Eric Yudelove

Perhaps a bit out of topic, but related to the eyes anyway.

 

I am 42 years old and starting to need some reading glases. Do somebody know any

good exercises that relaxes the muscles around the eyes that makes the linse in the eye work better, or as it does when you are younger. (Not finding the right words in English here but still I think everybody know what I mean )

 

 

Fire Dragon

 

By the way I have tried the gasing at the tip of the nose a litle bit but I have still some problems with it, but it is to early to make any conclusions jet. Shall try some more times.

There are a bunch of good exercises I posted above try them as well as Smiling into the Eyes.

 

in the yoga sutras the translation means the tip of the nose as in the top, or its root, which sounds like what you describe you discovered during your process

[/quote

 

Agree totally. Kutashta is the point. Not literally the tip of the nose, the root.

 

Apparently the Yoga Sutras say that the Kutashta is not the tip of the nose, but at the root of the nose.

I certainly don't know myself. If that is what they say, then that's fine with me. Go for it.

However, it is not this way in the Taoist Canon and this is what we are concerned with on this site. If the Yoga Sutra practices are of interest to you, please start another string of messages and you can post here where it is located.

We are all free to believe what we want, if we live in a reasonably free society. This string is particularly dedicated to beginning Taoist Yoga. Please respect this. Respect is something that helps us live in peace with each other.

We can be different, yet the same, without having to fight over it. When it comes to the Spirit, there is no place for fighting. If you mean to inform us, then this is appreciated. If you mean to correct us, then you should not participate. The system I put forth here is based on authentic and ancient Taoist books and they are just as valid in their way as the Yoga Sutras are in their way. They are 2 different systems.

 

Thank You,

MESY

MESY

Thank you for sharing this with us, Eric!

 

I'll be getting your book in a few days, look forwards to reading through it. I'll be doing the nose gazing too.

 

I wonder, how does this mix in with previously done "foundation training". I followed the book "qigong; the secret of youth" by Yang Jwing-ming, which describes a method of massaging the abdomen coupled with meditation to build up qi in the dantian. I had what I percieved as a lot of success with this system, it revolutionalized my emotional, intellectual, and sexual life. However, when it came to the point where one starts working with the MCO, I felt the energy wasn't "right". It was either so strong that it blew my head out of orbit and made me conceited, or it wasn't present. I felt that, like what you said, I was only circulating messy qi.

 

Would your 100 days book give me a window to find the right energy? Does it combine ok with the techniques of massage to stimulate fascia and increase qi, or is it better to abandon that and go over to the system you describe?

 

Thanks a lot again!

 

-Joakim

Dear Joakim:

It's OK to do the message, but hold off visulizing in the Tan Tien until you get "100 Days". You get to the Tan Tien within the first few weeks of practice. The Microcosmic Orbit comes some time later and it is a very organized approach, based on the system used by Charles Luk in "Taoist Yoga".

It will all be covered. With me helping you, it should progress smoothly and easily.

MESY

Thank you very much for the last post Mr Yudelove. It is amazing how this simple practice has such results. Maybe it was the trigger that I needed at this point and everything else has been set for this. I still feel like I can extend this practice for longer periods of time as the muscles in the eyes get used to the exercise. But the cleansing is very pronounced since I have thirty years construction history with lots of fine dust in the air that my eyes are releasing.

The visualization is challenging with the eyes focused on the nose. I am curious about where is visualization taking place with the eyes like this?

Bill

Visualizing, or just using your imagination, takes place at the tip of the nose. If you have trouble with it, don't do it for now.

MESY

Good one trunk. I wonder how many other "secrets" are right in front of my nose? I will look around,(mines pretty big}

I am feeling energy condensing in the center of the head, a very pleasant feeling and it drops down giving the front channel solidity. Energetic sambhavi mudra? I feel my eyes stronger somehow after the exercise, and my concentration is very strong with my "presence" more active. I will spend some time reading Eric's books more in depth today.

I get tearing cleansing from this exercise, but I will try Eric's suggestion.

Bill

Hello Tumoessence:

For those of you following this; add this to your practice-

Visualize the Sun at the tip of your nose.

Then set your controls for the heart of the sun.

I am really glad that I stuck around to teach a little Taoism to you.

I was surprised to realize that there was no awareness of the Tip of the Nose Technique in what I would have to call Western Taoism.

It's so easy to overlook, but it is the technique that really separates Taoist meditation from other meditation. If you've never done it I can tell you that it's like adding an afterburner to your engine.

Move your point of concentration up to the bridge of the nose-little bump about 2/3 the way up the nose.

Maintain an awareness of the tip of the nose. Feel the connection between the 2 points.

Your eyes are barely open now as your eyes look at the bridge of your nose.

I found that once I got past the discomfort, it really turned the Taoist practices into something with some fun in it. It boosted everything I knew into a higher gear or dimension. Well anyway, you know I didn't make it up and you learned something important.

Pass it on.

