doc benway

This book has been sent to a Tao Bum. Sorry I don't have more to offer!

Hi Rumpole, Welcome aboard. There are a few of us Taiji bums here. Best regards, Steve

Hi Mark, I too came to an interest in Daoism through the study of Taijiquan. After a few years of Taijiquan, my teacher suggested that a study of Daoist meditaiton would facilitate further progress in Taiji. I began practicing Daoist meditation but have no interest in the rituals and religious conventions of Daoism. Like you, I do not subscribe to any "-ism" as a belief system. Nevertheless, I've found that all religions are founded on fundamental truths that transcend politics and cultural bias. All contain beautiful gems mired in human waste. Osho said it best for me when he said something like - true religion is an individual's internal search for their connection with the truth, everything else is politics. Welcome to Tao Bums - I think you'll fit in well here.

I think that the subtelty and complexity of Bagua would make it impossible to learn from anything other than a good teacher. Poor practice could cause injury to your knees and back. Be careful.

I don't know what it will be like but here is pretty good evidence that the master is back at work! http://www.kingshotthemovie.com/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892411/ The cast looks very promising... I can't wait!

For some reason, this guy reminds me of Erle Montague...

If George Bush couldn't destroy the world in 8 years, CERN doesn't scare me one bit...

I'd be happy to send the book to anyone who wants it. THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SENT TO A TAO BUM.

The one that is best avoided. Sensitivity and internal skill are only achievable through consistent and skillful practice over time. There are no worthwhile short cuts, IMO.

No

Lately I've been deeply affected by the teachings of Anthony de Mello. I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who burned a set of his CDs for me (Wake Up to Life). I love him through his teachings and he has taught me a great deal about love. To your question cat, "Do they inspire your heart and soul and mobilise your spiritual juice?" is a resounding YES!

That was nice to read. Thank you

I really like how you are bringing together the yin and yang aspects of this and I especially resonate with your comments about dissolution of the subjective and objective and attendant change.

Very interesting perspective Stig but it's psychodiverticuli...

I send my used books to the Veterans' Administration Hospital. There are lots of ill and injured soldiers and their families who have a lot of time and love to read - they're usually starving for new books to read and will read just about anything to pass the time in the hospital.

Some books that I've found to be indispensible in my view of things: Awareness by Anthony de Mello To Be Human by Jiddu Krishnamurti When the Shoe Fits by Osho Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi by David Goodman I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharshi A couple of inspiring CD collections: Wake Up and Live by Anthony de Mello Out of Your Mind by Alan Watts All of my meditation and martial arts practices come from my teacher. I haven't found martial arts or meditation books help me much.

I have a different viewpoint. There is only one way, IMO, to "develop" Qi. That is through quieting the mind and training it to become aware of it's connection with the body on a level otherwise ignored. The Qi is always already there. I don't believe that you add more Qi or build up Qi or strengthen Qi, you just tune in to a mind/body/universe connection which the Chinese call Qi. I think Qi is a process or an interaction, not stuff. You become aware of the body in a new way. As that connection strengthens, it can be used for martial and healing purposes among other things. In my view, the way to "develop" Qi is through meditation. The meditation can be seated (Daoist methods are specifically designed to do this), standing (Xing Yi Quan, Yi Quan), or moving (Tai Ji Quan, Ba Gua Zhang). Seated meditation allows the mind to become the most tranquil of the three and is therefore much more effective much faster. It's much more difficult to develop that subtle bond while standing, let alone moving. Daoist meditation and neigong will take you much further in Qi cultivation than any of the martial arts. That's what it is designed to do. It takes you through a progressive curriculum of exercises specifically designed to develop that awareness to very high levels and beyond. The internal arts will give you a way to use that new skill in a martial sense. My teacher told me when I started practicing Daoist meditation that there is only so far one can go in the internal arts without Daoist meditation. After meditating for several years I believe him to be correct. Just my $.02 - others have different and equally valid perspectives.

I don't think that was directed at you Stig... To get back to the original question, however, I would like to make a point about this demo. I would be careful about using this particular video as an example of how to properly do the Ba Duan Jin. That particular set is mostly about self healing and organ balancing. WIth such Qigong practices, the use of the mind of intent to guide Qi awareness is important. When you stand in a deep ma bu like this fellow is doing, that degree of muscle tension makes it quite difficult to accurately do the internal work for the vast majority of practitioners. There are other Qigong sets that emphasize physical development, like the Shi Ba Luo Han Gong - these sets are done in deep, physically challenging stances which contributes to the result of building physical strength, breath development, and other such benefits. In summary, know what your goals are and practice accordingly. The Ba Duan Jin can probably yield benefits when done in deeper stances but most people practice it from the perspective of organ work and health which is better done in a more natural, comfortable, and relaxed stance. Martial Qigong sets are generally done in deeper stances and often with dynamic muscular tension. To me, this particular demonstration seems to be mixing the two approaches and I would be a bit skeptical of that approach.

Beautiful selection!

Very nice to have you here Lu! Welcome and I look forward to your contributions.

That's a lot of periods, rain! Welcome pacala! I hope you find what you are looking for.

I think I'm actually coming around to the ABBA love! This video has a brief but inspiring performance near the end. ApiPS6GAy_0&NR=1

Yes... My apologies I do mean well

There seems to be a tendency to end discussions with an inflexible statement of opinion. Could that be a sign of attachment? I have no intention of fanning a flame war, just trying to be helpful. 南 無 阿 彌 陀 佛

Well said Stig, there are an awful lot of PERIODs on this thread. What does it mean when we add the word Period to a statement? Is there something we can learn about ourselves from that? To me, this is worth investigating. It's much more interesting than watching someone do Qigong and (with all due respect Patrick) much better than listening to Abba.