VCraigP

Taoism has it's roots in indigenous Shamanic practice. Siberian Shamanism has it's roots in ancient siberian shamanism. I think you may be confused because the Siberian culture is often cited as one of the oldest Shamanic cultures, and it has been well documented, and some of the earliest studies of shamanism are about Siberian shamans, and I think the word Shaman comes from Siberian culture. However, if you only dig a little you will see that "shamanism" exists in all ancient cultures. How one defines shamanism is a subject I will not go into, nor do I feel qualified to do. I AM confident in saying that Taoism has its roots in the Ancient Shamans worldview and activities of antiquity IN CHINA. Before we had "civilization" as we know it, before we had religion as we know it, there were those who acted as intermediaries between the physical and the spirit world. In some places they still exist. These are shaman. I think it would be just as accurate to say that Chinese Taoism derives from Bushmen Shamanic practice as to say it comes from Siberian shamans. Based on the historical evidence it is fairly easy to see that the Chinese had their own shamanic culture up to and interpenetrating with the dynastic period. It is not necessary to say that it came from elsewhere. I suppose though that you could say that Native American Shamanism derives from Mongolian shamanism, but that is really meaningless too. blah blah blah... I do go on. Craig

at least you still have a good sense of humor about it. I would second the warning about adding Panax ginseng as a sexual stimulant. Not a good idea in general as a single herb. Strangely enough I would advise trying the same as I did for low libido in Women...MACA. Get good bulk Maca and make a smoothy daily. Use a heaping tablespoon of the powder. Besides other potential benefit it is simply highly nutritious. Also I strongly believe it adheres to the precept of "first do no harm." At the very least adding this to the diet will be overall nutritious. Two very potent herbal options are Tribulus Terrestris & Eurycoma longifolia Re Tribulus. The only one I can really recommend is TRIBESTAN from SOPHARMA in Bulgaria. You can buy it online and there is no other Tribulus to compare. The Bulgarians perfected the process and extraction of this herb. THere are Many many substitutes which are CRAP. So if you don't want to get this one, dont bother. Re Eurycoma Longifolia This is a very effective herb if you get good quality. I think there are a lot of reputable brands. Look for at least 50:1 or even 100:1 extract. I occassionally use TOM KAT by Dragon Herbs which has; Eurycoma longifolia 50:1, as well as Polyrachis Ant and Polyganum Multiflorum (aka He shou wu). This formula is quite powerful! Both of the above are, and I cannot attest to whether they may or may not be detrimental to his overall energetic balance. Again, this is no substitute for overall constitutional diagnostic and overhaul, but these are items I have found very effective and which have a good reputation for performance in general in the nutraceutical industry (in which I have been a player for more than 10 years). All of this above presupposes the subject man in question WANTS to do something about his lack of libido. If not, then you have other issues to address, or he does. Finally no advice given has touched on the subject of Male Sexual Gong fu. This is a subject which has been covered in TREMENDOUS detail through the years on the Taobums. Sexual practice used to dominate discussion here. I guess having more women active has settled us down...maybe. I bring this up to point out a well accepted idea of Taoism. If the man in question doesn't have a strong sexual appetite it may be a signal of overall weakness in the body. Adding stimulation to promote MORE sexual activity could be interpreted as a way of emptying out the charge in the battery more quickly. A Taoist and also TCM approach would be to seek ways to recharge that battery. Here is where the controversy will be encountered. There are many teachers who teach methods of sexual gongfu which promote the idea of Semen retention. Just do some searcing on the TaoBums on the subject of "retention" "semen retention" "sexual energy" "sex" and I think you will turn up a lot of info, maybe too much. I must say that I actually very much hesitate to recommend sexual gongfu to beginners as it is fraught with "issues". As Song says learning reverse breathing or even standing qi gong practice can have a very strong effect on the libido once things start to activate and recharge. So for starters I recommend Maca and exercise, ideally qigong and practices to focus on the lower tantien and get the mind settled down. Also have you considered offering Oral sex to him? Who can resist that Respectfully offered. Craig

