Lucky7Strikes

Awesome. . I have a friend who is a professional musician....he has the dullest "mind" sense of anyone I know... I wish I could do that. But that's just flowery language right there.... Just BEEEEEE~~~ FLOOOW WITH NATUUUUREE~~ AHHHHH

Vajrahridaya, I think you put too much importance on personal experience. Like, especially your own. Which is often how it is with most people. All paths definitely don't lead to the same realization. Scientology would probably lead me to go broke and get beaten up while playing musical chairs. . Or is that a path? But that also doesn't mean that Buddhism is the best. Tell me that it is the best once you've become a Bodhisattva. Unless you yourself think that you've reached the highest state possible in Hinduism. Or do you just guess on contextual text? My observation. . On another note, The visualizations of Buddhist gods slicing and dicing Hindu deities actually reminds me of certain meditation practices where you visualize cutting off all your bodily and mental attachments. I see some parallels. And on a very different note, I'd like to thank goldisheavy for what he represents. At first I thought he was an obnoxious prick. But really people like him need to be appreciated. They might not teach you anything, but that is precisely why they are so valuable on subjects like these. *bows.

Bravo!! Buddhist, Taoist. Who gives? Freeing yourself from the confines of the foolish mind. What more can you ask for? The Path itself is enough.... IMHO

Well the Taoist Canon is composed of over 5000 scrolls. There are numerous sects and hidden schools most are probably not even aware of, and I'm sure they don't mind being called Taoist. But like Creation said, "Taoist" practices were often adopted by people of various backgrounds and for their benefit. Yup, a lot of stories of sages often advising laymen and even emperors. I don't really see a problem with Taoism or the practices themselves when people decide to abuse them (Lol, this kind of feels like a debate on gun control.... , but not as fatal ). If people do the sexual practices or martial arts and as a result it boosts their confidence, I think it's perfectly fine. Pehaps one should even encourage these things to people who are generally uninterested in stuff like Taoism and virtue. The problems arise when a person mistakenly thinks that these complementary practices are actually the main Path towards cultivating the Tao. It's like a Tibetan Buddhist monk who just does Tummo breathing and doesn't abide by the scriptures. Maybe the technique itself can carry you towards enlightenment. I honestly don't know. . I highly doubt it, because as you said, the true Path is supposed to be virtuous.

My understanding is that siddhis are gifts that arise from virtuous cultivation. Hence someone who attained it wouldn't flaunt it since they wouldn't have attained it if they weren't virtuous in the first place. I guess they are like gifts. And these gifts are given to people who don't go around telling people they can fly. OR People who can do amazing things probably don't stick around the Tao Bums. I'm sure if you are pursuing something like the "dark side" of Taoist magic, you wouldn't be typing on the Tao Bums something like "Yes, I can destroy your soul." You're probably busy sucking people's energies out, riding demonic dragons, killing Jedis, etc. And really, if I had powers, I would definitely NOT want to go public or tell people. If I were that stupid I'm sure I wouldn't have powers anyway. I mean, is there anything more frightening than fame? Some examples I like: John Chang can stop bullets and light things on fire. . And hmm...oddly enough he's famous. . Buddha Boy hasn't eaten or drank in the past 3 years. Dude is hiding out because people kept bothering him...I wonder when he'll start teaching. I don't have to mention all those past stories of yogis doing some crazy shit.

Yup, noticed that too. All my posts got deleted once the discussion evolved into something much broader and open ended. . But hey, it's a forum on Buddhism. There are a lot of sects. There are a lot of members posting here and there everyday. I feel like it's necessary to keep it in order so that new comers can learn about Buddhism in an easier fashion than having to shift through so much material.

There are practices mentioned in few "Taoist" texts that suggest physically blocking the tip of the penis to stop the semen from ejaculating (Chia calls this "squeezing" I think). This will make you injaculate the "physical" jing, but the actual essence will be wasted anyway once there is the external energetic release. There is also the method where you press the perineum to force the erection to reside ("finger lock"/"million dollar point"). Everything that Dao Zhen said in the thread posted by Creation is the proper way to cultivate your sexual energy. Dig around, there are good tips regarding this from other more experienced practitioners.

Whenever you're aroused, imagine ejaculating internally. Visualize having the sexual energy coupling within you. Rewiring your concept of sex, (ejaculating/leading the sexual energy outwards) so that the whole energy becomes accustomed to internal "release" can be beneficial. Avoiding and suppressing the energy is what causes leakage at night. Sexual energy is an essential part of you. Yogani tells people to totally forget about ejaculating. Also, let the energy spread by doing basic qi gong movements and ground, ground, ground! DON'T DO PHYSICAL BLOCKING IN CHIA'S BOOKS!! YOU WILL BE PRONE TO INFECTIONS AND DAMAGE TO THE BLADDER!!