Blessings, Health and Long Life

MESY

 

in the yoga sutras the translation means the tip of the nose as in the top, or its root, which sounds like what you describe you discovered during your process

It is at the tip of the nose, not the top or root of the nose. I didn't discover anything, what I write about was there for anyone to read. Don't mix the systems up.

You've posted some other messages, but I really can't figure out their meaning, they're sort of ambiguous-no offense. Please clarify. Thank You.

Mesy

I also find it interesting that you are a lawyer as well as a Qigong Master. I recently quit law school because it was sapping me of my vitality. Not enough heart energy. Not to say this would happen to everyone, I'm sure I just wasn't compatible.

We all have to find our own Way.

MESY

Hi Eric (or anyone else with info), have you heard of anyone else getting the sensation on the bridge of my nose, inbetween my eyes, that I described above?

Dear Wrenter:

I've heard of all sorts of results and reactions. It sounds to me that you are activating the 3rd eye point. Just as our internal organs vibrate using the 6 Healing Sounds, so too the mid-eye point can vibrate. I've never gotten any negative feedback from people who followed my approach.(If there are I just don't know about them).

What has your practice consisted of up till now? How long have you been doing Taoist internal work? How far have you advanced in the system you use?

I am very pleased that some of you are getting some significant results.

One technique that might help your practice is to visualize or imagine the tip of a finger touching the tip of your nose, this could help you "locate" the tip. You can actually touch the point first if you like.

On a more general note:

This practice if done correctly should radically change the quality of your meditaion sessions. I really can't imagine starting any other way. I put my concentration on the tip of my nose and I'm right there in a meditative state with the energy ready to flow. The tip of the nose just sort of holds you in place for further exercises, so it is not the final destination, it is the starting point. But it works just as well for quiet meditation as well as "active" meditation.

If you continue having discomfort in the eyes, I suggest massaging the muscles around the eyes with finger tips or knuckle, pulling in on the eye muscles(simultataneously pulling up on part of-anus, perineum, testicles- lips of the vagina and 2 front gates

- or all of the PC muscles simultaneously around the perineum). Also and very important, Getting The Tear Out- raise pointer finger tip about 8 inches in front of your eyes. Open eyes wide, stare at top of fingertip, breath slowly pausing between each breath, and keeping eyes wide(glaring) open until the eyes begin to tear. This one can really burn when getting started but is a great technique for clearing impurities from the muscles around the eyes and calming the eye muscles. These are not the same kind of tears you produce when you cry. Do after eye message.

Keep Up the Good Work,

MESY

What would happen if one directed that light towards the crown instead of the dantien?

 

In the system mentioned, how is the crown opened?

Remember what happened to Humpty Dumpty.

It's not a good idea until you are well grounded. Right now we're still working at the tip of the nose. Just pretend that it's more important than your crown for 1 week.

Hey, what's a week?

MESY

I agree, this is what makes ttb interesting, not threads about jerking off, pimples, hemorrhoids and ramakhrishna.

Let's just hope it will last long enough.... or better yet, let's help it last!

Just to make things a little easier for you, here is my explanation of the tip of the nose practice, which I had previously posted. If you still have questions after reading it, contact me.

First of all as a reference point of how to start the practice, it makes it easy to begin. It is an excellent method for reestablishing the balance in your eye and facial muscles, which in time leads to a better left brain-right brain balance. Overlooking the necessity of reestablishing this balance could continue to be a constant source of distraction to your meditation, although you would probably be unaware of the source of this distraction. With a little practice, the technique should feel quite comfortable.

Once staring at the tip of the nose becomes the starting point of your meditation, you will virtually instantly go into a meditative state when you do it. It has a real quality of closing out the external world and bring you inside. It also is a great tool for quieting internal dialog.

Even when I am dealing with the external world, simply putting my awareness on the tip of my nose results in an instant shift of consciousness that can literally be felt throughout my body, as well as having a general calming and focusing effect.

There is not that much in the available literature that directly tells you why to do it, it mostly just tells you to start there. It is the starting off point for learning what is variously referred to as The Backward Flowing Method in "The Secret of the Golden Flower", Silent Sitting in "Tien Tao Chi Kung Internal Work", I call it Sitting and Stilling the Mind in "100 Days".

In "Tien Tao Chi Kung-Introduction to Chi Kung" from the Chinese National Chi Kung Institute it states that staring at the tip of the nose is a start off spot "to awaken the heat sensation of chi energy" and will lead to an increased ability to concentrate "on the lower abdomen area, cultivating the positive fire."

Charles Luk in "Taoist Yoga" states, "Before sitting in meditation, it is important to put an end to all rising thoughts and to loosen garments and belt to relax the body and avoid interferring with the free circulation of blood. After sitting the body should be (senseless) like a log and the heart (mind) unstirred like cold ashes. The eyes should look down and fix on the tip of the nose; they should not be shut completely to avoid dullness and confusion; neither should they be wide open to prevent spirit from wandering outside. They should be fixed on the tip of the nose with one's attention concentrated on the spot between them; and in time the light of vitality (chi) will manifest. This is the best way to get rid of all thoughts at the start when preparing the elixer of immortality."

