soaring crane

Ok gotcha :-) Lao Tzu is always relevant and well-received here :-)

Would make sense to wait until you're actually settled in, no? What's the timeframe for your move?

Probably, to some extent. I really don't know. What do you think? We all interpret everything through a filter of some sort. I actually don't spend a lot of time pondering the meaning of the work, or the sequence. In fact, on reflection, I don't really think much at all, period. Haha.

I really believe any mathematical models that can be applied have been thought up after the fact, and I don't really understand their value (Not saying for a minute that I doubt their value, I just don't understand it). Here's a short excerpt from the Wang Bi commentary to the sequence, with most of the author's notes left out because that would be too much typing haha: Only after there were Heaven and Earth were the myriad things produced from them. What fills Heaven and Earth is nothing other than the myriad things. This is why Qian [1] and Kun [2] are followed by Zhun [3]. Zhun here signifies repletion. Zhun is when things are first born. When things begin life, they are sure to be covered [the literal meaning of Meng i.e., encapsulated in membranes, eggs or seeds]. This is why Zhun is followed by Meng [4]. Meng here indicates juvenile ignorance, that is the immature state of things. When things are in their immature state, one cannot fail to nourish them. This is why Meng is followed by Xu [5]. Ihere indicates the dao of food and drink. food and drink necessarily involve Song [contention; 6]. this is why Xu is followed by Song What Wang Bi did was consider the structure of each of the Hexagrams individually, the dynamic between the yin and yang, and construct a logical framework for them based on stages of existence and the transformation of one stage into the next. I have no idea if he hit on the original thought behind the sequence, but I do agree with the more life-based take on it. The Joseph Yu highlights the historical record, and provides short summaries of the hexagrams, some examples: Hexagram 1: Collectively called the upper classic, Qian summarizes Hexagrams 3 through 30, chronicling the revolution led by King Wen to overthrow the Shang dynasty Hexagram 2: Collectively called the Lower Classic, Kun summarizes Hexagrams 31 through 64, the last 34 hehagrams Hexagram 3: This hexagram describes the initial growth and expansion of the Zhou people. They worked hard to accumulate wealth and formed allies with neighboring tribes to strengthen their power. Although the road to success was not always smooth, the Zhou managed to create a strong empire that lasted some 800 years (1045 b.c.e -- c.e.221) Hexagram 4: This hexagram describes how the Zhou leaders used the name of Heaven (divine authority) to control, educate, and gain the trust of the common people Hexagram 5: This hexagram describes how the the Zhou leaders moved their tribe several times to find the most auspicious site on which to increase their prosperity. Eventually, they settled in Feng, near present day Xi'an, where they prepared for the revolution against the Shang. Neighboring tribes joined this much-anticipated endeavor Hexagram 6: This hexagram describes King Wen's affiliation with the Shang government, where he summoned to serve as ruler of the vassal state of Zhou. While in office, King Wen publicly opposed the Shang King's wanton cruelty. This led to a seven-year house sentence. And I'll write out the Hexagram statement and line statements from Song here, to give an idea of the historical context of the Yijing, as written in the Joseph Wu rendition: Hexagram statement: Your sincerity is being obstructed. Do not follow through with legal proceedings. It is advantageous to meet with the great man. It is disadventageous to cross the great stream. This is not a time to seek justice.Do not start a legal battle or major dispute. Do not be forceful or insistent. Such actions will cause great regret. If the dispute cannot be resolved,, compromise or withdraw. By all means, don't let emotions carry you forward. Remain calm. Ally with people who share your view. Six on line 1: Do not litigate. Although slander my damage your reputation, seeking judicial retribution is a mistake. Voice your complaint publicly. The outcome will be favorable. Litigation against powerful people or corporations will not lead to satisfactory results. Make your point public and cease further action. Nine on line 2: This is a no-win situation. Withdraw your case. Hide in a small town with only 300 families. There will be no misfortune. Although justice would have prevailed, many times King Wen held his tongue against the Shang King. Fighting a winless battle against the powewrful is unwise. Pick your battles. Six on line 3: Return to your homeland and rally support. dangerous as the situation may seem, there will be fortune in the end. Continuing to serve the king will yield no reward. King Wen realized that the Shang government was weak.Upon being freed from house arrest, he returned to his homeland to rally support against the Shang king. Start your own business and become a competitor. Give up a relationship and strike a new beginning. Nine on line 4: The case is not lost. Submit to Heaven's will. Keep quiet and remain peaceful. There will be good fortune. King Wen was unable to reason with the Shang king, so he let fate take its course. Do not engage in conflict with the irrational and foolish. They reap what they sow. They are a lost cause. Nine on line 5: You will win the case. The outcome is fortunate. Although King Wen did not win the Shang king's verdict, he won the people's support. make your point of view known. The result will be positive. Nine on line 6: Although you are awarded the leather belt, it will be taken away from you three times in the morning. Even if King Zhou of Shang had bestowed King Wen with honors and gifts for his loyal service, they would have been taken from him repeatedly. You cannot succeed in your situation. Your reward (promotion, prize, inheritance) will be revoked three times in a short period.

hahaha .... why would you ask that?

