Encephalon

SOUND Wind in the cave: Movement in stillness. Power in silence. In a cave, all outer sounds are smothered by rock and earth, but this makes the sounds of one's own heartbeat and breath audible. In the same way, contemplative stillness turns us away from everyday clamor but allows us to hear the subtle in our own lives. When listening not with the ear but with the spirit, one can perceive the subtle sound. By entering into that sound, we enter into supreme purity. That is why so many religious traditions pray, sing, or chant as a prelude to silence. They understand that the repetition and absorption of sound leads to sacredness itself. The deepest sound is silence. This may seem paradoxical only if we regard silence as an absence of life and vibration. But for a meditator, silence is sound unified with all of its opposites. It is both sound and soundlessness, and it is in this confluence that the power of meditation emerges. Deng Ming-Dao http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vortex/...ary/365/005.htm

REFLECTION Moon above water. Sit in solitude. If waters are placid, the moon will be mirrored perfectly. If we still ourselves, we can mirror the divine perfectly. But if we engage solely in the frenetic activities of our daily involvements, if we seek to impose our own schemes on the natural order, and if we allow ourselves to become absorbed in self-centered views, the surface of our waters becomes turbulent. Then we cannot be receptive to Tao. There is no effort that we can make to still ourselves. True stillness comes naturally from moments of solitude where we allow our minds to settle. Just as water seeks its own level, the mind will gravitate toward the holy. Muddy water will become clear if allowed to stand undisturbed, and so too will the mind become clear if it is allowed to be still. Neither the water nor the moon make any effort to achieve a reflection. In the same way, meditation will be natural and immediate. Deng Ming-Dao http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vortex/...365/365date.htm

DEVOTION Make the crooked straight, Make the straight to flow. Gather water, fire, and light. Bring the world to a single point. If we have devotion -- total faith and commitment to our spiritual path -- our determination will naturally build momentum. Fewer and fewer obstructions will come before us. Our path becomes like a crooked one made straight. No matter what tries to keep us from our purpose, we will not be deterred. Proper devotion lies not simply in a headlong course. It also requires fortitude. Our bodies, our hearts, and our spirits must be totally concentrated upon what we want. Only by uniting all our inner elements can we have full devotion. If we see our path clearly and our personalities are completely unified, then there is no distinction between the outer world and the inner one. Nothing is faraway anymore, nothing is not open to us. That is why it is said that the world is like a single point : So strong is devotion that there is nothing that is not a part of it. Deng Ming-Dao All 365 meditations available at http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vortex/...365/365date.htm

ABLUTION Washing at dawn: Rinse away dreams. Protect the gods within, And clarify the inner spirit. Purification starts all practice. First comes cleansing of the body -- not to deny the body, but so that it is refined. Once cleansed, it can help us sense the divine. Rinsing away dreams is a way of saying that we must not only dispel the illusions and anxieties of our sleeping moments but those of our waking ones as well. All life is a dream, not because it isn't there, but because we all project different meanings upon it. We must cleanse away this habit. While cleansing, we naturally look within. It is believed that there are 36,000 gods and goddesses in the body. If we continually eat bad foods, intoxicate ourselves, allow filth to accumulate anywhere outside or inside of ourselves, then these gods abandon us in disgust. Yet our concerns must ultimately go beyond these deities in the temples of our bodies to the universal One. After we clear away the obscuring layers of dirt, bodily problems, and delusions, we must be prepared even to clear away the gods themselves so that we can reach the inner One. Deng Ming-Dao

This is the moment of embarking. All auspicious signs are in place. In the beginning, all things are hopeful. We prepare ourselves to start anew. Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment : our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence. In order to start, we must make a decision. This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation. We must make a strong connection to our inner selves. Outside matters are superfluous. Alone and naked, we negotiate all of life's travails. Therefore, we alone must make something of ourselves, transforming ourselves into the instruments for experiencing the deepest spiritual essence of life. Once we make our decision, all things will come to us. Auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response. It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive. In the same way, once we choose to commit ourselves to spiritual practice, even the mountains and valleys will reverberate to the sound of our purpose. 365 Tao - January 1 Deng Ming-Dao