"The Secret of the Golden Flower" states:

"The two founders of Buddhism and Taoism have taught that one should look at the tip of one's nose. But they did not mean that one should fasten one's thoughts to the tip of the nose. Neither did they mean that, while the eyes were looking at the tip of the nose, the thoughts should be concentrated on the yellow middle. Wherever the eye looks, the heart is directed also. How can it be directed at the same time upward (yellow middle) and downward (tip of the nose), or alternatively, so that it is now up, now down? All that means confusing the finger which points to the moon with the moon itself.

What then is really meant by this? The expression 'tip of the nose' is very cleverly chosen. The nose must serve the eyes as a guide-line. If one is not guided by the nose, either one opens wide the eyes and looks into the distance, so that the nose is not seen, or the lids shut too much, so that the eyes close, and again the nose is not seen. But when the eyes are open too wide, one makes the mistake of directing them outward, thereby one is easily distracted. If they are closed too much, one makes the mistake of letting them turn inward, whereby one easily sinks into a dreamy reverie. Only when the eyelids are lowered properly halfway is the tip of the nose seen in just the right way. Therefore it is taken as a guide-line. The main thing is to lower the eyelids in the right way, and then allow the light to stream in of itself; without effort, wanting the light to stream in concentratedly. Looking at the tip of the nose serves only as the beginning of the inner concentration, so that the eyes are brought into the right direction for looking , and then are held to the guide-line: after that, one can let it be. That is the way that a mason hangs up a plumb-line. As soon as he has hung it up, he guides his work by it without continually bothering himself to look at the plumb-line."

"One looks with both eyes at the tip of the nose, sits upright and in a comfortable position, and holds the heart to the center in the midst of conditions. In Taoism it is called the yellow middle, in Buddhism the center of the midst of conditions. The two are the same. It does not necessarily mean the middle of the head. It is only a matter of fixing one's thinking on the point which lies exactly between the two eyes. Then all is well. The light streams in of it's own accord. It is not necessary to direct the attention to the central castle. In these few words the most important thing is contained."

I describe these methods in detail in the first few weeks of "100 Days". I add as a starting point staring at a spot before the eyes before drawing the concentration to the tip of the nose, this is for the purpose of helping beginners, I don't think it is essential, but it really does work well.

However, a much more elaborate procedure is found in Tien Tao Chi Kung Internal Work. Here one 1st) Stares at a point 6 feet directly in front of you, 2) Shifts and stops the eyes at a point on a 45 degree angle down and in front of you at a distance of 3 feet, 3) Shifting and fixing the eyes at a point directly between your feet and 4) Concentrating the eyes on the tip of the nose.

Aside from it's initial discomfort, the main drawback to staring at the tip of one's nose, is that it is probably something you would not want to be seen doing in public. As Charles Luk puts it, "you will look like a stupid man."

Well you might look stupid, but you will be performing one of the most intelligent tasks on the planet.

During my years studying with Master Chia, I often wondered why he never taught this method. Finally about 3 years after he named me a master(he gave me a Certificate by the way), he finally taught this method as part of his ultimate level of teaching internal alchemy, the Sealing of the 5 Senses. I really got to wondering why he had taken more than 22 years of teaching in the USA to get to the point that he considered "the end" while the great Taoist literature considered it to be the beginning? It was the way it was taught to him I guess, but it was the point at which I took to the road and the mountains and he went home to Thailand.

I hope I have sufficiently clarified this issue for you.

MESY

This thread is for discussing Eric Yudeloves teachings and only that. Only the practices. Any discussion about him as a person should be done in the other thread about him:

http://www.thetaobum...-eric-yudelove/

I realized recently that many of you might not be familiar with some of the techniques described in classic literature about how to begin Taoist Meditation.

I am primariy focusing on Richard Wilhelm's translation of "The Secret of The Golden Flower", NOT Cleary's translation.

I began working with this book in the early '70s and adapted it's approach in my books. Although my description of beginning the practice including warming the lower Tan Tien and the Microcosmic Orbit appear quite similar to those of Mantak Chia and others, in certain ways, which might appear subtle at first, are actually significantly different from these teachers.

I don't know if this subject has been discussed before, but I think we should see some good discussion here.

I tried to present this material based on my own understanding of the ancient texts, nothing is my own creation or belief, excepting the manner I organized it so that it would be intelligible to understand from a book.

I've already posted a long description of the beginning technique on the TaoBums site in the Eric Yudelove's teachings string.

There were a series of questions relating to my stating that the practice begins by learning to stare at the tip of the nose. Both "Secret of the Golden Flower" and Charles Luk's "Taoist Yoga" begin here.

In a nutshell, the tip of the nose acts like a guideline. The focus of concentration moves to the bridge of the nose then to the point between the two eyes. If done correctly light will manifest and flow backwards into the brain to illuminate the "Central Castle". From there it is focused down to the lower Tan Tien where work is done and then the light is circulated in the Microcosmic Orbit.

