thelerner

Good to have you here. An old sensei of mine wasy always saying ' < wasteful action being done> .. won't cook the rice' and that we trained too much in kuchi-waza- tonque technique instead of on the mat. Ah, those were the days. Still.. beginnings start with a bit of faith. So faith isn't so bad. and at least my kuchi-waza improved over the years.

I usually get, slow down, pay attention, find balance.

Personally I find the old texts hard to understand. Often poetical language written in a foreign language for people in another culture. Seems to me in the beginning, one just sits. Nice to have some live instruction, for posture and a few hints on breathing, but basically for a few months or year or so, one just sits. Over and over, maybe counting there breath, 1 to 10, repeat. When one can sit, with a quiet mind, for an hour or two, perhaps generating some heat in there dantien; can keep some of that emptiness with them during the day.. then its time to look for a teacher to go deeper but to move too fast too soon, might keep a person from getting the fundamentals down. Imo Fundamental #1, is a quiet mind (with sharp awareness).

The above Sadhguru didn't overly impress me. But I liked this one-

Yes, but someone else already patented WWND.

Most of my Taoism is asking 'How would nature react?' then going off to ponder and have a drink. often i will forget the problem and find out later, low and behold it has solved itself.

Sorry, but in my view you guys are all too philosophical and would also get a painful nose pinch. The story is simple, in the 'Don't stink of Zen' tradition. ie, saying the most important thing is my yearning for the Dharma, leads to disciple being dunked and finding out the most important thing is air. Here a disciple says there's no nose, the master tweeks nose and asks if anything hurts. To me the point of these stories is Don't go so high fallutin. Live in reality. Breathing is more important then abstract philosophy. There is a nose. You have one. It hurts when tweaked. Don't get so lost in philosophy that you stop acknowledging reality. At least not with that particular master.

I used to have Loose Tool, then I changed my diet.

for the same money and effort you could get TWO which in my book is twice as good as One. kidding. ONE sounds good, a little lonely perhaps but then One is the loneliest number that we'll ever know.

As far as Taoism and holotropics, I don't think its in the curriculum. Taoism tends to be about natural and holotropics tends to be a forcing type of technique. It's not Taoist, but there is the practice of 9 Step Bottled Wind breathing. Bodhi writes about it, a Tibetan practice and they know a thing or two about high altitudes. Not holotropic but it uses long holds https://www.meditationexpert.com/meditation-techniques/m_9_step_bottled_wind_pranayama_practice.html . I was meaning to review the practice. I've done some Wim Hof method where the breathing is similar but broken into pieces and includes long holds. Perhaps having similar benefits. This might be up your alley-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Gv-Nn-OCE **One last thing. These kinds of breathing practices are intense, very yang. Traditionally in rebirthing & holotropics and many of these modalities you had an expert by your side watching over you. So.. if you choose to do these, take it slow and build up to full time slowly; start grounded, end grounded. Don't push. If its uncomfortable slow down or stop. Do it in a safe environment.. yada yada..

or.. it could be shortened to ENUF FOR ME that has a certain ring to it and shows a certain royal humility.

Imo the best way to protect yourself with any highly volatile investment is A. Don't risk more then you can afford to lose, or halve. The ability to sleep at night without overly worrying is extremely important. Ask if you could if the asset drops down to its 52 week low? B. Divide investment by 3. Sell 1/3 after 20 or 30% rise (note you can set up a sell order in advance, let the price come to you). another third at 50 or 60%, let the rest ride. Or til that last third can buy you something that will brighten your life long term. Cause life is not about the money, its about living it well. What is XF345XY457281 worth? I don't know.. Maybe 16k, maybe 8k, maybe $14.50.. perhaps the price of the ink it wasn't written with. Because bitcoin type 'currency' is not being used as it was intended, ie as counter currency and instead valued as a speculative instrument, the Greater fool theory is in affect, ie its worth as much as the last guy is willing to spend.

One of my favorite guided meditations is from Minke De Vos, her Deep Body Smile, which leads you through a Taoist map of the body, taking time with each organ. Seeing it, recognizing its unique nature and making it happy. Culminating in an orbit.

This reminds me, in alchemical Taoism isn't recognizing the organs as semi-sentient souls one of the tenets and part of upper level practices? Like in Fusion and Kan & Li? Whether you use that paradigm or not, its probably good to have a sense of an organ. Whether we use an eastern or western map, they are keeping us healthy and alive. Sending attention tends to sent blood or maybe chi to the spot. I try to communicate with my liver. Usually its after a shot of whiskey, and I tell it, 'Take that ya slimy green bastard!

Looking on The Dao Bums Member Map reminds me that its a big world, so much to see. I wanna visit the Islands off the West Coast. Santa Rosa, The Channel Islands, Catalina, San Clementa, Isla Cornado.. I'd like to rent a sleep-in Van, ride from Washington State, down to Tijuana. Take my time, zig'n zag, see the sites. Wonder if I can buy one from CarMax drive it and resell it all in a couple weeks? Or this place has relatively cheap rates. https://www.cruiseamerica.com/ their Compact RV, with toilet, shower, 2 burners, furnace, AC.. looks pretty nice. If I could wrap it up with enough floaties I could probably paddle it out to the islands <kidding> addon> What about you guys.. where are your dream spots?

