exorcist_1699

I think what dao zhen points out in point 2) is especially important. It also differentiates Taoism from many other religions as Taoism always emphasizes the unity of physical health with spiritual accomplishment. We have : Better physical condition gives rise to higher level of qi, which enables you to achieve better spiritual enlightenment, it then further upgrade your qi level.... As a popular taoist saying tells us : Once jing ("sperm") is full, you do not think of sex( just opposite to what ordinary people think) ; Once qi is full, you feel no hunger; Once sheng( spirit) is complete , there is no need of sleeping . ( forgive my clumsy translation) You can see that there are delicate interrelations among our body, qi and spirit . In fact, understanding how jing( "sperm")-qi-Sheng(spirit) works as the great Trinity in Taoist system is always crucial to taoist practice.

Regarding the so-called decline of Taoism in China: As long as the existence of qi is real , Taoism , the only system which bases on it and fully developed from it , will not die out. Just like nuclear power , no matter how deep it hides, as long as it exists, then sooner or later, somewhere in this universe, some intelligent beings will discover it and study it.

For people who can read Chinese , I strongly propose them to read the original taoist classics, especially those written during the Ming and Ching Dynasty ( ie , recent 500 years). Not only because those books were written in plain Chinese close to modern texts, but also because those writings do get rid of all weird jargons ( tiger, dragon, rabbit , the South..), and directly use precise terms such as Jin (sperm),qi and Sheng ( Spirit). For those who know no Chinese but are gifted in language and tough enough, I recommend them to spend 4-5 years in learning Chinese, after all, to any individual in this world , nothing is more worthy of doing than having the ability of manipulating the life and death issue in his/her own hands.

Some people can initiate "ordinary" qi by concentrating their mind slightly on certain part of their abdomens ( in case of female : the middle part of their chest )for a while .It arises and runs inside our body .Many not so serious diseases can be cured by just applying this kind of qi. "Meta" / a priori qi comes from the state of mindlessness/ emptiness in which the border between our body and outside world breaks down. Emptiness is a delicate process having many layers and levels. "A priori" qi comes from outside. Our body is just a medium. Besides disease like mental disorder , " A priori" qi is nearly an omnipotent dose of medicine against any disease , including aging.

1) Please do not mix up ordinary/"posterior" qi arising from your abdomen / flowing in your channels with meta/a priori qi. I think some of the people here do mess it up. 2) I do not want to discourage anyone who pratice taoist exercises ,but please distinguish the following: -People who practice qigong/taoist exercise as some kind of sports or healing for an illness .For this group of people , polishing ordinary qi is enough provided that they do it in a correct way. Of course, severe disease like Cancer is another story . -There is a small group of people whose life are always full of sufferings or who anyhow always sense the ontological crisis underlying their life and want to solve it fundamentally .Of course, I mainly face and talk with this group of people as I mentioned " eternity" right from the beginning .

Taoist idea about life and death is quite different from other religions. Without exception, all other religions believe in life after death, ie , some kind of spiritual eternity ; Taoist masters also believe in spiritual eternity, but there is one crucial difference : apart from it , they also believe in physical, earthly eternity . How ? The secret of it is : qi .They know how to initiate and manipulate it .

Only Tao gives you the privilege of getting rid of death , not only in spiritual sense but also in physical sense . Nearly all religions in this world claim afterlife eternity , only Taoism dares to claims earthly eternity.

In the area of Science, you are requested to explain truth as clearly as possible, even by mathematical equation , so that no ambiguity or misunderstanding will arise. In the area of Tao, too clearly and publicly explaining it is said to be bringing you punishment from Heaven, so , it better be whispered .

The point is : Tao is not just a system of philosophy; if it is ,then it better explains and defines its concepts and categories as clearly as possible so that discussion or argument is possible . Nor is it just something spiritual as other religions . Capable of really intervening and reversing the process of physical life of humans is the reason why after reaching certain point, Tao becomes unspoken....and, seldom can you find a guy who is close to or has reached that point , dare to risk testing it true or not

Or put it in another way : people who want to prove that there is afterlife eternity , please first prove that there is earthly immortality . Although taoists do not think that physical immortality is the highest form of eternity , they anyway do not underestimate its significance ( quite opposite to the Buddhist view ) . If you can't prove to others that you can be free of death , then at least , after years of cultivation , you should be able to prove to others that you are free of illness , or free of aging...etc Never in human history before , did you find a religion which emphasizes so strongly as Taoism on proof : not just the proof from your spiritual achievement ,which is always difficult to be observed or proved , but those biological or physical proof from your cultivation .

Why worrying about afterlife eternity if taoists already can prove earthly immortality easily .

Taoist poems , one of the best ways of learning Chinese and taoist theory, is seldom mentioned by people on the internet , below is one of the excellent : 有物先天地 無為本寂廖 能為萬物主 不逐四時凋

Sorry, my english is not good enough to offer such a translation .