The difference here may not appear evident, I'm just giving a barebones description, but it is. In "the Secret of the Golden Flower" system, illumination of the brain is the starting point, not the ultimate object, of Taoist Alchemy. When the light is produced and the lower Tan Tien is activated, the light grows stronger or congeals and is then used to open and circulate in the Microcosmic Orbit. Without the light, there really might be nothing to circulate in the Microcosmic Orbit except your thoughts and relatively weak Chi; which might be a reason why so many practitioners have so much trouble with it.

This approach is quite coherent and simplifies the practice considerably.

It is described in detail in my "100 Days" but this book is now no longer published in the US, although I believe there is an Indian edition in English called "Taoist Yoga and Chi Kung", which was my original title for this book, which my publisher chose to change, against my wishes. Anyway, I'm not trying to sell anything, I don't get any money from it. I'm just telling where the material is available.

This technique may be no revelation to anybody, but I don't know that.

What I do know is how well using the tip of the nose works. You always know where to begin and proper concentration there will almost always instantly put you into a meditative state.

Check it out. If you've never done this, it does take some getting used to. Stick with it if you can. Please post your own experiences along these lines here. Let's not digress from this issue and nothing personal here or I have been assured, that it will be removed.

I came here to discuss practice, after my introductory post, this is what I wrote about in my 1st posting. I'm sure there are some fine minds here who have important things to share. We're not looking to find out who knows more than everyone else, who is most arrogant, who is most angry or any other projections of your ego, go take that out on your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, children, friends or wall, not here.

Here we discuss Beginning Taoist Practices.

Blessings, Health and Long Life,

MESY

I would say that for burnout nothing is more important than deeply resting meditations etc. where you just alow things to happen. A lot of the energywork can nvolve too much doing escpeically for someone that has the overactive doing mindset one often has when one is burned out. This mindset can often be very subtle and make teh active energywork counterproductive. I know as I am in the same situation. I think Sykkelpump said something like that hapened to him and the energywork only m ade things wors and it was breaht based meditation that finaly worked for him. I highly recomend yoga nidra for this. Lying down body based meditation that is purely relaxing and has zero doing involved. Just listen to the tape is enough.

Dear Markern:

Judging from what Red Dragon has told me, I don't think he would benefit from deeply resting meditations at this time. Learning to tame the mind is the key to freedom. Stick with one system and work on it. Don't take a little from here and a little from there, you will ultimately wind up nowhere, confused or delusional. Start on the tip of your nose and read the instructions in the Shen portion of weeks 1-3 in "100 Days".

I just gave you the key to the mystery of Taoist Yoga and you want to do Yoga Nidra.

I'm not knocking him, don't know anything about him except just like the time Dian bought me a beatiful statue of a mythical Gryphon. I put it in my Taoist Rock Garden near the old Taoist Fu Shih.

The next day it wasn't on top of the large rock I had firmly placed it on. I looked around and saw the body of the Gryphon lying in front of the stone. I looked behind the stone and saw his wings. Whoa, I thought how can the two parts of the Gryphon be on opposite sides of the rock? I did a little more investigating the scene and found that the Gryphon's two arms were missing. One had a red ball cemented to the hand.

The next day I found the marble sized red ball on the other side of the bridge. Far.

I never found the arms.

This got me really suspicious so I finally asked Fu Shih what the hell he was doing? He gave me an inscrutible smile and all he would say was "No b'long here."

MESY

 

You know Fire Dragon, I charge by the hour. Do you have Taoist Universal Health Insurance?

 

 

Hello E S Yudelove and thanks for your excellent explanations.

 

Two further questions arises to my mind one personal and one of general interest.

 

Question one: I have done some practises in the White Tigress system from Hsi Lais books. One of the practises is to concentrate on a point behind and a bit up in the middle between the eyes. In this practise you put your eyes in the direction to the nose, but put your concentration inward to the point behind your eyes I mentioned.

 

What happened to me when I did this for 20 minutes about 2 times a day, was that a light started to flash as pulses in the point, I think. What also happened was that I had some important dreams about my ancestors, where I got information about how they lived there lives and which problems they had and how therire society looked like. It was in a time before my grandfathers and grandmothers and probably from my grandfathers side I thougth. Later I get curious about what had happened and I try to see something in the litterature about the point. The point was cauld the original cavity in Hsi Lais book, but it is called the ancestors hall in the book by Charles Luk the mentioned "Taoist Yoga"

 

My question is: What is the difference to stare at the nose and put your concentration between your eyes, as I belive was written in your post, and to put your concentration on the original cavity? Are the effect similar or are there any big differences.

 

 

Staring at the tip of the nose is the starting point that will lead to the point between your eyes.

The instructions are in "100 Days" very clearly. Like I told you - how can you read a textbook when you never learned to read in the first place? Take another look it's there. Ignore at your peril!