Makes me want to scream and run. How is that for a reaction?? This is the ultimate Mind/Body disconnect. Do you really believe scientific materialists will achieve this feat of transplanting consciousness into a cyborg? And you can actually contemplate this as a good thing?? Now that is scary. How will scientific materialists ever be able to know if their comprehension of all layers of reallity is complete? Kurzweil and his ideas scare the hell out of me. It is the ultimate descent into material and disconnect from the spiritual. And further to think that scientific materialists would attempt to define enlightenment and achieve it through technological means is scary as hell. In fact this whole idea of transhumanism is a good start for my definition of what Hell on Earth would be like should this be developed to it's illogical conclusions. acckkk. Call me a luddite. PS - MERRY BELTANE Craig

Excuse me for cutting and reworking your post. But what you are saying to MTS can also be applied as I have reworded your prose above. There is a large body of evidence about the dangers of vaccines. The effectiveness vs safety of Vaccines in this case should be seriously questioned without blind faith in an unproven item. There are other ways to safegaurd oneself which are not vaccination. end rant Craig

Wow 4 1/2 years and only 300 posts. In consideration that your suggestion is taken up I need to post 200 more times. OK 199. TTB is ruled by chaos and disorder. Who will try to wrestle it into a box properly sorted and contained? I don't know what I want TTB to be. Who can say? But by all means please keep trying to sort it out. Craig

I have to say that I have been reading and very intermittently posting, first on the Healing Tao Forum and then on the Tao Bums for what must be like 10 years now....acccckkkk. Over that time I have made many acquaintances in this cyber world, which is odd enough in itself. I have learned a great deal from a great many. I have practiced the art of sifting for gold dust amongst the debris. I have found many a choice nugget over time. Many things I first encountered as ideas or suggestions on this website have become part of my life and part of my cultivation. I have met in person a total of two people who are regular TTB contributors (Hi 5ET and TM). It would be nice to meet more people, but that is a digression. I still come here and sift, and try to contribute when I can, or feel compelled to. This exercise seems different now than it has in the past. Apparently there are a few other long time participants here who respond when another longtimer like Pietro raises a question like this. Many subjects do come up again and again and I would hope more people would use the search functions (although I'm not too adept in that area either). There is truth for me in saying that I have lost my eagerness to explore so much and have settled into my practices. This is also not true as I have explored Kunlun and KAP more recently while my practice with my primary teacher deepens further. And I will probably see what I can explore with 5ET when the time is right. But it is also true that so often questions come up and I can't even bear to read them as I think "what, this again? Haven't we covered this like 10 times?" Yet still I sit and I sift. Hoping for another spark of inspiration, or perhaps seeing a piece of a puzzle I am particularly suited to fill in (in my view anyway...). What does it mean. Is TTB different? How could it be the same? And yet the more it changes the more it is the same. Perhaps it is meant for newbies to rediscover what TTB is or can be. BTW - New Age seems to be taking over? What does that even mean?? I'm not going anywhere. And even if I did I wouldn't tell the likes of you people Craig

So this is the same advice Max gave out, not to practice from 1-3 PM. Is this a Maoshan piece of info? I never directly encountered this prohibition before. Also, I would suggest that this 1-3 prohibition would be more applicable to certain practices than others. Certainly doing Bagua or IMA training is entirely different than practicing seated meditation. And it seems that this fine distinction about energy quality would apply less to beginners. Beginners should practice as much as possible and not let any excuse get in the way. there are only 24 hours in a day. Also, this limitation has bugged me since Max laid it down. My kids come home from school around 3:30 and since I work at home I often had the inclination to do practice around 1-3 in order to get practice in while they are still in school. yeah, and I don't like rules either... Craig

