dwai

Difference anxiety We see it everywhere. Humans, despite our loud proclamations about diversity are in fact afraid of things that are different. We want everyone to conform to the "accepted" norms and uniformity in all our surroundings. After creating a boring and lack-luster life and environments we step out once in a while to seek the "other" for a momentary thrill, knowing well that we will slink back into the "security" of our conformist lives...

Read the book "nine nights with a Taoist master" by master waysun Liao to better understand it.

My teacher says we stand in the way of our own progress. To me it means I prop myself up for small failures, as if enjoying the pain. I used to have aspirations of being an artist at one time -- the unique salient feature of artists is that they are very troubled creatures, their anguish their creative fuel. I thnk we are all like that to a certain extent -- self igniting in our misery and so used to being on "fire" are we that anything but a fleeting respite seems abnormal.

Indeed. It is not however entirely a matter of practice. It has a lot to do with a social framework in which those who do practice are supported to do so. While on one hand they are venerated and supported via alms and recognition/respect on the other they are ostracised, persecuted and even burnt at the stake... Now you tell me which does and is more likely to get credence?

Hmm...I wonder what reaction you would get from a practicing Christian if you were to tell him that? I get vehement reactions from dualists of all denominations -- they just are not comfortable considering for a moment that they are the same. And the idea of "God" in general connotates a supreme being that is the overlord of everything and hands out judgements, punishments and rewards based on one's degree of faith and moral fortitude. That is not the Brahman of Advaita Vedanta. I don't need to tell you that of course. And while I'm not very well versed in western mystical traditions, I have had the opportunity to read about John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, etc. One of the things that stands out is that they all worked within (and often in a conflicted state wrt their relationship with the Church and it's doctrines and their personal experiences) So, Western Mysticism (post-Greek classical and "pagan" Western cultures) comes across as a stilted/stymied branch. As opposed to the flourishing of these in the Eastern cultures (in fact these dictated the "religions" that developed out of that crucible). Not much is known about these today (especially the druidic/celtic traditions) except the whacky new agey renditions of these thereof. I do not consider Meso-american traditional systems as western -- they are different and they definitely have a lot of parallels with Vedanta, Daoist systems.

I don't think the Abrahamic traditions have any parallel to what Advaita Vedanta (or even Vedanta) in general refer to. Atman = Brahman does not have a counterpart of the New Testament. People can retrofit the narrative to see it does, but that is just their interpretation. The general view is that God and man are separate entities and that God created man, and man is doomed to go to hell if he doesn't put his faith in God and his only son, Jesus Christ. What is being referred to as Atman is not people's spirit. Atman is Brahman. What people consider their spirit is the ephemeral entity called "Jiva" (or that which lives, implicaiton will also die).

Hi TI Why do assume that everyone has to experience something in exactly the same way? I have never had excruciating pain etc. for me it has been gradual...I guess because I think I enjoy the process more than the outcome. I don't care a hoot for getting enlightenment or anything like that. As I grow older I realize that if something has to happen it will. So I'm a theistic advaitin dao bum I reify the unknown unknowable - I have a Ishta-devata and I prostrate in front of him. I ask him to show me the way. So far he hasn't let me down even when I have. I was given a mantra in my dream by an unknown sadhu and that mantra has rescued me front the doldrums many a time. I don't obsess with it, I simply let it guide me when I have an opportunity to... Anyway getting back to the point. I have felt coolness when energy rises up. So pulsing is literally an opening/closing sensation (sometimes slow, sometimes very rapid). And it rises up along the spine (like MCO) to the crown point. Exactly the same as in tai chi. This is during pranayama with Antara kumbhaka of ~ 1 minute in a 1:4:2 ratio. Only it is more "forceful" as compared to tai chi. The LDT is a wisp of smoke that moves around. It is Taiji itself so it is expanded and contracted at the same time. It turns and the turning causes the energy to circulate. No need to apply root locks etc. dropping the tail bone initially applies enough pressure to make it turn. When it starts to turn, it will drive the energy I think we tend to over-complicate things a lot. Just chill and enjoy your practice man!

Hi TI I honestly don't care for definitions of jhanas and skandas. I think they are wrong as is the Buddhist obsession with these.... As far as swadhisthana goes - my experience is that it is exactly the same as the LDT. There are theoretical musings about swadhisthana and Manipura but when the pulsation starts from the moola, it rises to the LDT (and therefore proving to me that LDT is nothing other than swadhisthana Emptiness - I don't really care for (see above) what someone else thinks happens when mind gap elongates. It is emptiness to me...the same state I get to deep in Taichi practice. Emptiness, stillness, silence whatever we call it.

