Yen Hui

As far as I can tell, sexual alchemy was taught by the ancients only to much 'older' practitioners, who started cultivation practices late in life. And when they had recovered their strength, they stopped the sexual practices and strictly pursued the solo path. I feel certain they would never have approved recommending it to a person in their 20's. Perhaps I am wrong, but I see absolutely no connection between Taoism and Hedonism.

01 - Zhouyi http://www.amazon.com/Zhouyi-Translation-C...6947&sr=1-1 02 - I Ching: The Shamanic Oracle of Change http://www.amazon.com/I-Ching-Shamanic-Ora...712&sr=1-93 03 - The Original I Ching Oracle: The Pure and Complete Texts http://www.amazon.com/Original-Ching-Oracl...787&sr=1-21 04 - The Authentic I Ching: The Three Classic Methods of Prediction http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...ER&v=glance 05 - Original Tao: Inward Training And The Foundations Of Taoist Mysticism http://www.amazon.com/Original-Tao-Foundat...9626&sr=1-1 06 - Guanzi: Political, Economic, And Philosophical Essays From Early China http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...ER&v=glance Book Description First published in 1985, W. Allyn Rickett`s authoritative translation of the first 33 essays of Guanzi (or Kuan tzu) performs an inestimable service to the field of China studies. The product of nearly 40 years of careful, committed scholarship, it includes generous annotations and is the standard English edition of this work. The Guanzi, named for the famous minister of state Guan Zhong (d. 645 B.C.), was put together in its present form circa 26 B.C. by the Han dynasty scholar Liu Xiang. The surviving text consists of some 70 essays by anonymous writers dating from the fifth century B.C. to about the time of Liu Xiang himself in the first century B.C. Most noted amongst these essays is material concerning ... early Chinese thought, including Taoism, naturalistic theory, and the amalgam of Taoist and Legalist thought known as Huang- Loa. 07 - Yuan Dao: Tracing Dao to Its Source http://www.amazon.com/Yuan-Dao-Tracing-Cla...5464&sr=1-1 From Library Journal In this masterly and first-ever translation of the Taoist text from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.) known as Yuan Dao, we find a most welcome addition to the corpus in English of Taoist texts. As translated by Lau, noted interpreter of Chinese philosophy, and Ames (Chinese philosophy, Univ. of Hawaii), also a prolific and respected translator and author on Chinese thought, the language is straightforward yet elegant, the rendition true to all the subtlety of the original. Written around 140 B.C.E., Yuan Dao is a direct descendent of the better-known earlier Taoist texts, the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-Tzu. 08 - Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought: Chapters Three, Four and Five of the Huainanzi http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Early-H...1425&sr=1-2 09 - The Book of Leadership and Strategy: Lessons of the Chinese Masters http://www.amazon.com/Book-Leadership-Stra...5395050-8687014 10 - Thunder in the Sky: Secrets on the Acquisition and Exercise of Power http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Sky-Secrets-...378&sr=1-43 11 - Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of A.D. 320 http://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Medicine-Rel...9969&sr=8-2 12 - The Life & Teachings of Kou Hong http://www.amazon.com/Kou-Hong-Life-Teachi...125&sr=1-30

Like movement and stillness, both emptiness and fullness are changing states. The sage contemplates the changes and how they transform.

This reminds me of a past kung-fu master of mine, who was also a Taoist practioner. In fact, it was he who introduced me to the I Ching, and inspired my journey down the Taoist path. At any rate, the way he set-up the Program, the Principle of Striking was not formally studied until Blue Belt. At that level, you studied only Hand and Leg Strikes; one weapon, and one Pattern (or Kata). Now, he believed that the main lesson to be learned at this level, if I may summarize, was that of emotional acceptance for hitting and being hit. Fear of stiking hard and being struck hard, he use to stay, is the greatest obstacle to successfully completing that belt level. Learning the technical aspects of when and how to deliver an effective strike, or flurry of strikes was the easy part, he said. Overcoming one's fear of being hit was the difficult part. Consequently, he use to say that he'd readily award the Blue Belt to any student who could stand still and willingly take a strike, without either moving or flinching an eye-lid, delivered with full speed and power. He was an interesting guy, to say the least! Needless to say, not too many students took him up on the offer. They almost always chose the long route.

