exorcist_1699

Koan has been proved to be an unsuccessful way of leading people , at least most people , to Enlightenment. On the contrary , in most cases, it leads people to reasoning , guess ,small tricks..etc . Its failure is one of the reasons why the Pure Land school rises. From Taoist point of view , the jing-qi-shen method is more reliable .

In fact, Taoist big Cosmic Circulation is a near- death status we deliberately enter. When our breathing and heart beating are stopped , isn't it a near-death status ? This is why the lost of our engligtened mind during that process and our drifting away from our physical body is said to be the main danger at that stage. Basides, the Magic Gateway is said to be the door where soul leaves and enters our body . Capable of opening and closing this gate at our will is the reason why Taoist claim of immortality something feasible.

So, clearly there are two very different roads both trying to march towards human's physical immortality: 1) The new scientific , microcosmic road which tries to find out the very small , basic elements of life that cause aging ; go into those cells, DNA, and identify that mechanism /substance , switch off that mechanism , get rid of that substance , then maybe life can continue forever.. Or 2) The very old , having a history of over 2,000 years, way which is mainly claimed / practised by those "crazy" Taoists, saying that because: all things are composed of qi , and humans is its highest, conscious form ;The leave of qi from our body is the main reason that cause death ; by going into a very special enlightened , spiritual status, we humans can reversely grasp that basic element, upgrad it , refine it and make it forever not leaving our body .Not only that original qi not leaving our body , but by recruiting more qi from outside , we make this fragile individual life forever live...

When the communist came to power in 1949, the taoist masters retreated into the deep mountains as they repeatedly had done in the past 2,500 years. The taoist thought then would hide for decades , like the ebbing along the sea shore . It might sound sad , however, with so immense a power grasped in their hands, the masters are forbidden to interfere the development of human affairs or history. Just like a small group of zoologists who study the behavior of chimpanzee in a huge forest , no matter how bloody and pitiful they find the quarrels among these living things ,with appearance so similar to us , they must stay indifferent and not to intervene. The masters never worry about whether communism can conquer China in any cultural senses; nor do they, like the Buddhists , think that most of the people can be rescued . They know that the bounce of taoism , like a rising tide ,is inevitable ; yet even this fact is not their concern .What they are eager to find , same as thousands years ago, is whether one from ten thousands of people , a guy to whom the secret of "qi" be taught , and the continuation of the legacy of Tao. [/size]

I find what Wudangquan and Ya Mu say ,besides those related to the ability of real masters, fascinating and agree most of what they say . Real masters are not frightened by the turbulence of times, nor are they especially interested in emigrating to the West ; if talking about rescuing people , then there are a lot of people in China , comparing with those live relatively more comfortable in the West , need help . In fact, only being taught some simple qigong techniques can let you heal a lot of diseases, and those " masters" are not reluctant to sell them at good price to people who are ignorant of its mechanism ; just like a lot of Chinese medicine priced only USDl.00- In China but can heal disease that costs you USD1,000.- to heal in the West .

"Of course, as religious symbols of common people's belief , Taoist and Buddhist temples were always there for worship. " I have to admit that my above description is not so correct , mainly that it is not true during the so-called Cultural Revolution period .

Both Taoism and Buddhism were in their decline when the Chinese communists came to power in 1949. Of course, as religious symbols of common people's belief , Taoist and Buddhist temples were always there for worship. After the leave of two of the great masters ,Liu Hua Yang (柳華陽)and Li Xi Yue (李西月)by 1850's , there had been no great Taoist masters appearing for a century . Although the Wu-Liu school was to some extent known among the intellectuals , and strange Taoist jargons were now explained in clearer concepts , facing the influx of western culture ( Communism was one of them ) ,there was no Taoist master arose to explain the Tao/Qi's theory in its new historical context. The most notable Taoist scholar was Chen Ying Nin (陳攖寧), a guy who is said to be the only person who had practiced the three Yuans of Taoism ( heaven, human and earth Yuan ),was then soon recruited into the official framework , and appointed as the chairman of the National Association Of The Chinese Taoists. Chen would later suffer in the Cultural Revolution , but no evidence shows that he was fascinated by the prevailing ideology in those turbulent years. Buddhism was also in its decline . The last and most famous Zen monk, Sue Yun (虛雲), was at the age of 109 when the Communist came to power .Although still the most famous Buddhist figure in the country , his health was deteriorating .The decline of Buddhism was also found in the rise of the school of Pure land , and the decline of Zen school which happened gradually after Ming Dynasty ( 1368-1644 ) . Such a trend , in fact, symbolizes the gradually shrinkage of individual intuitional ability , an ability relying solely on its strength to grasp the deepest essence of emptiness ( Buddha), which ,inevitably leads to a will more dependent on the help of external sources for Enlightenment.

