Ya Mu

Agreed on the tai chi. But apparently there are many folks that call themselves tai chi teachers that have no idea that each of the movements is a martial application. Disagree to a point on the energy "masters" stuff can be BS'd. Sure a lot of people make claims, but it boils down to either they can manipulate qi or not. Put one next to someone with a sprained ankle that is swollen to 3 times normal size and see if they can reduce the swelling and reduce the pain. If they can't, then they are blowing hot air. Qi can be felt and no amount of arm waving, what someone said, what someone claims, etc can change that. A start on a certifying agency has begun in the USA. The National Qigong Association www.nqa.org has a certification standard for Clinical Qigong practitioners and teachers. This standard was arrived at through several years of evaluating different programs and with an input from many of the top names in qigong and medical qigong. The Clinical Qigong Therapist certification requires a minimum of 500 hrs training. The level IV senior level teacher is required to have over 10 years of experience teaching. I think this is a good start on certification standards.

What makes you think that? How many "masters" do you know? If you do know any, do you think they will live physically forever? I assure you they, too die a physical death. How is it possible they die? Because they have dis-ease of the body. Everyone dies of something. "Masters" also realize the body is something to be rented for an extremely short period of time and use their energy to help others. If they do not then I would say they are not a "master". If anyone is totally concerned with the body only then there is no way they are a "master".

My tradition say for self-cultivation an hr a day. For healers manipulating energy daily we say 3 hrs a day. Some days are better than others, always has been and always will be. Stick to what works for you.

AS you say, it IS difficult to know. What I have found, for both my students and myself, is that through the practice AND the energy transmission real KNOWING does occur. But of course that doesn't mean something a person thought was true remains true, that's what burning through the filters does. Truth remains truth and illusion drops. And, as you say, traditions are certainly a better place to start than WAG (Wild A** Guessing). But remember that traditions containing truth often pass on illusion as well and it is up to the individual practitioner to practice LISTENING and discernment. And I say that brain oriented reasoning cannot give us that true discernment. Only energetic LISTENING can. And one cannot practice energetic LISTENING without the energetic cultivation practice. This is really the only statement I disagree with. Probably is true for linear practices, but for non-linear practices such as the Stillness-Movement I teach, it really doesn't matter what the person believes, we bypass the linear mind and jump straight to energetics; this works even if a person has strong beliefs in lots of illusions. I don't say that said person would not have to deal with the conflict of the brain-oriented illusions, but with continued practice it is not difficult to do so. Things become self-evident. You have obviously put a great deal of thought in this. Good luck on your journey.

As Ghost Dancer says, This is an established Taoist medical method. I utilize this method every day and teach it to my medical qigong students. It is not limited to water. I find it very powerful to use with liquid herbal preparations. One of my students manufactures a Dit Da Jow (hit ointment) that he uses this method with. I can certainly feel the difference in his formula versus other formula of the same herbal content. We utilized this method in our December qigong workshop. A student attending had a cold and was feeling very bad. A liquid concentrate of echinacea was placed in water, then energized with energy and INTENT. Immediately upon drinking we observed this person's energy field drastically change, immediate draining of clogged sinus, and feeling much better.

But if you have not a way of recognition of the truth (not saying you personally do or don't), how are you going to know which of the things you find are accurate? By reasoning? I don't think the brain is capable, as the brain is linear and confined to this body/lifetime. But the energy body isn't. So, my opinion is to raise the energy body vibration rate through practice, and burn through the filters of illusion, is the only way to recognize that truth when you find it. True with many teaching methods. But not true with all teaching methods. Some teachers, I am one, teach trough the linage art of energy projection to vibrationally imprint information gained through the entire lineage to the student (I have no idea how many books a student would have to read in order to access this same information, but really don't think it is even possible). The student then has to practice and raise his vibrational rate in order to access this information. This information gives the student a way of knowing. But the student STILL has to practice and cultivate his energy body in order to maintain this access.

This book by Michael Newton has information that corresponds to what I have experientially learned in my Taoist cultivation of raising the energy body's vibrational frequency. I explain some of this in my book but he has case studies that are extremely interesting. He does not express any of this in Taoist terms. Neither do I. I suggest searching for the truth and not limit oneself to any particular tradition. Truth is truth and it doesn't matter where it comes from. Any tradition can have illusions as well as truth. The only way I know of to discern the difference between truth and illusion is to burn through our filters by raising the energy body's vibrational rate.