Those are some excellent questions, but I have no time left today. Sorry, Paul, but if time permits tomorrow, I attempt to address them. Thanks and may you have a good evening! Yen

hi Paul ~ Yes, the two are akin. The Taoist works on losing that which seperates him/her from the Great Way, and thus moves toward realizing "interconnectedness". However, with regard to the practice of nurturing life, it is good for us to reflect on the following words of the Immortalized Lao Tzu:- Lao Tzu 10 Carrying vitality and consciousness, embracing them as one, can you keep from parting? Concentrating energy, making it supple, can you be like an infant? Lao Tzu 55 The richness of subliminal virtue is comparable to an infant: poisonous creatures do not sting it, wild beasts do not claw it, predatory birds do not grab it. Its tendons are flexible, yet its grip is firm. Even while it knows not of the mating of male and female, its genitals get aroused; this is the epitome of vitality. It can cry all day without choking or getting hoarse; this is the epitome of harmony. Knowing harmony is called constancy; knowing constancy is called clarity; enhancing life is called propitious, the mind mastering energy is called strong. When beings climax in power, they wane; this is called being unguided. The unguided die early. Lao Tzu 76 When people are born they are supple, and when they die they are stiff. When trees are born they are tender, and when they die they are brittle. Stiffness is thus a companion of death, flexibility a companion of life. Miscellaneous thoughts on the above: 1) Vitality, spirit, and energy are the Three Treasures of Life. 2) The science of nurturing life requires firmly holding these Treasures. 3) Failure to hold onto these Three Treasures is the cause of premature death. However, as non-doing begins with doing, so non-accumulation begins with accumulation, and non-learning begins with learning. Thus Lao Tzu says: "For learning you gain daily; for the Way you lose daily." The kind of learning that is discouraged in Taoism is not that of the spirit, but that of the world, and which is pursued from worldly motives. What is the meaning of "Carrying vitality and consciousness, embracing them as one, can you keep from parting?" Perhaps there are several ways to look at this, among which is the view that it speaks of unifying spirit and soul, or the mind of Tao with the mundane human mentality. Another way of saying this is merging the innate body of wisdom with consciousness. However, mundane human mentality is and must be conditioned, thus the need for some kind of learning. But what kind, or according to what standard: the spirit of the Tao or the spirit of the world? In the spirit of the Great Way, Yen Hui (a.k.a. ~ Ken)

Thanks, yuanqi. I'll look for that, for sure, but the impression I got from this clip is that it's taken from a 'new' second documentary. I would like to know the title of this 'newer' film and where to get it, as well. Thanks.

That's partly what I meant by confusing. The clip says that only after a deep two year long meditation retreat, Master Chang sought out the film-maker, and invited him to return for more footage. Reason: he was shown, or it was "revealed" to him, by the Immortals, one presumes, that the ancient wisdom was vanishing from the planet. It is almost implied that he was instructed by the higher powers to seek out this film-maker and give a second reminder to us all that we can attain to the mysteries if we will but apply ourselves. And then he later claims that his 'immortalized' past master severely chastized him for breaking his vow of secrecy. It appears almost contradictory, in my eyes. Surely he would'nt have sought out the film-maker in the first place without first clearing it with the higher powers; so why now the tough penance?

Sorry, but the short answer is 'no', according to the Teachings. Sean, do you know where can I get the complete documentary? There's also a book, for those interested, on this Master Chang, entitled: The Magus of Java: Teachings of an Authentic Taoist Immortal @ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...ER&v=glance Awesome video clip, though! A little confusing, but awesome nontheless! Thanks.

Lao Tzu 48 For learning you gain daily; for the Way you lose daily. Losing and losing, thus you reach noncontrivance; be uncontrived, and nothing is not done. Taking the world is always done by not making anything of it. For when something is made of it, that is not enough to take the world. Thus, s/he loses 'self'-wilfullness and becomes receptive/responsive to the myriad impulses of the Creative.

