dwai

This might be worth a try -- simply stand in the wuji posture and let your mind rest in your lower abdominal region (near your navel). Do nothing else. Just rest your mind there. Whatever happens, don't do anything else...just keep taking your mind back to the lower abdominal region. Gently...keep going back there. Also might be worthwhile checking out and following along with this -- https://www.taichitao.tv/programs/taichi-connect-engineering-a-taichi-ball-master-waysun-liao-4192020

Start with Wuji posture. It’s basic and will help develop things correctly and safely. Maintain a few structural alignments and off you can go. Initially it will require mindful adjustment and micro adjustments of your structure. Eventually you stand and everything ‘clicks’. But just standing needs to be augmented with movement too. So stand as long as you feel comfortable. Then move, some basic taijiquan will be good for that. Best to build it up little by little.

If you are in a good state of mind (calm, happy, etc) after your practice, you can do some mild condensing into the bone marrow too. But don’t do too much. In terms of progress, When the transition shifts from body buzz to a sense of clarity and stillness, is a good indicator IME. For a long time, the buzzing felt in the whole body gave a kind of “high”. One can get attached to it. Instead, let go of observing the vibration feeling and start working on sensing the energies outside the body, feel like your swimming in air. Also become more meditative, so when you do the form, it feels like 5 mins have gone by but you’ve actually spent 30 mins, or 1 hr ( and so on).

I practice Master Liao's system and have done so for many years now. What vibrating palm training are you referring to? I'm not aware of any vibrating palm training per se. The vibrations during forms is a good thing. Means you're feeling your qi. During the form practice, there can be a sense of vibration in the whole body, not just in the palms. Just don't pay attention to it, and when you finish your set, send the qi back into the dantien (with the closing meditation). Also, do you feel the vibrations outside too? Like something is coming out of your physical body? Just sink the qi into the dantien after each practice session. If you want to start learning how to apply, you can start doing two-person pushing hands sets if you have a practice partner.

Isn't that called "Tathāgatagarbha" or "Buddhadhātu"?

It seems these kinds of questions are not very useful in terms of actual practice and we can get lost in the weeds comparing this vs that. I like your approach in the first part of this post, where you look for common ground. If you ask from a Vedantic or a Shaiva perspective, my understanding is that there are no "sub-achievements", either you have it, or you don't. What varies is the degree to which it (Realization) has been manifested in the transactional world. And the ongoing work happens there. Now, if the Self-realization is not the immediate goal, then based on good karma, the Jiva evolves to higher levels within the dualistic manifestation, called lokas. There are 7 lokas (realms) below our human one, and 7 above, with the highest one being Satyaloka. Here's an article by a dear friend of mine on the subject of lokas -- https://www.medhajournal.com/description-of-the-various-lokas-in-hindu-scripture/

Leaving placeholders above to add later if possible... TBH, I've thought about this mapping and how it overlaps many times with the Vedantic model but there seems to be subtle differences (at least the way I understand the 3 kaya model of Buddhism).

My experience with Krishna was light. So brilliant was the light that you can’t look — it’s like looking into the sun as it comes closer and closer to you, and accompanied by high pitch ringing sound in the ears. All I could do, is close my eyes and say “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna!” But Lord Vishnu is blue. Lord Shiva, when I saw him, was turquoise or aquamarine.

We don’t have Buddhist deities in our tantras, Buddhists have our deities

Feeling too much indicates a sign of too much receptivity/sensitivity without proper distinction between mind and awareness, imho. I’d suggest finding balance by doing something more physical/less energetic for a while.

I like the general thrust of what he’s saying, He does articulate the Hindu system at a high school level (incomplete/incorrect technically). For instance he says in Hinduism there are three “levels” - Brahman, Atman and Jiva. But really Atman and Brahman are the same. In the nondual traditions within Hinduism, Atman is realized as being the same as Brahman or Shiva. What he calls the “soul” is the Atman veiled in ignorance, which thinks it is an individual entity that transmigrates from life to life. What he calls “awakening” and distinguishes it from “breaking the cycle of rebirth” is not correct either, as awakening in the Hindu tradition is called Brahma jnana or tatva jnana, and it is the entry into jivanamukti, or liberation while embodied. So awakening in the true sense ensures full liberation. Duration is dependent on what kind of preparatory work has already been done. As I watched on, there are many other things deficient in his explanations. But I’m assuming that it drives from his lack of depth in Hinduism. I notice that he uses Hindu terminology a lot, for a Daoist. But many might accuse me of using a lot of Daoist terminology, for a Hindu. 😜 The biggest issue I have is with what he says wrt “merging of individual soul to an undifferentiated soul”. There is no merging that occurs in nondual Hindu traditions. Rather, awareness realizes that it is not the “limited being” which transmigrates, and knows that it IS nondual awarenss, which it always has been and will always be.