Of course, anyone who can be called a master in any expertise is the one who has extraordinary ability and knowledge in that arena, I have to admit that my criterion of defining one is high . A master is not a acrobat in a circus , there is no need for him to amuse the crowd or prove to anyone his ability or immortality . Nor is he eager to pass any certificate / exam so as become a teacher or trainer . In China , the qi gong treatment is generally done by TCM doctors , there is no specific qualification to make people into qigong doctor. On the other hand ,although acupuncturist can initiate qi by inserting needs into human body , manipulating it by their techniques , breathing and mind , they do not directly manipulate qi , so they can't be called qigong doctor. It is just difficult to define and test the ability....Or, should you try to test Tao by something trivial ? ..

To a westerner , learning Japanese must be quite difficult . However, if you can overcome the troubles ( reading Kanji, very confused pronunciation of many kanji, various polite ways of expressions..etc) in it , then you find funs in the language . In some aspects, the language is not difficult: pronunciation of Japanese words is never complicate; Grammar is not so complex either . And , mastering Japanese means you already learned 1/3 of the Chinese. With verbs and the crucial meaning always placed at the end of a sentence, Japanese is really a good training for our brain , unfortunately not easy subconsciously .

Talking about power seems nothing wrong.Here, of course , we refer to the power of healing disease, aging and agong in life , not political power or any power over people . One of the most important concepts of Taoism, which is also the line drawn betwen Taoism and Buddhism ,is that in Taoism we solve both physical and spitiritual issues , while Buddhism sees the body as an illusion . That is both Mind (性)and Life (命)issues are solved together ,although not necessarily in one stroke , in our cultivation . A "master" who gets a big belly and a pair glasses stuck on his nose ,if based on Taoist criteria , definietely can't be called a master ; but in other schools, they do not mind . From the Taost point of view , if qi is well polished , then it is not possible that fat accumulated around his body and his eyesight deteroriated .Besides,any "master" who can't get rid of the disease himself , is unilikely to be a master . In Taoist cultivation , achieving certain degree of Enlightenment (Shen ) also means your qi upgraded , your power of healing aging and diseases largely enhanced. On the other hand , if you cultivate qi well ,and it becomes more delicate, then it means your marching a step closer to attaining certain state of Enlightenment . They are just two faces of the same coin . This is also the main difference between Taoist and Buddhist cultivation . I am not eager to say which is better or higher , nor am I eager to make any sectarian evaluation . However , clarifying it seems adavnatageous to some people , I hope .

Without attaining certain level of Enlightenment, our qi definitely can't be high and delicate, let alone having a healing power against sufferings /diseases. Maybe we can get some sort of spiritual power by solely concentrating our mind on somewhere or singing some curse repeatedly , yet what we get is far from the arena of the yang qi .It gives us power ,but likely an evil one, similar to the one owned by a witch .Such a power will never be anything equal to the Taoist or Buddhist one . In fact, paying attention to a definite place of our body or visulaizing something is always easy , however asking our mind to focus on nothing/nowhere is always difficult . If we can succeed , then we find such mindlessness does have multiple layers , like peeling off a transparent onion's seemingly endless skins , we do not know when we can reach its core , we do not how powerful we can become . Taoist meridian system is more delicate than Yoga's ; just point out the fact that it is also a network which hundreds of thousands of acupunturists rely on to heal thousands of human diseases , then you know how detailed and delicate it has to be .

Taoist "dantian" is a two-edged sword. On one hand , it lets people have a starting point ; on the other hand, it can be a trap that entangles people from further advancing life-long ; because of this , it should be supplemented with the Buddhist effort of purifying our mind , getting rid of any minds...etc. Buddhism's mindlessness can also be a two-edged sword. On one hand , it helps us getting rid of attachment , no matter it is to dantian , qi or a taiji ball, is bad for our cultivation ; on the other hand, it can lead us to unproductive tranquility , to a mediocre status of peace which , of course, is far from Enlightenment.

