tumoessence

I was about to start this post when reading on water/fire methods Creation asked if someone has studied Waysun Liao's tai chi. I would like to make this a separate thread and see if there are experienced students of his. I think he has real accomplishments, and has practices that I haven't seen anywhere else. Bill

One frog says to another " Time is fun when having flies." One night when visiting my girlfriends parents in Texas we decided to go out for Indian food so we called ahead for a table. We got there, gave our name and waited, waited and waited. Finally I said that I didn't think Indians liked reservations.

Mantak Chia was working out with a teacher and trading some information with him. This was while he was living in long island. His name is Lar Short and is was a teacher of Tibetan practices. This is were the phowa element came from. Bill

apepch7, Can I digress a little here and ask you what you think of the books by Jeremy Naydler? If you have read them anyways. Bill

The Black Book of Camarthen

http://www.aypsite.org/T61.html This is an interesting lesson recently from Yogani. Enjoy Bill

As to the rest of what you said, it's interesting... I think playing with these perspectives can be fun, but at my stage of development I don't give a 'final answer'. I am with you on that. I don't like finality. Especially on what is "real" Thanks for the book recommendation. It looks good. Will do on the pm Bill

NW, As a Bardon practitioner, deepening my beginning skills, I would be very interested in the kind of approach and or resources for what you have found valuable in sexual practice. I am enjoying your posts. Aside from that, I wonder if what Bardon finds valuable in working through the astral planes which he contrasts with the Eastern ways which considers the astral to be Maya, is that we are becoming creative beings through incarnation. Training to create and dissolve. Learning to dissolve what we inattentively have created through our obsessions., and consciously creating meaning for an apparently meaningless world. Learning to heal by creating in the astral. For all that, our creations including our identity are not Real in the sense of the uncarved block but I think they do have meaning. Just some thoughts perhaps not so clearly stated, but fun to play with. I often think of the parable of the prodigal son. I think of the prodigal son as someone who has returned to the spiritual origins having developed their fullest capacities of the microcosm. I see the son who never left the father's house as someone who is a fundamentalist non dualist who declares like Papaji, "Nothing ever happened." More speculation on my part, to be let go into silence. Bill

I have been doing something similar to samyama as Yogani teaches it. If I want to work on a problem or if their is a conflict. I put a name to it, focus on that name, and then I let it go into silence and then repeat. There were times in my business where through not paying attention I would get double booked in my time. I would visualize both commitments and then let that image go in favor of sitting in silence. The situation would always resolve itself where one of my appointments would get rescheduled by the other party. I do this everyday with issues that come up. It never works out as I envision but that is not the point since it always works out. Bill

I spent seven years with Alice Bailey group that she created. I too found it a dead end. A lot of these theosophical groups seem to have too much political agenda as well as their maze of spiritual practices. The fundamentalists start with the assumption that everything else besides their own perspective is evil. This guy Marrs has book on various public figures and their showing masonic and other occult gestures in their hands. He has an explanation for every possible hand position imaginable as being an occult hand gesture. Except I didn't see one of a public figure with a finger up his nose, but if there were I am sure he would have an explanation of its occult significance. I think the basic question in relation to the fundamentalists and paths that wake us up through our own personal devotion and practice is one of the gnostic idea of the jealous god vs the impersonal god, empty of conceptual judgment and description. There is a great book by Sri Anirvan, called Inner Yoga where he describes how in the past and present people can enter a type of lower samadhi who are easily deceived by a being in the astral who claim to be the ultimate god creator god. These people go on to create sects of religions claiming contact with the Highest, and often a jealous God. The introduction to Self Liberation through seeing with Naked Awareness translated by John Merdhin Reynolds, has a great take on the arising of the jealous god also. I like what was said above about techniques being used without acknowledgment of God and their source hence Luciferic. Techniques, especially the new agey mish mosh could lead to a satifaction with the astral "Light." What I think is especially tempting is to think anyone has reached the Ultimate and there is no further to go.

I have learned the 108 tai chi form of Master Hwa at classsical taichi from video. I did have tai chi experience before, but the videos are very clearly presented. There is very detailed instruction of the internal discipline within each move as well as how yin and yang separate and work together in each move. I have never seen a live teacher go into that amount of detail before let alone a video. He has some videos on you tube that you could search for to get a taste of the form and instruction. I find his form with its internal discipline to have a very organic (non forcing) way of qi stimulation. The postures are medium to small frame which work internally in a different way than the large frame forms. Bill

I take Bardon's advice in this regard and bless the food with the quality or qualities that I want to cultivate in myself such as love, wisdom, clarity of mind and imagine that as I eat it I become that. I recognize also the Source of those qualities and give thanks to That. I second Santiago and Ya Mu and thanks for this topic Michael. I think that Bardon and the Bonpo have much in common Santiago. I think of the work with the five lights. Bill

I don't really mean to say that the waist's power is independent of the legs and hip and I think your choice of the word rooted is great. I just mean to say that turning the waist is not the same as turning the hips, the hips should be rooted, and supporting the turning of the waist. I see no disagreement. Try in push hands for example to practice turning the waist while the hips stay relatively still. My experience is that I stay much more rooted in yielding and issuing.

