TzuJanLi

Greetings.. If i were going to try to classify Eastern and western Taoism, i would reference Alan Watts.. Watts had an open and curious mind, he was able to translate eastern thought into western dialogue, and.. avoid the fluffy ritual.. the Clarity of Watts let the essence of Taoism shine through the layers of tradition.. Aside from that, the division of 'east and west' would be counter to the principles of Tao.. Tao is a unifying principle.. Be well..

Greetings.. If i may suggest, 'spirit guides' might be the product of assigning values based on preference.. that the non-local aspect of our existence can access any portion of the Cosmos, past or present.. information and experiences gained when our awareness is trained on the non-local existence is not from a 'guide', it is a relationship with the 'Source'.. it seems we are too eager to conjure fantasy and create layers of separation between the physical experience and the spiritual experience.. it much more direct and simple than 'guides' and projecting.. Be well..

Greetings.. I understand 'astral projection' differently.. i understand that the physical manifestation is a 'local' phenomenon.. it is where the focus and attention of our conscious awareness is concentrated in order to maintain the physical being.. there is also the 'non-local' (spiritual) element of 'being' and it permeates the Cosmos.. i understand that we don't "leave the body", we simply focus on our non-local existence at any place or time we are capable of accessing.. that capability is expanded through practice and discipline.. Leaving the body implies a 'separation' that i can't validate.. Be well..

Greetings.. As i have posted previously, it's not about 'storing'.. it's about becoming a better vehicle, cultivating more capacity for flow.. that which is stored becomes stagnant. I sense the human body like a pond, where streams flow in and flow out.. the pond stays clear and calm.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi Marblehead: It's rare that i don't resonate with your perspectives, but.. i just don't sense Tao as having qualities like, 'function, action, method'.. Tao is not confined by our interpretations of, 'gentleness, reversion, weakness'.. Tao is as much harsh as gentle, as much aggressive as reversionary, as much strong as weak, and.. it makes no distinctions... Be well..

Greetings.. There is no room for subjective value judgements like beauty/ugly.. these are energetic beings, radiant in their 'beingness'.. the perpetrators are energetic beings, too.. radiating their vengence for their own pain, dissonate and chaotic.. if all you see is the being's image, then you have missed the 'truth' of the being.. Yes, the images should shock us.. not because of beauty/ugly, but.. due to the deep misunderstandings that inspire people to harm other 'aspects of their own existence' in this manner.. hurt one/hurt all ~ help one/help all.. I honor the wisdom of agrarian cultures.. a healthy garden requires prudent pruning.. Be well..

Greetings.. Nothing is special about full lotus.. nothing is achievable through contrived postures that is not achievable through Clarity of the physical/energetic relationships.. generally, we are blineded by 'tradition'. Be well..

Greetings.. Worship nothing.. yet, maintain a sacred reverence for ALL things.. "Sacred", by my understanding, is that which compells our full attention and awareness.. It is the defining which is confining.. "the Point", is nothing other than the 'experience' itself, without definition or comparison.. there is a brilliant serenity when we abandon the need to define and compare.. Be well..

Greetings.. Excellent description, Sheng Zhen.. thanks!! Be well..

Greetings.. Clarity is beautiful thing!! Be well..

Greetings.. It has been my experience and my instruction that the admonishment to 'round the back' is to counter the inclination to 'puff the chest'.. human nature seems to want to embellish certain physical attributes, the males puff their chests to embellish their muscular masculinity, similarly females tend to embellish certain 'attributes', too.. it is my understanding that the appropriate posture is 'relaxed', which lets the shoulders fall slightly forward and the back appears slightly rounded.. when the spine is perpendicular to the ground the body mass is forward, shifting the weight into the balls and arches of the feet.. this is an active alignment, activating energy systems in a 'stilled readiness', and.. it enhances the 'listening' systems.. In my practice i center the knees directly above the balls of the feet and 'firm the legs', without 'locking' them.. then, relaxing the girdle muscles (abs, glutes, and low back), the pelvis drops naturally into proper alignment, swinging freely on the stable pivots of the femurs.. there is the tendency to use the abs to 'pull' the pelvis forward, but.. a huge problem for many people is tension in the girdle region, this tension essentially separates the body into upper and lower sections.. this 'girdle tension' traps energy in the upper body and prevents integrated coherency and grounding/rooting.. With the relaxed girdle region, and the chin 'pulled toward the spine', not 'tucked in'.. then, 'raising the crown' will create an 'active tension' along the Erector Spinae Muscles.. this 'active tension' activates the Connective Tissue System (CTS) and increases 'energetic coherence' throughout the whole body.. this 'energetic coherence' produces a noticable physical sensation similar to a very subtle tingling, i refer to it as 'white noise', a background sensation that notifies me of successful alignment and 'central equilibrium'.. Now, the more difficult task.. maintaining this central equilibrium while moving.... Be well..

Greetings.. There is only one issue, for me, that resonates as what the founders of Taoist thought might have been pointing to: Clarity. From which, our choices will then reflect our 'true nature', rather than the programmed reactions.. From my perspective, Clarity is the sole purpose of meditation.. Be well..

