lifeforce

Unless you happen to be a Sufi. 😉

Greetings. The Cleary translation is an extremely valuable book to me. The realisations I've had while reading it and meditating upon it's message have had a major impact in my cultivation. In my opinion it's more Ch'an than Daoism, if you were to label it. But it is beyond labelling and compartmentalization. There are two other books that I recommend which may enhance the wisdom found in The Secret of the Golden Flower. 1. Awakening to the Tao by Thomas Cleary. 2. Bankei by Peter Haskel. Also, don't get hung up on traditions. Wisdom comes in many forms, whether it's the written word, the presence of a realised master, or the awe-inspiring beauty of nature.

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Try before you buy has always been my motto. Certain practices and teachings you will have a connection with. There's no easy answer to your question rather than to experiment. Find free resources on something your interested in. Try it out for a few weeks. If it doesn't jive with you, find an alternative. If it does, look deeper into the system and make a purchase. My recommendations for a practice schedule would be : 1. A moving practice Whether it's taiji or any other internal martial art, a qigong form, hill walking etc. 2. A standing practice. Zhuang Zhang, san ti etc. 3. A silent sitting meditation practice. Plenty to choose from. 4. Get out in nature as much as possible. 5. A balanced diet following good nutritional advice. No fad eating plans. Best wishes

Rogue state.

Rumi

Honestly, stay well clear of Peter Yeung (Dr. Lama, Sufi, Master or whatever title he makes up for himself). He is well known in this part of the world, Newcastle UK as a liar, cheat, and a bully who used to beat up his students. His 'followers' are like members of a brainwashing cult. You might as well flush your hard earned cash down the lavatory ! Sorry to be so blunt, but sometimes you need to be to get your point across.

That's exactly what has happened to me through my practice of xingyi. There is so much depth in the five fists that you could literally spend several lifetimes working with them. There are countless videos on YouTube of xingyi and to be honest, much of it is practiced like karate, hard and forceful. When you see the old masters, and the people today who train the way that the old masters did, it looks totally different. The soft, hidden power, which is obvious to those that know. Anyway, it looks like we've derailed this thread with our IMA talk. Hope all is well with you.

Xingyi has been taken to a new level. As well as the stuff I've learned over the years from my teachers, I'm now working through Scott Meredith's books: Radical Xingyi Energetics and Aiki Singularity. I would encourage anyone practicing xingyi (or even taiji ) to get your hands on any of Scott's books. The ramp up in power through practicing his methods is incredible. My xingyi to meditation ratio hasn't changed. I still enjoy both immensely.

I'm Stanley born and bred. I feel quite fortunate in that the countryside is on my doorstep, but urban areas are only a short distance away. Yes, Durham Cathedral has been a special place ever since I first visited there as a child on a school trip. I've always been awestruck by the sheer beauty of the buildings. Only after recent visits in the last 5 years have I felt it's power. This is probably a by-product of years of cultivation which has opened me up to receive the strong energy. Finchale Abbey's energetic field feels even stronger to me. The location, coupled with the buildings and the energy of previous occupants, can feel overwhelming at first, before calming down. Then I can feel so much loving energy there. I plan on meditating and practicing my qigong there sometime soon.

I can't believe there's another member of Dao Bums from my area ! That's awesome. Where are you located ? For some reason, ancient Christian sites have a strong energetic, almost magnetic field which seem to really affect me. The two places I highlighted are not the only ones where I've felt an unbelievably powerful energy. There are several in Newcastle, in rural Northumberland and in County Durham also. As I don't identify myself as a Christian, this is quite strange. Maybe I'm being told something.

Not necessarily. When I met Alex I had been only playing around with Qigong. I wasn't a serious internal arts practitioner at the time. That changed after training with him. I saw the power and healing properties of the arts of taiji, xingyi and bagua and decided that I needed to pursue at least one of them.

https://goo.gl/images/P9rTeM Wang Xiangzhai, the godfather of modern zhan zhuang executing a single leg posture. In Yiquan, this is a very advanced method and usually not practiced for the first few years.

Seems like a solid organisation and worthy of serious consideration. I'm not sure if Alex Kozma is still teaching in London, he tends to travel quite a lot. You may want to try and seek him out. I've trained with him once before and learned more in 3 hours than I had in several years of practice.

I had the feeling I was the only one who thought this. I'm glad you wrote this. It seems there is a bit of a "Damo Mitchell love in" here on The Dao Bums. I've always been a bit suspect.

Imagine if Jessup2 had been around when Drew Hempel was posting ?

My main method is muraqaba, Sufi meditation on the heart. To complement this, it is advised to practice dhikr (remembrance of Allah) throughout the day during normal activities. The mantra, or recitation used is La ilaha illa allah ( There is no god, only Allah).

I can relate to your post, Taomeow. Around the age of 5, I was awakened to the cruel 'ways of the world', and my reality was shattered, when a neighbour's child, a little younger than me, stole my prized possession from my hand. My beautifully embroidered handkerchief, given to me by my mother which I carried everywhere. When confronted, the boy didn't even try to lie, he admitted to the act and just laughed about it without any remorse. That incident stayed with me, and to a certain degree, still does today. I was brought up with good manners, to respect people, and their property. Something I have instilled successfully into my own children. We all have the power to rise above the wrongdoings of the world and to live virtuous lives.

From Thomas Cleary either : The Secret of the Golden Flower, or Awakening to the Tao

https://youtu.be/pfwB0Nl56ho Another example of our materialistic society.

https://youtu.be/ihcgRuVTDkY The neurotic, messed up society we live in today, is expressed rather brilliantly in this video. It's over an hour long, but well worth it.

There is your answer. Don't over complicate things and it will all happen by itself.

Thank you for these words. They sum me up also. Yin and Yang, both needed for life to flourish.

https://youtu.be/W2yIkDVs0cA Wisdom.

Excellent resource, thanks for sharing. The horse stance information on that site is invaluable.