I smoked a lot of reefer as a teenager and it was almost exclusively a mental experience, since I was dreadfully out of shape and a chain-smoking alcoholic. Fast forward almost 30 years when I'm celebrating my midlife crisis by becoming a personal trainer in Los Angeles (for the Real reason of having the opportunity to work out constantly in preparation for the second half of my life). I gave the green stuff another ride and this time it's been almost exclusively physical; I cannot stand still. I'm in the best shape of my life with regard to strength training (lots of deadlifts, kettlebells, pistols a la Pavel mostly) and when I'm under the influence I am unquestionably stronger, more relaxed, and more flexible by at least 20%. I made use of this phenomenon throughout 2008, and then abstained for six weeks. As a weak-willed addictive personality, the fact that I could shut it down without any difficulty was a testament to the power of an 18-month nei kung practice (as taught by Master Chu in NY - "The Book of Nei Kung"). I had a "special" brownie on Friday and commenced my upper body workout. The experience repeated itself, with one particularly nice effect; the electrical pulsing throughout my extremities was up at least 20%. Just assuming a simple horse stance was deleriously pulsing, palpable, and envigorating. All this begs the question (and I am a newcomer to this forum) - Does marijuana relax you so much that chi flow becomes more palpable? I am ambivalent about the use of MJ for many people, and I still recognize that I could get awfully used to having it around All The Time, but there seems to be plenty of evidentiary support that this molecule can benefit body/mind awareness. And I am ferociously angry that you have to accept the role of a second-class citizen to privately experiment with this material. The challenge is - and I've discussed this with several fellow trainers - to find that perfect dose that enables enhanced body/mind sensation without getting too high to focus on the internal environment. Getting baked in the gym is a recipe for total psychological confusion!

Oh No!! Not this thread again!! I'm clean!

Did you join up to participate in Taoist related dialogue, or was it your intention to plop down 1,800 word essays on Hindu esoterica? This is kind of like showing up late at a dinner party and expecting everyone to listen while you read your semester project. Assessing traffic speed before merging is always a good idea, yes?

This is a Taoist forum. What's your point?

Ever since my brow chakra started opening up and pulsing (on its own, BTW) I've experienced some lingering pressure in my forehead. Robert Bruce has mentioned this and writes that it is normal and not to be feared, as it does dissipate. However, you've got to perform the techniques to bring the chi down out of the cranium or else it will stagnate and it will be bothersome. Daniel Reid's technique is very effective for this and it is simple; four easy to learn techniques for energy descent.

And, it matters because of politics, as Campbell and others have said. "My god is better than your god...blah blah blah..."

I've been working for several weeks now on opening up the gates and meridians of the legs. As some of you know, these meridians connect at the perineum. It's an awfully good sensation when I spin the energy up from one leg and cross it over, past the perineum and down the other leg. So I just have to ask... ...and this is my first post regarding sexually specific info (so I'm blushing while I type... Can women direct this energy straight to the clitoris for extracurricular activities?

Pardon me. For the record, I'm a married man. No clitoris in these here parts, which is why I posing the question to women. I have no means of responding to Exorcist's post. Guiding chi with the mind? Kindly quote me one of the hundreds of books written by chi gung masters who suggest otherwise. If you're suggesting that we "force" the chi, well, that's sound advice, and I hear what you're saying.

Yep, you're wanking too much, and diffusing your sexual energy. Porn is addictive, and I don't consider myself a Christian fundamentalist for believing so. If you're only 33, your test. level is fine, and the only way to be sure would be lab work. You're too young for OTC test. supplements to do anything. This stuff, however, made me feel amazing, and I'm 16 years older. http://www.dragonherbs.com/prodinfo.asp?number=018 The single most effective technique for raising test levels is to go to the gym and work out Hard. Start your routine with one of the Olympic lifts - the squat, deadlift, or bench press. This pumps it in. The prevalence of porn has made this a pandemic for a lot of men. Best wishes.

For my money, Fritjof Capra has done more to explicate the deeper meaning of Taoism (and Asian thought in general) in solid, ecological terms than any other western scientist. The Santiago Theory of Cognition, which he has not authored but has championed in his works, states that "Living systems are cognitive systems, and living as a process is a process of cognition. This statement is valid for all organisms, with or without a nervous system. This theory contributes a perspective that cognition is a process present at other organic levels." In other words, the Pandorans were cued in ecologically and cognitively to each other, on all levels. I've tried to present ecology as The Discipline that westerners can use to understand what Taoism is saying, and I am either a poor communicator, or the stuff is just too out there for online forums. But maybe Cameron can do a better job. It's high time. http://www.haven.net/patterns/capra.html PS - It also looked very much like kundalini Yoga as practiced by Gurmukh.

but I think we would be better served acknowledging the distinctions and differences of the various paths, and holding them all as good medicine, for difference ailments. I respectfully disagree, and it's only on the matter of emphasis. I think we are better served, in this contentious age, by acknowledging that the similarities between spiritual paths are vastly greater than the differences that are popularly (and politically) supposed. Joseph Campbell made this clearer than perhaps any other 20th century mind. So few us get to the point where the differences slough off like dead skin that they remain more significant in the popular mind.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to celebrate Christmas much, because I'm on my way to my Honeymoon! The worst part of it is, it's one of the finest hot springs resorts in N. California, but even worse, it's clothing optional. Worse than that is the fact that there are many attractive naked women there, so I guess my mindfulness will take a heavy blow this Holiday. www.harbin.org season!