There is an old , taoist saying which tells : 人生難得 , 中國難生 , 大道難遇 . ( it is difficult to be born as human ; it is more difficult to be born in the Middle Kingdom( China ) ; it is very unlikely for you to come across the great way of Tao in your life-time ) It implies that no matter how smart and imaginative you are , if you are situated in a cultural environment which tells you that life and death is something natural and inescapable , then even if you are as excellent and imaginative as Einstein , you are still doomed to act as some kind of foolish guy, succumbing to the "destiny" .

Of course, here , what we talk about Tao is not treating it as a system of philosophy. In fact, no philosophy in this world can solve the life and dealth problem for us. Marx, once talking about the role of philosophy, said: the key is not how to interpret this world , but to change it .Here, what we emphasize is whether we can come across Tao , grasp it and let it reverse our fate. In this sense , taoists are the real "revolutionaries" in this world : a few , lonely guys who are brave enough to rise and rebel against the dictatorship of this physical cosmos over them , yet with such spiritual ease .

From the bottom of my heart , I really hope you guys do come across IT

人情濃厚道情微 道用人情世罕知

As meditation requires quite a lot of spiritual concentration ( on peeling off endless layers of nothingness / emptiness) and physical strength( sit for hours) , I wonder how they co-exist .

Taoist thought , without geniune , provable taoist practice ,will inevitably degenerated into some kind of philosophical bullshit . Such kind of unfortunate outcome is fully demonstrated to us in the history of Chinese Zen.

Unable to retain zhen ( sexual energy) in your body ( especially when you are in deep sleep) , whatever physical practice you do is doomed to be fruitless ; Similarly , unable to retain zhen ( sexual energy) in your body, whatever spiritual accomplishment you want to achieve is groundless . The taoist practice , in a final word , is your ability / persistence in creeping over endless layers of "emptiness " and nourishing from that pool of still water a "lively dragon " .

I think the so-called neo-taoist 's achievement is that they built up a theoretical framework of zhen( sexual energy)- qi -spirit which guides our pratice well. Without it , philosophical " taoism " is forvever left in the realm of idea , unable to stepping into reality . Of course, whether you believe in it or not is really depending on the level of your practice. The framework was so well built that by following it , people can reach immortality easier ; afraid of what would be happening and the " punishment from the Heaven " , the masters therefore deliberatley invented a system of strange jargons , blocking people and testing their commitnt to it .

Although the practice of qigong is different from scientific experiments, some proof for whether the one you are practising is correct or not is always necessary . I think , there are at least 2 simple criteria : 1) talking about its benefits to your health ,it must be more effective than sports , otherwise, why not doing something more funny? 2) After having practised it for more than one year , it must make you forever free of any diseases. A qigong , no matter in what form you are being taught , is doubtful to be a correct one if it can't fulfil such simple and clear requests .

Most religions in this world claim that they have proof so as to justify their right of existence . To some religions , it is miracles.....however, in case of Taoism ( it is a Trinity of religion , philosophy and medicine or something even beyond it , not strictly a religion ) , the proof is very clear and real that people can do it themselves . However, is "qi" so powerful that it can reverse aging , cure all diseases (besides lunatic ones) or make an old man look as in his 30's ? The answer is really depending on what level of "qi" he can mobilize : the more " delicate" it is , the more powerful it will be . An electrician who owns a workshop at the street corner and repairs electrical fan or TV for you deals with things related to " physics" ;Einstein also deals with things we call " physics" ; but we all know how immense the difference between them... Whether a cough is cured or what a face we look without a good sleep overnight is so simple and plain to any adult , nobody can cheat you .

"free of any diseases" does not necessarily mean you catch no cough or cold, it only states that because you had practised qigong for a year in a correct way , you already deposited a dose of omnipotent medicine ("qi") in your body , so, whenever it is needed, you just release it and let it cure your illness. Besides, the taoist masters view aging as some kind of disease , ie, it is not something fatal , but curable. Western medicine can only retard aging , or slow down the movement of the biological clock built-in human beings, it is taoist qigong, so early in 2,000 years ago, claimed that it could stop or even reverse the clock's movement towards a "doomed" future..

There are 4 levels of taoist practice : 1st : you are told that it is breathing or attention to breathing or some posture that is important . However, it later turns out that what lets you have a starting point is something stopping you from further uplifting yourself to a new level. 2nd : you find that it is " qi" that counts. Unable to initiate qi ( NOT BREATHING!!! ) in your body means no matter how much work you did before ,your effort is dommed to be futile. 3rd: At this level, you find that "qi " is , in fact, affected by or equal to your mind. How delicate your mind is also implies how powerful and delicate qi you can mobilize and manipulate. 4th : It is not mind but mindless or don't mind the mindless ... .. okay, you are now at threshold of entering the great , mysterious "gate " of Taoism.