Nice, thanks. Now it seems so obvious why I always like Columbo :-) Forrest Gump has similar qualities. The whole character is like the embodiment of Wei Wu Wei

I agree. Basics are a good place to start. I don't know if the average person needs thousands of hours of experiece, but base-building is important. I feel there are cost/benefit ratios to the vast body of information available these days. The cost is that people can become misled into believing that the higher levels of development can be achieved easily by following the instructions in a book (or a thread at a web forum, or watching a few youtube videos). The benefit is that there is also a large body of instructional material for those who are just getting into it. Second time I'm recommending this book today.

I understand your answer but, well, babies are nothing but little bundles of desires and cravings. That's how I remember it anyway

Well, they're different issues. The problems that sucking in the gut causes have to do with the organs and breathing, and these then affect the mental state which then causes other physical problems. It's a vicious circle that can be halted by simply letting the gut relax, the organs move into a comfortable position, and the diaphragm to get back to work. Having strong abdominal muscles is OK, but can be overdone and is generally overvalued. It's got more to do with vanity and fulfilling societal expectations than with health and longevity.

Perhaps try a different book? Like this one, for example

Inspired by thelearner's query in the 'Teachers' thread, this is my basic recipe for a powerful strengthening tonic in a thermos: 250ml boiling hot water in my daughter's owl thermos (that exact one, haha. If you click the second image, you'll see it says "thermosflasche" on the packaging) Heaping teaspoon of organic Mugi Miso (similar to this) "Mugi" is a style, not a brand. It's kind of the middle road in the Miso world. A couple crushed, hot dried chillis, enough to bring a bead of sweat to the brow and make the uninitiated say, "oh, dude, that's pretty spicy, damn" (these are what I use at the moment) Fresh ginger, peeled, sliced. How much? Maybe 1/4 teaspoon-ish. I cut according to the shape of the ginger root A few broken cardamom pods Pinch of tumeric 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil (this style) Other seasoning to taste (for example, I have a "jambalaya spice mix" from the local spice store that goes really well with the miso, something like this) I've added fresh lime zest and lime juice at times - excellent! Lime zest makes it tase very Indian somehow Other things I've added: Splash of white wine, balsamico vinegar, honey, jalapenos ... Of course it's a great base for vegetable soup, or any soup (it's basically soup to beging with) I drink it in pretty tiny amounts over a longer period of time. It keeps the mucous membranes moistened, boosts energy and moves lymph through the body. (I also often have one of those piri piri chillis packed away in my cheek during the day) The links I posted are only for reference, I have different sources/brands here. Anybody have any similar strengthening recipes? Or even better, something totally different? Next recipe: Hokaido pumpkin soup! :-)))

sounds fantastic, thanks NB :-) PS -- I think Leinsamen are most commonly referred to as 'Flaxseed' in English. I don't know why.

Very, very lovely interview. Thank you so much for taking the time, Sfiu! I've saved the text to a pdf document so I can take it with me :-)

haha, here's something you might enjoy, Drew. The disclaimer that appears before entering your blog, in German: InhaltswarnungDer Blog, den Sie anzeigen möchten, enthält möglicherweise Inhalte, die nicht jugendfrei sind. Im Allgemeinen überprüft Google weder Blog-Inhalte noch heißen wir die Inhalte dieses oder anderer Blogs gut. Weitere Informationen über unsere Inhaltsrichtlinien finden Sie in den Nutzungsbedingungen von Blogger. After that text, there are buttons to either 'enter' or 'cancel'. It's like agreeing to be at least 18 years of age before continuing on to a porno site.

I guess we all just need something to fill the minutes in the day?

Well, although I don't think your site needs a disclaimer, the US is more officious and litigious than Europe. I have experience with both (ok, by Europe I mean Germany, but how much more European can you get?). Two examples: Running club in the US, members have to sign a waiver before every group run. Meet once a week for little 5 miler with friends? Out come the insurance forms. Every time. Try that in Germany and you'll get some very funny looks. Amusement parks in the US, same thing. Before every ride, the kid running the show reads an insurance disclaimer over the louspeaker. Last time I was there, they even did this on the freaking kiddie rides (not making this up), reading the same exact insurance disclaimer before every ride, to the three and four year olds sitting strapped in like astronauts. So, if you wait in line fifteen minutes with your kid, you'll hear the same announcement three or four times before they read it to your kid. The US model of "Free speech" is, like most American clichés, a lot of hot air with not much substance to back it up. haha, can a thread go further off-topic in a shorter time? So, to bring it back around, I read through most of your essay and recognize plenty of things that I basically take for granted, but also interpret differently. I coincidentally wrote up a short description of a standing exercise here just a few minutes ago.

