baiqi

Yes it is.

I don't know, but that's how I practice now. (Appart from mother palms, and some jiben gong). I still am wondering about this "eight animal" system. Where does it come from? Some systems have it (not just the Yin Fu style), others don't. Actually it is strange for me to say: "this palm is related to this animal/trigram." Cause each system seems to have its own interpretation. (This is different from Xingyi quan, for example, where pi chuan=metal, beng quan= wood etc. and all schools seem to agree)

Quite the same here. I heard about similar ideas (although a bit different) in Tantrism, Hinduism. It might well be an addition of hindu concepts in Taoism. The BF books I have deal with the subjects just give a short description of the eight energy bodies. To sum it up: 1:physical body 2: body of energy 3: emotional body 4: mental body 5: psychic body 6: karmic body 7: body of individuality 8: The Dao.

First of all, why would you want to become extremly Yang? It may be good to know "how to", but isn't it better to achieve balance?

"Immortality": Lao Zi doesn't care about it. He is concerned about the "sage" in the taoist sense. Zhuang Zi is the first to mention "immortals" in his writings. "controling energy": you do have some parts of the DDJ talking about it, but it is quite cryptic. Semen retention seems to be an addition from tantric practices.

I made a mistake when I said It's not a belief, it is true, I have met some of these people for real! And yeah, they may be the exception. Which leads to another question: How can you become one of them when you grow old? I think that many "longevity practices" of taoism are meant for that: they won't necesserity make you live longer, but you could be better when you grow old, just in case you don't die young.

You wouldn't. This idea may be relevant for some (usually small) countries, not for the others.

Many people believe that aging is a bad thing. Some are right, you can see some people whose health/mental state deteriorates, they become a burden for everyone, including themselves. However, I believe some people get better with aging: they get more peaceful, and more open-minded (the opposite of others seniors). Actually, every part of your life can be terrible or great. We see childhood and youth as a good time of life, but for many kids it ain't that good. Just like the seasons, there is a time to do certain things. It changes with the individual, but basically, you play when you're a child, you learn things after that, you make a career when around your thirties, you change your way of life after 40, get some rest at 60.... And when you're old, you can help others with your experience of life, and get ready for the next one.

Yup. Well in France there is Bernard Bordas, who practices Ninjutsu, Zazen, and some Shaolin Qigong. I can't tell about his "internal" abilities, but he's a good athlete for sure. (he's 52 and can make a split, do lots of acrobatics etc.)

Yes, but Taoism has also its own views on how a society should be.

First of all: Congratulations for your change. I won't be a great help here, I am no expert in nutrition (just the basics...) White Wolf: I looked at the second video, it makes me think that there is something with raw veganism. I have noticed that some high level athletes follow this diet, including some martial artists. Although it seems to be in contradiction with the tenets of TCM.

Hello, I can see you focus mainly on religious taoism. While it is true that Confucianism and Taoism are interrelated in Taoist religion, they are frequently in opposition in philosophical Taoism. In some Zhuang Zi's tales, Confucius is depicted as a naive and stubborn person. About De (Te as you wrote it): it is the effectiveness of the Dao (Tao). "Daode" means virtue in the common modern Chinese language, however, taoists see it differently. You miss a lot of sacred texts! There is the Taoist Canoin (Dao zang) which is full of taoist "sutras". You should make a distinction between "immortals" and "Gods". The main difference is that immortals used to be men, and they achieved a divine state through inner alchemy. Gods never were men. I don't see anything about inner alchemy, BTW. Among the eight immortals, don't forget Lü Dongbing! He's one of the most important ones! Hope this helps, good luck.

Practice some qigong with a qualified teacher.

When I look at Burma, I see a possible future for some European countries too... Anywhere you have a big Islamic minority, you have trouble. I don't know until what point it will go. I'm rather afraid of an explosion of violence. One of the hardest things for people to understand is the difference between the ideology (Islam) and the people following it (the muslims). I'm afraid we could have lots of "collateral damages".