Wise. If more folks would follow your example there would be a lot less chaos in the world. I generally (of course there are exceptions) do not allow folks under 30 at my workshops. And usually I get more folks over 40 than younger. It is difficult (not impossible) seeking true spirituality when younger. To those that haver found it at a younger age I congratulate you.

Really Good!

Yes, it IS bizarre. My view AND my research in China of this subject brought me to the conclusion that, the method of seminal retention had nothing whatsoever to do with cultivation and everything to do with birth control. A certain well-know scholar that had migrated to the USA wrote this up as a cultivation method and many western males jumped all over it. Soon there were "MASTERS" teaching this to others and it has become embedded as a true cultivation method. Can it be turned into a cultivation method? Well, I can show you ten ways of bubble gum chewing qigong that I can guarantee you works, so yes, virtually anything can be turned into a cultivation method. But is it an efficient method? I do not think so. And I have personally performed medical qigong on too-many-to-count young, numb, and dumb western males who have created severe imbalances with this method. To those that say "BUT I get SO much out of it", I say congratulations, you created that. The Taoist alchemical transmutation method of sexual cultivation I was taught involves love, male and female, and the ejaculation is utilized as a catalyst in the transmutation of energies where MUCH more Higher Level energy is received by both the male and the female than either utilized in creating the alchemical act. I describe this method in this book. And no, I REALLY care not if anyone reading this forum purchases said book. In fact, please don't unless you feel a resonance with the book itself.

On Power and En-LIGHT-enment. There are several posts on this thread about Power. If I interpret correctly, some feel it is not good/necessary to pursue for en-LIGHT-enment and some feel that it is the essence of the driving force for en-LIGHT-enment. My view comes from having pursued Power only to realize that Power without Knowledge is like having a sledge hammer without the ability to swing it properly and finding that it often falls on your foot. So, Power for Power's sake misses the boat for helping one to reach Higher Levels. But, with diligent practice, we eventually can balance out Power with Knowledge. This balance usually requires many years to arrive to, and we diligently pursue it only to discover, to our amazing chagrin, that Power and Knowledge mean nothing without Wisdom. So, we pursue Wisdom. But Wisdom is an elusive and slippery thing and is much harder to grasp than Power and Knowledge. But the Tao being what it is does provide paths if we look hard enough. One such path is to use the Power and Knowledge to help others and try to be impeccable in this pursuit. We then find that we only thought we knew Power, for when Power is utilized for Higher Level pursuits, we find that the natural limitations we ran into when utilizing Power for Power's sake are lifted. But these limitations are only lifted as long as we are impeccable in the pursuit of Wisdom and utilizing the Power to help I & I & I in evolution of the Tao (What, did you think the Tao was STATIC and not DYNAMIC?). It was mentioned in this thread that some, upon en-LIGHT-enment, choose to withdraw their power from the world. Of course this is a choice, as is the choice of using this Power to help humanity. But, my view still is that en-LIGHT-enment is only the first step. It awakens one to who they really are and enables them to pursue Higher Levels; there are always Higher Levels.

Good post. But I am curious, why do you think this is true?

How do you know that? just kidding... How about, "Can you show me a way to absolutely know that virtue is important so I can realize the truth of it for myself?"

I posted this in another thread, from the book A Light Warrior's Guide To High Level Energy Healing, "Qigong is more than simply a study of energy. In addition ro being the single most profound form of preventative and healing medicine, the practice of High Level qigong is a way of life, a way of attaining our highest spiritual goals, and a way of attaining knowledge of who we really are and what we are supposed to be doing on this earth."

