NotVoid

"I would say it's basically Zhan Zhuang :-)" I agree that this will probably be the most beneficial for the problem indicated by flowconduit. Just the most basic and simple zhan zhuang practice, done daily. Relax as much as possible. Herbs may help as well, but daily zhan zhuang practice should really help. There is no need to bend the knees too much. Just a little so the knees are not locked in. Zhan zhuang acts by itself. There is no need for any special concentration, and just breath naturally. Relax, relax, relax in the form. When you think you are relaxed, relax more... That is zhan zhuang. IMO, there is no need at all for complicated analysis or complicated solutions. There is no need for any special diet, although certain foods and herbs can help to build the body's resources. Eat and drink enough to meet your needs, and eat healthy food.

Regardless of what a person is doing, can the tao be found at all?

It seems to me that if it is conceivable it may be possible, but there are so many possibilities... Maybe there are many possibilities we can't even conceive of...

What if the more certain we are of things and concepts and ideas, etc., the less we really understand? What if the ego loves to play at being emperor? What if the ego is leading us down the garden path? What if cultivation is not an intellectual exercise at all? What if symbolism is just used for convenience sake? What if...

What are some examples of xing gong? P.S. The reason I ask is because I think that a person may well get some different answers depending on which tradition or which teacher you are asking. It is human nature to want to place things in neat little boxes, and say this is this, and that is that, but in areas such as 'taoism' don't be surprised at all that there can be quite different views and practices from different traditions. This has been my experience anyway. When we say ming practice is this, or xing practice is that, I think it is important to qualify this with what specific tradition or which specific teacher said it. Just my point of view.

Kongming, people say a lot of stuff, and they also even make up stuff to suit their own purposes. For example, 'this is better than that because of such and such' and whatever. Who said it? How do they really know? Is what they said based on verifiable facts, or is it really just conjecture? How can a person realistcally assess those sort of claims? There is always a degree of personal bias and personal perspective involved in any assessment of such things at any rate. Regarding taoism, historically, really there is not a whole lot of verifiable info available about the state of various forms of 'taoism' that may have existed prior to and around the time of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. It actually appears that what became known as taoism was really many different native practices and views of China which later were collected together and grouped under the broad banner of taoism. We know that most cultures had mixtures of religious or spiritual views and practices as well as philosophies, etc. Chinese taoists I have encountered do not seem to make clear distinctions between 'religious taoism' and 'philosophical taoism', neidan practice, etc. They seem to recognize that there are a broad range of practices and traditions and views which fall under the banner of taoism, with quite a varied history. Different taoist traditions seem to draw from and mix and match these various views and practices to varying degrees, or add their own new practices and views as well. To try to draw conclusions about taoism in general is therefore pretty tough considering that it actually involves many different traditions, views, and practices that really can be quite a bit different. Buddhism may have a clearer origin, but it also has evolved into various traditions and therefore would also be hard to pin down. You might be able to make some comparisons between a specific tradition in taoism and a specific tradition in buddhism, but trying to determine which is 'better' is a whole different kettle of fish. The bottom line is people tend to believe what they want to believe regardless of what they can actually verify or support with facts. All anyone can really do is take what seems useful to them, if they are so inclined. .

This is what I think at the moment. What I am saying is of course just a reflection of my own current personal perspective. There is belief and experience. From individual beliefs arises belief systems, which give us a reasonably stable perspective/world view. Our perspective greatly influences the processing of all information coming through our senses. Therefore even experience is heavily processed by our perspective, our world view. People need a reasonably stable world view to function in this world. Different cultures tend to have different predominant world views, and within those world views different specific systems of practices and views have arisen. Systems tend to change over time, or can completely fade away, as a result of changing circumstances and changing or clashing predominant world views. When one culture meets another culture, sometimes certain systems will pass from one culture to the other in one form or another, and possibly vice versa, but often that system or part of a system will be modified somewhat to fit better into the perspective/world view/traditions of the culture it is being introduced to. Another way to look at this is to say that change is a constant in this universe. If some practice or system or perspective seems to serve a purpose for a person, they will consider adopting it. The processing of how to integrate this new practice or system into their overall perspective may occur to a large extent at subconscious or unconscious levels however. Some beliefs may be dropped and some new beliefs may be formed. Some rationalizations may need to be created to try to prevent cognitive dissonances from occurring. This (in my view ) is a normal and common occurrence when systems from one culture meet a new culture. The constant seems to be that for a system, or parts of a system, to make a transition from one culture to another, there will likely be change and 'reinterpretation'. It is a creative process. A system or set of practices or a new set of beliefs/perspectives or whatever is only as useful as its ability to fill one or more needs in a person. In that sense, (and from my own personal perspective ), it all comes down to what a person feels best meets their particular world view, needs and wants. Even within certain entire systems there are many different variations and perspectives and traditions. All anyone can do in these modern times is do research and maybe try some different things, and see what seems to work or meet some of their needs/wants, or which at least provides some enrichment. To say it more simply, people will adopt that which seems to serve their own purposes and needs at any given point in time, and they will make it their own. All the best... .