wel ... ok, I certainly didn't reckon with nightmares, lol. But ok, yes, basically like the metal phase 'tree' stance, where you have the palms turned to the lungs, but lower, palms turned directly to the groin. But -- you have to make some adjustments to your stance: Allow the weight to settle along the outside of the legs and into the outer edges of the feet (which as always, are shoulder-width, parallel, forming a square or rectangle). It'll feel ever so slightly 'bowlegged', but all your toes will still touch the ground effortlessly. This will open the kua/groin very gently, and is one of the keys to the effectiveness of the stance. The dangly bits should have plenty of room and air circulation i.e. no tight underwear, or no underwear at all. The weight will be centered more in the heels, about 60/40 heel/ball distribution, but this occurs through a sinking of the lumbar spine/sacrum and will cause the knees to 'give way' a bit (it looks like you're 'bending slightly at the knees', like it says in all the books, but that's only the outward appearance. The actual correction happens in the pelvis/hips and is more internal). When you have this down, then it's time to pull up Huiyin/perinium. For a man, I think the easiset technique is applying the muscles you need to pull the scrotum upwards (you know you can make it move up and down, it feels similar to wiggling the ears). Do this also very, very gently, hardly any tension at all. It's better to err on the side of too little than too much, or even just 'think' about the movement instead of forcing the physical aspect. Ok ... now we're getting there ... Stand erect (except that the lumbar spine is extended and 'settled in' to the pelvis); shoulders hang loosely, underarms open (very important), and the palms turned toward the groin, at a comfortable distance in about the 10 to 20cm range. Hands very realxed, with a little space between all the fingers, as though you have little soap bubbles between them (check your thumbs, make sure they're not stiff and pointing upward). Center your thoughts in the palms/groin, but keep your eyes open, your gaze wide, like a warrior standing on the bullwark, guarding the castle, looking out over the horizon for approaching danger. Feel into that role. Yes, a real man's work, lol. Strong, alert, firm. And just a little horny. I previously wrote 15 to 20 minutes, but really you want to shoot for 20+ minutes twice a day, especially early in the morning. Second session ideally not too close to bedtime or you're going to have trouble sleeping, and maybe bad dreams Always start with some loosening exercises as in The Way of Energy (arm swinging, etc). And finish correctly(!) To close an exercise like this: Lay the hands atop one another on your low belly/pubic region. Close the eyes and be still for a minute or two. Soften the face. Move the hands from the belly to over the closed eyes. Hold a minute or two. Open the eyes behind the hands. Pull the hands slowly apart, allowing the light to enter gradually. Make note of the colors, light, shadow, depth, height ... like looking at the world for the first time, with new vitality and no fear. Then a self-massage routine to really solidify the Qi in your body, but I'm done writing for the nonce haha

Hello exibo, and welcome to the forums! Glad to have you aboard :-) Please take the time to read the two posts pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum terms and rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, SC and the TTB team ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Special Note: all female members are more than welcome to join the discussions at our new Women’s Cultivation forum, moderated by rainbowvein and zanshin

Hello sasha, and welcome to the forums! Glad to have you aboard, that was a very interesting introduction, thank you. I understand jet lag all too well! Anyway, you'll be able to comment on whatever conversations you wish now, but please continue reading this welcome message: Please take the time to read the two posts pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum terms and rules. This covers all you need to know when getting started. For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day. Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you, SC and the TTB team ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Special Note: all female members are more than welcome to join the discussions at our new Women’s Cultivation forum, moderated by rainbowvein and zanshin

For problems with "T", you may well want to explore simple Zhan Zhuang stances. A good fifteen to twenty minutes a day spent standing still with your palms turned toward your groin will work wonders in that realm. Twice a day even better. I guarantee noticeable results after three weeks.

I'd like to suggest this version of the Yijing to any and all who may be interested in a somewhat more traditional take on the Classic: Joseph Wu and Elisabeth Moran's Guide to the I Ching The real title is a bit off-putting, and I wish the translation were available in a more 'hallowed' print, but there ya go. The book is a fount of inspiration and extremely well-researched by genuine experts, with a lot of historical information. I rank it well above my T. Cleary "Taoist" I Ching, and keep it next to my RJ Lynn, which is kind of the King James version of English translations (it's a full translation of the Wang Bi commentaries, are monumental work, but d-e-n-s-e). When I cast a hexagram, I refer first to the Wu/Moran first, and then my Lynn.

where, exactly?

Oic... Re your previous post, the first hexagram speaks of the overthrow of the Shang by the Zhou, and the first half of the book. The second hexagram speaks of reign of the Zhou and the second half of the book. More or less. It's all about out with the old in with the new, and the dynamics therein.

that's the ''rule" for 1>2; 27>28; 29>30; and 61>62, because they're symetrical (they're the same upside-down as rightside-up). Everything else follows the 180° rule.

haha! It's a progressive verb. Maybe you can share some insights on RV-ing? How does one begin? :-) (PS -- if the OP actually is writing about life in a Winnebego, the whole thread will probably be moved)