All good responses so far. What I have SEEN is that we bring a certain amount of energy to this world with us. Everyone seems to be different. I believe this quantity depends upon what the real Light Being that is the real you decided to bring in order to learn specific lessons or to contribute in a certain way. When we first get here we glow brightly. But then our parents and peers start filling the mind with nonsense, teaching us that our mind is who we really are. Most eventually develop amnesia and KNOW their mind is who they really are. This whole process dulls and hides our Light behind filters that are the accumulation of everything we "learned". The process of en-Light-enment is to burn through the filters and awaken to who we really are, then find and fulfill our destiny (what the real immortal Light Being that is the real us decided to accomplish in this lifetime). From the book A Light Warrior's Guide to High Level Energy Healing, "We are here on this earth to evolve to the Higher Levels and become one with our Higher Level self. This evolution involves the challenge of awakening to who we really are, then finding and fulfilling our destiny. In order to fulfill our destiny we must learn to create. In order to create, or manifest, we need two things: Energy and INTENT. We can develop both of these things by practicing High Level qigong." "Qigong is more than simply a study of energy. In addition ro being the single most profound form of preventative and healing medicine, the practice of High Level qigong is a way of life, a way of attaining our highest spiritual goals, and a way of attaining knowledge of who we really are and what we are supposed to be doing on this earth" In the system I teach and practice a SEER sees the following things happening: When we first start practicing the Light in our lower Dan Tian gets brighter and denser. Then, as we continue to practice the Light rises upwards opening each energy center until it eventually pops up out of our head and connects us with the universe. Continued practice strengthens this connection allowing us to part the curtain and remember that we are simultaneously operating in multiple dimensions or worlds. We then can integrate the "whole you" and utilize these experiences on any world to enhance our experiences in any other world. But there are continued levels of advancement, so en-light-enment is not the most advanced stage of existence but only the beginning.

I think the time needed coincides with cultivation level and who you really are (not who your mind tells you). In the example above of my personal practice I only spent a few minutes before I had the "energy explosion". That was as long as needed to practice. Any longer time would not help. If it had of taken more minutes to reach this then that would have been the time needed to practice. I think anyone just starting would take longer time to reach this. So, optimal time is going to vary from person to person.

Immediately bleeding out, saying prayers, keeping clean, etc is not exactly how conventional slaughtering is done. I was thinking of local Halal butchers, not factory processing. "Much like kosher meat, halal meat must be slaughtered and processed under strict religious standards and supervision, and it's won fans even among non-Muslims. At the Fertile Crescent (570 Atlantic Ave. at Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-797-3066), a Muslim grocery with a butcher counter in the back, owner Hamed Nabawy said he's seeing an increasing number of American customers. "It's a growing part of our business," he said. "When they try it, they recommend it others." "The razor-sharp edge of his knife flashed as it arced through the air. ''In the name of Allah, Allah is great,'' he whispered again. In one swift motion, Mr. Olgun slit the steer's throat. ''In the name of Allah, Allah is great,'' he said a third time. Mr. Olgun stood still as the slaughtered steer was clamped into a harness and raised about 10 feet above the floor by a winch. Except for wiping his knife clean, he didn't move for the eight minutes it took for the blood to drain from the carcass. Among Muslims, Mr. Olgun is considered holy. Like every halal butcher interviewed, Mohamed Soliman, who owns Halal Meat Market on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, said that meat is only as pure as the heart of the one who slaughtered the animal. " Notice I said "Halal and kosher butchers are the better choices if you are unwilling to do so yourself." Better as in better than rushed factory processing. They say no prayers. But I do think a person ought to be willing to butcher the meat himself if he wants as pure as possible. And if you eat beef only pasture raised beef. I do not personally like beef or pork.

This thread reminded me of a Taoist method I learned in the 70's and remember to practice every few years. Since it had been a few years I tried it today. The method I was taught is to use the fourier transform of the sun by making an approximation of a pinhole filter with either the hands or the eyelids, 15 minutes with low in the sky sun. When I practiced today the colors burst all of a sudden extremely vivid and I went into spontaneous Stillness-Movement so powerful it set all the dogs off for quite a ways. Got to be careful doing these things.

It seems to me the diet of the animal is being completely overlooked in this "debate". Unfortunate. The 'meat" debate was on another thread just a few weeks ago. Anyone interested should do a search. Besides ignoring the quality of the meat (logically we cannot), as pointed out in the other mentioned thread, everyone seems to be ignoring the HUGE difference obtained by blessing the food. Points made by logic are too often ignored in this forum. Too many posts are emotional and not logic based. I already posted on this in the other thread but here is my summation on the subject. 1) When in the "qi state" you can intelligently choose the particular foods your body needs at ANY PARTICULAR NOW. At times, for many people, this includes meat. For others it means no meat. But a person has to practice LISTENING to know. 2) Meat should be naturally raised. If eating beef this means, in addition to no growth hormones and antibiotics, healthy pasture fed beef and not grain fed products. It has been shown that the pasture fed beef has a higher omega 3 content. One may wish to look at venison and buffalo versus eating beef as the fat ratio is significantly different. 3) Meat should be properly slaughtered. This means paying attention to cleanliness and the state of the animal upon death. If the animal has fear this energy will be transfered to the meat. Halal and kosher butchers are the better choices if you are unwilling to do so yourself. 4) Meat, as well as anything else one intakes into their body, should be properly blessed. This means cleaning and transmuting the food utilizing higher vibrational energies. Doesn't mean "giving thanks", which is a separate issue. 5) As pointed out, if fish is a person's choice, one needs to pay close attention to the mercury content of the fish. It differs significantly depending on the type of fish. Coal fired power plants, the main contributor of mercury pollution, are not going away until we embrace alternative power sources like solar and wind. Jedi brings up many valid points as well. If a person is eating meat at every meal then perhaps health-wise he should review the points that have been brought up.