A dialog With The Unknown What is taoism? Taoism is a vehicle. It can take various distinct shapes and appearances, and is designed to follow distinct paths and roads. It is only a tool, just as a vehicle is, in a manner of speaking. Is taoism a philosophy? Philosophy is like chess. It engages the mind deeply, but the game is restricted entirely to the confines of the movement of the chess pieces, and the confines of the chessboard. What is the pursuit of tao? What is the goal? Can we conceptualize tao? It is a pursuit only in name. The pursuit of tao is like a feather drifting on the wind, seemingly completely without purpose and direction, but perfectly in harmony with the forces of nature. In actuality there is no harmony, as there is no real distinction between the feather drifting on the wind and anything else in nature. So it is beyond distinction. There is no goal. There is only the letting go of distinctions. By all appearances without purpose, but following nature, and then piece by piece removing all misconceptions. Really there is no letting go and no removing at all. Conceiving is the process of forming distinctions. Nature is also a concept. A distinction. Nature is used only as a convenience. The pursuit of tao is the process of dissolving what is not there at all, but it does not involve an actual process of any kind. Saying it is not there, is also employing a convenience. What were the ancients writing about? The ancients wrote about that which can't be written about. Needless to say there is much misunderstanding about this. When a person thinks they know and understand, they are clinging to distinction. When a person realizes that they do not know and understand, they are like a feather on the wind. That which can't be revealed begins to unfold. .

TTC - ch 1 the tao that can be told is not the eternal tao the name that can be named is not the eternal name the nameless is the beginning of heaven and Earth TTC - ch 14 look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form (colorless) listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound (noiseless) grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible (formless) TTC - ch 16 empty yourself of everything let the mind become still the ten thousand things rise and fall while the self watches their return they grow and flourish and then return to the source returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature TTC - ch 48 in the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired (daily gain) in the pursuit of tao, every day something is dropped (daily loss) .

Hi Infinity. I can offer an interpretation. When you say this is known, this is not known. This is real, this is not real. This is day, and this is night. Would you agree that you are making distinctions? In this world we make distinctions so that we can function reasonably well within this world. For example, we distinguish between high and low, and hot and cold, and this helps us to act accordingly around say a high cliff and a hot stove burner. We employ our conception of 'high' and decide not to step off the edge of a high cliff, and we employ our conception of 'hot' and we decide not to place our hand on a hot stove burner. Similarly we can use our many conceptions to help us negotiate our way reasonably safely through say the streets of a town or city. We can make use of philosophy to form new concepts and ways of viewing and approaching and negotiating our way in this world. We can think about all of the concepts we have accumulated, and all the ideas we have about how things work and how best to function within this world, and we can pat our self on the back for how knowledgeable and clever we have become. We can think that our understanding extends to such a profound depth that we truly have a great understanding of the workings of this world and the universe. This mode of thinking helps us to function in and to understand the world around us better, at least to an extent, but then one day we might think something along the lines of what existed before the universe was formed, assuming the universe may have been formed? If the universe were not there, what would be left over? Where did the universe come from? If it always existed, then how could that be? If the universe were formed, then what caused it to be formed? Where did the energy come from to form the universe? If the universe was formed out of a complete void, then how can you get something forming from absolute nothing? We find that our ability to think, conceive, and reason is not helping us very much here at all. We can try to come up with theories that may seem to help fill in the blanks somewhat, but there are obvious limitations with this. We can only take this so far before it starts to break down in some ways. We may begin to realize that no matter how clever and knowledgeable we think we are, we begin to reach certain limits. Our knowledge and reasoning can only take us so far. At a certain point it begins to break down and fail us. This is just an example, but I hope it gets the point across. Our knowledge and reasoning can be very useful for helping us function within this world, and to understand this world better to a degree, but when we start considering certain questions we realize that conceptualization and reason can only take us so far. At a certain point things like knowledge and reasoning may actually begin to appear as a hindrance. Holding on to certain concepts and using analysis and reasoning may actually be acting as a barrier to coming to a different kind of understanding. Our once very proud ego which has been serving us well enough in negotiating our way in this world, may have become a major limitation. When we reach this point in our thinking, we may suddenly find that to reach a new type of 'understanding' that we may have to start putting our ordinary way of perceiving and analyzing and reasoning completely aside. Everything we thought we knew has now completely changed. We are starting again at the complete beginning. .