Kitty Cat keepin it real. thanks for the first giggle of the morning

Panax ginseng should not be hard to find a liquid extract which would suit your purpose. Of course I don't know in what country you reside. For mail order I recommend Dragon Herbs. www.dragonherbs.com http://www.dragonherbs.com/prodinfo.asp?number=022 I have tried this one and it is good quality. I recommend getting a liquid extract such as the above. Panax is not commonly faked. It is not rare, but you can pay a lot for the highest quality - dragonherbs have some which are several hundred dollars for a vial, but this one is fine. I personally don't really recommend Panax. Ideally go see an acupuncturist/herbalist to explore what might be best for your system overall. Single herbs are not ideal, and one size does not fit all. PS - Panax is often called "korean" ginseng, but it is not only from Korea. They do have some of the best though. PPS - do a search of the forum, this exact topic has arisen before. Good luck. Craig

do some reading about maca, and Ashwagandha (careful about spelling). maca is highly nutritious mainly, and has some components which are hormone building. Really, though, do some cursory research, there is a lot to recommend maca for sex drive. I like it, I notice it's effect on me (but I'm male, not female so my experience only counts for so much). The research on it indicates effectiveness on fertility and libido in women. doesn't mean this will solve the woman in question's problem, but it is certainly highly unlikely to be detrimental.

MACA yup, yup. But don't buy capsules and take a few hundred milligrams. Get it in bulk and consume multiple grams at a time. PM me if you want to pursue this. You are in Portland and I am nearby. I have a good amount of BULK MACA which I can offer if you are so inclined. PS - It's good stuff for guys too. PPS - Careful about enhanced fertility though :-) Craig

The Tao Bums announces the Bummies. TTB awards for online participation. For the highest achievement in the category of compassionate troll feeding. And the winner is; Vajrasattva. Love Craig

Hi August Leo You don't know me and I dont know you. If you are still reading TTB I only wanted to say something to you. I have enjoyed your participation at the tao bums. I have read a great deal of the substantial things you have had to say. While I may scratch my head at your decision to erase everything ever submitted both here and on the Kunlun forum you of course have every right to do so. Just wanted you to know that I really appreciated reading your story which you were publishing serially to this site, as well I enjoyed a lot you had to say in the regular forums. Sorry to see you go, if indeed that is what you have done. Best wishes on your path. Craig

Once again your questions are insufficient to answer as provided. My answer is, I tried it, it was very powerful, I am not sure if I will return to it. Also I still do spontaneous shaking practice which isn't exactly totally spontaneous, but can sometimes turn into more spontaneous activity. Also, I get a lot more Kriya activity when doing various practices than I did before doing Kunlun. ah, heck, I guess I just don't like answering questions the way people pose them. Craig

Santiago was sharing his way. I think you are attempting to share your way. It seems unlikely that any one would mistake The Tao Bums "Taoist Discussion" for any kind of orthodoxy. If you feel that people reading the Tao Bums need such protection from being taught wrong views about Taoism there is a vast internet out there to be policed. Why start here? How can you worry about the newbies? People have to form their own opinions and sort through information. That's what it means to be an adult. If you have more to share about what your understanding of the Tao is, or of what Taoists do, or don't do I think you should start your own thread on that subject. Maybe you could call that thread "Taoist Discussion" In my opinion your attempt to limit even what is Yin/Yang dynamic is just plain wrong, or at least to try to discuss in only a couple of sentences is futile. It seems that a lot of people here like to discuss things that are only loosely related to Taoism. I don't think there are that many "devout Taoists" here. Certainly it is quite likely that those who do term themselves as such could well disagree with their counterparts as to what that actually means. To broadly say what Taoists do and don't do is to exhibit tremendous faith in your knowledge of what ALL Taoists are and what all Taoists practice. I don't think there are many if any people who can encompass all of that knowledge. Rather than sniping at someone's contribution to the ongoing community you should think about how you can add to it (of course I acknowledge I am currently sniping at you :-) ). IMO there is a lot of value here if you have an open and flexible attitude. If you are searching only for Taoist discussion I think you need to rethink why you are here at The Tao BUMS. I think the name speaks volumes about the overarching attitude of this place. While you are discussing the approach of merging with the Tao perhaps you could start by merging with the Tao of the TaoBums to really understand what it is about and discover how you can establish a useful relationship with it and those who participate in this wonderful chaos. Relax. Enjoy. Or don't. Peace Craig

Inner smile Breathe in Breath out allow the breath to be long, slow , deep and even. Until you cannot hear it. Breath in, feel qi penetrating your body through all the pores of your skin. Breath out, feel qi is condensing in your lower tantien. This is a good place to start. build up your foundation. strengthen your body. develop your connection to your center. MCO is advanced or even unnecessary to start. Craig

