thetaoiseasy

In our tradition, we cannot physically restore a hand, turn water into wine, or cure a leper -- no matter if we are angry or have a clear mind. We do not have the ability. We value naturalness the most, which includes the entire spectrum of emotions, failings, successes and virtue. Our greatest miracle, and challenge, is to help a twisted psychology.

What's wrong with getting angry once in awhile? Maybe Jesus had a lot of sex with Mary, too. Jesus pooped, too, and needed to eat. All natural functions. Still can be a Son of God, or a human, or both, regardless.

Chi rises from the feet, to the navel, to the chest, to between the eyes, to between the eyebrows, then finally to the middle of the head. The middle of head is Tao, the center of our original being. If you have excess emotion, the chi gets stuck at the navel. If you have excess desire, it gets stuck at the chest. If you have excess rationality, it gets stuck between the eyes. If you have excess virtue, it gets stuck between the eyebrows. Speaking tends to stir all these centers excessively and blocks the rise of chi to Tao. This is the technical explanation. But here's the spirit of the situation. Cultivation engages the wordless sphere. By speaking excessively, you bring your cultivation down to the described and conceptual level. So unless you are truly stable in your achievement, you run the risk of losing your progress. That said, silence is also no guarantee for any development either, as one can easily brew emotion, desire, and strong thoughts in one's head.

Many words have been used to label the absolute state: Unity. Emptiness. Pure Yang. Oneness. Natural State. Formless. No-self. But in spiritual understanding, where 1+1=1, The opposite of pure yang is not pure yin. The opposite of emptiness is not fullness. The opposite of oneness is not division. The opposite of natural state is not the unnatural state. The opposite of the formless is not the formed. The opposite of no-self is not self. The absolute states have no opposite. How could they? The absolute states actually include the relative states! The names of the absolute states only appear to have opposite, because of the limitation of words. We reluctantly give the absolute states labels and descriptions for the sake of communication. But it should be for communication only. If one focuses on the verbal communication of these states, and not their understanding, we develop a sharp-tongue with witticisms fit for verbal sparring but do not develop understanding.

Jesus says: 12This is My commandment, that you love one another as I loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. He also said: 44 Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” That's what Jesus said it means to be a son of God. It is not a standard that I personally can live up to but I do admire it. If you aspire to choose to be a "God" under Jesus's standards, more power to you!

Okay. What does being financially unlimited mean to you? What does being relationship unlimited mean to you? What does being physically unlimited mean to you? This is different for everyone. Some people feel like a king on minimum wage, having a few close friends and family, with no serious health issues. That is very different than being warren buffet, a socialite, and running 100 marathons. Where do u lie on that spectrum?

You say you want a life of no limitations. No limitations. OK. That is a noble goal. There are 5 spheres of life. 1) Mental 2) Spiritual 3) Physical 4) Financial 5) Relationships. Priorities are important. In your heart of hearts, which sphere do you feel like you need to work on most? Which sphere is most important to you? They may not be the same, of course.

What's your question -- if you could write it in one sentence?

You say it doesn't make a difference whether you sit on the park bench for the next 30 years or enter the rat race. Then why write the OP? You would do whatever, with complete ease and without doubt.

In all traditions it is the same: teachers give the student a form, and it's up to the student to transcend the form and see the formless. This concept has been described in multiple ways. Becoming sick before being healed. Using poison to create medicine. Using the unreal to support the real. Using form to reach the formless. Using the low the support the high. Using effort to reach non-effort. Naturally, a discerning student will ask: Why would I want to get sick? Drink poison? Use the unreal? Use form? Use the low? Use effort? I'm not stupid. I want to get better, drink medicine, see the real, know the formless, and walk the highest path directly. Really, then, the question should be: Is it possible to use the relative to reach something that is absolute? On the same vein, is it possible to reach the absolute directly? If you look at the traditions, you will see that they all describe achievement in stages, which are comparable. In Buddhism, there are three realms: the realm of desire, of form, and then of formlessness. In Esoteric Buddhism, there is the realm of bliss, illumination, and then no-thought. In Taoism, there is jing, chi, shen. The final stages of formlessness, no-thought, and shen all refer to the Natural State, the absolute. So why the stages? Can I just jump to the realm of formlessness, no-thought, and shen directly? Why are these stupid monks chaining me to the lower realms of form and physical law? Do they just lack the methods? I would suggest that most cultivators in the past were not stupid, but highly motivated for achievement, and the hearts of the teachers are in the right place. I will admit that many teachers perhaps do not know why they are passing the form, but simply do so because of tradition and know what works. I won't suggest any of my own conclusions, but mention briefly in passing. One must see the emptiness and maintain the natural state at every level. The realm of desire and form, though crude and considered unimportant, must be emptied out. This is no different than saying that jing must be transformed to chi, before it it is to shen. By offering them forms, teachers offer the students an opportunity to thoroughly dissolve the false dichotomy between higher and lower practices and between the absolute and relative. Furthermore, the forms are vehicles for transmission, which is no small thing.