Hi CoolBreezy. The difference between Tao, Taoism, and Dao, Daoism is that they are all valid spellings, but using different transliteration systems to convert from Chinese to Latin alphabet characters. Tao and Taoism are the spellings derived using the Wade Giles transliteration system, which was often used in older texts, and Dao and Daoism are using the Pinyin transliteration system, which seems to be more commonly in use these days. Pinyin is commonly used to convert from the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese to the Latin alphabet.

I think you may find that this is quite an understatement. Well as I have already pointed out, and it seems to be pretty widely accepted by historians, that the Five Pecks of Rice Taoist religious sect which formed around 142 CE is considered to be the first formal religious sect of Taoism that can be confirmed through historical writings. As I also mentioned however, just because there are not in existence historical records of possible earlier formal Taoist groups of this sort, it doesn't mean that they couldn't have existed. It is not known. Little is known about what form or forms of Taoism may have been in existence around the time that the tao te ching was written. This is because there are few historical records existing from that time period and earlier. Many people in the West seem to prefer to believe that what is written in the tao te ching is some sort of complete work of 'Taoist' thought that existed in that time period, but there is no real reason to assume such a thing. It is not even known for certain if the tao te ching is just a collection of different ideas that were thrown together into one text at some point, or even if there really was such a person who is referred to as 'Lao Tzu'. We do know that at least some taoist traditions were quite secretive in nature, so it is possible that some traditions that existed at the time of the tao te ching or earlier never had anything written down in regards to their beliefs and practices. Some Taoist traditions in existence today state that the roots of their practices go back to times well before the tao te ching, but this can't be verified. The bottom line is there are many practices and beliefs that fall under the banner of Taoism, and I think that if you do some serious research into the actual Taoism of China you will find this to be so.

I sincerely doubt that you can back that statement up. You would have to know the full details of the origins of all Taoist practices which involve any sort of breath control or breathing method. Since in reality we most definitely don't know the exact origins of all the different practices which fall under the banner of Taoism which employ breathing practices, it doesn't make sense to suggest that all Taoist breathing practices derive only from outside influences.

CoolBreezy, to ask if something like 'taoism' is a religion is a loaded question, as people have different ideas of what 'religion' is for one thing. Here is a dictionary definition of religion: "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. a particular system of faith and worship. a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance." There is a fair bit of room for intepretation in such a definition. Also, on internet forums you are almost certain to get all sorts of biased and incorrect answers to a question like this because the fact is people often respond with what they would prefer to believe/think rather than what can be confirmed with actual facts. That is human nature. People's views are greatly influenced by their belief system; much more so than many people would ever realize/admit. As an example, the first *known* formal Taoist religious sect (there may possibly have been various others prior to this but historians don't have solid records to confirm or not) was the Five Pecks of Rice sect which was formed around 142 CE. It is most likely that this time period is quite a bit before there was any significant influence from Buddhism in China. So it would seem that Taosim as a formalized 'religion' was in evidence going back at least to about approx. 2000 years ago, and maybe much longer. Just because there are no clear official historical records found of formal Taoist sects existing prior to this time period, it certainly doesn't mean that such could not have existed. I think really there is no clear cut answer to your questions, but in general 'Taosim' is actually a term that is used to describe a whole range of practices and belief systems which originated in the region of China, and included under this name are most definitely religious beliefs and practices, philosophy, personal cultivation practices, divination practices, etc. Different sects in Taoism tend to mix these different aspects to different degrees. No one really knows what things were like during the time period in which the tao te ching was written as there are very few historical writings from that period and earlier. Anyone who tries to draw conclusions about what various forms of 'taoism' may have been in existence in those time periods and earlier is most definitely employing a lot of speculation. We really just don't know. That's my point of view on the matter anyway.