 

 

 

By the way I have started a internet course with Hsi Lai, even though it not is running for the moment.

 

 

I do not know the gentleman or his teaching's.

 

 

My second question:

This question is related to this part in your answer: " and will lead to an increased ability to concentrate "on the lower abdomen area, cultivating the positive fire." "

 

and to a personal health issue.

 

My text got realy long so I put the short wersion question directly instead of at the bottom:

I have an extreme cold intollerance and fatigue since 10 years ago. I connect it to the adrenals and to low yang qi in the kidneys. For me it looks like cultivating the positive fire in the tan-tien could be a solution to my problem. I'm not realy shore how to put my question, but I guess what I am after is the in your oppinion rigth way to continue my practise or which methods seemse to be the right way to increase my heat in the body. Or at least if those methods cultivating the positive fire does also increase the heat in the body, which I believe I have heard they do. One of the problem with the practise seems to be that it generate heat and Mantak Chia write alot of this, but my problem is the opposite and there is realy not much written about that. This question is of wery big interest for me and I would be pleased with any answer helping me one step even though just a small step further in my continuosly struggle with my health. I understand if you or somebody else can't give me a complete answer without examining me, but general ansers might also be a greate help.

 

 

 

My own list of possible solutions is:

 

Fusion of the five elemets seems promising

Iron shirt

Healing love with a woman, I have lived in celibacy almost the whole time

practising in the system

Ballancing heart and kidneys

Breathing into the waist

...

 

 

Try the 6 healing Sounds, this will bring stored and sick heat out of your internal organs. You should actually feel the heat coming out of your organs. Use the Kidney Sound to heat up your organs and feel the heat move backwards and downwards into your Tsoas Muscle.

Rub your hands together rapidly to raise the Chi, then rub hands over your face, nose, ears, neck, arms and whatever part of body you would like. Do your eyes last. Rub your hands together again as they get cooler. Put a drop of spit in your hands to make more friction if necessary. Concentrate on blood flowing to the palms and the fingertips.

Do Quick Fire Breathing, these are rapid Abdominal Breaths that should take about 2 seconds each to perform an in and out Abdominal Breath emphsizing rapid expansion and contraction of the muscles of the lower abdomen. This is known as Quick or Rapid Fire. You don't want to raise too much heat, I don't want you to spontaneously combust which,(as we all know) is common with Fire Dragons. Once it starts to feel hot switch to slow abdominal breathing, Slow Fire.

Do spiraling projections of energy down the Governor Channel, down your legs and out the Bubbling Spring point in the middle of your foot, behind the ball of your foot, start drawing energy down from your kidneys and adrenals.

 

 

I would be wery pleased if you as a Master could point out any particular direction that might be helpful for my condition.

 

 

 

From the litle I know or think I haved grasped about the taoist yoga theory I think I have understood that: The cultivation of the positive fire in the tan-tien seems to me to be a starting point in the practise that let other things happening. This positive fire creates the enough energy to let prosseses begin. More I don't dare to write about this.

 

No you start at the tip of the nose. Bad eyesight is not an excuse for failure to follow instructions. You get to the lower tan-tien fairly rapidly. It's the brain that is key here. The lower tan tien is the seat of the bodies 2nd nevous system. This is fact. What becomes to nervous system splits in 2 in the embryo and one part settles in the head while the other drifts down to the lower abdomen where it eventually connects to the Vagus Nerve which in turn connects to the rest of the body.

This is scientific fact not typical Taoist mumbo jumbo.

 

Sincerely Fire Dragon

 

________________________________________________________________________________-

The longer story:

 

In my life I am trying to find a solution or solutions to one major health issues I have been working with for about 1o years. I've got a burned out condition. Two of my major symtomes was extreme cold intollerance, and I mean realy extreme, it was so extreme that I could have choosen to kill myself instead of going true its torture. Related to this there was also a huge fatigue.

 

Anyway I'm not writing this for pitying myself. I write this beacase I'm curious about if the taoist yoga or qigong is able to heal my condition. So everytime I hear about something that can make you warmer, I listening carefully.

 

I have for instance tried iron shirt, but have always have had difficulties with this practise. It is better now since I started in Yudeloves "Taist yoga and sexual energy". My problem with this practise was that I also get dissy and couldn't stand for long. Also everytime I have tried to start the iron shirt practise I have find wery many excuses for not practising it. ,bu still working on it form time to time and will start again now when my new group starts practising from the mentioned book.

 

I have also been working lately on ballancing the fire in the heart and the water in the kidneys wich seems to have a wery positive effect on me.

 

I have also started to add some daily practises working on the kidneys, like the following: Which adds up to my other more free practise during the day

 

Testicle breathing or testicle massage

Retention

Yudeloves 8 brocade: Grasping the toes with both hands to reinforce the kidneys

Chi self massage: On the kidneys and the ears (Yudeloves and Chias method)

Four squares breathing into the waist and hips

The lotus flower meditation (From Chias Tao Yin program), I love this one

 

DO what ever you like. Also try doing somethings you don't like. Don't become a creature of habit.