Darin Your accomplishments are reflected in your kindness and compassion. Your seemingly wilfull unwillingness to accept gih for what he is. PS - Don't feed the trolls. Lovya man. Craig

Is channelling a real phenomenon or is it all total fraud? I think chanelling is a real phenomenon. This is different from saying chanelling brings through pure and unadulterated material. Far from it. I like what M.Winn said about it. (paraphrasing from like 10 year old memory) You cant entirely trust things coming from a disembodied spirit. They aren't connected to a body. Of course this statement takes as a given that this info is coming from a disembodied spirit, which I'm not sure I would even go that far. IMO there is a potential for chanellers to be a conduit of information. But to a greater or lesser extent there are filters and translations that exist as the information is downloaded and spoken out. So it is possible for real and sometimes valuable information to come through. It also is possible for absolute bull pucky to come out. It depends on the channel. It depends on who is listening to it. Who knows what can resonate and what effect it could have. I think crying Fraud is more than a little simplistic. That's my two cents today. Craig

This simple comment cuts to the heart of the matter IMO. So much cultural baggage here. Going deeper into cultivation, cultural baggage is left at the side of the road. Jing Qi Shen, Balance and Harmony, and so on. What is important. who are you. Where are you? Where did you come from, where are you going. What is your internal environment, what is your external environment? How do you integrate? And other questions... Craig

A long time ago in a place far far away....Berkely, CA, I studied Fusion I, II, and III with Mantak Chia. Subsequently I have gone on to study with other teachers. It is my experience that "Fusion" as such is a legitimate Taoist practice. I have seen similar methods coming from other Taoist sources. Fusion of the Five Elements as taught by M.Chia can be a useful practice. In my opinion it is easy to turn it into a visualization game from which very little results will be obtained. This is not saying that it cannot be an effective practice. If approached with diligent and thorough practice of more foundation material it can be a useful and effective method. My early experience with M.Chia was very positive. I studied all the basic material in workshops with him directly, all the way through Fusion III. I had the benefit of studying in a small group with M.Chia for this level. The result of this practice was a profound achievement of a sense of inner peace, physical and spiritual calm and stillness which was deeper than any that I had experienced before. Also, he was able to effectively teach us to "anchor" the experience (yes he was using NLP tools in his material and teaching). From the time I took the first basic course with M.Chia til the completion of Fusion III my recollection is that more than 3 years time had elapsed. I learned Inner smile, healing sounds, micro orbit, Iron Shirt I basics, Fusion I, II then III as well as repeating the basic courses several times. All this to say that I allowed myself a good amount of time to absorb and integrate these practices and ideas into my life before achieving a certain level that allowed me to derive a great benefit from the practice. That is the PRO side of my experience. The CON side. After my initial experience with Fusion I, II and III I continued to study with M.Chia. Upon taking training in Fusion on retreat I experienced a lot of CON-Fusion. What had earlier been a good experience and practice seemed to become overly complicated and layered with unnecessary details and visualizations. Eventually this is the point at which I began to become disenchanted with HT material and especially the teaching style/method of M.Chia. I could not and/or would not pursue the practice of Fusion any further a few years after the positive experience described above. My practice was derailed by an approach to Fusion that seemed artificial and stuffed with unecessary procedures. Eventually I learned that some of the material being taught out at that point didn't belong in Fusion and indeed some of it - phowa - did not belong in Taoism per se. To this day I don't really know how Fusion is being taught any more within HT. I suspect it may have been better distilled down to it's essence, which is the direction M.Winn took. Now I am doing a simple practice from my current primary teacher which takes in several elements of Fusion as I learned it from Healing Tao, as well as certain elements of healing sounds. In retrospect I think that the Healing Tao methods of inner smile, six healing sounds and Fusion (the simpler parts of it) are very accessible methods with which to communicate with the life force. Focusing first on the lifeforce as it is manifested in your physical body and eventually connecting with the lifeforce beyond your physical body, ie the 5 directions, the five phases, five seasons, colors...etc. It is a practice which is useful to establish this basic pattern. This is the foundation. There is a lot of work to be done to build the foundation. Dont rush. Good luck. Craig

good luck to you. Drink a lot of pure water to the point that you arent thirsty for anything else. 3 quarts or more a day. Find some way to detox. I highly suggest saunas if you can find a way to access them. Not much help, but simply drink A LOT of water may get you there. Lack of sufficient water intake is chronic and universal in western culture. Good luck. (trying to drink less coffee myself :-) ) Craig