Expect the unexpected! Afterlife cannot be comprehended fully in this small life. I think the less beliefs we hold, the better it is, cause it's gonna be different. Very different.

If you want excuses, you'll find them. In "science" (scientism to be more accurate), in religion, philosophy, etc. The egotic mind is very good at that!

Songtsan: stop these pills right now!

You made very good points, Vmarco, but I have to disagree with that one: This is the "God" of the 1st testament, the "God" of the Hebrews, and later jewish (and possibly muslim, but that is another story). Jesus told about a God of Love and Forgivness, on the other hand.But, he couldn't break directly from Judaism in speech, he had to adapt to his audience. The problem is that Christianity put the two testaments togeteher. While this is relevent in terms of History, there are so many contradictions in terms of philosophy... Actually, look at Christians behavior in general: when they do right things, they usually justify their actions with the 2nd Testament. When they talk s**t, they use the 1st Testament to justify it. Might be a little simplistic, but I've observed this many times.

It doesn't matter whether you're a buddhist, a taoist or whatever. Compassion is central to all genuine spiritual traditions, including Taoism. It is part of the "three treasures" mentioned in the DDJ for example. Believing you can get "spiritual" without it is a mistake. This is a simple fact. I am not into Buddhism (although I respect it), BTW. Enough to stop this useless exploitation/slaughtering of millions of sentient beings. That is not a problem either. Make your own search.

Are you planning to become a professional poker player? I don't think gambling is a good thing in general, but if it is to earn a living, well there are many other jobs that are much more harmful to others and yourself than this one... So it's seems ok to me.

Spirituality is not based just on food selection, but it is a part of the equation. It is indeed hard to quantify it, but there are standards. For example, let's say I get angry all the time, beat my children, watch stupid things on TV, don't care about my health ... there is very little chance that I am enlighted in any way. Now, if you have food intolerance, that may be a good reason for not being vegetarian, just like there are some parts of the world where it's harder than in others. You need to be realistic . However, if I were in your position, I'd at least give it a try. Just ask yourself these questions: - what do I need to be healthy? What makes me ill? Where can I find everything I need (without being sick) excepted in meat? If you can't find everything you need in vegetables, well it's fine to eat meat. Make sure however it is the case. Lots of people still believe, for example, that you won't get enough protein if you don't eat meat, which isn't true.

Some people are against synchretism in religions, philosophies etc. They say that you can lose your way if you don't just follow one way. What they say is not completly wrong; lots of people have a tendency to "pick and choose" what they believe in, giving up when something does not fit their expectations. This is particulary true in the modern world. New Age is a good example of how it can become absolute nonsense. However, the opposite can lead to fanatism pretty easily. My way is right and yours is wrong. Besides, there are many practices that are synchretic and work . I'd like to see one school of absolutely pure taoism for example. No buddhist, no confucean overtone at all. It might exist in philosophy (if you read Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi), but not in practice. And I am sure it is the same with other beliefs/philosophies. It is a bit like in cooking: you can mix things from different countries' recipes, with or without success. Some things merge pretty well, others don't. Of course, it is hard for a beginner to know what. So I'd advice a beginner to follow just one way for some time, and then see elsewhere when the basics are "mastered".

If you are looking for health and/or better energy flow, reducing meat is enough. (Unless you are already eating very little, which is pretty rare). I'd say once or twice a month is fine, when you go out with friends or family for example. However, if you are talking about sprituality, it implies compassion for every living creature, not just humans. In that case,even a vegetarian diet isn't enough. Actually, I don't know what is enough. So you're question: "how far..." is a very good one. Both are equally important, for different reasons. The hexagramm "Yi" of the Yijing, roughly says: " watch the movement of your mouth".

Accepting is a key notion in many spiritual traditions, including Taoism. It has nothing to do with It is not the same as Tolerate something. You can, and should fight if something is wrong. However, you should also accept what is happening, at an emotional level.

The text in western characters is Vietnamese for sure, which I don't speak at all. You may use google translation... The chinese characters are very uncommon. I am pretty sure they are "fu", or magical taoist characters. Only a few people can understand them.