gendao

Really? What tradition is that? And, I just found this info also confirmed in a book: Interestingly:

Wow, that's very cool. Especially the ancient Chinese use of quipu, which were also interestingly employed by the Peruvian Incas. This makes me really wonder if there may have been a Chinese migration into Peru - when you also consider how similar their brightly-embroidered native dress is with that of the Chinese Yi minority: In addition, my parents also told me that many of the place names in Peru could pass for Chinese... And ~jK~ is correct, all the dialects are different orally only, the written characters remain the same. Except there are now also Commy-simplified versions of many of the more complex, traditional characters.

I would hope they shoot for clarity & quality over quantity overall. Frankly, I don't think Taoism is well-suited for the masses, even in China. Because it requires a lot of long, solitary practice based on subtle awareness and esoteric concepts. Most people simply do not have the time nor patience for that. So, I'd hate to see it diluted or over-commercialized just to gain wider acceptance... But a good way to start paving the road for this would to set up an institute to compile & translate more of the Taoist canon into English. Particularly all the alchemical classics and texts. Right now, we have a lot of philosophical, over-intellectualized academic and pop Taoism here. But little in the way of authentic, alchemical "how-to" manuals (similar to Taoist Yoga). The meaty "folk art" part is left out... We talk a lot ABOUT it, but actually DO very little of it. So, we need less talk of, and far more "HOW TO DO?" So in conjunction, perhaps we could also have some visiting masters come here on some workshop tours. This could help transmit teachings accurately firsthand, while also helping to raise some funds for future development... Eventually, maybe they could even build some "goodwill" Taoist temples here - similar to various Buddhist or Shaolin USA "temples." Ideally (if there was sufficient funding), these sites would even be built or adapted according to "Taoist" feng shui, while incorporating hi-tech and green technology. Essentially, to be more than just meeting halls, but also "sacred sites" located at powerful spots. And living/educational monuments to Taoist philosophy. I think that's further down the line, though. Right now, Taoists are still a tiny minority here and we're not even close to a critical mass tipping point for large-scale building projects. So, I think simply developing quality Taoist content for the web and workshops would probably be the most effective course of action at this preliminary stage. Induct some sincere people here to enter the stream...and go from there...

Wow, fascinating. So, you were taking his classes and... 1) Doing his "30 minute Small Universe meditation CD" while seated in a chair. How many days/hours would you say this period lasted? 2) You eliminated sodium from your diet, and some time later felt your LTT fill with energy, while also losing your appetite... 3) You then fasted for a week on just some water each day, and felt some really strong electromagnetic fields by the end of that week... 4) At Chunyi Lin's level 3 retreat, you were then able to sit in full-lotus for 2 hours STRAIGHT! (How long were you able to sit in it previously?) 5) Right afterwards, you had some really powerful experiences. Later on, this included your infamous "Os @ a D" (all while sitting in full-lotus). 6) Chunyi Lin's transmissions probably accelerated this whole process. And he also permanently "magnetized" the middle of your brain (pineal gland?), too. At what stage did you do your 100 day training though - and was that seated in a chair or in full-lotus? And what was the span of time from when you started to step 5 in 2000? IOW, when did you first start taking Chunyi Lin's course?

Interesting. Is that for an initial "100 day" (or more) period...or indefinitely?

Lol, close to half of rape reports are falsified...and I find this accusation rather skeptical too. Call me experienced, but I have a hard time believing a grown woman would have sex with some dude for 2 years, under the belief that it was all for "spiritual healing." Really??? Or did she know it was "just sex" the whole time - and only got pissed off once he dumped her or her hubby found out? Just sayin'...I'm sure he has his side of the story on this charge too. Unfortunately, that side typically never gets aired in defense.

The book is based on his true story - but obviously has been condensed and dramatized into a more readable narrative. From firsthand accounts though, it appears that there's been plenty of other impressive anecdotes and feats he casually performs that could easily fill another book in itself. In fact, I'd love to read a book written by students about their interesting experiences with him... The really sad thing though is that he had kept a meticulous training journal spanning years...that he had to destroy once they all started traveling (at least according to the book). I still can't believe what a tragic & immeasurable loss to humanity that was. I mean, if I could ever read his personal training diary...!

