lifeforce

I remain sceptical of Wang Liping and I've said it many many times. I think the 'Opening the Dragon Gate' book is a perfect marketing tool to hook in gullible 'students' looking for extraordinary abilities. This sort of thing has happened since the dawn of man. This goes totally against the spirit of the Dao in my opinion.

That's the realm of top-down authoritarian control mechanisms like religious hierarchies. The Dao is beyond any mediatory figures and requires nothing but an open, flexible mind.

Daoism has nothing to do with the 'channels'. That is Traditional Chinese medicine and the myriad of practice's associated with it.

From Bruce's newsletter: Hi folks, We are moving into the weekend and I wanted to talk to you a bit about the three paths of Taoism. They are the path of the warrior, the path of the healer and the path of the sage. Let me share with you more about each path... The Path of the Warrior is understanding what Qi (energy) is and learning how to use that power to overcome any obstacle, conflict or challenge...and at higher levels taming the destructive forces within the human condition. Now most assume the warrior path is just about warfare and bodily strength. The physical thing is really only the beginning of the journey on the path of the warrior.Fighting puts up a mirror that you can not avoid. It is very easy to be a legend in your own mind but when the stakes are serious you learn real lessons and competence. Warriors tend to do things in a more naked form. They look for being present to what is in front of them. The deeper training of the warrior is to see the energy below what's on the surface. What is your energy when you encounter anything and what is the energy of what you encounter. Do you know what the Qi of fear is? The unique quality of a warrior is to accept everything and to simultaneously learn how to destroy or eliminate anything in the way of their chosen path. The Path of the Healer is connecting with others and understanding what lies behind pain and dysfunction and getting past it. Deep underneath pain is emptiness, openness, light and life force. Healers learn methods to recycle and release this energy. The healer works with pain of others to get past the pain themselves. As healer you have to have the willingness to not to avoid the human condition. Any doctor or healer can go only so far if the vast range of human condition freaks them out. The unique quality of a healer is to accept what is there and then harmonize with it. Mastery in healing can only be attained with a highly developed capacity of loving-kindness. The Path of the Sage is becoming truly non-attached while becoming connected to the smooth and well balanced working of the whole. The sage ultimately has to go beyond all limitations. The Warrior and Healer only have to go beyond specific things. The sage transcends all situations until they realize all situations are the same. There is a false idea that the Sage has to be frail or passive...in actuality real meditation is for people who are strong not weak. You have to have great courage to face the demons within and to go beyond oneself to the greater whole. The unique quality of a Sage is to go beyond the ordinary to become one with everything. There are specific practices in Taoism to become enlightened by being a warrior, a healer and/or a sage. However the three paths are in reality one Way. In Taoism all paths end up at the same place. What path you may prefer or not prefer is hard to say. If you have an attraction to one part do that and forget the rest. There are a lot of paths and you are under no obligation to do all of them. Do what resonates with you and follow that energy. If two of them do it for you, then do the two and forget the third...or take what is useful in the third that will help the two. And if you have a natural attraction for all three paths in Taoism then you are being drawn into something that is truly whole but it also requires a greater level of energy, time and commitment. A hard question for many humans is, 'What do I truly want'. Not what 'should I want' but rather 'what do I want'. If you can answer that question then just decide and go for it - it helps greatly to have clarity on the path you are following. You have to trust yourself at some point--It doesn't matter what anyone else says. And once you make the choice you can change latter if you need to. That's why the major book in Taoism is the I Ching or The Book of Changes. One of the main points is it's the actual training that takes you to the transcendence, not just ideas of following a path. Training is the practical thing that gets you further down the road. Have a great weekend! Everything furthers, Bruce Frantzis Founder, Energy Arts From the above descriptions, I would definitely say I'm on the path of the Warrior. Any thoughts on this ?

Resistance to most, if not all, infections. A strong, flexible body. Appreciation of all life. Sound, clear mind. Deep, long and full breathing. Looking at least a decade younger than I actually am. Excellent sense faculties, especially smell. Psychic abilities. Not being afraid anymore of physical death. The ability to fully understand previously difficult spiritual texts.

I like this post very much. It speaks to me in words I can understand and is not littered with biases and a fixed, immovable stance. If I may add something of my own to it : If you want to understand, and practice true neidan, it's all there in the Yijing. Let the Yi be your one and only teacher.

Sex, and the act of ejaculation are natural. The pressure NEEDS to be released. As long as you don't overdo it, I don't see a problem with progress.

Oh. then please elaborate. BKF, whether you like him or not, has walked the walk for decades now. I don't practice any of his systems of martial arts, qigong or meditation. I have my own practice which has served me well for over a decade. What I do like though about Bruce, are his thoughts on the Daoist way, and how it is applicable to the modern world. We don't live in ancient China. The Dao is for all people, of all times, and in all places.

