Mango

@CobieJust say enough to bring the point across but don't overdo it. Thank you!

Doing nothing is the right move in this situation but medical intervention is ok if it helps. Letting nature follow its course is the way of Tao. BTW Non ejaculatory orgasms are not a health issue here.

Hi Tom, The question is not how to be a good Taoist but how to become a Taoist. To become a Taoist is to be a good person. One needs to follow some guidelines but not necessarily any special rules. It is self-cultivation and self-discipline by treating oneself and others with respect. One doesn't require to pray unless one is deep into the religious level. It is a good idea to obtain as much knowledge as one can to deal with the universe. That said, one needs to start at the human level to deal with what is in the environment. It is to have peace of mind to avoid conflicts of any nature. One wants to keep a calm mental state and look into things with an open mind within reasons. Physically, it is to have a healthy body to deal with the daily chores. There are many practices to enhance the physical being of the body. One can practice the Qigong exercise such as meditation or Taiji. Both will give one good mental health but Taiji or other exercises involving movement and breathing will give both mental and physical benefits. To be a Taoist is to be a good person, to begin with. However, one should not restrict oneself by following some rules that might be detrimental to one's mental and physical health. Good luck to you in pursuing this wonderful journey.

Those who love Taiji, and would like to share their thoughts with a Taoist attitude are welcome to make contributions. Here is something I thought is interesting to look at.

Like the female Taiji master says: All the misinformation is out there to mislead the real information at the final end. So, unfortunately, the true masters become the fake ones. Thus the misinformed people are too busy denying the facts without giving them any thought or stuck what was learned in their minds at first.

Eric, welcome to TDB I see your problem here. They are not really different versions. They are many codexes of the DDJ other than the original. Some of the characters were written incorrectly by the authors. In your case here, it might happen to be the author used the character 知 for 智. Usually, the character 知 means "to know" and 智 means wisdom'. However, it also happens to be that the two characters are interchangeable. In ancient times, I believe 知 (knowledgeable) was used as 智(wisdom) also. "使夫智者不敢為也" Literally, most people would be translated it as: Then, let's make the Wiseman dare not do it. However, the real interpretation is "then, let's make the wise guys dare not to do it" which makes more sense. Notes: The wise guys were meant in a negative sense in the statement.

I will change the title to read "Chi Gong Lovers". In Eastern society, people have practiced martial arts following the described principle here. I am using the same breathing method in my Taiji and meditation practices. I have discovered it is very effective to improve the health of my body.

Those who are interested in QiGong should watch this video. You may skip to 1:26:00 to get a general idea from the horse's mouth. The video talks about QiGong(氣功), and the breathing was emphasized for more than an hour. Let's have the reader determine what Chi Gong is all about.

Thank you! After all, this is a Taoist forum, I am glad that someone has taken this into consideration. Tao will take its Wu Wei course. Why do we have so many non-Taoist practitioners here?

It has always been my motto. Sometimes, too much depending on following others could make one blind and off track. I will put it in my famous quote bin.

Don't worry he will be banned again soon or later.

Normally, at the wuji position in ZZ, the legs muscles are contracted which restricted the vein to return blood to the heart. As in Taiji, the movement of the muscles is contracted and released which aids the blood in the vein to flow upward returning to the heart.

Well, he did say Wuji is just a posture, and the rest of the explanation is overkilled.

If you haven't practiced for years, then, if you do it for 5 to 10 minutes from now, do you feel soreness in the lower and upper legs? Normally, beginners do. I just ask my wife to do it she did feel the tension in her lower legs.

I believe that most muscles are activated in the lower leg. It is because that is where the support is for the whole body weight. As I stand right now, with my knees bent, I am feeling the tension in my lower legs.

And what was that?

In ZZ, wuji is the standing position. No? It doesn't need to be told. Do you have any experience in ZZ?

Yes, it is true to practice ZZ to prepare the body for more subtle training. What I am saying it wouldn't be a prerequisite for Taiji but it would help. Yes, I am saying that the purpose of wuji is to build strong legs more than anything else. If one has practiced ZZ for some time, one should have felt the strength of the legs change drastically.

I just practice the Yang-style Taiji all my life. I did not practice other martial arts. My legs are strong from the diligent practice of Yang-style Taiji. If one has noticed, the Yang style was known to have the legs bent at all times. Thus every time one lifts up one leg slowly, the weight of the body is supported by the other. To me, that was understood it is equivalent to ZZ in some way. ZZ stands on the floor or ground with both legs. IMO To make the legs stronger, standing on one leg is much more effective than two legs. However, both conditions give the same result. What do you all think?

It was not self-taught. He did learn it from a Yang Taiji master (Mary Chu). This is a portion of the original 108 forms which you don't see around anymore for some reason.

Thanks! This showed his ability to perform. He cannot be discredited for not doing ZZ because he was not in the ZZ position.

I see that was your argument. Standing like a straight pole on a slanting plank was the ability acquired from Taiji. The ZZ part has been accomplished already. ZZ is to make the legs strong. To balance on something needs strong legs. I believe the demo was to show his ability to perform with a high degree of difficulty.

Okay! So, by your definition, he was not balanced even though he was trying to maintain standing on the plank by his rocking motion. Do you expect him to fall off without trying to stay on the plank?

What do you mean by almost (but not quite) balance? Did he fall off the plank? If he didn't fall, doesn't that mean he had maintained his balance?

Who is this ChiDragon? Is he still here? I would like to meet him.