This is for those who actually know something about internal martial arts (point being, you can stay out since you don't fall in that category)

Samsara cannot be denied. It is our everyday reality. The key is to realize that it is ephemeral, but still existent. So, we have to keep a positive, healthy attitude towards samsara, not deny it (my humble opinion).

Each of the Yoga asanas prepare your nadis. When done with the right breathing, Yoga asanas will open nadis (channels) systematically. Usually, Yoga asanas need to be followed up by Pranayama (sitting in vajrasana or padmasana -- ie thunderbolt or lotus/half lotus), which will raise the energy up the central channel. Pranayama is usually introduced after a few months of diligent of asana practice. Yoga in and of itself is a complete system to activate the chakras and regulate flow of prana/Qi in the body (besides the meditative element). Care must be taken to progress through asanas methodically. A very good source is "light on yoga" by BKS Iyengar. It's always advisable to have a good teacher who can customize asanas based on individual characteristics of the student. Pranayama will open up channels. The Tadasana will bring heaven sky energy down, uttanasana will activate the kwas and dai mai, you will feel flow in the lower back. Lunges will balance left and right sides. Adhomukhasvanasana (downward dog) will pull energy into lower dan tian (swadhisthana). Bhujangasana (Cobra) will activate middle dan tian (anahata). Shavasana after yoga practice will balance and diffuse qi throughout the body (relaxing the limbs, torso, neck, etc will allow Qi to flow everywhere evenly). Longer period of Shavasana will help stay in gap between thoughts..elongating the gaps (emptiness). Suryanamaskar (Sun salutation) works to open channels from top down (instead of bottom up approach of Daoist techniques), imho. First opens the Crown point, then progressively middle and lower centers. According to indian traditions, it is better to flow downward before flowing upward (ie UDT -> MDT -> LDT instead of LDT -> MDT -> UDT).

i just got back from a class today. My teacher said that all the exercises that claim to "pull in" Qi from outside actually allow the Qi to pass through and "tune" our own Qi to their vibrational frequency. We cannot store that "external" Qi, but can let it flow through us and tune us up, so to speak.

I'm just sayin'

I'd like to make a point that all these discussions have no bearing with the actual practice of Tai Chi. These will in fact hinder our learning (too much time spent in the head, not much in the body). The objective of Tai Chi practice is to integrate the mind, body and energy till everything is one unbroken unit. My teacher explained it to me this way -- if we consider our mind and body as a network, then energy is that which connects the various parts of the network and is also what makes the network the network. Tai Chi practice is intended to re-connect all the disparate parts of the network and make energy flow uninterrupted throughout the network, until there is no separation. The Tai Chi classics say -- Every part must be connected to every other part. When you move, everything moves. My teacher tells us that when we are doing a form, every single hair in our body must also move simultaneously with the body. At different stages of practice/development -- 1) the body moves and the energy adjusts to it 2) the mind moves the energy and energy moves the body 3) the energy moves the body and the mind in sync For all of these, the mind needs to be dropped, the body needs to be dropped (relaxed/sung). More we practice, more sung we become, the easier it is for us to feel the energy and flow with it. Another key feature in our system is the concept of Te. Tao is the macrocosm and a complete miniature copy of that macrocosm is the Te (the microcosm). To connect with Tao, we must go inward and connect with Te. When our energy picks up the right frequency of vibration, it will automatically link the Te with Tao...then we are truly in the way. What is important to understand (imho) is that we must stop over-intellectualizing things. For instance, during two person practice, when we are working on "making chance" (to wardoff, roll-back, press, push, etc), I often stop for an instant to stop and assess whether I have a wardoff, or roll-back etc. And immediately the flow stops...When I don't stop, the energy manifests itself automatically in a proper application. When I do stop, the moment/chance has appeared and already disappeared. So, we must drop the mind to be able to go with the flow, harmonize with the energy.

Yes

Yes. Information is also energy...in specific patterns.