A good friend of mine trains with Master Han periodically in China. As well as being a competent martial artist, he is apparently a very nice guy.

Fully agree with this.

That sounds very much like the shaktipat I received from Dr. Gabriel Cousens. I was in tears for quite a while. The love and pure beauty of life itself overwhelmed me and changed me forever.I'm still not down with Steven Gray's Indian pen-name though lol.

So how does one go about changing this ? Even though I've been a cultivator for many years, I carry a lot of anger and hatred. So much so, that some people who I really hate, I wish would die a horrible death. I've even visualised myself performing the gruesome act ! Having said that, there is a paradox. I'm really a happy person inside most of the time. Maybe my recent foray into binaural beats, theta waves and isochronic tones can make subtle changes, by switching on my pineal gland, thereby changing the frequencies in my mind. Who knows ?

Ha ha nice one.

Binaural bets, isochronic tones and theta wave recordings will fast track your progress by a million times, if you're open enough. They have for me.

Personally, for me, binaural beats, isochronic tones, theta wave etc etc recordings have been very successful. There's thousands of videos on YouTube so I suggest for anyone interested, to have a play around. When listening to these with headphones, in a quiet environment, with eyes closed I've had the most vivid of dreams, astral travelling, meeting spirit guides and information about myself and others than I could possibly imagine. I can feel the center of my head pulsating so hard. The pineal gland, like a beacon, searching out other like minded souls, spirits and guides both human and just plain beings without any form.

Why do these 'self-proclaimed masters' choose Asian names ? The skeptic and questioner in me would suggest it's a marketing ploy. After all, someone naming themself 'adyashanti' would sell more books, seminar tickets etc, than plain old 'Steven Gray' Why don't these people just be who they are. I sense a strong ego still running the show in these pseudo-asian 'masters'.

Thank you dwai. I was going to study the Gita, but I don't seem to have a connection or affinity with Krishna. However, Kali is drawing me ever closer. I feel a strong attraction. A deep, dark, mysterious longing that I've never felt before. This is something I wrote recently : "For a while now I've been having dreams/visions of a female being/deity/goddess. At first I thought it was Guanyin or Tara from Buddhism. She is strong, powerful, dark, mysterious, forceful, and beautifully sexual. More and more I've been drawn towards her. I now know this to be Kali, whom I'd never heard of before. The little I've read and investigated, the more I am certain of her involvement in my life. My life has changed so many times over the last 4 years. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and energetically I am unrecognisable from the Me of four years ago. I thought this was down to my daily neigong practice, coupled with some sort of a midlife crisis. I'm thinking now that it could be the involvement of Kali"

Thank you dwai. My main interest is in developing a bhakti practice. The energetic side of my cultivation has been fulfilled. Four years ago I received shaktipat which initiated a kundalini experience and started a process which has completely changed me as a person. It started out as a very blissful experience which lasted for many weeks before subsiding. I was left with confusion, doubt, many episodes in which I (and the people around me), thought I was going mad. Bouts of depression, intermingled with elation and euphoria are the normal for me now as I've slowly learned to cope with my 'condition'. This has never deterred me from my mission in life, which was revealed to me at the time of my shaktipat, and that is of union with the Divine. I've jumped from book to book, scripture to scripture, in all traditions, looking for answers, which nearly all fall short of my lofty expectations. I truly believe that my path lies in the ancient Indian texts, but sifting my way through them to find a practice which resonates with me is becoming increasingly difficult and confusing. So, basically I'm after some help and advice on starting and developing a bhakti practice which will last me for all my lifetime, and beyond. Any help which you, or anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I called out Wang Liping on these forums months ago. I totally agree with you. $$$$ for full lotus meditation ? Any zen centre will teach this for free.

Dwai, (or anyone else for that matter), could you recommend a commentary/good translation which isn't school/sectarian based ? Preferably an online version as I'm low on funds for new books . Thank you.

Xingyineigong.

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before but I just came across this guy's work on youtube. Anyone have any thoughts on it ?

Thank you goatguy. I'll look forward to following your sensus plenior thread.

I'm just gonna throw this out here and see if anyone has any ideas. Today, at work, I've had a weird and very vivid feeling as if I hadn't actually been there. I mean I have been there working as normal, interacting with colleagues etc, but, I've had this somewhat detached feeling. It's as if I was watching myself working, talking, eating, drinking, etc without actually doing these things, even though I was. Time has also been not the same for me today. I'm really bemused and at a loss to know what's going on. I'm still feeling the effects of this bizarre experience even now, hours later. I've never had this before. Any thoughts ?

Sorry but this is a public forum where debates, conversations, and exchanges of opinion take place. Your way is not the only way and I can assure you, my kundalini experience is far from illusory.