gendao

It took me about a year of 1 hr daily practice to reach this "stage" (which may have even just been largely imaginary). The more I do it - I breathe slower, relax more, go in deeper & let go more... But progress is measured very slowly...like growing your hair out... Imperceptible in short amounts of time..

Today, I felt like I opened "energy gates" in my joints during zhan zhuang...and got supported by the qi then flowing upwards through them and inflating like a balloon...with my muscles then being able to let go. So, this perhaps could be the difference between pengjin from opening your channels vs. holding movements with li (muscular strength)? It's essentially the difference between a "bouncy, resilient" strength through "pneumatic" pressure pushing vs a "stiff, rigid" strength through tension cables (muscles & ligaments) pulling. Remember, all muscular movements are actually the result of muscles PULLING - whether you are pushing or pulling something. Whereas perhaps all "qi-based" movements would be the result of qi pushing...?

Lol, I've noticed there's basically only 2 opinions in this thread. All those who can do full-lotus...go on about how great it is. All those who can't...go on about how worthless it is. Gotta love humanity.

Any of you have Native American female ancestors you think you got it from? I've met a lot of women born with some of these extranormal abilities who traced it back to some Native American female ancestors, in particular..

Here's another interesting tidbit on the Taoist significance of the Big Dipper: The Big Dipper was seen to be a central pivot in the night sky...sort of a star heart.

Yiquan master Fong Ha related a story about how Paul Chek came by once to test how strong he was and if he knew any "ancient Chinese secrets." Now, Paul Chek is a New Agey strength guru who is a very physically strong, fit & sizeable guy. (160-lb dumbbell) (200-lb dumbbell) Whereas Fong Ha is a far more diminutive senior citizen in his 70s now. I'm guessing he is somewhere between only 5'4" and 5'7" tall. Well, so Fong asked Paul to push him. And Paul tried and tried...but could not budge him with all his might! And no one in our workshop could, either. It just seemed to defy all classical physics. One time, he was even sitting back in a metal chair with his feet up off the floor - and told me to come push his forearm. But I tried and still couldn't move him!!! I asked him to explain how he did this?? He kept saying that it was simple...and it "only" took him 10 years to figure it out... Was it qi, a certain mentality, a lower CG, some biomechanical alignment? I still don't really know yet myself... Anyhow, about 80% of his training is zhan zhuang. The rest other forms of meditation or qigong. There is no weightlifting or any brute strength training involved.

Has anyone else noticed an increasing number of people just losing it and blowing their tops in the last few months? Both online here and off? I know I sure have... I wonder if there might be some big cathartic cataclysm soon too? Anyone taking bets on the next big global disaster???

Of course I am no absolutist. Hence, I specifically spoke only of gender tendencies in direct response to the OP. I mean, if she felt we had no discernible differences...then why would she be asking for material suited especially for women? And I think people here have brought up a few variations for practicing women to focus greater attention on the heart, cervix, blood, etc. So, I believe it was a valid and helpful question. I know feminism idealizes that we are all androgynous unisex clones - but that is frankly neither ideal nor real. Anyways, I am certainly all for males & females supporting each other too. Would make life a lot easier, lol... You also raise some other good societal questions too - but which are probably better addressed in another thread.

I would say no. Dao is a WAY. "Way" is not a substance. More of a manner of operation, a path flow...than a thing. So, it's actually a pretty deep philosophy to observe the "ultimate nature" of things as a "flowing process" rather than a material "substance."

True, there are a lot of additional factors out on the street vs in the dojo or in a ring. A lot of stuff happens before a punch is even potentially thrown. For a fight to even happen in the streets, for instance, the situation generally must first escalate through a number of steps (although this could all happen within just a few minutes). Have any of you ever been in a real street fight? Felt completely hostile intent staring you down? Felt your adrenalin dump? Felt the fear of the unknown...about how good he might be, what if he's armed, possible legal ramifications, etc.? Should I fight...or not? It's one of the most visceral experiences you can have...because it taps directly into your primal survival instinct. These factors alone makes it different than any playful sparring against unarmed partners of known skill levels you've done in the gym - of any style. Where you are fighting against KNOWN variables in a controlled situation where the real goal is NOT to hurt each other. As opposed to fighting against UNknown variables in an UNcontrolled environment where the goal is TO hurt each other! And again, all of these come into play midway through the escalation before any punch is even thrown. Experience with these situations will help accustom one to them...but unfortunately this type of experience is rarely ever simulated and hard to gain in any training gym. This inexperience will then make you less sure and confident in your first real-life confrontation and could lead to temporary "shell-shock." So, I think Bruce Lee's general philosophy is still geared well for street fights. Keep it quick & simple. Mastery is about perfecting the simplest moves...not knowing the most different ones. Don't get fancy. Avoid going to the ground. Be the firstest with the mostest. Get in and get out. Strive for maximum effectivity & efficiency.