01) Hexagram One says:- "The specific meanings of the four attributes became the subject of speculation at an early date. The Chinese word here rendered by "sublime" means literally "head," "origin," "great." This is why Confucius says in explaining it: "Great indeed is the generating power of the Creative; all beings owe their beginning to it. This power permeates all heaven." For this attribute inheres in the other three as well. The beginning of all things lies still in the beyond in the form of ideas that have yet to become real. But the Creative furthermore has power to lend form to these archetypes of ideas." ( cf. @ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/h1.html ) EXCERPTS FROM The Shaolin Grandmaster's Text :- 02) The emotional state of a person can be measured as a vibratory rate. Changes in this vibration output are measured in part by lie detectors. Our human minds are well tuned to Klaviermusik (Bach, et al), basic percussion drumming, and deep resonant sounds. These vibrations can help bring us into meditative states. Such deep contemplative states intensify our ability to study, cure illness, relax, and concentrate. As the vibration rate increases, mental planes of operation increase also. Active music, for example, often inspires us to progress from thought to deed. Consider the effect of military march music on a crowd! However, your vibratory rate only increases if you are enjoying what you are doing. Otherwise, even though pulse and respiration rates may go up, the psychic vibratory rate goes down. This explains the detrimental effect of boredom or depression on a soul, slowing it down even in the presence of activity and 'stress'. 03) The most common method to increase the rate of vibration is ... etc. etc. etc. ... 04) Various substances can help or hinder one's ability to sense, and harmonize with, vibrations ... etc. etc. 04) According to Albert Einstein, matter simply is energy - manifesting in a slightly different manner. Shaolin achieves Ch'i Kung mastery by attuning the practitioner's mind to these vibrations. Empathy and clairvoyance are skills that utilize fine-tuning of vibrations at various levels. In the last century, our physics has come to what may be an understanding of matter that is compatible with rather ancient, eastern concepts of ch'i. ( pp. 247-248 )

Hi there Moriko ~ While I am a relative newbie in this Forum, myself, allow me to extend a warm welcome to you here! I like your theory about vibration frequencies, as it aligns perfectly with the teaching(s) of the I Ching itself, as appears from the passages below:- 01 - "This first Section refers to the Book of Changes as a whole and to the fundamental principles underlying it. The original purpose of the hexagrams was to consult destiny. As divine beings do not give direct expression to their knowledge, a means had to be found by which they could make them- selves intelligible. Suprahuman intelligence has from the beginning made use of three mediums of expression - men, animals, and plants, in each of which life pulsates in a different rhythm." ( DISCUSSION OF THE TRIGRAMS, @ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/shou_kua.html ) 02 - Confucius said: "Things that accord in tone vibrate together. Things that have affinity in their inmost natures seek one another ... etc. What is born of heaven feels related to what is above. What is born of earth feels related to what is below. Each follows its kind." ( HX 1 @ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/h1.html ) 03 - "Only because nature in its myriad forms corresponds with the myriad impulses of the Creative can it make these impulses real. Nature's richness lies in its power to nourish all living things; its great- ness lies in its power to give them beauty and splendor. Thus it prospers all that lives. It is the Creative that begets things, but they are brought to birth by the Receptive." ( HX 2 @ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/h2.html ) 04 - "The enthusiasm (i.e. inspiration) of the heart expresses itself involuntarily in a burst of song, in dance and rhythmic movement of the body. From immemorial times the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that moves all hearts, and draws them together, has mystified mankind. "Rulers have made use of this natural taste for music; they elevated and regulated it. Music was looked upon as something serious and holy, designed to purify the feelings of men. It fell to music to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen. In the temple men drew near to God with music and pantomimes ... etc. Religious feeling for the Creator of the world was united with the most sacred of human feelings, that of reverence for the ancestors. "The ancestors were invited to these divine services as guests of the Ruler of Heaven and as representa- tives of humanity in the higher regions. This uniting of the human past with the Divinity in solemn moments of religious inspiration established the bond between God and man. The ruler who revered the Divinity in revering his ancestors became thereby the Son of Heaven, in whom the heavenly and the earthly world met in mystical contact." ( @ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/h16.html ) These are just a few passages that could be quoted in this connection. These are selected for their use of key terms, such as: pulsates, rhythm, vibrates, feels. I am inclined to add one more: imagery. It is clear from the above that the language of heaven is intimated in these terms. If we wish to communicate with the higher powers, we must first learn their language. It appears that you are well on your way to making contact. Just don't try too hard, as mystical contact cannot be forced before its time. It will happen spontaneously when y/our receptivity level is attuned to the proper frequencies. There is no rush. Relax and take your time. Calm serenity is the Great Way!

It should go without saying that "gaining power(s)" refers specifically to the complete realization of our innate capacities, or the awakening and developing of the latent powers of the soul. This is accomplished only by harmonizing with the Great Way. Unless all these things you mention above, Spectrum, are pursued as means of developing higher nature, and the latent powers or abilities of the soul, then they merely deviate and obstruct your practice of the Tao. The few quotations posted below (from Wilhelm's I Ching and one from the Huainanzi) illustrate my meaning, regarding "gaining power(s)". However, it is more accurate to say that we are not so much "gaining" power as preventing the "loss" of it through leakage. Nevertheless, the preservation and complete realization of this innate power translates into many practical abilities, as will clearly appear from below. What follows below, in my opinion, summarizes the essence of true Taoist philosophy and praxis. HEXAGRAM 1 The first hexagram is made up of six unbroken lines. These unbroken lines stand for the primal power, which is light-giving, active, strong, and of the spirit. The hexagram is consistently strong in character, and since it is without weakness, its essence is power or energy. Its image is heaven. Its energy is represented as unrestricted by any fixed conditions in space and is therefore conceived of as motion. Time is regarded as the basis of this motion. Thus the hexagram includes also the power of time and the power of persisting in time, that is, duration. The power represented by the hexagram is to be interpreted in a dual sense in terms of its action on the universe and of its action on the world of men. In relation to the universe, the hexagram expresses the strong, creative action of the Deity. In relation to the human world, it denotes the creative action of the holy man or sage, of the ruler or leader of men, who through his power awakens and develops their higher nature. THE IMAGE The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring. Since there is only one heaven, the doubling of the trigram Ch'ien, of which heaven is the image, indi- cates the movement of heaven. One complete revolution of heaven makes a day, and the repetition of the trigram means that each day is followed by another. This creates the idea of time. Since it is the same heaven moving with untiring power, there is also created the idea of duration both in and beyond time, a movement that never stops nor slackens, just as one day follows another in an un- ending course. This duration in time is the image of the power inherent in the Creative. With this image as a model, the sage learns how best to develop himself so that his influence may endure. He must make himself strong in every way, by consciously casting out all that is in- ferior and degrading. Thus he attains that tirelessness which depends upon consciously limiting the fields of his activity. (@ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/h1.html ) HEXAGRAM 2 THE IMAGE The earth's condition is receptive devotion. Thus the superior man who has breadth of character Carries the outer world. Just as there is only one heaven, so too there is only one earth. In the hexagram of heaven the doubling of the trigram implies duration in time, but in the hexagram of earth the doubling connotes the solidity and extension in space by virtue of which the earth is able to carry and preserve all things that live and move upon it. The earth in its devotion carries all things, good and evil, without exception. In the same way the superior man gives to his character breadth, purity, and sustaining power, so that he is able both to support and to bear with people and things. Six in the second place means: Straight, square, great. Without purpose, Yet nothing remains unfurthered. The symbol of heaven is the circle, and that of earth is the square. Thus squareness is a primary quality of the earth. On the other hand, movement in a straight line, as well as magnitude, is a primary quality of the Creative. But all square things have their origin in a straight line and in turn form solid bodies. In mathema- tics, when we discriminate between lines, planes and solids, we find that rectangular planes result from straight lines, and cubic magnitudes from rectangular planes. The Receptive accommodates itself to the qualities of the Creative and makes them its own. Thus a square develops out of a straight line and a cube out of a square. This is compliance with the laws of the Creative; nothing is taken away, nothing added. Therefore the Receptive has no need of a special purpose of its own, nor of any effort, yet everything turns out as it should. Nature creates all beings without erring: this is its foursquareness. It tolerates all creatures equally: this is its greatness. Therefore it attains what is right for all without artifice or special intentions. Man achieves the height of wisdom when all that he does is as self-evident as what nature does. (@ http://www.geocities.com/clearlight610/chou_i/h2.html ) A GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE (As Derived from Both Hexagrams One and Two, According to Huainanzi) A general philosophy for people is that attention is to be fine while will is to be great; knowledge is to be round while action is to be square; abilities are to be many while concerns are to be few. Refinement of attention means to consider problems before they arise, to prepare against calamities before they happen, to guard against faults, and to be wary of the subtle, not daring to indulge desires. Greatness of will means to embrace all nations, to unify different customs, to include all people as if uniting a single family, to see that judgments come together, and to be their hub. Roundness of knowledge means to operate beginninglessly and endlessly, reaching all quarters, the deep wellspring never exhausted, responding to all things as they arise in concert. Squareness of action means to stand up straight without unruliness, to be plain, pure, and unaffected, not to be quick to excitement in straits, and not to indulge in whims when successful. To have many abilitites means to be competent in both martial and cultural arts, mannerly in action and repose, to be able to act or refrain as is appropriate, and not to turn away from anything but to find what is ultimately right in every situation. To have few concerns means to master skills by holding the handle, to deal with the many by attaining the essential, to govern the extensive by grasping the general, to control hyperactivity by being calm, and to work on the pivotal, using the one to unite the myriad, like the joining of the pieces of a talisman. So, those whose attention is fine regulate the subtle; those whose will is great embrace all. Those whose knowledge is round know everything; those whose action is square refrain from doing certain things. Those whose abilities are many accomplish everything; those whose concerns are few minimize what they hold. (The Huainan Masters, Taoist Classics, V. 1, p. 399)