 

Toghether with moderation with cofe and internet porn.

 

 

Does this require congradulations? As Aleister Crowley said:

" Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."

Please don't ejaculate.This might make your girlfriends a little frustated, but in time they'll get over it.

 

 

 

This is a new program I started just a few dais ago to trying to steanghtening my kidneys in the long run and perhaps have a change to deal with my fatigue.

 

 

Somewhere in my mind I'm shore that the yoga practises has the key to my health problem. Ironically one thing that helped me the most was the first thing I ever tried in the Universal Tao system. I did start my practise the year 1999 from Chias first book: "Awaken Healing energy through the tao". This was in the period when my health was a complete mess. The program starts with 100 breaths into the stomach. I had tremendous problems from the start to even do 20. After about 4 months of daily practise I could with wery much effort reach about 80. I was wery frustrated and wanted to continue in the book with the microcosmic orbit. Some days I realy tried hard to reach 100 breaths and forced myself day after day, but never accomplished. One day I was wery close and did sweat alot and went extremely dissy but managed to go to 97 and every further breath was tremendously difficult, at about 99 or 100 there was an explossion a realy hard and burning explosion in my navel. I nearly fainted and was lying on the couch for hours afterwards. This thing opened somewhat up my tan-tien that was probably completely blooked and I started to get energy in my life and a few months after this episode was able to work part time and about a year after this on half time. Today I am still on half time but on my way to 75% working capacity.

 

My diagnosis done by a TCM acupunturist in my town is.

 

Lack of general yang qi. Lack of yang qi in the kideys and some disturbance in the nervous system and the intestines.

 

Yang qi in the kidneys is closely connected to the adrenals, which Is my new western diagnosis I am working with for the moment.

 

 

Picture yourself as a fiery, fire breathing Fire Dragon in your Lower Tan Tien. Work on him until he looks real. This is your Taoist self. Believing it's real is the key to making the magic of the Tao work.

______________________________________________

 

 

BTW: That's a weather observatory, a radio station and a seasonal Visitors Center which is open from the end of May until September. Mt. Washington until very recently, had the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth, approximately 240 MPH!

 

 

________________________________--

 

 

Bill to follow.

 

MESY

One parting observation which you all seem to already know and I'm sure Sparkle would agree with you:

 

I'm bad to the bone & a drunken lazy bastard.

 

The Dragon Master

'Eric Yudelove'

Here's a picture of the entrance to the Taoist rock garden(still working on the Spring cleanup) and a view of Mt. Washington from our driveway in New Hampshire.

And Dear Fire Dragon,

It's a sad commentary on our times when a Fire Dragon cannot recognize a Water Dragon. That's Lola our baby Long Island Water Dragon in the waterfall picture, not a frog. Her father Yoshio is now heartbroken for his daughter and is considering sending her to Costa Rica for plastic surgery when she's old enough to fly.

MESY

[quote name='rain' date='20 March 2010 - 04:32 PM'

[quote name='Fire Dragon' date='20 March 2010 - 12:31

.

Lov your garden Eric! Exactly why is the nose gazing technique so important?

First of all as a reference point of how to start the practice, it makes it easy to begin.

It is an excellent method for reestablishing the balance in your eye and facial muscles, which in time leads to a better left brain-right brain balance. Overlooking the necessity of reestablishing this balance could continue to be a constant source of distraction to your meditation, although you would probably be unaware of the source of this distraction. With a little practice, the technique should feel quite comfortable.

Once staring at the tip of the nose becomes the starting point of your meditation, you will virtually instantly go into a meditative state when you do it. It has a real quality of closing out the external world and bring you inside. It also is a great tool for quieting internal dialog.

Even when I am dealing with the external world, simply putting my awareness on the tip of my nose results in an instant shift of consciousness that can literally be felt throughout my body, as well as having a general calming and focusing effect.

There is not that much in the available literature that directly tells you why to do it, it mostly just tells you to start there. It is the starting off point for learning what is variously referred to as The Backward Flowing Method in "The Secret of the Golden Flower", Silent Sitting in "Tien Tao Chi Kung Internal Work", I call it Sitting and Stilling the Mind in "100 Days".

In "Tien Tao Chi Kung-Introduction to Chi Kung" from the Chinese National Chi Kung Institute it states that staring at the tip of the nose is a start off spot "to awaken the heat sensation of chi energy" and will lead to an increased ability to concentrate "on the lower abdomen area, cultivating the positive fire."

Charles Luk in "Taoist Yoga" states, "Before sitting in meditation, it is important to put an end to all rising thoughts and to loosen garments and belt to relax the body and avoid interferring with the free circulation of blood. After sitting the body should be (senseless) like a log and the heart (mind) unstirred like cold ashes. The eyes should look down and fix on the tip of the nose; they should not be shut completely to avoid dullness and confusion; neither should they be wide open to prevent spirit from wandering outside. They should be fixed on the tip of the nose with one's attention concentrated on the spot between them; and in time the light of vitality (chi) will manifest. This is the best way to get rid of all thoughts at the start when preparing the elixer of immortality."