I agree with Adam about pushing down. In our school for example we move forwards by gently pulling from the stepping just placed foot and leg. Sinking down into it, power coming from the waist not the hips and legs. Energy follows martial intent or yi. That martial intent is an energetic quality shown in the eight moves and five directions. In other words the effect peng can be generated from almost any move given the intent. Bill

I find Melissengeist a tincture of lemon balm to be immediately effective. My wife gets a Waleda brand version of this from Austria. Klosterfrau is a brand in German stores, but there may be others of locally made tinctures. Bill

Isn't there a community of Taoists in Moscow Idaho? They advertise in the back of EMpty Vessel Magazine in the classified as offering retreat facilities. Anybody have experience with them? Bill

If alignment is correct then I find that you should be relaxed as well and not have to hold it. In most cases incorrect alignment comes from the lower back being compressed or put another way the tailbone is not tucked under. Or to put it another way the pelvis is tilted such that if visualized as a soup bowl the soup would spill out the front. Also the head and neck should be suspended. The relaxation comes from the bone structure being in a straight line from top of the head to the ankle. If the bones are not aligned the surface muscles must compensate to "hold" you up. If you are doing Wu style the Loupos article may be confusing since holding the torso perpendicular to the ground may not produce good alignment. Bill

I was thinking and imagining not really knowing but my intuition kicks in here that the spinal breathing of Yogani's in stimulating the pituitary, the " master gland" would as the master gland bring the whole glandular system into balance. Isn't it the glandular system, an aspect of jing, and as it is worked in qi gong it all brought into balance? My two cents for reflection. Bill

Hello Mattimo, I have been doing classical tai chi for six years or so. I had practiced various Yang family styles since the early eighties. To put it bluntly I have never experienced anything like Master Hwa's forms and I have found the dvds to be great teaching materials. I have learned the whole form left and right sides as well as square form. The compression in the abdomen created in doing the internal discipline or nei gong creates a very natural great feeling analogous to reverse breathing there. The lower back is wonderfully exercised through the internal discipline as well. The separation of yin/yang in the legs and arms is taught very clearly. Anyway mention must be made of the man himself, and generous comes to mind here. He travels around the country at times. He is retired from his profession. If there are students in those areas where he happens to be traveling he will offer them free private lessons. He recently had a seventy fifth birthday celebration and he offered a weekend of free tai chi, push hand workshops to those of us who could get there. He even bought us lunch. Then there was the birthday dinner which was also free. His lineage goes back to Wu chien chuan. Master Hwa's teacher, Young Wa bu was a primary student of Wu's. Young lived to be just over one hundred. and was still practicing. This approach is very Taoist, internal cultivation. There is no discussion of theory so much as direct perception of whatever experiences one has. It is more in the line of chuang tsu rather than qi gong. No separate qi gong necessary. The martial side is purely self defensive but is not so emphasized although it is there. The forms are medium frame leading to small frame. The idea being that as we progress from large forms to smaller, the movements emphasize the internal and the core of the body, learning to circle and spiral there. I can't recommend this highly enough, and I have to admit, I am biased in my recommendations. I hope I can learn to be as generous as master Hwa. Bill

There is a new book by Marsh , The Mentalists Handbook, very refreshing, but otherwise I second the Bardon references. Bill

Check out Michael Phillips and the Tucson Tai Chi Association. Bill

That is a great book Ian. I like yoganis book as well. Bill

I have taken the KAP seminar with Tao and Sanitiago, and I want to say they are great teachers with the course very well organized. Their enery is of great assistance, and I found that my energy developed very quickly after the workshop. Its hard to describe the fullness of the experience. The gamut from top to bottom and back up. What can i say? Well worth it. Bill

Mikaelz, I think that your sentiments are great but many masters like tenzin wangyal rinpoche while holding an absolute perspective are also shamans, and healers and energy practitioners and serve people where they're at in their growth in the moment. If we can be with whatever is happening in this moment then that should include all experiences and we can let go of all experiences as well. Careful that the "idea" of the non dual is not dominant and watch out for non dual fundamentalism. Bill

Check out umaa tantra.umaa tantraThose guys know their stuff and you can can several tracks with them. Qi gong and Yoga. Sexual practice as well. Online ayp