How much is a life worth to me? To save one's physical life, there can be a price. To save one's spiritual life, there is no price that can be set. And yet people who charge thousands to get a entity removed have put a price on the spiritual life of another. They will pay the the price for themselves later. If you think you are dealing with a spiritual issue and want answers, look for that which cannot be bought. Fresh air, clean water, some herbs, and sunlight -- these are a start. A mind that is heavily burdened by ideas of entities has already lost another priceless thing, their freedom. All beliefs are temporary. Some beliefs are helpful and supportive. Most are not.

Fighting demons and entities can become a hobby. A sense of purpose it bestows: For the inflicted, I am fighting for my life and purging myself of evil. For the healer, I am fighting for his life and serve as the voice of dharma/gospel/Tao. Psychologically, focusing on entities are a type of mental dissociation. We are all a mix of good and evil. When I say I have an entity, I separate the negative aspect of my being and treat it as something external. I ignore the internal evil to deal with the external evil that has invaded me. The fight between the heavens and earth will always ensue when the mind is not at peace. The unrest is surely time immemorial, but more common in people who are hyperreligious and undeveloped. Chuang Tzu once said, "Heaven and earth and I are One!" But who will listen to the indifferent sage? In unity there cannot be fight. 10000s of Ah Mi To Fu's chanted, 12,000 dollars paid, many healers visited, some lessons sure cost more than others. But we all learn so slowly, there is no one we can blame. It's not healthy for the living to think of entities. Leave that to the dead and dying. It's better to be normal and natural. We are all human beings with problems, None of us are special. These problems can be gently improved by normalcy and calmness of mind. With no exception, We are nourished by the sun, healthy gentle exercise, good water, and a healthy diet. Let the mind think of no abnormal thing. That is a source of true spiritual power.

I can't speak for Mo-Pai. But I can share another view. 1) Placing intent on the body is a means to generate energy, not to store. The body is a great generator of energy, and each location in the body generates a different type of energy. So you generate different types of energy by placing your intent on different locations of the body. 2) The purpose of placing the awareness at the heavenly heart is this. It is posited that the heavenly heart contains all the vibrations of the entire body, and by placing your awareness there, in effect you place your awareness at the LDT, MDT, and UDT all at the same time. This is what is hinted at in the TTC, when Lao Tzu speaks of mystery gate, the concept of wholeness, the One energy, and achieving everything by doing nothing. 3) There are two types of consciousness. The first is mind consciousness. This is related to intent, which allows you to place your awareness at certain points. This type of consciousness is easy to understand, because it is our everyday awareness. The second is pure and formless consciousness. What is this? This is energy itself. Energy is a type of consciousness, though this statement may confuse many people. At the early stages, one does not necessarily need to feel the energy to be in this type of consciousness, but one's understanding and experience of energetic consciousness can become highly robust, when the entire body's energy consolidates, crystallizes, and matches the vibration of the heavenly heart. 4) The mind is the fire of intent, and the body is water. There has to be engagement and interaction between the two. Learning how to mix water and fire is an analogy of unifying the mind and body, which is done by placing your intent on the body. That said, learning how to use mystical points to generate energy is a good way to start but it also not the end. At the same time, any meditation that does not have this starting point will have limited benefits, because it only engages in mind consciousness.

Immortal cultivation is not a set of practices where you say: " I'm doing X, Y, Z. I will fly away overnight!" There is nothing you can put your finger on and call immortal practices. Truly, if you are spiritually blocked, no practice or teacher will be able to help you. If you have clear vision, anything can help you achieve your high spiritual goal. The immortal pursuit is better described as a dynamic learning process. Living the Way, you live a little and learn a little. You make a few mistakes but learn from them. You experience new things daily and monthly, slowly unfolding the potential that mother nature has bestowed. In this discovery process, you begin to understand the laws of the universe. You will also understand the laws of your body, as they are the same. You can then manage yourself and your own health better. If anything, the immortal practice removes separation. It is not separate from longevity, nor is it separate from spiritual abilities. It focuses on the integration of your mind, body, and spirit, rather than splintering them. It embraces wholeness.

Sometimes apples go bad. If you say, "I am whole. I do not discriminate between good and bad. I am non-dualistic. I am one with the universe. I am you. You are me." That is okay. But you better not eat too many bad apples, or else you will go to the ER. Just because all things are part of the whole, it does not mean that individual things disappear. It is important to have healthy nourishment spiritually. This is not judgment of others, but common sense. It matters who you read and who you learn from. One may say, "I can separate good ideas from the person." That is not possible, because you cannot separate a person's chi from the person. A person's chi permeates everything he does, says, and writes.