"The Secret of the Golden Flower" states:

"The two founders of Buddhism and Taoism have taught that one should look at the tip of one's nose. But they did not mean that one should fasten one's thoughts to the tip of the nose. Neither did they mean that, while the eyes were looking at the tip of the nose, the thoughts should be concentrated on the yellow middle. Wherever the eye looks, the heart is directed also. How can it be directed at the same time upward (yellow middle) and downward (tip of the nose), or alternatively, so that it is now up, now down? All that means confusing the finger which points to the moon with the moon itself.

What then is really meant by this? The expression 'tip of the nose' is very cleverly chosen. The nose must serve the eyes as a guide-line. If one is not guided by the nose, either one opens wide the eyes and looks into the distance, so that the nose is not seen, or the lids shut too much, so that the eyes close, and again the nose is not seen. But when the eyes are open too wide, one makes the mistake of directing them outward, thereby one is easily distracted. If they are closed too much, one makes the mistake of letting them turn inward, whereby one easily sinks into a dreamy reverie. Only when the eyelids are lowered properly halfway is the tip of the nose seen in just the right way. Therefore it is taken as a guide-line. The main thing is to lower the eyelids in the right way, and then allow the light to stream in of itself; without effort, wanting the light to stream in concentratedly. Looking at the tip of the nose serves only as the beginning of the inner concentration, so that the eyes are brought into the right direction for looking , and then are held to the guide-line: after that, one can let it be. That is the way that a mason hangs up a plumb-line. As soon as he has hung it up, he guides his work by it without continually bothering himself to look at the plumb-line."

"One looks with both eyes at the tip of the nose, sits upright and in a comfortable position, and holds the heart to the center in the midst of conditions. In Taoism it is called the yellow middle, in Buddhism the center of the midst of conditions. The two are the same. It does not necessarily mean the middle of the head. It is only a matter of fixing one's thinking on the point which lies exactly between the two eyes. Then all is well. The light streams in of it's own accord. It is not necessary to direct the attention to the central castle. In these few words the most important thing is contained."

I describe these methods in detail in the first few weeks of "100 Days". I add as a starting point staring at a spot before the eyes before drawing the concentration to the tip of the nose, this is for the purpose of helping beginners, I don't think it is esential, but it really does work well.

However a much more elaborate procedure is found in Tien Tao Chi Kung Internal Work. Here one 1st) Stares at a point 6 feet directly in front of you, 2) Shifts and stops the eyes at a point on a 45 degree angle down and in front of you at a distance of 3 feet, 3) Shifting and fixing the eyes at a point directly between your feet and 4) Concentrating the eyes on the tip of the nose.

Aside from it's initial discomfort, the main drawback to staring at the tip of one's nose, is that it is probably something you would not want to be seen doing in public. As Charles Luk puts it, "you will look like a stupid man."

Well you might look stupid, but you will be performing one of the most intelligent tasks on the planet.

During my years studying with Master Chia, I often wondered why he never taught this method. Finally about 3 years after he named me a master(he gave me a Certificate by the way lol), he finally taught this method as part of his ultimate level of teaching internal alchemy, the Sealing of the 5 Senses. I really got to wondering why he had taken more than 22 years of teaching in the USA to get to the point that he considered "the end" while the great Taoist literature considered it to be the beginning? It was the way it was taught to him, but it was the point at which I took to the road and the mountains and he went home to Thailand.

I hope I have sufficiently clarified this issue for you.

MESY

Hello, can you please expand a bit on your explanation? Thanks.

I will soon.

Meanwhile, Today I was getting the Taoist Rock Garden in shape for Spring, which starts tomorrow.It winds around for about 2/3 the length of a football field. Once you cross the bridge, the laws of nature and physics, as are commonly understood, no longer apply.

MESY

Hello

 

I have heard that it is a missunderstunding also and that it is just to direct the eyes in a particular direction. Actually in my white tigress practise, that I not practise for the moment, there it was such a description but the focus was on the original cavity behind the eyes.

 

I do not like that part of Yudeloves practise, to stare at points and the nose. Probably beacase I have glases with different streanght on both eyes and that this kind of staring at the nose, makes me feel diccy. If I want to still my mind I rather like to focus on the tan-tien.

 

Actually in Yudeloves practise you also stare at the bump of the nose which is half way down the nose, at the point where the bone in the nose stops. And you focus on the third eye with closed eyes also.

 

Perhaps the practise works differently and is a ok practise for stilling the mind. If it have worked for Yudelove it might work for others as well, a missinterpration or not.

 

 

I think it is desctibed in the book "taoist yoga" (not by Yudelove) and perhaps it is in that book that it is explained as a missinterpration. I do not remember from where I have heard it but that migth be a sorce.

 

Unfortunately it seems like we have lost Mr Yudelove from this board otherwise this might have been an interesting topic to discuss with him!

