tccii

They are attributed to various Nei Dan luminaries such as the patriarchs of the Bei Pai and others. This is obviously problematic from a historical standpoint. Issues related to dating are best addressed by those with specialized training in the area of textual analysis. Understanding the historical and textual tradition of a classic is one reason the work of scholars in this area is important. It would be great to see a new, critical translation of this classic by someone like Fabrizio Pregadio or one of his peers in the Taoist Studies field. For those who are interested, Pregadio comments on the important of both scholarly and practitioner based approaches to understanding these traditions in an interview we did with him. Here is an earlier post on this forum with excerpts and comments: http://thetaobums.co...rizio +pregadio

They both have 13 chapters. The first link has a series of prefaces. IIRC the Wilhelm translation was not done form a "truncated" text. I believe he states somewhere in his book that he dropped the last few chapters since he thought them redundant.

http://www.jnk.org.tw/wn01-3-02.htm http://www.360doc.com/content/10/0220/19/396690_16269439.shtml

The first stage in the above quoted 4 stage model is usually called "Building the Foundation" The last stage in this model is usually divided into two stages: "Refine Shen to Void" and "Shatter Void to Return to Dao." The last two stages are identified separately in the original post in this thread, but that post omits the first stage. The confusion arises because there are several different stage models (3, 4, 5, or instantaneous) used by different teachers. In effect all of them can be correct. However, we find most Western people appreciate a bit more detail. Such as this five stage model Xian Gong 1) Build the Foundation 2) Transmute Jing to Qi 3) Transmute Qi to Shen Dao Gong 4) Refine Shen to Void 5) Shatter the Void to Realize the Tao Likewise the times given are also estimates. It is hard to comment on them directly as it depends on the system being used and the individual student's starting condition and practice discipline. Usually you see the first stage, "Building the Foundation" described as lasting from 100 days to 2 years, depending on the condition of the individual when they start. This can vary by school, so it is normal to see differences in the listed times. All of these descriptions are merely heuristics, that is, models to help intellectually understand the process. At the end of the day all that matters is personal progress in cultivation.

Hi Joeblast, Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We understand your concerns. Here are a few points to clarify: We are offering this paper for free as part of our organization's service to the community. We prefer people not download it if they are not interested in the subject. We use a professional email service (Emma) to handle the distribution. You may unsubscribe at any time. The unsubscribe link is in the same email with the file download link. Best regards, TCCII

This paper was originally written for our students. We thought it might benefit the Taijiquan, Qigong, Kung Fu and Nei Dan community so we are sharing it as a free PDF download. The Science of Qi Healing A Survey of the Research and Benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong Practices by Ted Nawalinski, Sc.D. Available as a PDF, free download

The story is not really ant-Taoist, but if you read the entire 100 chapter narrative it is easy to see how you could interpret it as ant-Taoist. Many of the villains are disguised as Quanzhen Taoist priests. The story is considered an allegory of the Nei Dan cultivation process. It is believed to be loosely based on the Qi Chu Ji's journey to the West to meet Genghis Khan. The semi-Buddhist theme in the work is more a reflection of the popularity of Buddhism at the time it was written. At the end of the story Monkey gained full enlightenment which makes him equivalent of Buddha and Lao Zi, so if you like the concept, then go with it. Unless you aspire to be an orthodox Daoist priest (who might favor Xuan Wu or the Three Primordial Ones, as pointed out earlier) then don't worry about it. What you put on your walls is a personal preference. At the end of the day, it is your own practice and attainment that matters.

That is an interesting question but your criteria make it nearly impossible for someone to answer. The way you ask it is close enough to a Taoist riddle that I'll take a shot. Essentially I read that you are asking how to begin your practice using only a textual lineage. You want to know what to do in order to start except that you don't want to "use physical methods or techniques." I assume you mean you don't want a form or something similar. It is important to remember that just sitting on a cushion and doing nothing is still doing something. That is, your a*s is still PHYSICALLY sitting (a technique) on something and you are DOING nothing (a method). That said, try it anyway: Just sit. Empty your heart (Xin, Heart-Mind). If you can do that, you are on on your way to practicing Dao Gong. If this practice comes easy to you, that is fantastic, you are one of the very few people who can start there. If it is difficult, then you might need another beginning practice. Good luck!

Ya Mu, Very interesting. You one of the first westerners I have come across of who knows this. One of my Nei Dan teachers, who also claims to have had the privilege of actually studying the book, mentioned the same thing.

Taomeow, you are unbelievably patient. There is something to be learned from that.

Effilang, As you probably already know, it is much easier and safer to learn internal alchemy from a teacher. However, if you are using the TY book, you'll need to very carefully study it. If I recall correctly, Mr. Lu translated the two fires you mention as fast and slow. He has a glossary and a pretty good index, so that should help. Good luck!

Friend, Your questions are fine. It is the random comments made by a few which makes those who actually might have lineage training in these areas reluctant to answer on a public forum. Since you seem sincere, I'll make a brief reply. In our Xuan Kong lineage (and there are different schools of Xuan Kong) the birth year of the person is less important than the reading on the house. 1) If the birth year of the house is wrong your reading may be wrong, depending on how far off you are. That is because the birth year determines the period of the house. These periods have 20 year bands and the exact year is most important near the change in periods. 2) If you don't know the period of the house exactly, but have a general idea, then you may be able to determine it by analysis. The methods require a bit of detective work and "reverse engineering." A certain amount of judgement and intuition is required. 3) The birth year is the birth year (just like your birth date), but the period of the house can be changed, at least in our lineage there are methods to do this. It often involves significant renovations and construction. It is usually easier to have the person move. At least where an ordinary house is concerned.

Terminology varies between schools, but Pure Yang, in the sense of Pure Yang Qi, is used to distinguish Pre-Heaven Qi from ordinary Post -Heaven Yang Qi. In other words, Pure Yang is often synonymous with Primoridal Qi, Original Qi, or Pre-Heaven Qi. Since Pre-heaven Qi exists prior to differentiation between Yin and Yang, "Pure Yang Qi" is not Yang except in the sense that it is contrasted with Post-Heaven Qi. Or, as one of our teachers, Master Li, told us, "Don't worry about it, just practice."

Hi FGS, In our interview with him, Fabrizio mentioned he was working on translating some of Liu's material. Let's encourage him to publish it soon. Cleary was one of the first people to make available in translation many important works, but he (to use a Chinese saying) "eats a lot of the meaning." I am really looking forward to Fabrizio's treatment of the material.

That is because the link is to a free download of our whitepaper "Interpreting the Ancient Codes." It is short collection consisting of an interview, review and essay related to the Can Tong Qi and the importance of a sound translation. Fabrizio Pregadio's translation of the Can Tong Qi is cited within the paper. If you prefer not to download the paper you can find the book listed on his website. If you are interested in serious academic research on the subject of the Can Tong Qi, then you might want to also consider getting the recently published Volume 2, which includes a comprehensive bibliographical study of the ancient text. The work that went into it is simply incredible.