I like the general direction of your post However, imho, most of Hindu dharma/cosmology stems from two primary ones — Purva mimamsa and samkhya. Purva mimamsa is the ritual aspect of Vedic dharma. The philosophical aspects developed in the form of the upanishads. Many concepts of samkhya influenced the Hindu worldview, such as the purusha/Prakriti or Shiva/shakti dual nature we see in the phenomenal universe. I do believe that samkhya gave birth to yoga, and eventually yoga became the practical tool for the realization of philosophy — and it was flexible enough to be repurposed into a practical tool for nondual traditions. Ishwara also exists in Vedantic systems. In dualistic Vedanta, ishwara is the absolute. In nondual Vedanta, ishwara is the Saguna aspect of Brahman, which is essentially pure awareness foiled in Satva guna. Brahman itself is nirguna, so unconditioned pure awareness - “ triguna rahitam “, Hence the famous verse from the Brahmasutras — Brahmanandam parama sukhadam kevalam jnaanamurtim Dvandvaateetam gaganasadrusham tatvamasyadi lakshyam -1Ekam nityam vimalamachalam sarvadheesaakshibhuutam Bhaavaateetam triguna rahitam sadgurum tam namaami. -2 Blissful Brahman, bringer of peace Nondual and the fount of knowledge. Beyond duality and like the sky in nature, the sign of Brahman are the realizations captured in statements like “you are that (tat tvam asi)”. Nondual and eternal, pure and changeless, is the eternal witness to all phenomena. Beyond all emotions, free from the influence of the three gunas (rajas, tamas and satva), my salutations to that highest Guru. PS. I realized after posting the original comment, I’d mixed up verses, so posting the correct version + my translation thereof. And there has been enormous cross pollination between traditions in ancient times — via the process of debates between schools of thought.

In the Hindu traditions, desire ‘kama’ is not wrong when approached through the dharma lens. In Hinduism there are four pillars for a normal person to achieve. First is dharma, which provides the guidelines for correct way to live life. Second is artha or material success, which needs to be earned in a dharmic way (dharmic means in harmony with, according to dharma). Third is kama (sensory fulfillment, which includes desires of many types), which too needs to follow rules of dharma. Fourth and final goal is moksha, which is the ultimate objective of breaking the cycle of reincarnation.

I think you need to find something that really captivates your interest and fires up your drive. For some people it comes easy, they are interested in ‘normal’ things. For a few, especially those with natural talent in multiple arenas, it can be quite difficult to find that ‘one thing’ that makes you want to get up and get going. What is it that ‘one thing’ (channeling my inner billy crystal here) that makes you feel enthused and excited (or even fearful)?

Haven’t read the entire thing, but wrt his purvapaksha on Hindu enlightenment, he claims that “upon enlightenment samsara disappears and only Brahman remains”, which is a very rudimentary misunderstanding. According to Vedānta, Samsara doesn’t disappear, but rather it is understood that samsara does not have existence apart from Brahman. Just as samsara is essentially Brahman, jiva (the apparently individual being) too is not apart from Brahman. Hence Shankara’s famous verse “brahma satyam jagat mithya, jiva brahmaiva naparah”. Also a very basic misunderstanding of what “illusory” means is apparent in his arguments. In Vedanta, illusory (crude translation of Mithya) doesn’t mean non-existent. In the Vedantic context, mithya is that which changes, as opposed to Sat(ya) which is not subject to changes. What is Sat? Brahman/Atman. What is mithya? Samsara as it is experienced. Once the true nature of both jiva and samsara (jagat) is realized as being Brahman , suffering ends.

Hi @Pramod Where are you located? We might be able to help you find a good teacher if you share the details. Since you've done Karate, have you learnt Sanchin? Basically what you're asking for is covered under Baduanjin and yijin jing practices.

Like many others here, I don’t subscribe to the schism of “fire vs water”. I think a good system will have both. If we are to consider the “human” system in context of all of nature, there is a constant flow in nature through this human system. The human is part of the ecosystem, not a standalone entity, and energies will flow downward, upward, sideways, inside, outside etc etc. In my experience, everything is an interconnected web of awareness (and energy), or like an ocean where “individuals” are like waves. I practiced Tamil Siddhar yoga (a hardcore tantric tradition) for a few years along with my taijiquan/Daoist meditation practice, which I was already 8-10 years into it at that point. It only helped me refine myself further, not affect me in a negative way. That might not be for everyone, but we have to go with our instinct (once we develop it). I also stopped the yoga practice after a point as I found that I didn’t need it any longer (it’s purpose was served, for me specifically). As suggested by others, never undertake esoteric practices without a good teacher. While it is true that I practice multiple systems, they are complementary. In general, I consider body-mind systems as preparatory stages for Self-realization. They help purify the mind and settle it, so it becomes transparent. Self realization is a completely different matter though, and involves knowledge, and what we intuit via the body-mind practices then has to be made a live and direct realization.

Actually I was referring to size of the stance in the frame. In temple style we’re taught the medium frame first, and I believe that’s the same with yang style as well. As we develop more song, the frame expands and becomes low too. And gradually as the movements refine, frame becomes smaller and smaller. But as is the case with all your posts, I learn much and am interested to find out more about yin/yang + bagua + wuxing. In temple style I’ve learnt the 8 gates/powers and 5 stances (corresponding to five elements) and 8 directions (Up-down, front-back, left-right and in-out). Yin and yang approaches in terms of application too. Is that what you meant as well or is it something else altogether?

IMHO, Chen style is great If you’re young — teenage - 20s. Yang is great if you’re older — 30s-40s. Wu is good if you’re older (Wu has smallest frame). Taijiquan has combinations of 3. 3 frames (medium, large, small) 3 speeds (medium, slow, fast) i like Chen style and have learnt & practiced yang style, but my main system of practice is Temple style, which is similar to yang, but with focus on single form practice, standing and seated meditations, etc. Temple style has the full ‘kit-and-kaboodle’ from a Daoist perspective. It takes a long time to learn it to a good level of proficiency. But it is a fulfilling style and will cover your needs — spiritual, martial and health.

I think that mainly the warning (at least as per BKF's material) is to not mix systems that sink the energies first with those that raise the energies. The 'water methods' are focused on the downward flow of energy while the 'fire methods' work on upward flow of energy. I think certain preparatory practices such as anuloma-viloma (also called nādi shodhan or alternate nostril breathing), kapalabhati as well as asana practice won't really interfere with a beginner's "water" practices. None of what you mentioned are inherently dangerous or what I would consider "Fire method". They are preparatory/cleansing methods to help clear out junk from your meridians and central nervous system. I would infact say that you should practice them everyday, just pick a time of day (preferably morning) when you do these and then give a few hours gap before your other "water" systems.

Not sure if this is applicable, but I've often had visions in luminous blue space as well as beings with blue color visiting me (mainly in dream teachings). I also often see my inner space in that electric blue color. I've met a few people who told me they see their inner space in that color. The first time was as follows -- I had many years prior (almost 22-23 years ago), at the beginning of my serious spiritual journey had a vision in which I found myself floating in the darkness of space, and then saw a bluish tinged part of space where I was pulled toward. When I reached there, I saw an enormous luminous electric blue egg crackling with energy (seemed to me like electricity like one can see in a tesla coil). As I watched it, it started to rotate. I saw Lord Krishna and the Buddha in alternate rotations of the egg. And the egg started to rotate faster and faster and then at such an incredible speed that it became a blur, and then it exploded. As it exploded, I saw stars and galaxies flying past me. Then again many times, visitations by blue beings. And then, again a few years back, I had a profound experience wherein during meditation I was simultaneously in the physical world, an astral world, and then also this blue dimension/space. I found myself going to this blue space and was surprised to find the blue egg again. This time, there were several beings around the egg, floating in lotus posture around the egg. At the top was Babaji (of Kriya yoga fame). Around him, in clockwise direction were Lahiri Mahashaya, Yuketshwar Giri, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, and Guru Nanak. I approached Babaji to seek a blessing, and as I went to touch him, he picked me up in his hand and swallowed me whole. I found myself flying through a wormhole of golden light, for what seemed like a long time, and then finally fell into a brilliant golden sun. I was a particle of Golden light, and I became one with the sun. And then after what seemed like a very long time, I fell through the sun into total darkness. As I looked around, I saw a blue luminous space very far away. And as soon as I thought of going closer, I found myself there. It was Lord Vishnu, lying down on the body of the serpent Sheshanaga -- sleeping. As I looked on, suddenly I found myself sitting in the full lotus posture within a lotus. The lotus was rising out of Vishnu's navel.

Those were your words, not mine I didn't say anything about the Buddha. Here's what HH The Dalai Lama has to say -- https://www.dalailama.com/news/2014/his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-chief-guest-at-1st-world-hindu-congress

I wasn't really "arguing" anything. I was stating my opinion. You stated yours. I don't want to argue as that according to me is an exercise in futility. You won't change my mind, and I don't care if I change yours or not.