 

 

I do not like it anyway and doesn't use it more than together with my yoga group from time to time, when we follow Yudelove, but I tell the others that I not like that part of the practise; so I find no personal reason to contact him on this particular question on the given email adrass. I save that for more personal important stuff to later.

 

 

Fire Dragon

Dear Fire Dragon:

As I previously wrote, it is NOT a misinterpretation or mistranslation. It is a very, very important part of the practice.

The discomfort you experience has to do with the imbalance of muscles in the left and right side of your face and eyes. One purpose of the exercise is to work out this imbalance.

I cannot begin to tell you how important I believe this step to be. It is the launching point for all of Taoist internal alchemy.

Ignoring it because it makes you feel dicey will probably add wasted years to your practice. There is no more important stuff later. It's sort of like trying to read a textbook when you never learned how to read in the 1st place.

ESY

An interesting part in '100 days' was the time spent staring at the tip of your nose. I've seen it mentioned in one or two other places (Glenn Morris discussed cross eyed portraits as representing enlightenment). But at one point when it was discussed here a Chinese practitioner said it was a wrong, a misreading of the Classics.

 

I'd be interested to know the definitive truth on cross eyed nose gazing. A real practice or Western misunderstanding or maybe both .

 

 

Thanks

 

Michael

Dear Michael & Others of Interest:

The teachings are quite clear. Staring at the tip of the nose is a starting point for many schools of both Taoist and Buddhist Meditation. See for instance Page 1 of Charles Luk's "Taoist Yoga" and page 35 of Wilhelm's "The Secret of the Golden Flower". These are 2 of the classic and earliest translations of authentic Taoist texts into English.

Mantak Chia eventually gets to this technique in the very advanced alchemical formula "Sealing of the Five Senses". Personally I never understood why he waited that long. It is the major difference between the way he & I introduce Taoist meditation.

ESY

c'mon, Mal. blame the victim? not even close, brother. and shame on you for even going there. so they have ZERO responsibility in any of this? they shouldn't be held at all accountable for their claims, conduct, actions? really? and how they represented themselves and reacted to criticism said nothing at all about their character?

 

last i checked, they were adults. and educated, successful adults at that. you're crying foul, over what? their own words and behavior being thrown back in their faces? THAT'S the victimization that has occurred? is it even possible for a lawyer/mercenary to be so thin-skinned? i doubt it. more likely a tactical ploy to save face and garner sympathy in a single motion. a tactic that you seem to be eating up quite readily.

 

 

and why would a practical discussion be pointless? the author is not the authority on the techniques. practice of the techniques is the authority! and at least 2 of his books are readily available. both his 100 days book (kinda weak) and his Taoist Yoga book (much better) are available on Amazon, and plenty of people have them already. so why would it be pointless? only if you consider the "VICTIM" identity you've conferred on him more important than the practical discussion would it be pointless. and even then, only pointless for you and the bums who agree with you. but it's certainly not objectively or practically pointless.

 

YOUR OWN PRACTICE is the authority on the techniques. NOT the author (who who was not the creator).

 

if you don't want to talk about it, it's not out of futility. it's in protest. and that's fine. that's your call.

This is part of an e-mail I sent to Mal a few days ago:

"Dian was really shocked and appalled at the behavior on TTB. I wasn't. But what's the point? There are some good people there but overall I was getting nothing from it but flack. Why make myself a target to the lowest common denominator? I have other things to occupy my time.

Forget myself, I really couldn't believe the attacks on Mantak Chia. I 1st knew him when he barely had a pot to piss in. I can't say that he's the greatest thing since white bread, but hey, a little respect. The Internet has seemed to have thrown civility & good manners down the toilet. It is a sad commentary on our times when people who call themselves Taoists behave like self-righteous spoiled nasty brats."

This is new:

I found nothing to learn here, nothing to share here. I invite anyone who would like to share or seek some advice to e-mail me at [email protected]. But this place has become a cesspool for too many who think "My Tao is better than your Tao" or "Your Tao doesn't live up to My expectations of the Real Tao" or "My Tao Master is a real Tao Master but your Tao Master is an Asshole" or "My Tao Master has sublime lineage reaching back to the Mongol Invasion but your Tao Master has no lineage and must have must have decended from the Mother Ship" or" My Tao is more Spiritual than Your Tao, so you're an asshole."

Tao is something to live in harmony with, not something you think you can possess or hold over someone's head like a sword."

I'm sure this post will again open me up to further attacks, from the Peanut Gallery, that's what I've come to expect here. But hey, I've been attacked by the best of them, people who really wanted to hurt me or worse and I'm still standing. I live the life I choose to live, I don't have to live by your rules. That's enough Tao for me. What's enough Tao for each of you is something you'll have to discover for yourself.

Eric Yudelove

This is better than a soap opera!

One parting observation which you all seem to already know and I'm sure Sparkle would agree with you:

I'm bad to the bone & a punch drunk lazy bastard.

The Dragon Master