Are you the same Michael that just purchased a book on Invoking Angels? Why study Taoism if you jave no interest in gaining power(s)? Establishing contact with an Immortal, or even meeting one face-to-face might help resolve some of your questions.

THE WORKS OF BARDON - VOLUME 2 ( http://www.glassbeadgame.com/magic.htm ) THE PRACTICE OF MAGICAL EVOCATION: INSTRUCTIONS FOR INVOKING SPIRIT BEINGS FROM THE SPHERES SURROUNDING US. First Published 1956. 492 Pages, w/Diagrams & Color Plates. Merkur Publishing. $45.00 "The second part discloses the names and signatures of the different heads, genii and intelligences of the various planetary spheres in our solar system, how to communicate with them and also what their specific tasks are. These heads or genii have their specific field; there is not one field of endeavor which is not covered by one or another head, intelligence or genii. A detailed description of their expertise in a particular field is listed in this book by name and sphere, and how to establish contact with these beings. "It should however be mentioned that you cannot succeed in contacting these beings unless you have practically and successfully completed the first volume 'Initiation into Hermetics', or you must have at least successfully completed the eighth step."

Blessed Tauler, Suso, and Ruysbroeck saw 'It' too ... you are in good company father ... i see no blame ...

The Huainan Masters say: "Put away wine and stop the music, and the mind suddenly feels as though it has suffered a loss; it is upset, as though it has been bereft of something. What makes this happen? Using externals to amuse the internal, instead of using the internal in such a way as to make the external pleasing." (Taoist Classics, V. 1, p. 378)

Two Quotes from Relaxing into Your Being: Chapter Six The Taoist Preparatory Practices - An Overview 1) All the basic practices of Taoism are geared toward developing practitioners into what Taoists call "complete human beings". In that state you are physically healthy, with energy flowing freely through unimpeded channels, and are ready for the rigors of more advanced practices. It is critical to master the preparatory work because, later on, when the spirit begins to open and you start converting Chi into spirit, the process can quite literally shock, agitate, or burn-out an unprepared nervous system. Commonly, people's bodies cannot handle what occurs in the meditative spiritualization process, especially if fire methods are used . When the body's circuits reach a certain overloaded level, the mind/body can become ill. To avoid such disintegration, you need to master the basic exercises for developing the downward currents of energy and for balancing the body's energy channels. (p. 121) 2) It is best to learn the energetic basics of chi gung prior to the more advanced practices of meditation, because such practices presume that you have the whole of the physical and chi bodies functioning as one completely integrated internal unit ... etc. Unless the body energies are integrated and fully alive, it is difficult, if not impossible, to alchemically transmute the body's tissues in a fashion that unites with the Consciousness. (p. 122) [ END OF QUOTES ] Master Frantzis begins discussing the "intermediate" practices in Chapter 7, so after you complete the first six chapters of Relaxing into Your Being, it would be helpful to take a break from the book and shift attention to the close study of his book on Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body; before you complete Relaxing into Your Being.

Relaxing into Your Being can be studied alone, but it is foundational for The Great Stillness, which is more advanced. I firmly recommend, though, that you supplement your study of Relaxing into Your Being with Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body (@ http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Energy-Gates...384&sr=1-1).