Awesome vids! I still remember seeing the first one of Master Willem Reeders demonstrating his "iron shirt" skills... What is his technique for developing that? He states that he does no physical conditioning to cultivate it? He also makes the interesting claim that gong fu was just for the guards, but "kun tao" was reserved for the royals only:

Awesome, I'm still working on sitting in half-lotus comfortably for a full hour. How hard was the transition from half to full-lotus (for an hour)?

Here's a long thread on him... Anyone got some YouTube of him?

Well, yiquan believes that zhan zhuang is the core practice of Taijiquan. Therefore, it would make sense for that to be the foundational basis for all other aspects. Not very marketable (since most people would find standing still for hours boring as hell), but probably the most effective sequence...

I feel the same thing, although not for extended periods...I still inhale & exhale (breathe!). I don't think it's a bad thing, but it just means you've gotten very still...which would seem to be a good thing? Why do you think it may be a problem - do you not breathe for long periods?

Isn't that what lesser kan & li alchemy is, though?

Interesting possibility, but Taoist Yoga also specifically instructs rotating the eyes CW & CCW. That sounds more literal than metaphorical?

Loosely according to Taoist Yoga, your "essential spirit" (fa shen) gets refined and merged back with your physical body to create an "immortal" yang shen (yang spirit). Which is essentially prenatal shen + prenatal yang qi. This yang shen "will take form when it gathers in one place or will become pure qi when it scatters to fill the great emptiness which will be its boundless body." (p 61) IOW, this jalus could materialize or dematerialize... So yes, you already have a spirit and souls. However, that's just the starting point in Taoist alchemy.

Yup, it is the branch that Kathy Li is spearheading here. I guess the "physical location" would be Atlanta, but that's just my assumption.

Actually, they instruct this same practice in Taoist Yoga - uniting the "sun" & "moon" down in the lower dan tian.

Hadn't heard that. What invaders? I mean, it's not like they "should" have known martial arts, anyways. They were monks secluding themselves from society to seek spiritual advancement, for gawdsakes. So that would be like telling a bunch of peaceful nuns in a convent that they need to learn MMA. Anyhow, martial arts is still really cool, but nearly useless today. The chances of anyone ever having to really use it in a real life situation are just slim to none now. That's essentially why I stopped practicing, because it seemed to be increasing investment for diminishing returns. I still love the sheer art of it, but in reality - our greater "enemies" now are primarily health-related (aging, sickness, illness, etc). So, qigong for health and spiritual growth are where I prefer to put my focus on now.

I've also heard that full lotus is an extremely efficient neigong posture. Obviously not the only posture for qigong training, but Drew hasn't been saying that, either... Well, from my recent foray into sitting half-lotus so far, it seems to be an interesting "paradox." It is initially very (physically) uncomfortable, but the more you train and stretch into it, the far more deeply comfortable you can become. You can fall into a very heavy relaxation and quiet stillness, while still keeping your spine straight & erect (the more you get past the initial hump). I guess you could say that this pose has a learning curve...but you can reap strong benefits the further along you pass it. Although, perhaps you can also gain the same or similar benefits just sitting upright in a chair? And regardless, I would still like to add zhan zhuang to my routine, if I can find more time. The interesting thing though is that all my sitting in half-lotus has allowed me to properly align myself and reach deeper states much faster - which I can now crossover to other positions far easier. This all said, I still have not attained any real concrete results yet...so I have no "proof" to back up any of my speculations here. Again, be sure to consider the source here (a guy who has not opened his MCO or kundalini yet).

Very interesting...Glenn Morris recounts here how a brief, impromptu "energy exchange" encounter with Hatsumi...instantly healed his eyesight and eliminated his need for glasses anymore. AMAZING!!!

I agree, however ONLY after a certain point (many hundreds of hours or more of meditation). Which very few will probably ever reach. However, if they do, the upside is far beyond any norms reachable by purely physical means. Perhaps something like this: