Adam West

Hi Mike, So which schools are these and which of them do you recommend? Many thanks! In kind regards, Adam.

Wow!!!!! That was very educational, and oh my GOD, hilarious!! I laughed myself senseless!!!!

Hi and welcome! Great to have you here. As you may know, your blog has been the subject of significant discussion. I'm sure there are many of us here who would love to hear of your ongoing experiences with your master teachers from the Longmen lineage. In kind regards, Adam.

Hi Franklin! Would you be willing to upload the Mp3 file from the CD to a third party server like http://www.mediafire.com/ so we can download it and check it out? I'm sure there are many, many TaoBums who would be very appreciative!!! In kind regards, Adam.

Hi Hundun! I get the impression from your response you have read or looked at Jerry's Qigong textbooks, is this so? Assuming one were interested in studying and learning medical qigong informally, what would be your review of the books? Are they the best out there for this purpose. What can you say about the specific practices? You say they are quite simple. Are they unique to the magical lineage he is an adept of, or will one find them to be more or less the same as those found in the book "Qigong Empowerment" and others etc? Many thanks for your reply!! In kind regards, Adam.

Hey Mat So what exactly is Taidow? It talks about a master dieing in sitting meditation over a thousand years ago, but not much else. So I am assuming it is a sitting meditation practice. It is said to profoundly oxygenate the blood, so I am inferring it is likely, in part, a breathing practice also. What is it exactly? Please elaborate and provide some more links if you would? Many thanks! In kind regards, Adam.

Hey guys, I just recently bought this book also. I'm on the second chapter and am incredibly impressed. I'm not sure if I will go through the 10 week course however, as I wonder if the additional mechanics beyond frequently accessing and existing in present moment awareness are necessary. He states that being in the present moment (which seems to be equivalent to the non-dual state as described in various traditions, particuarly Zen, Dzogchen and others) is characterized primarily by a profound gratefulness for living, and also joy, bliss, No-thought, and loss of the sense of the separate self. And that, as I understand it, by living in this state increasingly over time all psycho-emotional and external imbalances will naturally clear without contrived effort from "me". A simpiler version of this may be found in Zen where one just sits and drops everything, thus, arriving at the realization of our original face. Perhaps the presence process is an expedited version of the documented Zen process and others. In any case, I very much look forward to hearing everyones personal experiences with this. In kind regards, Adam.

Swami Satyananda of the Sivananda yogic tradition spends his time carrying out similar fire puja, however, the fires are four placed at the cardinal points while he sits in the center. He has stated that when his concentration is lost he gets burned and blistered, yet, as soon as the concentration is reestablished, the blistering instantly heals. In kind regards, Adam.

It looks great, I think I'll buy the DVD. I wonder what breath technique he uses for entering samadhi and ecstatic divine union with the fire, do you know? In kind regards, Adam.

Hey Janus, Perhaps you would like to test run the idea for three weeks to see how you'd really cope and respond. If your in the USA, you might like to arrange time in the Samadhi cave. See below link. http://www.samadhihermitage.org/cave.shtml The thing is, most people in this world are so busy "doing", that when they have nothing to do and they are forced to just be with themselves, it is a nightmare. I know people who go on retreats and all they do is bush-walk or study Sutas. This is because they literally can't spend time with themselves all day long doing nothing - and certainly not meditating. No one can escape their own mind, we must face it sooner or later if want self-realisation. Having nothing to do forces that and a melt-down often follows. If you can't face your own mind at home with others around, there is a good chance you can't do it alone too. However, if you have sufficient maturity to work through it with practices, sleeping and guidance from one who has been there and done that, you will settle in and make good progress and may, if so disciplined and completely let go and dive in, fully awaken within a one year time frame. But who really has that kind of discipline (in letting go)? People are constantly in a defensive mode of grasping, distracting and shifting responsibility. There are very few realised masters for a reason. It is not easy to do. We are our own worst enemies.... I have not done the samadhi cave retreat as I am Australian. But I have done solitary retreats living on my own within society fully withdrawn from social practice. The above is what I found. I almost went all the way during that time, but not quite and so did not affect a permanent level of realisation. Went back to society too soon and lost much of what I achieved - but not all. So will need to do it again... In kind regards, Adam. * Edited for spelling and grammar.

I suspect this is a gross exaggeration and VERY fear based... Conservation and transmutation has its place, but giving energy is how we receive it multiplied. May you know the peace and joy of our non-dual original face and let go fear based, dualistic victim consciousness.... Men are not out to get you... or steal from you as it were... In kind regards, Adam.

Hey guys, Many years ago I used to work with active methods of Indian kundalini yoga - you know pranayama and active visualizations etc - Indian methods similar to Chinese Qigong. I worked with other active western methods from the western alchemy and magic and so forth and so on; and Chinese and Tibetan and others. Years later I moved on to, by comparrision, more passive methods found in Zen, Dzogchen etc. Right now I am interested in active methods again, to suppliment my sitting practices in stillness meditation. Many of us know of Santiago on this board as Vajrasattva who is the head teacher and Guru of Umaa Tantra. He appears to have a long history in Tantra from several reputable teachers and traditions; with training and initiations from several traditions outside of tantra per se. He offers a complete distance course in the essence of the worlds various enlightenment traditions. I wonder if anyone has any experience in the Umaa Tantra course and if Vajrasattva would be happy to carry out a thread of open questions with regard to his course and exactly what it is composed of, and why he thinks serious aspirants ought to take it and how it differs from the KAP course and so on? Vajrasattva, I see that as part of the course you teach stillness practices, where do these practices originate from and how do you see that they fit with the more active methods - physical asanas, breath work, manipulation of chi etc? In the KAP course you teach weather magic and so on, do you teach these kinds of magical practices in the inner circle course, if so, what is the philosophy behind "actively affecting" the material world with one's Will and energy? Why do you teach it and why should your students learn and practice it? There seems to be a lot of emphasis at the higher levels on tantric sexual practices, how do you see these methods working in with celibacy? What is their status / importance in the system you offer? Vajrasattva, how can we get a sample of the kind of materials you are offering so that we can see if we find resonance with your course and your style of teaching - could you make some interesting offers to those of us here at TaoBums? I would be willing to test drive the complete course and do so in a practice blog here on Taobums making daily entries describing the effects of the practices and my progress through the course - this may be very interesting if indeed the course is the essence of the worlds mystery traditions and as effective as one might expect. Vajrasattva, how long does it take to complete the course? Can all the materials be bought individually i.e. DVD's, CD's, manuals, books, without being part of the course? If so, why do the course? How complete is it? Do you believe it contains the essence of the worlds most effective enlightenment practices? On one of your web pages, you mention higher courses to follow this one, that would seem to indicate the current course is not complete. What is contained in the higher courses that is not contained in this course? More questions to come as they arise... http://www.umaatantra.com/products/tantric_inner_circle.html In kind regards, Adam.

Different masters are going to have there own specific reasons for the order of practices, aren't they? Their own logic - premises and conclusions. Why not follow Chia's system? In kind regards, Adam.

Since the MO is taught last in the series of lessons in the Tan Tien Chi Kung course, we can reasonably infer the tradition itself or at the adepts that composed the course intended one to practice the iron shirt and other chi kung practices before the MO. I would suggest you follow the course as is. However, there may be good reasons to go straight to the MO, particularly if you have training and experience from other traditions. Yet, it seems to me, generally speaking, it may be better to start with the basics and work up to it; as there appears to be a pattern of holistically and systematically developing and strengthening the nervous system. As a general heuristic, being methodical often hightens probability of a desired outcome. In kind regards, Adam.

Hey that was a great synopsis!! Thanks alot - most interesting and to the point! I'm wondering how many people on this board have seriously practiced this kind of Taoist yoga. Please, if any have, share your experiences and any differences in your practice from this one. Further, can anyone detail Taoist methods in the same vein that make the above practice safer and or indeed, more powerful and expedient in outcome? I myself work with Buddhist Mind Yoga methods which completely bypass yogic breath and energy work, yet I am completely fascinated with this alternative. In kind regards, Adam.

Hi guys, Check this out - very interesting. In kind regards, Adam.

Hey guys, Funny what you find roaming about on the net. I came across a new website offering to sell an 18 minute DVD of paranormal phenomenon - like that of the John Chang video - and interviews with masters or those who personally know them (I assume), with the additional possibility of studying with a level four (Mo Pai) adept and student of Shifu Wang Liping; and with further additional good fortune, the possibility of meeting and studying with the good master himself, Shifu Wang Liping, all for the low price of 200 Euro (for the first ten customers). Sounds vaguely familiar, huh? Here is the link: http://www.thunderpath.de/index-english.php It seems to be run by this gentleman: http://www.seros.de/ressourcen/seminare/nlp_trainer.html http://www.seros.de/index2.html Anyone know this guy or these people? I wonder if Shifu Wang Liping is aware of how many people are attempting to make money of his name? The current Shifu Wang Liping immortals craze in western Taoist circles reminds me of the Babaji obsession of the Kriya yoga people of Yogananda and the western kundalini yoga aspirants back in the 90's. So many cashing in. In kind regards, Adam.

No not yet. I work with sitting stillness / emptiness meditations which I am convinced are the direct path to realizing our inherent nature - starting with flashes to permanent direct realisation. However, I intuit supplemental benefits in energy work. Even this course says that very thing. They say quicker to combine both.. So I will see about making the time for practice in this kind of stuff, as I have in the past... In kind regards, Adam.

Yeah it's good stuff. They work with the MCO clock wise and anti-clockwise. Up the spine for transforming Jing to Chi and down the spine for transforming Chi to Shen.... Anyone encountered this before? In kind regards, Adam.

Hey Pero, Yeah the lessons have been floating about for years - I've had them and lost them several times over that duration. I would suggest the Kundalini phenomenon is universal and known by different names and documented in most genuine traditions including Buddhism. I would contend if you meditate long enough and deeply enough, all encounter similar kundalini phenomena sooner or later - merely a sign along the path. When they speak of the winds entering the central channel and the realisation of the clear light in Mahamudra etc., this is what they the Yogis of India refer to as Kundalini awakening and Samadhi. In Dr Glenn Morris' "Path Notes" he used the microcosmic orbit practice amongst others to fully awaken his kundalini and attain its permanent arousal and conscious access to superconsciousness at will - the man was an academic and an atheist - no sectarian identifications or religious denominations. If we do the practices we get results. This is the same for Zen or Dzogchen sitting and others. I have observed this correlation in others and seen it in myself. In kind regards, Adam.

Hi Hundun, You wrote: "there's a world of difference between awakening ones awareness to chi and awakening the big K. a WORLD of difference. in yoga they don't mistake sensations of prana for kundalini awakening. i stimulate chi awareness in my students and clients almost every day. but it's not shaktipat." Yes, that's clearly true. There is no conflation here. They speak about awakening to the awareness of chi, as you put it, and a second phenomenon that at first sight strongly appears to be kundalini awakening and the raising of awareness to such an extent that the practitioner realises the state known in the Buddhist tradition as Nirvana. So the traditions' primary goal seems to be spiritual development - consciousness raising. I'll see if I can find some quotes. In kind regards, Adam.

Your most welcome! The whole system seems, in their words, geared to awakening "the Chi" phenomena known to us as the Kundalini. Anyone know of any of its prominent master teachers etc? Hope you enjoy! In kind regards, Adam.

The meditation that helps you set up the conditions to notice that which already IS - the Natural State or Innate Nature. Sitting stillness meditation, in my experience, is best for that. Shamatha then Insight. Still, relaxed but focused mind, that allows one to see directly the nature of mind. Energy work may or may not help expedite these conditions for realization. In kind regards, Adam.

Hey Santiago, Your system - additions to Glenn's stuff - seem great to me also. How do all those practices fit into a manageable and intuitively fluid daily routine. Is it really necessary to have so many practices - are you following some underlying logic? Tao Bums is an international group of people. I think a distance program that is mostly compiled of audio lectures and manuals but limited phone time - if you still feel it is necessary at all (as audio is still oral transmission) - would be very successful and appreciated by us. Many of us are under and post-grad collegue students or just generally very busy and have little money of time to spare. So efficient and practical transmission of the teachings in terms of time and money would probably result in a wider distribution of Glenn's and your important materials getting out there and generally helping a broad audience to realise their innate nature. Anyhow, I hope you consider this feed back. In kind regards, Adam.

I just bought Glenn's "Meditation Mastery", when it arrives I will let you know how it is. I think this is a sample of the recordings. http://www.myspace.com/kundaliniawakeningprocess If so, sounds fine and very interesting. His stuff sounds like much of what we are familiar with, but according to another poster, it has his additional subtle little tricks, insights, discoveries etc. that make it, perhaps, more effective. It is quite a reasonable price too. Buy direct access to the material / practices, useful if you are short on time, cash and live in another country. In kind regards, Adam.