With great power comes...great responsibility..? Haha, As long as the intentions are good, I think retention is great. I used to work in a bookstore and there were quite a few people who'd come in looking for Chia's books or other "Taoist" books on sexual techniques. Maybe they got tired of doing the wheelbarrow from the kama sutra . I'm not sure if this is a good thing. Perhaps it can turn out well if the person chooses to do more research into the topic, and bad if he keeps pressing on his million dollar point .

The details on the 5 elements standing practice are all in the new book. The whole creation cycle, how it helps Kunlun level 1, how each position relates to the organs, benefits to physical strength/focus, etc. Accordingly, it "builds" qi, and like Cameron mentioned, shouldn't be taken lightly. Which 5 elements practice are you specifically referring to? Chia's fusion practices? There is a great section in Trunk's site regarding 5 elements: http://www.alchemicaltaoism.com/

So no one here knows or has experienced this Miao Tong Dao or know anything of Sifu Ji (I'm not even sure if Ji is a Korean surname, unless he's speaking according to the character base)? I know people are keep talking about John Chang and Wang Liping, but the seminar and the site seem more geared towards highlighting the teachings from Miao Tong Dao...

Dang, that's a lot of money...

That is a good enough answer for me. . Hope you stick around.

Hey -O-, uh if you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you? What experiences did you have with Kunlun/Max (seems like you know much about it)? Just curious.

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful replies. FoE, I've been practicing self-inquiry for quite a while based on Maharshi's writings. I also do Shikantaza meditation everyday. This past year I picked up Kunlun more as an energy practice. And it has no doubt helped my meditations not to mention health. I've had no masters, and really don't consider Max Christensen as a Sifu. I've read through the sutras, but as you said, Zhuo Ming-Dao, there are so many levels in them to suit the experience of the seeker that it's tough to recognize which is the absolute truth and which is the relative truth. I've always thought that the non-dual teachings on emptiness was the teaching of the absolute truth. But I will definitely look through the recommended sutras. Dainin, maybe you forgot how to ponder. Paradise, I completely agree that emptiness is a method. And maybe that's the only thing there is. I think you're getting at something important here. I certainly do not know what the natural inclination of all phenomena is. Or whether there is one. A part of my belief is that it is towards happiness, virtue, peace, exapansion, etc. Hmm...maybe that's why there is suffering and illusion. Why did the Buddha become a Buddha in the first place? Zhang, I think there is merit to simply giving yourself to a practice and waiting for what it unfolds. And really...my practice of self-enquiry, meditation and all this has unfolded this pondering . I certainly didn't expect to find an empty house when I tried to find me in it. I ran into this quote the other day looking through my notes on Chuang Tzu and thought it relevant: "The true man of old knew neither fondness for life nor aversion to death, was neither elated by going forth not reluctant to return. Casually he went and casually he came. He neither forgot what his beginning had been nor sought what his end would be. Happily he received and forgetfully he returned. This is what is meant by not detracting from the Way with the mind, not assisting heaven with the human. This is what we call a true man." Somewhere the Buddha is laughing with his fat belly...no?

Technically speaking, the "desire" to understand the emptiness of all things, when totally "satisfied," would be the final true contentment since the nature of desire itself is rooted out. It's the one and only "desire" worth pursuing, because its fruits are eternal? No? I think Forestofemptiness is mentioning how people can become stuck on the conceptual view of things.

You cannot share love, happiness, peace if these things are not actualized in your individual being. I understand your point of view, but such an approach can easily lead one to the pitfalls of becoming dependent, needy, a burden and at last, fear. I see so many human relationships driven by this sense of fear. They will only hide the inevitable sense of loneliness and desperation. Sexual union is a wonderful thing. However, only when it is a pure union of two beings can its divine nature come to realization. Let the internal and external become one. Yet for this to truly happen, I believe everything must start from the individual. How can I expect to fully share with someone, when i am myself is a conflicted and a damaged being?