I think JohnC does raise an important question , ie, the relation between dantian and Enlightenment . Dantian , from which our qi arises , of course, is a Taoist concept. Enlightenment , on the other hand , is a Buddhist concept , which in fact nearly equal to Shen ( Spirit) in the Taoist jing-qi-shen framework . I have to say, contrary to what Lin said , Taoist way, with much clearcut framework and steps , can lead people to Enlightenment more easier ; Don't forget it is the Taoist system that has a concrete meridian system as the backbone to support its cultivation ; no other systems tell you so clear which point, which meridian will have what feeling and effect as Taoism does . That is why strange jargons have to be used in order to bar the " unqualified " people from attaining it .

Without certain level of enlightenment, our qi 's quality can't be high and delicate; they are related. So, Taoist and Buddhist practice is quite the same at certain stage/ level . Saying that they are different is a quite common , sectarian view from some Buddhists. And, these guys do not really know Taoism ; in fact, sorry to say that , they don't really know their own Buddhist practice either . In reality, Enlightenment also gives us power , this is the reason why it is said to be a panacea for all sufferings ; The only condition for you to get it is your being tough enough to bear the dullness of drilling into the emptiness.

Knowing some TCM's knowledge is important for our Taoist cultivation as it gives us the knowledge related to qi's status in our body that the western medicine can't provide ; here just mention the several important ones : 1) It tells us how season affects our qi : Qi expands in Summer , and contracts and hides in Winter, So, we should feel qi easier and stronger in Summer. 2) It tells us when we should practice our cultivation in a day so as to achieve biggest result ; generally speaking ,it is said to be the time: 3am ~5am.The same reason tells why drinking too much water before sleep is inappropriate 3) Qi is affected by our emotions. In fact, every organ of our body is affected by different emotion. We are told that getting angry is more disastrous than having too much sex. 4) What we eat does affect our qi ; Drinking wine and eating hot , pungent food is not good for our practice as they expand qi and affect its normal status . 5) TCM , same as acupuncture, tells us where our meridians are , so we can predict the movement of our qi easier.

Sorry for a little harsh words that I expressed my ideas. I do regret my expressing it too plainly. Please re-read LaoTze, it says: " Reach the utmost of nothingness , and maintain the utmost of stillness , so that we can see everything rise and appear to us ...." ( chapter 16, my own translation) The best /most diffucult method is to ask people to start from nowhere , no dantian, no visualization , yet they still get qi arise for them ; however, seldom can anyone do it . So, some sifu start to teach people paying attention to dantian/ breathing...or visualizing a taiji ball/ lotus / buddha... , these are "tactic " consideration ... but unfortunately they also always lead people onto a wrong way ... so, sooner or later , people still have to go back to that status of nothingness .. Only Genuine Intention ( 真意) , not our subjective intention , can bring up high-quality /pre-heavenly qi .

It seems you are too eager to get result in a short-term ; In fact, Taoist cultivation is a life-long enterprise. I am also astonished to find that you want qi to cooperate with you. With such an intention , you are using your will to take the place of qi's natural rise ; Once you mixed qi with your intention, which is very strong , I wonder what kind of qi you can get . I think you are fortunate not to getting serious disease, let alone curing others ;I think , relaxation, patience and let-qi-itself-appear-to-me are those principles and attitude you should follow. Just some ideas for consideration .

Mind is always the most important factor in our practice , this , I do agree . The shortcoming of TCM is that it only describes the status of qi being embodied in , also implies being entangled in our physical body . That is , the rise and quality of our qi is affected by time , taste ,fragrance, season , direction...as long as we live in this physical body . TCM tells us why it is , but not tells us how to solve such a limitation . For example , one of the most important ideas of TCM is to point out that there is a place called " Meng Mang" (命門) , which lies between our kidneys , and is said to be crucial to life. It says that it is a place where our basic life energy , like a fire , hides .However,even seeing the gradual extinction of this fire in the process of aging , which causes the gradual decay of our organs , TCM does not tell us how to solve it .

I always find modern type of qi gong class a little strange to me. Let us see some of its characteristics: 1) collective : It seems funny to have a large group of people doing qi gong together . However, it is mixed with different sex and people of different levels . People affect each other, always in negative ways .I wonder whether it is a good way of learning qi gong. Besides, the crucial thing definitely can't be expressed in public. Even being given millions of dollars, no real master is brave enough to try ...Maybe we can only learn something general and basic . 2) Time : Of course, the class can't be arranged in the midnight, ie , the best time ; Nor can the duration of class meet individual physical ability . 3) Outdoor : It is clear that Meditation must be done in indoors ( when you see FA LUN GONG guys doing it in the public area , what can you say ?!) .Doing it outdoors is absolutely dangerous . 4) Having movement of body (Dong Gong 動功) : It is the only qi gong that can be done in outdoors . But as the level of your practice goes higher, you rely more on still, sitting meditation .