Greetings.. Balance? learn 'listening' skills, listen to your 'natural' energies.. you will know what's right and when it's right.. By all means, it is appropriate keep everything in working order.. the old saying, "use it or lose it" comes to mind.. but, not recreationally, 'listening skills' will reveal appropriateness.. one can expect nocturnal emmisions in the early phases of training, while the discipline is 'physical'.. Be well..

Greetings.. In China there is a tradition of freeing a captive bird, so there are many bird vendors.. a teacher was once asked 'what is Qi'.. the teacher went to a bird vendor nearby and came back with his hands behind his back.. he reached out with one hand and when he opened it a small bird flew away.. he said "Qi".. he held out the other hand, opend it and a dead bird just fell to the ground, he said, "no Qi".. good teacher, in my opinion.. Be well..

Greetings.. Observe the Taiji symbol, Yin and Yang.. both are always present. Taijiquan is a Martial Art, it uses Yin and Yang in a balanced harmony.. Taijiquan is so brilliantly conceived that intention alone will determine its result.. The same form i do with Martial intent can be done as a purely meditative Qi development form, each dependent on awareness and intent.. no element or movement of Taijiquan is 100% Yin or Yang, even the perceived Yin of 'rollback' is simulatneously expressing ward-off with 'Peng', it is both Yin and Yang with a Yin intention.. Yin and Yang are interchangable at every instance, they are relative.. Consider the stages of water.. a bowl of room temperature water, a bowl of ice, and a bowl of steaming hot water.. by temperature, the ice is Yin to the room temp. water and the steaming hot water, but.. by structure, it is Yang to the liquid or the steam.. Yin and Yang are interchangable according to the situation.. One of my first lessons with Dr. Yang, he asked us, "what is Taiji"?.. after several well-reasoned replies he shook his hean no and said it is 'Mind'.. Taiji originates in the mind, which directs the forms, the understandings, and every result.. the 'secret', is to 'internalize it so well that the Taijiquan/Taiji becomes the expansion of 'mind', no longer a separate part.. Be well..

Greetings.. "Two sides of the same coin" Be well..

Greetings.. Hi Blasto: Agreed, you do 'believe'.. and, after a second and more readings, i cannot find a contradiction between ES's post, and my own.. both seem to point directly at 'Tao', do you see it differently? Be well..

Greetings.. There is no need to avoid the orgasm.. the energies released during orgasm are part of the training, redirecting the energies as well as the Jing.. the 'internal orgasm' feels the same as an external orgasm, a beneficial practice is to direct those energies into the meridians and vessels for circulation and nourishment of the entire body.. later, you can cultivate the focused intention to direct the energies for whatever experience is unfolding or whatever a situation demands.. Perhaps i phrased the description of 'locking the pc muscles' to infer 'blocking', that is not the case.. the pc muscles 'deflect' until such time that you can manage 'energetic' control rather than physical control.. Awareness of the energetic processes involved during love-making will naturally reduce the loss of jing.. Be well..

Greetings.. "What if"?..... anything that follows is 'conditional', and very likely pointless.. rather than letting the moment reveal itself, you are 'lost in thought', pondering what ifs.. it has been my experience that any 'what if' is both pointless and profound simultaneously.. that being the case, the sane perspective is to simply 'pay attention'.. There is a huge difference between 'What if', and.. 'What is'.. one, what if, is imagination.. the other, what is, is Clarity.. and, both are free-willed choices.. Be well..

Greetings.. As long as it's clear that it is the 'mind' that conjures that play on words.. the flag moves, we tell ourselves stories about it.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi Baguakid: I do note the distinction between 'meditation' and 'discipline', and i find a balance of the two to be beneficial.. It seems Shaolin were not very 'balanced' before Damo.. I particularly like your presentation of 'form'.. Be well..

Greetings.. Standing? Sitting? Meditation is not dependent on 'form', in fact the adherance to form is contrary to Pure Clarity.. Be well..

Greetings.. My experience differs, suffering is the attachment one has to those natural occurances.. nature and reality aren't perfect, 'suffering' is very much like whining about it.. Not really, but it's fun.. the 'connection' is real, it's tangible, and immediately available for those who actually care.. We are children of the Universe.. the Universe manifests our every desire exactly to the degree we actually believe it will.. this is a crucial understanding, because the only reason you don't get what you want, is you don't actually believe you will get it.. "talk is cheap".. "Faith without works is dead".. you 'say' you believe you will get a new car, but.. you just sit and wait.. IF you believed it, you would actually 'make it happen', even if it required work, remember the 'faith/works' thingy?.. Be well..

Greetings.. On the inhale.. in Reverse Abdominal Breathing the diaphragm presses down toward the DanTien, the abdominals contract inward, and the PC muscles contract upward toward the DanTien.. the Ming Men opens as the pelvis tucks under and the sacrum drops.. On the exhale the PCs relax, the abdominals expand (as they would if you were blowing up a balloon) and the diaphragm pushes upward to push the air from the lungs.. this process also causes Qi to expand in the meridians and channels, resulting in Qi moving into the bones and marrows, and to move to skin, shielding.. this is often referred to as 'Taoist Breathing'.. Be well..