By cleaning the system. More and more impurities will be removed and more Qi will be freed up to grow. So, in a sense, the Qi will grow, but not from an external source, but from within the system (this is my understanding). I know there are systems of thought where Qi can be pulled in from external sources. But based on what I've been taught, Qi cannot be added to -- we have to make do with what we have. This makes it all the more essential to keep our system clean (like a well oiled machine).

The frequency increases and qi becomes pure®. I dont think amount of qi can be changed. What is done is making the system more efficient by teducing tension and inefficiencies both physical and mental.

I only posted this because this seems far closer to how to approach this (if at all via science) rather than bio mechanical alignment crap. Ivy League huh? Good going...I graduated about 2 decades ago...

Energy is measured in the amount of work done. There is no direct way to measure Energy itself. The rate of change of energy is power. Joule vs Joules/second ? Isn't temperature a "degree" of heat? Of course speed is not energy. But the energy consumed to move an object from point A to point B can be measured via speed (or the Work done, in effect). Already addressed above Power is the rate of change of energy/work (you can't directly measure energy, can you?)...and my intention was not to suggest that Daoists measure jing or qi by rate of change of another. However, Jing is transmuted into Qi and Qi into Shen (at least in the system that I follow). How it is done is by changing the frequency. You do "work" by rubbing your hands together..the result is generation of heat. One form of energy can be transformed into another (heat to light, electricity to heat, etc). Take electricity...P=VI ( V=IR, P=I2R) .So, you are running a particular magnitude current (Amperage) through a resistor and generating Power. I think it stands quite well, thank you. Electric current is a stream of electrons flowing through a conducting medium. I could go into details of how it works but the same principle applies in other cases as well. An electron is a charged subatomic particle and the current is the rate of flow of electrons. Actually I know quite a lot about Calculus and far more advanced concepts of mathematics than that -- I am an engineer by profession and training. I never said Jing is the power that affects QI. I said Jing, Qi and Shen are energy vibrating at different frequencies. I said that Jin is the Power that is generated by applying stored Qi energy (like electric power is generated from a battery). Jing and Jin are not the same. Although different systems use the same term to describe two separate things. Jing is Qi vibrating at a particular frequency, Jin is the power generated by applying Qi stored in the bone marrow. What I'm trying to convey is exactly the opposite of your inference. I'm saying Qi, Jin, Jing, Shen are not newtonian in nature and therefore cannot be articulated in terms of newtonian physics. These are actually quantum in nature and any attempt to try and explaining them in newtonian terms are off the mark, so to speak. We could go farther and deeper into this rabbit hole and it would still be a better approach than trying to do BS like alignments and force vectors and other crap like that. That is not Qi,Jin etc, and it doesn't have the same effect or characteristics as QI, Jin, etc.

No reason in my opinion. That is how your brain interprets the experience. If you are practicing energetics, the sensations can vary from heat, cold, electric, pressure, waves etc. Since we are so used to the sensory experiences, our brain interprets these sensations as such. The energetics can also make you feel happy, sad, etc. As in sensations, thus in emotions... imho..also, after practice matures, we might stop feeling sensations altogether (for various periods of time). The sensations usually happen when channels open up.

Oh yeah sorry...one of my personalities posted earlier - implicate order

So? What was the outcome? I have found great benefits in my practice from the dvds...however it helps to have a real teacher showing/correcting. I do not subscribe to the line of thinking that suggests that a personal transmission is necessary. I have learnt a Lot from this system over the decade plus i have been a student. I haven't had transmissions given. In fact according to my teacher we have to learn to "cook" our own energy...and with practice it will get better. My biggest issue has been time dedicated to practice. I average around 7-8 hours per week...and i feel it is not enough. But paradoxically, it is also not adviced to "overdo" it. So i have discovered that ability to practice also increases with time. Most critical is to not have anything else to do after the practice...so my best periods are in the night...10-11 pm to whenever i feel like stopping. But it is also hard because practice energizes so much, its hard to fall asleep. So i have started trying to do the regular practice in the morning and seated practice in the night. Yes...temple style has both...some very very amazing seate meditations. Besides it is also posible to do many of the single forms in seated...to get the mco going. For the Macro, it is easier to stand and practice. Another thing i have found is that condensing happens naturally with deep sung...so the trick imho is to relax until condensing happens and let the energy take over...

) when you run into a dangerous situation, you get into zhang zuang?

http://www.taichitaocenter.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=21 This has all you need to learn the basic forms - single forms. And very good instructions in both solo as well as two person practice.