cheya

Pondering my continuing discomfort with the "technology" (which definitely works!) taught in The Secret, I keep coming back to these lines from the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching (various translations): Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one sees manifestations. --------Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English, 1972 So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants. --------Ursula LeGuin (1998) Send your desires away and you will see the mystery Be filled with desire and you will see only the manifestation --------Talbert McCarroll So it seems The Secret is teaching us to master manifestation. Taoist classics and practice focus on perceiving the mystery. Cheya

Only thing I've ever come across in repairing decayed teeth, ie remineralizing exposed dentin (which sounds like what you'll need to do) is in the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, by Weston Price, DDS. It's an old book, but absolutely fascinating, in that Price studied the effect of modern foods on the health and physical structure of people in 13 primitive tribes from around the world. Then he applied what he learned to dental health of school children in the US. See chapter 16, "Primitive Control of Dental Caries", starts on page 282.

For some time I've been a bit uneasy with The Law of Attraction expressed in the Secret, feeling that it isn't in harmony with Taoist perspective, or other spiritual approaches. This of course doesn't necessarily make it wrong, but... I found this on the net, and it has helped me clarify the issues, if not the answers... It starts with "The Great Way is broad, Neither easy nor difficult. The Supreme Way is not difficult If only you do not pick and choose." Lots to ponder on here.... How to Live in Harmony with the Tao [Exerpt below] "Introduction The Great Way is broad, Neither easy nor difficult. This essay is an effort to clarify Faith in Mind, a text of seminal importance to Ch'an, Zen and Taoism. The essay does not paraphrase or explain so much as illustrate how Faith in Mind can be applied to everyday life in the modern world. In this way, the essay follows the author's intention, which is to guide the sincere person in her quest to live in harmony with the Tao. The advice given is not designed for passive consumption. You have to live it. There is no shortcut. Only when you apply this in your life, will you gradually begin to understand. How to Live in Harmony with the Tao Cheya

Is anybody else using Robert Bruce's free energy tutorial to increase their ability to feel chi sensation? I'm experiencing rapid enhancement in energy sensitivity, with a direct effect on my practice. While much of the sensation is interesting/pleasurable, some of the sensation is pretty uncomfortable, mostly in areas I know have been blocked, mostly at night. Can your ability to feel energy movement increase too fast? Astral Dynamics/NEW Energy Ways

The discomfort I'm noticing seems to be related to opening areas that have been blocked energetically. It feels achey, mostly and a lttle twitchey. Then gradually that goes away and energy seems to move through the area much more easily. I'm getting more chi movement/feeling during chi kung practice and bodywork practice as well. It feels like in my chi practice, I've worn some energy ruts where the energy moves very easily, kind of like erosion ditches, but the energy moving so fast in those areas kind of skips adjacent areas that have not been included in the flow. This isn't about meridians, but more like the size or volume of the flowing energy, maybe more like the diameter of the hose, if you will. Doing Robert Bruce's stirring, brushing, and bouncing techniques seems to have increased the volume of the flow, how much body territory is included in the flow. I've been doing Frantzis' Energy Gate practices for a couple years, and the mobile body awareness and tactile imaging have definitely enhanced the chi feeling I get from those practices, which I'm still doing. At this point, I don't think the astral dynamics exercises are a substitute for traditional chi practices, but they certainly are helping me do what Waysun Liao recommends, feel your life energy as a path to the Tao. Anybody found particular Astral Dyn techniques especially helpful, palpable, or interesting? An example of what's happening to me. Stirring and brushing on the outside of my feet starts sensation which moves up the outside of my calf into the lateral knee, a place I've had pain and postural distortion for years. Not moving the knee at all, the energy kind of bubbles around in the area that I've had pain before, causing aching and twitching, that seems to be lessening the more often I do the practice. Hard to describe, but it feels like the energy is clearing the area out. Earlier attempts to run chi trhough the area directly have been only marginally successful, and I'm very taken by the ease at getting energy flow and bubbling at the knee by stirring and brushing the feet.

Both books were written by Master Liao. I know, Nine Nights is pricey, but I haven't regretted the expense for a moment! Both books have really fed my practice, and my motivation to practice. I don't know if advanced practitioners would find them as helpful.... Night Nights is Master Liao's translation of the Tao Te Ching embedded in a teaching novel. Chi: How to Feel Your Life Energy is a very simple non-fiction book that tells you why you're cultivating chi, and how to start doing it in a very simple straightforward way. So simple, in fact, that I was initially sorry I'd chucked out $25 for the book. But it's simplicity is a big plus, and I have 3 people wanting to borrow the book already. I'm going to reread it for about the fourth time before I start lending it out! Nine Nights I'm not lending! They have to buy their own! (Yes, I do need some work on my attachment!) Cheya

Great question! It's bringing out some great links and suggestions. Two books by Master Waysun Liao have been very helpful to me in this regard: Nine Nights with the Daoist Master (especially Delux edition) and a related book, Chi: How To Feel Your Life Energy. I hope you'll let us know what you're finding helpful. Cheya

Hi Qijunkie, That's how I found TaoBums too! I've read Nine Nights about 4 times now, and I just keep going deeper. It's so simple on the surface! Are you doing any of Master Liao's practices? I've been doing Frantzis' Energy Gates practices and a form of walking chi gung for a couple years now. I've got the Tao Gong DVD and will start adding single forms practice as soon as the DVD arrives. Anytime you want to talk about the book, trade questions (don't know about answers!), what you're learning, how it's affecting your practice, I'd be into it. Cheya

Hi again, evgeny, Opps. I got the DVD titles mixed up. The Tao Gong video has been helpful. It was the Tao Journey DVD I was a bit disappointed in, when I wrote: "I watched his vi [Tao Journdy] DVD, and give mixed reviews. The review from my mental side: it was largely a reiteration of what was covered in Nine Nights, and his Chi-Life Energy Book, and not nearly as well presented . The energetic review might be different ...the next day, it seemed my practice was quite enhanced in terms of feeling the chi." Cheya

"And read the Nine Nights - I hope the one by Master Liao, whose school I attend." evgeny Hi evgeny, How long have you been studying with Master Liao? I watched his Tao Gong video, and give mixed reviews. The review from my mental side: it was largely a reiteration of what was covered in Nine Nights, and his Chi-Life Energy Book, and not nearly as well presented . The energetic review might be different ...the next day, it seemed my practice was quite enhanced in terms of feeling the chi. So, whatcha think? Could Master Liao possibly broadcast Te to viewers of the video? Or is this just a really juicy spring and an overactive imagination? Cheya

Thanks for the welcome, Trunk! I'd be very interested in what you think of the book if you check it out. I checked out AlchemicalTaoism.com. Great links, especially the chi-bodywork connections. I've already started playing with the ball massage. The links to Plato's original descriptions didn't seem to work but I got to it with Google cache. Cheya