All excellent points, worth remembering! Thanks for taking the time to share them.

Hey there GT ~ I highly recommend the following two books:- 1 - The Complete Book of Chinese Medicine: A Holistic Approach to Physical, Emotional and Mental Health @ http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Chines...0910&sr=1-1 2 - Soul Mind Body Medicine: A Complete Soul Healing System for Optimum Health and Vitality @ http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1577315286/re...8455730-2921650 Grandmaster Wong's Chinese Herbal Remedy for Bi-Polar Disorder :- "This example is taken from the famous 18th century "Comments on Ancient and Modern Medical Case Histories" by Yu Zheng. Because of excessive melancholy, a young woman was thin and impatient. She became manic-depressive (i.e. bi-polar), and often laughed or cried for no reasons. Sometimes she even appeared naked, and frequently talked nonsense. "The physician, Wu Jiao Shan, found her pulse floating and uneven. He concluded that her spirit was dislodged from its seat in her heart. He asked her to boil zi he che (Placenta Hominis) into a paste, then dried it and cut into slices to be eaten randomly. Then he prescribed "Calming the Mind Decoction" to be taken in the day, and a course of "Bolus for Pacifying Intention" at night. She recovered, married, had a son the next year, and became plump and healthy. "The ingredients of "Calming the Mind Decoction" are: yuan zhi (Polygala tenuifolia willd) gan cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) ren sheng (Radix Ginseng) dang gui (Radix Angelicae Sinesis) shao yao (Radix Paeoniae Alla) mai dong (Radix Ophiopogonis) da zao (Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae) "The ingredients of "Bolus for Pacifying Intention" are: yuan zhi (Polygala tenuifolia willd) ren sheng (Radix Ginseng) gan cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) dang gui (Radix Angelicae Sinesis) gui xin (Plumula Cinnamomi) mai dong (Radix Ophiopogonis) shao yao (Radix Paeoniae Alla) fu qin (Poria) sheng jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens) da zao (Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae) [End of excerpt]." (cf. Complete Book of Chinese Medicine, p. 309-310) Grandmaster Wong does not give any instructions on how to prepare the above remedies, but if you go to his website and e-mail him from there for more information, I'm sure he could either assist you, or at least refer you to someone else who could. Maybe even a "reputable" Chinese Herbalist in your area could prepare it for you, and instruct you further on correct administration procedure(s).

Hi there! Which books, if any, would you recommend, in this regard? Thanks for sharing, btw!

Hi there GT ~ Sorry about your Dad's condition. It's certainly possible to successfully get him off his meds, if he's willing to work at it. Is he a spiritual man? And how rigid or fixed are his current "philosophical" beliefs/opinions? I ask because the healing path will require intensive soul, mind, and body work on his part; and a great degree of receptivity and willingness to change. According to Taoist teachings, all medical disorders have a spiritual root. If the spiritual light is turned around and stored in the mystic chamber of formlessness, then vitality and energy return to perfect reality. Here is a couple of web-links that approach the subject from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine:- 1 - The Traditional Chinese Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder, Part One @ http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/...5012d88db8a9f04 2 - The TCM Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder, Part Two @ http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/...eda5a433e6614fd