Um... (preparing to open up can of worms) Isn't all TKD really a blend of Shotokan and Northern Kung Fu? Despite Korean explanations that Korean arts are indigenous. I once had a friend who was a multi ethnic black belt (high level in Karate, Kung Fu and TKD/Korean arts) he showed me a set of Shotokan forms that were 80% identical to the modern TKD 8 forms (Taeguk sets). Anyway on to my resume, which I have probably posted before, but I can't control my EGO so here goes another version. TKD Steady from the age of 16 for about 25 years, then intermittent til present. Reached 4th Dan. Mainly Jido Kwan with focus on Olympic style sparring for a large chunk of that. Teacher was black belt in Judo and Hapkido as well as Gojo Ryu (sp?) so when we got to a certain point we started training very non-sport material. learned to roll and fall with Judo when I was 8. Brief training in Karate when 12 (nasty mean mofo of a teacher, didn't like him, liked the Karate) Began study of Qi gong (back then we called it Chi Kung ) when I was about 21-22. Started being informally trained in Bagua and Hsing I when I was about 30, which was when I really began to question some of my earlier Chi Kung training. THis teacher was very advanced Chen Taiji practitioner and I didn't think I would ever be good enough to approach that training. Finally graduated to Zhaobao Taiji (aka Wudang He style Taiji) over the last 2.5 years. Now I have the whole form and can really start learning it. If I had to fight it would probably look like Taekwon/Bagua but I am far to spiritually advanced to be in such a situation Craig

Hmmm....I wonder what the chances are that anyone would do a study on Orgonite to determine if is an effective protection against cancer developed by EMF Chaos....ha ha ha. ON that one we will have to go with our more subtle senses and rely on those and gut feelings I suppose. Karen, thanks for your suggestion ( I have already acted on it) Seek 1 - I feel better already now that my hair is below shoulder length for the first time since high school Ya-Mu I never considered myself "extremely energy sensitive" but I definitely felt things going on with both the Q-Link and a rather crude orgonite pendant I got over a year ago. There is no doubt in my mind there is something to them. Thanks for all the suggestions. Good practice, generate strong lifeforce energy of your own, get the hell out of town as often as possible. Turn off the TV, Get away from your computer. These are all things I know, but good to have the reinforcement. Nevertheless I have wifi, HDTV, computer, cell phone etc in my daily life, so anything and everything to counteract these are good. Just like I am doing various things to detox the body due to normal accumulation of crud through modern living. I try to eat the best and breath the best, etc, but optimizing performance is what it's all about for me. Thanks to all my friends here. Craig

Whoops, my bad I was caught up in answering Ian, and actually accused you of what I did, which was to forget who the orignal poster was. Hasty Forum participation I'm afraid. Please accept my apology. also, "I don't believe in ginseng" Do you believe in food? Another way to refer to herbs is "forgotten foods". Some foods are right for some people, some aren't. Craig

What you say makes sense in theory. But the initiator of the thread was asking about his girlfriend if you may recall. I believe it is a really good idea to see alternative health care practitioners - esp TCM to get a check on how your cultivation is doing. Helps with the self delusion problems of having a lot of energy which might not necessarily be balanced in an ideal way. Taoist sages and hermit who had practice WAY BEYOND what I have had also have been known to eat tonic herbs, ginseng, etc. You can always optimize you system with the proper inputs. This is the type of herbology an adept should pursue. Add to the system that which can take your health to radiant potency. This is contrasted to taking herbs or other techniques to address sickness or deficiency. Otherwise the ideal you are speaking of is that of the breatharian who has moved beyond gross material needs. Craig