While Man in the modern world is always treated as a trivial and humble individual , in the Chinese culture, he/she is viewed as an indispensable element in the Heaven-Man-Earth framework . Without mankind , the world is still and colorless; the actions of mankind also change the Heaven and Earth, and provide them meaning . It may sound strange to many people that, before the Industrial Revolution , when our ability of changing the environment was so weak that , we were placed in such a significant location .Never can you find Man in such a position , no matter it is in western Humanism or Satre's Existentism . The reason is simple : " all things are just the various , different embodiments of qi " in this world . And, as the self-consciousness of qi, Man ,of course, gets his very privileged place . Such a privileged position also makes the becoming of an immortal nothing strange for he /she is the only living thing on this planet who can manipulate qi freely ; Because of such ability( strangely, not because of his /her ability in science ) , he/she is bestowed the possibility of living forever .

Although it is difficult to grasp the spiritual status of our mind in cultivation, some Taoists masters are still manage to roughly classify them in different steps as follows: 1) Purifying our mind(澄神) : Our impure mind makes us unsettled , so, before we can get any achievement , it must first be purified . The factors interfering it are : social and cultural , biological and "metaphysical "ones ; Here only the "metaphysical "has to be explained ; Simply speaking , it means even those Kantian a priori categories like time and space have to eliminate so as to attain a purest intuition . Of course, at this stage , we can't get any knowledge , but instead of being entangled by " thing-in-itself" as western philosophy claims , purifying our mind provides us a basis for further development. 2) Condensing (凝神) our mind: Only after our mind purified and breath settled , can it be condensed. Consensing means not only the continuation of the state of mindlessness , keeping the status of "One" inseperate, but a jump from mindlessness to a higher level . Unable to do it means your falling back into "pseudo-void" , an "unproductive" status that should be avoided notwithstanding how peaceful and unity-with- the-universe a feeling it gives you .

A status of mindlessness is not equal to a status of One , in which an independent entity , a seemingly another Mind popping up from you . It seems another Mind now take control of your previous individuality ( likely be pseudo yet people always desperately attached to it ). As the Taoist way is accompanied with the accumulation of jing and qi , when the time, you will be awakened for it . No need to guess what it is .

Dissolving an ego should not lead to stillness as many people claim, a status more likely be stagnant and uncreative. Or, you just let your mind dissipates to nowhere ; instead , from mindlessness you" try to" pull together another One , having much higher quality and power. . It is a process of several sudden jumps , not once . Laotze , the book, has mentions it . In a simple Taoist saying , it is : Capable of maintaining One , all your sufferings and troubles will be solved and gone ( 守得一, 萬事畢 )

Hi, Little1 ,thank. Dissolving our own daily-life , pseudo self/ego seems to be just an initial step ; it is a precondition to nourish a real, much bigger One . Paying attention to dissolving the pseudo ego is more important than paying attention to the breathing issue . Only the pseudo one is dissolved, can a real One appear .But it is not so easy .We should not chase after It, but patiently wait for Its own appearance. Careful students of Buddhism and Taoism should notice that these two systems are in fact both talking about a special entity , at certain stage of our cultivation notwithstanding which way we follow , its inevitable popping up somewhere (hidden in post/pre-heavenly bagua) from us . This One, by the Taoist way of refining jing and qi , will be easier ; by Buddhist way seems more arduous ; this One, will not still be a humble, feeble self , but a very powerful One ; this One, will not be the one who suffers, but the omnipotent dose for all sufferings; In Taoism , because right from the beginning , it involves jing and qi, so they call it fetus; That is why it is an entity of both physical and mental immortality. In Buddhism , basically no jing and qi are involved, so what is nourished is purely a spiritual entity . However, because our mind is anyhow linked with our body, so many enlightened monks' body , after their physical death, without special preservation treatment , can still last for 1,000 years without decay.There are many actual cases in China . Visitors can still go to some famous temple and take a look at it .

Regret to hear that, I hope we can soon hear from you again .