Hi there 'Taeguk' ~ As you may (or may not) know, the I Ching is the most ancient of all the Taoist sacred writings. It was and is the Chinese sage's main source of philosophical and practical inspiration. We would do well to make it the foundation of our own Taoist practice too. The essence of all Taoist alchemical teachings are embedded in its 64 Hexagrams. Several excellent editions are now in print, but Wilhelm's edition is widely regarded as the best, and two thirds of it are freely available online. The following quote is from Wilhelm's Introduction to it:- "Of far greater significance than the use of the Book of Changes as an oracle is its other use, namely, as a book of wisdom. Laotse knew this book, and some of his profoundest aphorisms were inspired by it. Indeed, his whole thought is permeated with its teachings. Confucius too knew the Book of Changes and devoted himself to reflection upon it. He probably wrote down some of his interpretative comments and imparted others to his pupils in oral teaching. The Book of Changes as edited and annotated by Confucius is the version that has come down to our time. "If we inquire as to the philosophy that pervades the book, we can confine ourselves to a few basically important concepts. The underlying idea of the whole is the idea of change. It is related in the Analects that Confucius, standing by a river, said: 'Everything flows on and on like this river, without pause, day and night.' This expresses the idea of change. He who has perceived the meaning of change fixes his attention no longer on transitory individual things but on the immutable, eternal law at work in all change. This law is the tao of Lao-tse, the course of things, the principle of the one in the many." (@ http://www.iging.com/intro/introduc.htm ) Carl Jung wrote the Preface for Wilhelm's I Ching, and in the following quote, corroborates the fact of Lao Tzu's fundamental reliance upon it:- "It is by no means easy to feel one's way into such a remote and mysterious mentality as that underlying the I Ching. One cannot easily disregard such great minds as Confucius and Lao-tse, if one is at all able to appreciate the quality of the thoughts they represent; much less can one overlook the fact that the I Ching was their main source of inspiration." ( @ http://www.iging.com/intro/foreword.htm ) The Confucian School wrote a series of commentaries on it, which came to be known as the Ten Wings; the largest of which is called 'The Treatise' or 'Great Treatise'. Wilhelm's I Ching is divided into Three Books, and the Ten Wings are located specifically in Books 2 and 3. 'The Treatise' is part of Book 2, and I recommend an intensive study of it, as it will help to clarify your understanding of and approach to the I Ching. In addition to this, I'd highly recommend a close or careful study of Cleary's translation of The Huainanzi or (Huainan Tzu), which he entitled The Book of Leadership and Strategy. My reason for that is summarized in the words of Cleary himself :- "In the Huainan masters' teachings on peace are contained the foundations of what later came to be called the science of essence and life, or the way of spiritual alchemy. This is the individual inner teaching of Taoism on grooming the three treasures of vitality, energy, and spirit. "The masters present a wide variety of techniques for this process of enhancement, from ways of managing time, handling resources, and establishing priorities, to ways of attaining deep rest and peace of mind. "These Taoist arts of living are held to be capable of producing an evolutionary change in the individual, resulting in what classics call the complete person, the real human being, or the sage." (Cleary, Taoist Classics, Volume 1, p. 305) However, The Book of Leadership and Strategy is only a very partial and select translation of the Huainan Masters, and is about as far from a critical edition as it gets; but it serves a practical purpose in building a necessary foundation for Taoist Alchemical studies. In addition to this, Cleary's edition of The Wen Tzu (entitled Understanding the Mysteries) should be studied in conjunction with the Huainan Tzu. Both are available in the first volume of his Taoist Classics series. In addition to these two, I'd also recommend Cleary's Practical Taoism, Taoist Meditation, Secret of the Golden Flower, and I Ching Mandalas. With regard to the Taoist practice of turning the light around, which is the theme of The Secret of the Golden Flower, Cleary's second volume of Taoist Classics contains the following collection or anthology of sayings (which is merely a partial sampling):- BEGINNING WORK ON TURNING THE LIGHT AROUND TO ILLUMINE INWARDLY The Tao Te Ching says: "Concentrating your energy, making it supple, can you be like an infant?" The Master of Eternal Spring said, "It is just a single spiritual efficacy, without any mixed thoughts, like an infant with no conception of externals." The Preserver of Truth said, "Concentrating energy and making it supple is a matter of forgetting emotional consciousness. The shortcut to forget emotional consciousness is in mind and breathing resting on each other. If the mind and the breathing are always resting on each other, then emotional consciousness is naturally forgotten without trying to forget." Immortal Sister Ho said, "The stem of life is in the true breath." The 'Womb Breath' section of the Jade Classic of Supreme Purity says, "When you are in your mother's belly before being born, you breathe along with your mother without seeing or hearing; there is just breath there. Then when you are born and the umbilical cord is cut, the point of real basic energy masses under the navel. Day after day the spirit goes out, energy shifts, and eventually you no longer preserve the breath that was there