lifeforce

This is probably a good thing. Once you get bogged down in spiritual/religious authority lineages, the view becomes fuzzy.

Bodyoflight, I feel really sorry for you. What you are saying is that you want to escape from life itself, instead of embracing it. An extreme view like this, in the modern world, can only lead to heartache. The 'problems' that you leave behind will be waiting for you in greater numbers when you 'return'. How will you deal with them then, when your social skills will be severely lacking due to isolation in the mountains ? The better cultivators are the ones who don't shy away from their responsibilities as human beings.

Stop seeking and the whole universe will be yours. Nothing to give up and nothing to attain. Everything is here, right now, all you need. You must stop this endless quest. It will drive you insane (if it hasn't already )

Xing Yi Nei Gong This book speaks for itself. A guy approaching 100 years old on the front cover. A lifestyle, not just an exercise system.

Religions = fear and control of the masses. The way is not to be found in holy books or the preaching of religious 'leaders' and authority figures.

Wow. That was a very good post. Thank you. My 'awakening' came about when I stopped seeking enlightenment (I never liked that word). Years and years of seeking, searching, looking, meditating, reading countless religious books. Then one day I had enough and just 'let go' of all that endless searching and something happened. Something 'clicked' into place. I saw the beauty of a flower, I mean really saw it. The sound of children playing. Birdsong. The feeling of rain as it hit my skin. The smell of trees. Thoughts arising and passing away. The constant movement inside my body. Everything was of Tao, and finally I became a part of it instead of being 'apart' from it. I embraced change rather than opposing it. The constant flow of life. No judgements. No preferences. No enlightenment. Just things as they are.

The benefits of doing this set of neigong are numerous. Although the set is a martial neigong, particularly xingyi, it can be practiced without any further foray into the internal arts. I learned the exercises a few at a time over a period of a few weeks, then I slowly increased the repetitions as laid out in the book. After a couple of months the positive effects became evident. 1. Increased energy and concentration. 2. A sense of extreme well-being and contentment with life. 3. The immune system is significantly boosted. I very rarely suffer from colds, flu, and viral infections. 4. A lightness in walking, as if walking on a cushion of air, but with a firm step. A strange paradox. 5. The feeling of constant movement of bodily fluids and qi coursing through my entire body, something previously not experienced. 6. A strong stable stance and root. 7. An acute awareness of the dantian. 8. A spongy,elastic feeling of the spine as if it had lengthened and softened. 9. When applied martially, the exercises have allowed me to strike very hard with minimal strength and to brush off blows effortlessly. 10. Less sleep required. Not being tired early in the mornings. There are probably dozens more which I could go on listing but you get the gist of it. Mind you, these benefits are probably achievable using any qigong, as long as you put the hours in, and practice daily.

I sure do the 17 exercises and the standing from that book. Nearly every day for about 9 years now. Got me interested in hsing i and I never looked back. Hell of a book. Tim Cartmell has a Sun Style Taijiquan book and DVD series just released. Saving up my pennies for those.

Yes, and I think it is very unique in that respect.

What is a pure Taoist ? Remember that Taoism is a religion and not the Tao itself. Religions = control of the masses based on fear. Tao = unknowable, ungraspable, undefineable.

I like this. Most of us in the West have probably been brought up as Christians of some sort but have discarded it as we got older. There is a lot of good stuff in the Gnostic Gospels for instance. Especially the Gospel of Thomas. Osho did a wonderful commentary on this entitled 'The Mustard Seed'. It may be worth checking out if that is your thing. Anything that causes us to look within is a worthwhile teaching. No need to limit yourself to any particular system or teacher though. Good luck on your journey.

Phew ! Common sense has prevailed. One of the reasons I've kept away is the overbearing, suffocating Buddhist preaching that has gone on from Mr. Vaj. I have been watching what has gone on recently without posting as I feel it would have just made the situation worse. We are all on different paths, respect has to be shown. There are some wonderful people on this forum and we should be here to give help and guidance to others, not to claim ultimate superiority. I'm sure that real Buddhists wouldn't behave in such a manner. It's good to be back.

The Star Exercise This looks interesting. I might try this out in the morning. Anybody have any experiences with it ?

This will be my last post. For me, this forum has served it's purpose. The knowledge and wisdom I have gained here has made me the person I am today, and for that I am truly grateful. I have tried many systems, techniques, religions, belief systems etc etc, and been down many side roads and dead ends. But all that has culminated in my discovery of Original Mind. I have no need for more information anymore, however good it is. All 'systems' have dropped away leaving only pure essence. The catalyst for my 'awakening' was 'The Secret Of The Golden Flower' by Thomas Cleary. Without this forum I wouldn't have found it. Thank you to all the Tao Bums. Goodbye.

Greetings everyone. As the new year approaches a lot of us make resolutions. Often to be broken quite early. Over the holiday period I've been doing a bit of contemplating as to how to step up my practice a notch. One of my resolutions is to meditate more regularly (hopefully daily) and to increase the length of my meditations. I'm sure a lot of us here are in the same boat, so how about a support topic where we can help each other along and inspire us to greater accomplishments ? Like a communal practice log. Starting on the 1st of January we could log our meditations here either daily or in a weekly digest. Whatever suits the individual I suppose. My goals are to meditate for at least 30 minutes a day in full lotus. My style is vipassana as it is what I have been taught and have tried to practice regularly for a couple of years. Any thoughts ?

Since discovering 'The Secret Of The Golden Flower' by Thomas Cleary, I now have no need for this thread. Original mind is available to me at any time. I don't need any systems/positions/religions/belief systems/books/teachers anymore. The search is over.

Bump. Cleary's translation is superb and very easy to understand compared to Wilhelm's. A completely different book altogether. A practice that can be used in the midst of daily life by anyone, and not just on the cushion by monks in a secluded monastery. It has taken me years to find the ultimate book on 'meditation'. This is it. No more books or teachers are needed. Thank you Thomas Cleary. The very essence of mind. It trancends ALL traditions, religions and belief systems. Pure Ch'an. Pure Tao. Without the 'isms'

Second that. Alex is a good friend of mine. Apart from being an excellent teacher, he is also a very nice guy. He's actually had some more books published here in the UK by small independent publishers. I'm not sure if they're available worldwide though.

Excellent. The best post on the thread. Thanks

Yep, it is starting to sound like an evangelical, preaching buddhism. It won't work here though.

My acupuncturist also advised this a few years back. It worked for me.

Which normally involves merely existing, as opposed to LIVING a full life.

My friend, we may not agree on everything, but you excel yourself on occasions with excellent advice.

Wow. That is the trip of a lifetime. You must keep us updated on your adventures.

It is horrendous that people think it's fine to display this sort of behaviour in the name of 'religion'. Like the pope turning a blind eye to decades of peadophilia within the catholic church. Or those sadist zen monks who physically abused and 'forced' their students into full lotus. Disgusting.