al.

For further reading, I highly recommend this book: Francis Fukuyama - The Origins of Political Order https://www.amazon.co.uk/Origins-Political-Order-Prehuman-Revolution/dp/1846682576 If we do not have an understanding of the political situation of ancient China, or of any other era, it is difficult to fully comprehend gender roles. (Unless we are only dealing with the realm of ideals and recluses living outside of society) As mentioned in the above post, the laws surrounding land ownership and marriage are key to looking at how men and women balance power in their community. There has been much reference to the Yi Jing and Yin-Yang in this thread. Although these things are part of Daoism, they are also the foundation of Confucianism too, which has probably in general had a greater impact on the structuring of traditional Chinese society and therefore on gender roles too.

Check out these articles for very informative and technical tips on traditional gong-fu tea: http://www.kyarazen.com/chaozhou-gongfu-tea/ Whilst it's good to honour tradition, it's also important to keep cultural and geographical perspective too- as SillyBears post above describes there is always innovation in tea culture- so finding the most suitable way to adapt gong-fu tea to your lifestyle and needs should take precedent over rigidly conforming to set rules.... unless perhaps you are practicing Japanese tea ceremony

Hi Oneironaut, The answer depends on what the goal of the Taoist 6 healing sounds is thought to be... From my experience many of the qigong sound practices are you for either clearing out sick qi or purification and transformation. What I gather about Kototama is that the sound practice is more about direct resonance with the Primal 5E, so more intent on harmonization.. Similar purposes in either case though. A

Drumming qigong is really wonderful! Practicing qigong and then playing drums will be a game changer. Also, start playing the drums as if it's a woodwind instrument- start by exhaling through a fill or tricky phrase. A

Of course! Some of the top martial artists were good acupuncturists, most certainly know the points and theory..

There are people throughout history who have used acupuncture as an adjunct to enlightenment/immortality. OF course, the concept of enlightenment or immortality needs to be clear. Acupuncture, like all traditional Chinese culture, is deeply rooted in Daoism, Yi Jing, Dao De Jing, but also went on to be influenced by Buddhism went it was introduced. (And Confucianism to make up the trinity) Different physicians who have different belief systems and practices and this would inform how they treat people. In any case, if you are trying to 'hasten your enlightenment', it seems you are aiming towards what the Buddha realised- Nibanna... quite different in some regards from Daoism. So, perhaps start working with a Buddhist acupuncturist you respect. There are quite amazing histories of Buddhist acupuncture used in this way coming from the temples of Mao Shan. Also if you are working with alchemy and Daoism a great tradition traces back from Ge Hong, using gold and silver needles, quite beautiful really. Of course, finding people who can help in this way a far and few between. There are many styles of acupuncture, some with more focus on Spirit than others. You might find useful what is called Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture. It might well bring your life into a better position towards goal. A

Hmm, yep qigong naked is definitely different. I see clothing as the second skin, architecture as third skin. Primarily hats are for warmth and protection from the environment, then they can become adornment and as such reflections of who we are (or would like to be).... But something tells me different hats create different energetic structures just like practicing qigong in a cathedral will be different from practicing on a beach or in a small hut. So, the benefits might be when our qigong is looking to be more contained, just as when we practice in a nice indoor environment it can benefit in a different way to practicing outside...

"When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten. When the belt fits, the belly is forgotten." Please share your thoughts on the effects of wearing hats and qigong. A strange question perhaps, but I feel there is something interesting about the energetics of clothing the head.... In monastic Daoism a major indicator of accomplishment/rank is the type of hat worn. But is this more than symbolic?

Too much for me !

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So this is supercool! The heart/pericardium are not just physically spiral bound, but the beating of the heart itself has multi-fractal patterns.... Fractals being most readily illustrated with 'the golden spiral'. For more cool heart knowledge see: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/HeartbeatofHealth.php and http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/introduction.html A

Most of the inhabited world is now blanketed in electromagnetic pollution. Many of the top scientists researching this topic have concluded the high levels of electromagnetic pollution have a detrimental effect on human health and the health of the ecosphere we live in. The extent of this damage is rarely acknowledged and is in my opinion one of the most pressing but difficult issues of today. There is active resistance to these conclusion due to the how critical mobile phones, WIFI, and laptops, etc. are to the functioning of business and convenience living. This information is well-summurised in this documentary called Resonance; Beings of Frequency: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV9dhGv_tTs As a qigong practitioner, not only have I experienced greater sensitivity to the negative effects of EM pollution, but in discussion with others, it seems this situation is inhibiting the natural energetic development of qigong cultivation. With people who do not consciously cultivate one way or another, the effects seem to be worse. If you are a long term practitioner have you noticed similar experiences in the build up of EMF over the last 30 years? In terms of protection, it seems a significant but also limited amount can be achieved through energetic 'shielding'. Many protection devices are also on the market with inconsistent results, some seem to be outright exploiting people. Mindfullness practices and holding composure and cohesion of one's awareness also seems of benefit. This is consistent with ancient Oriental theories of 'Evil Wind' and strengthening the mind to create no way for it to enter. It seems there are new technologies on the horizon which could replace the current devices, although this could be quite a challenge to do, similar to new energy technology. Please share any thoughts or techniques you have found useful....

Some books come to mind: Skills of the Vagabonds by Leung Ting. Fourth Uncle in the Mountain by Quang Van Nguyen. Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett. If you're going to start learning more about this make sure your intention is pure! There's plenty of people marketing and pushing things which are best left alone. A

Thanks for the comments, interesting thoughts. The Zazen article works around this theme nicely. A clear read. To me, this all suggests that the same states of consciousness are being experienced, but the difference lies in the language used to describe these experiences, which in turn is dependant on the context of the dialogue. So, perhaps because the Buddha went on to develop Vipassana, the investigative and insight based system of meditation, he developed a more intricate way of describing these states. This could have also been due to his many years spent engaged in teaching, whereas, I get the impression that Taoist adepts in general have not historically had the same lengthy (or wordy) experience of teaching. Or then again perhaps the difference lies in the differences of the actual languages being spoken. I am no linguist, but I would surmise there are some important differences between the Chinese language and the old Indian languages... I wouldn't no where to start in analysing the structural differences of these languages and how this would reflect cultural ways of seeing/being, but this would be fascinating to explore... A