in the womb." The Collection of Transmissions of the Way says, "What you exhale is your own basic energy, emerging from within; what you inhale is the wholesome energy of heaven and earth, coming in from outside. If the root source is stable and the basic energy is not diminished, then the wholesome energy of heaven and earth can be absorbed in the interval of a breath. If, however, the root source is not stable, vitality is exhausted and energy weak, your basic energy leaks and your chamber of the fundamental goes unrepaired. The wholesome energy of heaven and earth you breathe in leaves with exhalation, while the basic energy in your body does not remain your own but is taken away by heaven and earth." The Treatise on the Womb Breath says, "If you breathe out without having spiritual mastery, then the one breath is incomplete; if you breathe in without mastering spirit, the one breath is incomplete then too." Yu Yuwu said, "Throughout the twenty-four hours of the day, just cause the mind to drive the energy at all times, so that energy and spirit combine; then the physical body will survive." He also said, "The essential thing is to keep the spirit and the breathing resting on each other, with energy and spirit keeping each other at all times." He also said, "The method of alchemy is to have creative active energy descend to mix with receptive passive energy, cause the out-breath and inbreath to unite, and make firmness and flexibility match and mate as husband and wife, making them a unity. Then spirit and energy return to the root, essence and life join as one, and the ultimate elixir is conceived therein." He also said, "After all, it is no more than a matter of mind and breath resting on each other, such that there is inner sensing of yin and yang and the combining of spirit and energy." The Four Hundred Words on Alchemy says, "When spiritualized energy enters the root, if closure is extreme you err on the side of intensity, while if relaxation is extreme, you err on the side of carelessness. Just bring about a fine continuity, not allowing interruption. After that the spirit will eventually congeal on its own, and the breath will eventually settle on its own." Su Dongpo said, "The method of following the breath is to go out with the breath and in with the breath; follow it continuously, and one breath abides. You may feel this breath coming from the pores; clouds evaporate, fog disperses, illnesses disappear, obstructions vanish, and you spontaneously realize clear understanding." Zhu Huai's Guide to Tuning the Breathing says, "When quiescence reaches a climax and you are empty, this is like a spring pond in which the fish become still after movement, like insects in hibernation; with living energy opening and closing, the wonder is inexhaustible." Chao Wen said, "When mind and breath rest on each other, the mind becomes calm and the breathing regular; eventually this can produce superior concentration. When spirit and energy combine, spirit is harmonious and energy is clear; harmony and clarity eventually can bring about prolongation of life." Point to the Mystery says, "Just manage to be aware, breath after breath; this will exchange the physical body, a flow of liquid jade." Chen the Blank said, "Breath after breath returning to the root is the matrix of the pill of gold." The Preserver of Truth said, "When the breath makes a sound as it goes in and out, that is called carelessness; when exhalation and inhalation are not thorough, this is called stagnation. When there is repeated shortness of breath, this is called panting. Not careless, not stagnating, not panting, continuously present, working without strain - this is called breathing. Carelessness results in scattering; stagnation results in binding; panting results in laboring; maintaining 'breathing' results in stabilization. So-called tuning the breathing simply means seeing to it that you are not careless, not stagnating, and not panting. "Tuning the breath is beginner's work. Ordinarily people's minds and thoughts have rested on things, both abstract and concrete, and have been stuck to them so long that if they were to detach from objects, they would be unable to stand on their own; and even if they can stand on their own temporarily, before long they revert to a state of distraction and scatteredness. That is why the method of mind and breath resting on each other is used: to control the mind in order to refine away its coarseness. Once you get the mind detached from objects, then just be empty; you don't need to tune the breathing any more. "If you manage to reach the state where there is no sky and no earth, no self and no other, then what breath is there to tune? This method is the most rapid shortcut, the easiest and most benign, unlike methods such as keeping the mind on the 'elixir field' in the lower abdomen or the 'central yellow' in the thorax. It is a reliable basis of practice. The Meditation Master of Essential Emptiness said, "In people of the highest potential, if thoughts do not arise, it is not even necessary to pay attention to the breath. But if you notice a thought arising, just tune the breath once, paying attention to it for the moment and stopping when there is no thought. Don't focus attention too intensely!" ( Taoist Classics, Volume 2, pp. 531-534 ) One version of The Secret of the Golden Flower can be accessed online @:- 1 - Secret of the Golden Flower, or ... 2 - Secret of the Golden Flower

I know some of you out there are familiar with the tales of Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda. Perhaps one of you would be so kind as to share with us why Don Juan made Carlos use Peyote in the early stages of his training; and why he eventually made Carlos quit using it, after making some progress on the warrior path?