Yes, VERY interesting theory... Good thinking, man! I think I need to work on opening my heart & lungs right now, myself...

What part of you is vibrating? If it is specifically your dantian, then I'd say that's a VERY good sign...as far as it filling up...and opening your SHO later. How long & what all are you practicing? There's also a practice journal in the back of "The Tao of Meditation: Way to Enlightenment" where a guy records the various symptoms he experienced before opening his SHO. A vibrating dantian was one of the last ones before it opened... But if it's vibrations non-specific to the dantian, then I'm guessing that may just indicate energy accumulations in those places. Which would still be a good thing, of course. And nope, I'm not vibrating yet! Am just now feeling my subtle breath and sensation in my lower abdomen! I am apparently taking the long, scenic route here... Again, typically younger or female cultivators have the speed advantage here.

^ I agree. No - the wiki entry is itself vague. It says: Well, the muladhara chakra is not at the base of the spine - the swadhishthana (sacral) chakra is. Perhaps that is why it only says that it is "usually" within the muladhara chakra. Again, I think it can be hard to map out energetic routes with surgical precision. But the Chinese & Indian models are nonetheless far more similar than different here. I don't necessarily see any conflict, considering the degrees of uncertainty about each involved..

Actually, if the kundalini is sexual power stored in the sacrum bone...then it would likely correspond to the sacral chakra. Which would correspond most closely to the lower dantian. But, if the kundalini resides in the root chakra, then it would correspond to huiyin. Either way, I wouldn't see a radical difference here.. Energetic experiences can be hard to nail down precisely by nature. Anyhow, you don't have to buy, cuz I'm not selling...

No, just because it connects the 3 dantians...does not mean that it TERMINATES at the upper & lower ones. So no, I don't consider these depictions significantly different at all.

If it starts vibrating, that is a very good sign that it is getting filled up. I think vibration generally seems to denote an accumulation of energy. Whereas shaking of limbs (aka "kriyas") is typically from the body trying to relieve gross blockages - usually experienced more in the beginning...when there's more gross blockages. Also keep in mind that this stage alone could easily take 100 days to 3738 actual hrs or more of meditation. I'm guessing for most this would translate to 1-5 years out in the real world. Mileage varies of course...and progress is often slower if you are older or male (as opposed to younger or female). Point being, you'd have to be ridiculously optimistic to expect anything real happening anytime real soon, lol...

I've seen a few variations of its pathway...but my basic understanding is that it's the core central channel that basically runs through the spine from huiyin to baihui - like the sushumna. And whereas the 12 meridians channel more postnatal qi...the 8 extraordinary vessels channel more prenatal qi. Which is what makes opening them so powerful (and sought-after by Taoist health buffs, martial artists & alchemists). (At least all according to my current basic understanding thus far...lol.)

Wow, I didn't realize those were insults? But I think calling them insults...is an actual insult. Sadly, nope! I haven't even opened my microcosmic orbit yet!

Yea, his "Internal Alchemy; Immortality Training" is the workshop I'd really like to attend. Cuz I really enjoy his authentic teachings. But ~$400/day is at least double what I'm generally willing to pay for a workshop..

To state the obvious, people have varying amounts of qi and blockages though. This results in an incredible amount of differences between peoples' conditions. Lol, that is because you are a Muslim rationalist...not a Taoist. The chong mai, or thrusting vessel, is one of the 8 extraordinary vessels. It is well-known in both TCM & neidan. Opening the chong mai is a very powerful awakening because it will then channel yuan qi from the lower dantian to the upper dantian. The yuan qi being a primal energy probably the same as the kundalini force.

Interesting timing for this post.. My dad leads a small exercise group and 3 guys have separately gotten mad at him now. Although he is an exceedingly nice guy, it becomes easy for "followers" in the group to project or take out their frustrations on him. Males, in particular, are more naturally prone to challenging the alpha male of their group. After this 3rd instance, my dad said that it's better to be #2 because being #1 makes you too much of a target. So, I can see now how teaching can also be a burden and why the Dao De Jing advises one to keep low like water... Even if you are peerless in your behavior, some people will still heckle and argue against you - simply because you are the guy with the ball... (Not to say that in other cases it couldn't also be mutual or vice-versa. I do think that some of the blowback in Kunlun could have been avoided if potential "detoxing" symptoms were warned about as much as the bliss was hyped. But the amount of negative feedback was still very minimal in comparison to the massive number of students taught.)