senseless virtue

I recently was quite put off by the fact that there weren't public videos of Waysun Liao demonstrating any Taijiquan standard form or moving sequence. Why wouldn't a martial arts teacher keep public videos that clearly show how he practices actual Taijiquan or applies his martial skill? Is he being too posh, too spiritual, or consciously making market value out of hiding and mystique?

Buddhism rejected the caste society. There is no Buddhist marriage either, but all the teachings are geared towards varying degrees of renunciation. It's because of the civilized "need of convenience" that people desire accumulation and "divine permissions" to legitimize their neuroses and attachments. Is the contemporary Buddhism already flawed then because it was brought to mankind during the time of high-civilization? We could ask much of the same about Daoism really. We need solutions, so what does the mankind at large have left if no institutionalized spiritual practice fits the need?

This is one of the definite reasons why I like proper Buddhism (and Daoism) in contrast to Abrahamic religions: Adaptation, acknowledgement, and respect to local heritage versus framing nature as the abode of the devil that needs to be overthrown and the ancient beliefs as the devil's misleading work. Both Buddhism and Daoism are antithetical to the entrenchment of complex living and the exploitative games that come with civilized hierarchies and pseudo-religious moral panic. I suppose that most of the readers here on TDB are attracted to the non-religious notions of unpretentious simplicity and "let's just be friends" attitude.

The traditional Vajrayana Buddhist view on this is that the many neuroses of the civilized lifestyles cause increasing provocations towards spirits (both earthbound and celestial types). For example, it's been said that Nagas (a serpentine humanoid creature that associates with fresh water sources) can get seriously injured and have their skin peel off if someone even accidentally pollutes a body of water. Celestial spirits would get upset if anyone tried to subvert the "way of heaven" (filial piety, ethics, vows, etc.) for selfish reasons. The human expansion also causes mankind to come in contact with naturally occurring spirits that are by their personality trait very unkind and hostile. The overall effect is that there are many possible sources of spiritual retribution. When such retributive karma has accumulated enough on the collective level without discharging on individuals one at a time, then there is an opening for new contagious diseases to appear. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche was one teacher that often taught about diseases having some specific type of spirit causing the illness. He said, for example, if I recall correctly, that the HIV/AIDS was caused by a tiny humanoid spirit that acted like a parasite to drain person's vitality. As far as I can tell, the material manifestation of the disease only is the breakdown of the tangible body after vitality becomes affected. Of course, none of this contradicts anything that you have said about the "primitive" humans living in harmony with nature. Such innocence would have granted them natural and undiluted access to awareness that would have prevented formative conflicts. My advice to everyone thus: Live ethically, take care of yourself and others according to your capability, and respect the natural environment as the clean abode of many living beings. EDIT: I checked a Norbu teaching booklet and found the following descriptions: An image of Theurang: https://www.himalayanart.org/items/51347

Now on The Dao Bums weekly menu: Hors d'oeuvre: Nutritional melodrama Main course: Unsolicited personal advice by resident remote diagnostic expert Thank you very much, my heart is now entirely content with laughter.

For recovery and very beginner level Neigong it's often very good to eat foods that are not damp or phlegm forming, but maybe even removing these two conditions. The big issue with many modern diets is that they create internal dampness and phlegm which are poorly understood in materialistic science but accounted in every traditional holistic medicine. These conditions are about the weakening of digestive fire, so that the spleen and stomach can't digest well and are unable to distribute the body fluids properly. @freeform's warning about the cold and watery foods is exactly about this. I have prepared a list of dampness and phlegm removing foods for my use. I can recommend these with the caveat that it would be much better if you had a traditional medicine or nutritionist expert helping you find the right balance for your current constitution. Even I have been recommended to consume some occasional watermelon or cold food. My lists of foods to limit and foods to add are much more suitable for anyone's consideration, but still it's good to exercise discernment. A special note about my diet is that I try to avoid all the proper cereals like wheat, rye, oat, barley, rice, maize, and millet. This is related to Daoist teachings that these grains are not so good for health, and it in fact is quite obvious after comparative tasting that they have some subtle nerve stimulating effects. Foods to Avoid or Limit dairy wheat cold drinks fruit juice processed foods refined flour, pastry, pasta, breads cold and raw foods, unripe fruits, salad refined sugar and sugar substitutes, sweets coffee, alcohol deep fried foods peanuts and peanut butter bananas, avocado mushrooms peppers fermented foods vinegar and acidic foods seafood Foods to Add warm boiled water organic lightly cooked vegetables, pumpkin, caper brown rice, barley, amaranth, rye, oats legumes, kidney beans, adzuki beans, lentils small amount of lean organic lamb/mutton, poultry and fish small amount of whole fruits, lemon sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds Foods which resolve Dampness Adzuki bean, Caraway, Garlic, Mackerel, Pumpkin, Alfalfa, Cardamon, Green Tea, Marjoram, Quail Anchovy, Celery, Horseradish, Mushroom (button), Radish Asparagus, Clove, Jasmine Tea, Mustard leaf, Rye Barley, Coriander, Kidney bean, Onion, Scallion Basil, Corn, Kohlrabi, Oregano, Turnip Buckwheat, Daikon, Lemon, Parsley, Umeboshi plums Cinnamon, Ginger, Rosemary, Dill, Sage, Nutmeg, Fennel, Anise, Raw honey Foods which resolve Phlegm Almond, Grapefruit, Mustard seed, Peppermint Apple peel, Lemon peel, Olive, Plantain, Thyme Black pepper, Liquorice, Onion, Radish, Walnut Celery, Marjoram, Orange peel, Seaweed, Watercress Clam, Mushroom (button), Pear, Shiitake Garlic, Mustard leaf, Shrimp Daikon, Marjoram, Mustard seed, Persimmon, Tangerine peel My typical breakfast/lunch Porridge made out of Buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa Salt and some herbs (typically at least basil) My typical dinner A seasonally constituted selection of Steamed vegetables and tubers: potato, pumpkin and squash varieties, turnip, etc. A bit of clarified butter and olive oil

Wang Fengyi comments on his books that the viewpoints differ because of their emphasis either on original mind (Mencius) or acquired mind (Xunzi). The original mind preserves the spontaneous ethical purity, while the acquired mind easily accumulates selfish traits. Surely, the former points to ethical ideals and what people can hope to aspire for in their self-cultivation, and the latter teaches discerning eye for statesmen.

Nevermind.

Becoming a filthy rich influential person is entirely about consciously cultivating a sense of incredible self-worth, justifying the accumulation of wealth to others, and mastering the game of social expectations and virtue signalling. These people are no saints. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. — Matthew 19:24 https://www.biblehub.com/matthew/19-24.htm

I have taken notice how searching online for many popular yidams shows prominent top results that are pro-gyalpo. Someone has certainly been paying a lot of money for search engine optimization and reaching Internet visibility. In my opinion, it's pretty clear that much of the gyalpo driven agenda has been subsidized by the spiteful Chinese Communist Party as a revenge towards Dalai Lama. Is there any article about this or can you share details?

The more harmonious and aware your heart-mind is and the more spontaneously perfect your virtues (De) are, the more refined and subtle your Qi becomes. The advanced technical aspects of Qi operation are kept as secrets, but the most important reason is because it's difficult to conceptualize them accurately and very few have the qualifications for reaching the deep trance states where they are met. Reading books can whet the appetite of curiosity, but not satisfy it. Understanding will come from personal practice and direct realization. A more general address which may not apply to you: Many people become awestruck when they hear about the meditative phenomena and other technical terms that have been invented to explain the practitioner's progress towards the Dao. I know this perspective might not feel very helpful for now, but it's good to bear in mind that simple heart with practical concerns makes for a better practitioner than the scholar's intellectual thirst.

Besides, it wouldn't be enough unless there had been a team of accredited scientist examining the demonstration throughout on the scene and ruling out all possibilities of fraud. Some people have incredible standards, you know.

Shanrendao is a very important modern neo-Confucian school that also incorporates some Daoist and Buddhist teachings. Seek out the books of the founder, Wang Fengyi, for the best overall introduction for Chinese internal arts. Of more practical benefit is the great book by Liu Yousheng, Let the Radiant Yang Shine Forth: Lectures on Virtue. If I ever formally teach anything in internal arts, then reading this book will be the mandatory first step for the students. It's simply that good.

Much speculation and hearsay, I'm afraid. People are too attached to systems, names, and impressing sounding phenomena. It's as if spiritual cultivation is imagined to be like pumping iron and growing big muscles. It's ironic because detachment and formless wisdom generally is essential to accumulating virtues and harmonious energy in the most beneficial manner. Of course. But, you should consider your motives. Why are you interested in getting involved with other people's karma? You have already read freeform's experience; are you prepared for and wanting those consequences?

Thanks for sharing. This teacher is a joke who only wishes to limit and control his prospective clients.

On the other hand, if you throw a rodent or a ball of yarn before the eyes of a cat... Thanks for sharing, Taomeow. A relevant Chinese culture classic worth anyone's time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Swindles https://chinesemoneymatters.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/the-book-of-swindles-selections-from-a-late-ming-collection/ https://u.osu.edu/mclc/book-reviews/yinghui-wu/

Personal notes: True teachers of internal skill could be impressed by dedicated Tamagochi keeping. Pokémon collectors could be frowned upon.

Unfortunately, I don't have the direct experience, but I trust Dolic's word. @Earl Grey Have you seen Dolic do Faqi, or would you have another way to verify?

As some of you may know, Sifu John Dolic has produced instructional videos for Fragrant Qigong levels 1 & 2. In my opinion, these instructions are a very good learning material and I have bought and used them myself. Sifu Dolic has practiced Fragrant Qigong and many other Qigong styles for about three decades, he has a schooling in TCM, and he also has visited the family of Grandmaster Tian Ruisheng (of Fragrant Qigong fame). I would by all means call him an expert on internal cultivation, although he isn't a philosophically oriented theory person like the armchair Neidan-ist like myself can be. I asked Sifu Dolic: Did you begin with the Fragrant Qigong practice before accomplishing the electric Faqi? He answered: Please note that Tai Chi Bagua Qigong is a Neidan style that directly develops a powerful Dantian for energy projection and healing eyesight and vision problems in particular. It's thus clear that Sifu Dolic had both powerful Dantian and Faqi capability before beginning with Fragrant Qigong. Therefore, it can be ruled that so far all that has been speculated about the causes of the compatibility issue between 小梦想's Neigong and Fragrant Qigong is proven false and the actual reason for the adverse reaction remains completely unknown. If 小梦想 wishes to find out what went wrong in his case, then I would suggest him to consult some powerful oracle like Akashic Reading that has an extensive vocabulary to explain the issue with clarity. Other than this, I don't think that any follow-up discussion is necessary or capable of bringing better understanding to the table.

@RON JEREMY MASTER, PLZ CUM-TINNUE AND GET BACK TO TDB TEACH US THE THE SECRET ART OF BE-CUMMING LIKE MAHALINGAM AL-SALAAMI

While I can't comment about any specific stage, I have read both Daoist and tantric Buddhist sources say that under ideal conditions women can accomplish cultivation about 1.5x faster than men. Women's energetic-physiological differences allow for a faster processing and integration of energy into the corporeal form.

I understand your hint about basic needs serviced. Here you go, my good sir. On a more serious side, I meant for the phrase "lower than the toilet standard" refer to time and place when discussion shoots down to hell and people get angry or hateful with each other. Can't get worse than that, in my opinion, to make enemies on a friendly discussion forum. I would rather have toilet humor and casual nonsensical posts instead, even if it meant equating the TDB standard as the toilet standard.

I miss you @Walker. Your humor and flowing essays were heartening to read. I feel sorry that you left TDB with such painful last messages and that you severely clashed with two other Bums. If our paths never cross again, then I wish that life treats you well wherever you thread and walk.

I have had a long time special interest and appreciation for practice methods that make little to no difference between the biological sexes. The immediate observation is that such practices approach more from the meditative consciousness and wisdom perspective instead of getting gritty and involved with the densest material and physical level of cultivation. It would be a good contrast for alchemy to bring up tantra. The polarities between the sexes are pretty much reversed in tantric Buddhism: Women are wisdom, men are compassion (i.e. skillful means). One particular tantra text, The Tantra of Caṇḍa­mahā­roṣaṇa, goes as far as to state this: “Women are heaven, women are the Dharma, And women are truly the supreme austerity. Women are the Buddha, women are the Saṅgha, Women are the Perfection of Wisdom‌. When tantra is done correctly in its intended spirit, it's pretty clear that there is a real reverence for the feminine. The difference between Neidan and Buddhist alchemy (i.e. Rasayana or Chülen) could be examined through the concepts of causal vehicle and resultant vehicle in Buddhist philosophy. The former tries to nurture the seed of Enlightenment into perfected bloom, while the latter proposes that we access the perfect Enlightenment now and increasingly draw its qualities into our own hearts. There is no difference in the overall stages of progression and qualities experienced: Both are clearly Buddhism and similarly adhere to the principle of cultivating wisdom. With this perspective in mind, Neidan is the process of marrying Yin and Yang, while (Buddhist) tantra is the mystical unveiling of the already consummated marriage of Yin and Yang. As a side note, I would remark that for the practical everyday purposes the Himalayan Buddhist societies have been male dominated and patriarchal, but I don't think social roles need to reflect the equality in spirit. Abuse and oppression is another matter though which can't be spiritually sanctioned.