The problem with starting with an assumption and then moving forward from there, is that if the starting assumption is not correct then all that follows is likely not correct as well.

The complete original scans apparently by the person who found the box are here: http://imgur.com/a/uCSg1#WqdJHpX http://imgur.com/a/Ic0IM#mda6xBr David Halperin's analysis of the contents of the box (Part 2), which is interesting: http://www.davidhalperin.net/tag/box-of-crazy/ A description of the Daniel Christiansen that was posted to the net. I don't know how any of this was determined or if/how it was verified: "Nesna-it-Sirhc is Daniel Christiansen (27. Nov 1904 - 26. Sept 1994), fullname Daniel Samuel Christiansen, was the owner and creator of the Mystery Box and its contents. His father, named Christian Christoffer Christiansen, was a Mason. His mother was Karen Kristine Sif Larsen, who died at 28 years of age on 27. Nov 1904. His grandfather's name on his mother's side was Lars Larsen. His widow (Daniel's grandmother) was living on a farm called Græsted Overdrev in Græsted Parish in 1927. Both of his parents were Seventh Day Adventists. He was a native of Skodsborg, Denmark. Daniel used the alias Nesna-it-Sirhc (Christiansen spelled in reverse) to sign several papers in the Mystery Box. Daniel arrived in the United States aboard the RMS Olympic, leaving Southampton, England on 5. April 1927. Arriving in New York on 12. April 1927, he held an occupation as a carpenter at the time. He was enlisted in the US Army on 9. March 1942 at Fort Dix and was discharged following the end of World War II in 1945.According to the letter sent to Daniel, he lived at 712 68th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL around the time the letter was sent (23. Dec 1979). (Wiki http://alienpumaspacetra.in/wiki/index.php?title=Nesna-it-Sirhc).Very Interesting!" It is nearly impossible to fathom a person, and even much more difficult to fathom the universe. .

As has been mentioned, it would be hard to say for certain how old he actually was, but there reportedly is at least some evidence that he lived to a more than usual old age. There are many different practices under the banner of 'Taoism'. Some practices did focus on longevity and even a goal of immortality, although it appears to be generally agreed that there are different types of 'immortality'. The achievement of real longevity could have the benefit of one being able to continue their cultivation practices much longer than someone who lives a more normal lifespan, so there could be a practical advantage to this even from the cultivation perspective. Don't think for a moment however that if we allow that someone really can achieve an extended lifespan through certain practices, that it would necessarily either be easy to achieve or easy to teach to others. How many people in this world can truly let go of most or all their attachments whether mental or emotional? There may actually be methods to achieve all sorts of unusual states, but this doesn't necessarily mean at all that many people could ever achieve it even if they know the right method.

I think it would help to keep things in perspective to keep in mind that people like Yang Cheng Fu, and some of his well known students such as Fu Zhongwen and others were known to have accepted challenges from various martial artists who doubted the effectiveness of tai chi. Yang Cheng Fu and some of his students became famous for outstanding skill in martial arts, and it wasn't because they lost challenges. This was not so long ago. Fu Zhongwen was still alive until 1994, I believe. Their legacy is there for anyone to look into. It is not some hypothetical stuff from an ancient text that can't be verified. There is little doubt of the martial arts skills these people possessed. So when say Fu Zhongwen told of his experiences with studying under Yang Cheng Fu and what he was capable of in regards to his internal skill, it is not something that can be so easily brushed aside. A master of that level of accomplishment or even their higher level students would not likely want to partake in common sparing matches because to really use their internal skill would be too dangerous for the opponent. There would be a very high likelihood of broken bones or serious internal injuries dealt out to the sparring opponents. Many may find such things hard to believe, and I fully understand that, as it is human nature to hold to one's circle of belief and corresponding circle of experience. No amount of words can really penetrate that. Some things can only be experienced to have any real impact (no pun intended ). Again, that is just my own view on the matter. An old photo of Fu Zhongwen and Yang Chengfu. The caption for the photo stated: "In the front row from the left, Fu Zhong-wen, Yang Cheng-fu and Chen Fu-sung (master of baguazhang), Nanjing 1929" Demonstration of the application of tai chi chuan by a true master. Notice how Yang Chengfu was like a mountain. His form always appears flawless in any photos he appears in. A lot of hours of practice put in by this man, no doubt. Yang Chengfu (right) demonstrating Da Lu with his student Chen Weiming (left)