The Clyman stuff will work if you stick to it, but Macrocosmic orbit comes after a solid central channel and MCO. However, Robert Bruce's book "Energy Work" has a LOT of good tips on how to target hard-to-feel lower extremity areas, and you can do them sitting on yer duff while watching CSI, although it's better to throw your TV off a 40 story building.

Yep - I'd say your comments rank fairly high on the Barf-Meter, but it's not 100%, and it's not because you aren't sincere in your desire to see less suffering in the world. We are all wounded healers, and it's cowardly to wait to be of service when someone desperately needs help we are capable of providing. Waiting for sainthood before you roll up your sleeves ain't the ticket. The best you can do is lead by example and maintain as much empathy as you can. The ego has deep deep roots that can turn any act of kindness or generosity into an exercise in self-absorbtion, and this has an almost narcotic effect when first starting out. You'll only become aware of the depth of this dynamic as the depth of your ego becomes apparent (as you get older - yuck!). If you find yourself weeping privately over the misfortune of others then your nervous system is becoming sensitive to their plight. This is a far more dependable sign of loving-kindness and spiritual maturity than the success of the gestures you render to others. Good luck.

Answer is definitely no. The subject of archetypes is a vast one and should be on the learning curve of anyone interested in The Path, and to get a healthy dose of insight, the Chakra scholars have a lot to offer. http://www.amazon.com/Chakras-Their-Archet...4609&sr=1-1 But if you really want to connect the dots between cutting edge behavioral science, postmodernism, and Buddhist psychology (which are united in their assessment, BTW) you can check out a copy of "The Theory of Everything" by Ken Wilber and "A Buddhist History of the West" by David Loy. "Buddhism without Beliefs" by Stephen Batchelor paved the way for a lot of interesting East/West psychological dialogue too.

The Taoist vs Buddhist rift that has unfolded in here over the past few months (years?) seems to have dissipated substantially. I think it's important when doing 'compare and contrast' work between the two to first acknowlege that these two, plus Confucianism, form a trinity of Chinese philosophical thought, so there will be plenty of overlap. Being a pragmatist/humanist/agnostic critical thinking junkie, I find Taoism indespensible for bodymind cultivation, and Buddhism for mental, intellectual, and ethical hygiene. Exploiting Taoism for the end purpose of merely becoming a more efficient killing machine, without cultivating the ethics of wisdom and compassion is repugnant and antithetical to the spirit of Asian thought, which champions the unity of all life. There are plenty of examples of this in here, unfortunately. Even the ego is capable of harnessing spirituality for its own narrow agenda. Buddhism without Taoism - Mind without body work - requires superhuman feats of mental will. Better to begin with the body, and the mind will follow.

External without internal will leave you "a hollow and fragile shell" in your later years. Nei kung is where it's at!! www.neikungla.com

I love watching these videos for the pure joy of discovering the similarities between different styles. Almost very movement I do with Chu Nei Kung was represented here, although we practice no ballistic movements, and instead move more slowly and hold the positions for a count of at least two to three breaths of slow, continuous rthymic breathing. After 20-40 minutes of Embrace Horse, the nine movements follow: riding the wild horse Playing the P'i P'a The Compass double dragon leaps from sea Rhinoceros gazes at moon Riding the Tiger Phoenix spreads wings Hitting the Tiger Owl turns Head The more I practice this single routine the more I am convinced of its efficiency and power. www.neikungla.com When I started it in Sept of 2007 I had no idea what I was getting into, except for some intellectual grasp of the principles explained on the website. It wasn't until the spring of this year that I even knew what MCO was all about, but once I did the research, it cranked right up. I'm still gathering my own catalogue of psychological benefits, but the physical ones are easily deciphered, the most obvious being a deep level of flexibility that more conventional stretching techniques never brought me to, and spontaneous energy movement throughout my meridians, especially when I am being still or actually doing sitting meditation. "Oh, the stomach meridian is opening up through the top of my foot today. Cool!" And I just go with it. I'm 49, and don't expect to be an accomplished fighter with my shoulder the way it is, but the energy flow sure is pleasant. Oh, and BTW, there is still a great deal of movement in the head, and I haven't yet suffered ill effects, except for some pressure headaches when the brow chakra started to pulse. As long as I stick with the dissolving - Water - method of Frantzis, and go from top down, gate by gate, the circuits seem very open, unblocked, spacious, and exhilarating. When my feet first opened up, it felt like I was giving myself my own reflexology treatment, from the inside out. Thanks Bruce and Master Chu.

I'm planning on reading this over vacation. I'd be eager to hear from anyone who successfully applied the technique. Is there another extant work that offers a more lucid breakdown? It sounds like MCO except for the internal imagery, yes?