http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?showtopic=1314&st=0

You're right. It's only easy to put into words. . BTW my previous post was more for people who are serious cultivators. I don't think it's practical to tell everyone you meet to drop their desires. For some the only way to drop a desire is to satisfy it. Many Zen poems point to how we are all guests staying at a inn. The people you meet are bound to go their own ways. They come and go and come and go. This is how I view all my relationships. So much irrelevant garbage gets involved with this topic because sexual relationships are/become very personal. They can leave wounds all over the body (uh..figuratively ), bring old ones back up, play with the ego, give everything at one moment then destroy everything the next, and so on. Clearly seeing your desires and your reactions to them can be a good starting point. I think a part of the problem is how society puts so much emphasis on sex in general. Why? I'm not exactly sure. Ask the experts. One thing I know for sure though is that porn is doing some serious damage out there these days. Don't get me wrong, I think sex is great. But so is eating ice cream, drinking tea, taking a walk, or just goofing around. And I think I can live without ice cream if I really tried .

All desires of physical nature are obstacles on the Path. Nothing good comes from lust. Krishnamurti once said that there was no inherent problem in a sexual relationship. All troubles arise along with our thoughts surrounding it. What's important is our intentions. You can be a slave to your inborn desires calling it the natural Way, but that would be deluding yourself. The whole thing about seeing the god/goddess in him/her seems to be casually tossed around among spiritual circles. IMHO, this is incredibly difficult to do until you have cultivated enough to control your physical desires. So much deception happens when you borrow terms like the Tao, "naturalness," compassion, love, and so forth to justify the brutal urge. I believe a true sexual union between the inner god and the inner goddess is actually very rare and more often than not, accidental (at least for humans ). Cultivation must happen 24/7. Meditating for an hour then going out to pick up girls or even being carried away by sexual thoughts the moment one sees an attractive woman is not true cultivation. Wanting this and suppressing it is even worse (check out the whole semen retention dangers section on Trunk's site). Root it out completely.

Hi Voices! This isn't a forum just on Taoism. There are people who have posted here who come from different traditions and share their wisdom regarding practices, philosophy, teachers, etc. In your case, doing some basic search with phrases like "what is taoism" will yield enough quality results to shift through for days. In my experience, going through some of the lengthy threads have been tedious but rewarding because the posts are often sincere and share a wide range of knowledge. As for the distinction between defining Taoism and living it, the line is very thin. The various aspects of the Path, whether it is meditation, "defining" Taoism (I assume you meant more of a philosophical approach), or leading a mundane life, should be balanced. Each shouldn't be seen as a separate practice but an integral part of cultivation/enlightenment itself. Good luck!

http://www.ultralegends.com/lung-gom-pa-runners-of-tibet/ They can travel 48 hours straight and cover 200 miles a day... I've heard of similar abilities of kung fu masters performing similar feats in ancient China...and the marathon monks of Japan...sounds like an incredible meditative "technique." Anyone know more about this? Comments?

Thanks for the links. Re-tuning oneself with Earth's rotation, ankle weights, countering Yin energy, and that video of the guy walking on little bricks (doubt that'll ever really get him there) seem more like martial arts' skills than Lung-gom-pa. The description of the Lung-gom-pa runner oddly reminded me of Parkour (free running): Just flying through the air despite the obstacles....like gravity. Orb, only if the Lung-gom-pa practitioners at the Mexican border participated in the marathon... they'd trample the Kenyans

I've read a few cases where people have taken the phrase "shed the body and mind" in an (literally) unhealthy manner. Being continually stuck on the phrase "I am not the body" can be a dangerous way for the damaged ego to conceal deep rooted senses of self-hatred (not to mention feeling superior over others). These teachings should always be taken in greater context.

Huh? What? Where are all these judgments of Lao Tzu coming from? "From the view point of reality"...because you have the view point of reality? And...from my understanding Taoism has deep foundations in integrating the body, as few have pointed out before me, and not extinguishing it. Also, abandoning knowledge is more of a devotional path. Cultivation without knowledge can lead one to his/her own illusions arising from past habits. None of these terms are "included" in one or another. What use is going around and saying "everything is one?" What use is going around and saying "everything is empty in nature? " These theories are there to help the mind gain right perspective and aid the seeker through various experiences. All paths and concepts happen within Samsara. I'm not sure what you or those "Buddhists" are/were trying to say exactly. . Yes it was your/their mistaken interpretation of a mystic experience... Although I am pretty much a beginner myself on these matters, judging from this/their post, I am pretty sure you/they have not "seen" the Tao directly. In the Kalama Sutta the Buddha warns against accepting any teaching based on simple inclinations or traditions. It is good to do thorough research of a certain religion or tradition before making any claims using its terminologies. .