I learned the Pangu form from Michael Winn, so there may be differences. Also he doesn't have a nonmoving form that I know of. Yet there have been times I'll do Pangu, without moving, imagining the circles and vortexes.. as if my hand were moving. Most of the times it seems the equal of doing it with physical motion. You lose the meat, but somehow the gain a little in concentration.

This was part of new member Stewart's intro- Stewart Posted 7 hours ago Second I would like know more about (Tao) Sages. Are there any Sages today and if so how does one access them? What constitutes a Sage and how does one know the qualifications of a Sage. Great Question. Who do you consider to be living Sages these days? Names.. books.. At various times I think we all spout sagely things, but its not all that predictable and the real trick is living it, not spitting it. Otherwise we'd worship fortune cookies. I'll answer Ajahn Brahms as living Sage. A monk (that's head monk to you) who walks the walk and has great sense of humor. I'd point people to his book Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Mediator’s Handbook, many podcasts see http://www.diydharma.org/search/node/ajahn brahm He can get pretty deep, but I love him at his funniest such as - http://www.diydharma.org/smart-thinking-boy-wonder-ajahn-brahm

Who was that famous Taoist who said “As you know, Dao is like gravity...all it takes is a little push.”

Getting back to the OP, I'd recommend the Taoist Manual by Brock Silvers. It's a look at serious Taoism, ie the religious side, that's where much of the hard core, mystical, deep stuff is. It considers the TTC to be amongst many important Taoist manual. It gives an indepth look at serious, religious Taoism. Forget 'sage', it takes years or decades of study and practice to become a serious initiate. In the book you may find clues to what your looking for. Not easy answers but paths to follow.

Interesting. Wonder if it'd make more sense if I heard it, instead of read it..

The above reminds me, that in the youtube world, when incredible things are filmed perfectly timed and centered, capturing responses seemingly before the action starts. Odds are the set up is a set up. ie while I'm certain there are older men who have amazing strength and could lift as much. In this instant its a strong actor in make up. I applaud the live theater though and appreciate the time and effort that goes into shaking people up from there tic toc world. On the What I'm watching front. On Netflix if you scroll waay down the TV series you may find Strong Girl Do Bong Soon. A Korean series that's fun. Part soap opera, part reluctant superhero, funny, yet not afraid to show blood and delve into a Silence of the Lambs story arc. Good writing, great actors. I've found it pretty addictive.

I don't know about logic, but in action, Taoism often reflects a much more yin/passive approach, ie not showy or in the forefront. Quietly looking at all factors and using minimal effort to get things done behind the scenes. Not that it can't be direct, but the emphasis on subtlety and patience tends to be a favored mindset.

To my limited understanding that's what Mudra's are all about. Linking a strong feeling/intention to a hand position. Echoing some previous posts, feels more from magical traditions then Taoism. Not that the two are always separate.

Looks like an interesting worthwhile book. Please let us know what you get out of it. From reviewer An File Dubn- (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0231115652/ref=rdr_ext_tmb) In terms of its content, it paints a very concise picture of the meaning of the Tao (though, like most Taoist writings, through circumlocutions, since the “real” Tao defies language), one that is more concrete, more physical even, than that of the Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching) – ‘Inward Training’ sees ch’i as the physical expression of the Tao, something that can be fostered within the body & mind through particular techniques. It is devoid of the (now ancient) Chinese political concerns of the Lao Tzu, and thus, for me anyway, more pertinent to a contemporary mystical practice. It is also worthwhile for its more direct treatment of meditation practice, without all the intricate metaphors of alchemy that later took over Taoist thought. The method is simple, a shutting off of the conscious mind in meditation, and thereby allowing the Tao, which is latent, to come of its own accord. The metaphor of ‘Inward Training’ is simply to “clean out the lodging place” of the Tao – i.e. to clear the mind, to be still and calm, and to let the Tao manifest itself. There’s nothing here about lead and mercury; it’s not necessary. From Project Muse- https://muse.jhu.edu/article/8691 "Roth's thesis is that long before "Taoism," the Nei-yeh, like the Lao Tzu, was essentially a people-oriented manual on governing the family and the state by "active nonaction," or wu-wei, both allowing and assisting people to be their natural (tzu-jan) best selves.2 However, the Nei-yeh underscores the importance of the indicative (to be) rather than the imperative (to do), although, within the holistic Way, the two are virtually inseparable. Therefore, the Nei-yeh offers techniques of "Inward Training" or "inner cultivation" through proper bodily posture and the moderating of breath and other physiological functions, including sex, with the objective of realizing a mystical resonance of the numinous (shen) self with the totality of all beings and things within the cosmos and with the cosmos. "