When I was much younger I used to sometimes visit various tai chi teachers and take note of their different teaching approaches and different ways of doing tai chi etc. I was much more interested back then in tai chi chuan as a 'fighting art' than I am now. I have personally met two tai chi teachers who in my personal opinion had achieved at least a fairly high degree of internal skill, one of which I studied with for some time. (I don't wish to name their names here as I don't think it will be productive). What they could do with just a slight bump of their knee, hip, elbow, or shoulder, was really something to experience, and you would be rocket propelled with just a 'gentle' flick from their palms. I think to achieve that level of skill requires a real commitment of at least about 2 to 4 hours of practice everyday for many years, with the right emphasis on complete relaxation and proper alignments in the forms and push hands practice to be able to develop significant internal skill. I think that it is also very important to have the guidance of a skilled teacher to keep on the right track. Some likely also supplement daily practice with other neigong practice such as lots of standing and sitting meditation or other neigong practices. For the average person who must work full time and has various other responsibilities this can be very hard to commit to and maintain of course. I think this is likely why there are not a lot of high level internal martial arts masters around. Just my own point of view.

Sorry, but I see little if any tai chi chuan skill demonstrated in these videos. That is just ordinary sparring and technique used in many martial arts. As has been outlined in the 'tai chi classics', and which has been reiterated by various well respected and skilled tai chi chuan pracitioners over the years such as Yang Cheng Fu, and by various respected students of his, without the main emphasis being on internal skill (nei gong) development there can be no application of tai chi chuan. I do admit that it is getting very hard to find a tai chi chuan teacher these days who has any real achievement in internal skill. If the teacher hasn't achieved internal skill, the student most likely won't ever achieve it either. The regular practice of tai chi chuan does improve health and fitness and can make the body more agile and resilient, and improve reflexes, like many other martial arts practices. To use tai chi chuan in self defense or in a 'fight' however, you must have developed very strong internal skill (nei gong), which will correspond to the development of a high degree of sensitivity and ability to release internal force at will. Tai chi chuan is not so much at all about using this particular technique and that technique, etc., as all the techniques are just techniques no different than any techniques in boxing or karate etc. without strong development of internal skill. Again, this is what has been outlined by various respected tai chi masters over the years. I realize however that what is shown in those videos is what passes for 'tai chi chuan' and 'internal martial arts' in general in a lot of cases these days, including in China and Hong Kong. Best wishes to all...

'Fairy Circles' - patterns in nature "The Namibia desert is decorated by one of natures greatest enigmas, a huge pattern of thousands of mysterious circles" http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20140916-mystery-fairy-circles-defy-explanation

The only effect I have noticed is I can't sleep at all tonight. This happens from time to time for me at the time of any full moon for some reason. Too intense energy from a full moon sometimes it seems...

In the news story I referenced, they actually go into a lot of detail about the different theories different scientists have come up with to try to explain these unusual circle formations, but apparently none of the theories have stood up to full scientific examination, or simply can not be backed up with sufficient supporting evidence. It apparently still is not solved. However, that is besides the point. I mainly just thought it was interesting in regards to the very regular pattern they create over a large semi desert region. Apparently nothing ever grows inside a circle once it is formed, and the circles never overlap, and are very evenly spaced apart right across that whole region.

traveler , you may find this helpful as well, if you have not seen it already. It is an interview with Zhao Bichen's great grandson, Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺), who says he is teaching in Zhao Bichen's tradition. Some good general background info on this tradition in this interview... http://wenshuchan-online.weebly.com/interview-with-daoist-master-zhao-ming-wang.html

I was going to say, or the opened heart has to be at peace for the mind to be relaxed, but six to one, and half a dozen to the other. It is maybe just different wording but the same result.