High end = KYARA TAIKAN for aloeswood = MAINICHI BYAKUDAN for sandalwood I tend to use sandalwood for cleaning rooms and cleaning peoples external energy fields and aloeswood for special occasions and ceremonies. This importer's Nippon Koda cheaper sandalwood is better than most any other I have found so it is OK. I do a form of qigong acupuncture where I use the cheaper one (I use 2-3 sticks at a time) to swirl sick qi from the acupoints. For this I use both KAYURAGI and the basic long stick sandalwood called Shin Mainichi Koh product # 156 ( http://www.nipponkodo.com/webcatalog/book38.html). This is not bad at all. There is nothing wrong with the JINKOH JUZAN aloeswood; it is nice as well. The company's site is http://www.nipponkodo.com

The same Japanese company that imports the morning star mentioned in a post above also has some excellent high-end sandalwood and aloeswood. Both of these are very high vibrational. I keep these in my clinic and use them with my classes. Most sandalwood I have seen is not so good. The high-end aloeswood costs a lot, though.

Although I am a believer in many aspects of TCM I have found that it is really easy to get caught in the "can't see the forest because the trees are in the way" syndrome when studying TCM. I speak from the status of studying TCM very diligently for about 10 years including studying acupuncture in China. I have discarded quite a bit of it. This isn't any kind of attack on you, but my observations from many years of practice. In other words, get what you can from acupuncture school but use your Taoist internal practice to weed out what is fact and what is thought. While what you say can be generally true, I have not found the above statement to be true for the system of qigong I practice. That is a good time to practice. So is 9 am; so is 11 am; so is 3 pm; so is 5pm; so is 9 pm, etc. Result does NOT depend upon time in the system I practice. INTENT supersedes time every time. Drinking too much water before sleep is not real good if you don't want to wake up and pee a lot. Finally TCM hits the nail on the head! Oh so true! Not good to drink more than a small glass of wine or a single beer before practice as you can lose control of the qi. I like hot pungent food, doesn't mess with my qi (when properly blessed), but again TCM hits the nail on the head in terms of static state. Yes and no. Yes to the extent that the channels do exist and TCM explains this quite well. No to the extent that, when I project qi to a client I see the sick qi skip channels and leave the body at random, unpredictable areas. So TCM doesn't explain this at all.

Are you sure you sent the PM to me? Have not received. You have a valid concern. It really depends on the system and the teacher and what you wish to get out of it. For example, a person can attend one of my weekend workshops and leave knowing a complete internal system. If a person only wishes to practice for self-health, then he/she can go home and practice for the rest of his life and never attend another workshop. But if he feels a resonance and wishes to go deeper into the system, he comes back for more workshops whenever he can. Or if said person wishes to learn Medical Qigong he practices then comes back for deeper studies. But be sure any teacher you try this method with will allow you access to answer any questions or help you through anything that comes up as a result of the practice. But you have to be willing to do your part in the continuous practice.

I know a really good "qigong guy" near atlanta. PM me and I will try to get you in contact if you are interested. Self-practice can lead to complications - my recommendation is to find a teacher. Have you ever considered taking a weekend workshop with a competent teacher? Is it not worth the travel time to do that? Getting started right can be worth many years of trying to do something that you do not understand.

Good Post! I have posted this before but it REALLY applies to this topic. The following exercise I do weekly. I also have all my students do this exercise. Amazingly profound experiences are reported. The Great "Wallyworld" High Level Teachings Go to your local "really big discount shopping store". Get into your "qi state". Go into the store with the single realization, Everyone I meet is me at a different state of development. Use your SEEING abilities by putting your gaze halfway between yourself and the person you are "SEEING". Do this for about 10-15 minutes as you wander about the store. This should bring you to a whole new state of awareness. But it can wear off after some time of "walking in the mundane" so one could repeat as often as needed.