing depletion via, well, bein' a teenager in 2000's America. I practice hung gar, wing chun, taiji, and qi gong. My current obsession is Chinese and Taiwanese tea, and related paraphernalia. I also play acoustic guitar and write songs sometimes. It is therapy at its finest. Looking forward to lighting lanterns for each other along this muddled path. -Chá Rén 茶人 (Tea Person)

When I need a little extra kick to the start of my day...this and a little lapsang souchong. Gets the qi flowin'.

🤣🤣 You pick up on a lot of subtle nuances, LimA. I may come from the peasant classes, but luckily tea transcends boundaries. Imperial Tribute Tea allowed a farmer to stand face-to-face with an Emperor, if only for a second. I just won't skimp on the good stuff if Earl and I ever have a cup. (I will say I'd rather have Bergamot oil in my Nebulizer than my tea cup, but your tastes buds know best for you). As you said, good thing we buy our medicine in bulk. That tea picking song is definitely on my playlist now too. Good share.

I currently am reading the Cleary version and enjoying it thoroughly. I have never read older versions such as Wilhelm to cross-reference, however. My Sifu would lean towards the "Turning the Light Around" process over Microcosmic orbit I believe, which is reassuring. He is heavy in the Shaolin lineage.

I definitely see a lot of similarities between qi gong and music. The quarry/dynamite thing was interesting; thanks for sharing. I was a coffee drinker back in the day too. Now all I ever want is my tea.