Slim

My friend and I are opening up an online leaning platform for Daoist and related stuff. It's called Cinnabar.

www.cinna.bar

There will be numerous teachers, courses and classes. We want to push the envelope of what's possible through online learning. So far there are teachers for internal alchemy, meditation, qigong, neigong, tai chi, liuhebafa, Daoist temple arts, tao yin, yoga, wing chun, bagua zhang... and the list is growing. There is a monthly membership fee. But if you sign up now you can join our private launch and get a 100 day free membership to try it out. Also any member can open a teacher page who has knowledge to share (PM me if interested). 

On 5/20/2020 at 5:14 AM, Shagrath said:

Thank you for sharing. Great gift for all of us

 

Do you have any plans to put all level online eventually? For us less fortunate born in third world countries where attending such seminars with you or master Wang are nothing more then crazy dreams?

Not sure. It depends if students get results learning without meeting a teacher face-to-face. It's also up to my teacher. 

I hear you. Even in a 1st world country it was hard finding a teacher. Stay optimistic, open and sincere in your wanting to learn, integrate what you can now, and you never know what will happen later. Good luck!

Hi Bums!

I opened up an online program to teach the basics of Wang Liping's Dragon Gate system. 

https://online.nathanbrine.com

The online program currently includes two courses.

1. Intro to Taoist Alchemy (now live)

2. Taoist Alchemy: Level 1a (opens in April)

The first course, Intro to Taoist Alchemy, teaches a complete system of Taoist meditation, and also builds a technical foundation for Wang Liping's neidan system. The course includes talks and guided practice sessions. Good for those looking to train in Wang Liping's system, or just looking for a complete Taoist meditation package to integrate into their own practice. 

The Intro course presents the following skills:

1. Inner Seeing

2. Natural Breathing

3. Nose Breathing

4. Body Pore Breathing

5. The Body Squeeze

6. Inner Hearing

7. Lower Abdominal (xiaofu) Breathing

8. Inner Breathing

9. Lower Field (xiatian, LDT) Breathing

The second course, Level 1a, focuses on minggong and how to refine jing into qi. We will work with the following methods:

Stabilize Furnace and Set Up Cauldron

Basic Kan and Li Breathing

Five Phase Organ Practice

Single Organ Practice

Lesser Reverted Elixir Practice

On 2020-02-27 at 11:36 PM, Lazgrane said:

What are the differences between Hold Breath and Cease Breath?

Hold Breath is stopping the breath on the inhale when the lungs are full.

Cease Breath is stopping the breath on the exhale when the lungs are empty. 

3 hours ago, Rakiel said:

very cool. would you ever consider coming to Chicago?

Not in the foreseeable future. Because neidan can’t be learned in a weekend, I like to return regularly to wherever I teach, instead of just doing one-offs. Right now I’m focusing on Vancouver, Houston and now NYC. Europe/UK will probably be next. But hey, you never know when I’ll need some more of that Chicago deep dish pizza!

I will be running a neidan workshop in Brooklyn this spring, March 5-8. The workshop will cover the basics of what Wang Liping teaches:

foundation practice 

setting up furnace and cauldron

working with the alchemical ingredients

forming the lesser reverted elixir

If interested check out: www.nathanbrine.com

Hi everyone,

just posted dates for the fall 2019 weekend neidan workshops on my website:

https://nathanbrine.com/workshops/

I teach Wang Liping's system of Taoist cultivation. If interested get in touch. Info is on the website. 

All the best,

nathan

What do you guys/girls think about the traditional Chinese view that a Taoist is anyone who is working as a Taoist? It's vocational instead of philosophical. For example running a Taoist shrine would make you a Taoist. The folks showing up to offer incense or mediate would not be considered Taoist, no matter how into it they are. 

I'm not saying that none of us can call ourselves Taoists, just think it's interesting to consider Taoist identity from the historical perspective.

And identity gets so messy. Often practitioners would themselves identify with their lineage/teacher more than being Taoist. I am a student of this or that guy more than being Taoist or Buddhist. And then the nature of Taoist identity is always changing through the ages. In the Tang Taoist identity is pretty tight, loosens in the Song/Yuan, then tightens up after that. For example Li Daochun a famous alchemist from the Song/Yuan era doesn't seem comfortable calling himself a Taoist; I'm just some dude who is interested in spiritual cultivation however defined. Then in the Ming/Qing it seems practitioners are more into the Taoist label. But still lineage is their central identifying characteristic. I guess it makes sense from the Chinese perspective to plop everyone down into their social network. The Chinese love family. So instead of coming up with a philosophical distinction they use a social one. Who I am is who I am related to and what I do for society. 

My understanding of the history (which is shaky at best) is that Wuxing theory developed as it's own school of thought during the Warring States period and was only later incorporated by "Taoist" lineages. During the Warring States there was the Hundred Schools of Thought that were each competing with each other. There was the Wuxing School and the Yin Yang School etc. And these were all basically contemporary with the DDJ, ZZ, Neiye and other proto-Taoist stuff. It was only later that certain lineages began to bring them all together. 

On 2018-05-16 at 8:44 AM, KuroShiro said:

 

 

 

 

 

Could you please share more details? Do you put it in practice in the same way as Steve has explained regarding the application in daily life?

Was this teaching introduced to you in the context of Wu Xing or any other?

Hi KuroShiro, sure I can talk about it. First off I practice the Dragon Gate Lineage as passed on by Wang Liping, and don’t speak for Taoism in general (if there is such a thing).

In his teaching Wang Liping emphasizes personal responsibility, and that life is up to each of us to figure out for ourselves.

Our present moment is a product of our past choices/actions (including past lives). I have chosen to be here. No matter how sucky the present moment is, I am %100 responsible for it. Furthermore, my interpretation of the present moment is based a choice. We chose a narrative, we chose our drama. Or as Wang Liping puts it, good and bad does not exist outside of our body. Therefore we are responsible for what happens to us.

However, this is a practice not a philosophy. It does not matter if the above is true or not, what matters is the results we get when we apply the perspective in every moment. I have been working with this for a few years and it’s changed my life.

For me this perspective/practice has allowed me to be much more present and accepting of the moment. And there is a lot of power in that. I can still take action, however when I do it seems to be much more appropriate and effective action, not bogged down with a lot of drama. Well, less drama anyway, it's a work in progress. 

Wang Liping talks about learning this from his teachers. They would use the phrase “just  the way it is” 就是這漾 (jiu shi zhei yang) every time something “bad” happened to them, implying they were responsible for it. They would have great fun with it, one time Wang Liping was eating a bowl of noodles and his teacher came over and knocked the bowl on the ground. When Wang Liping emotional reacted his teacher just laughed and said, “just the way it is.” Wang Liping explained that in that moment he had to accept he was responsible for his teacher knocking the bowl on the ground.

Great discussion. 100% responsible for everything in our lives, as a practice not a philosophy. The Taoist lineage I’m involved with has the same practice. It’s powerful, life changing stuff. Before today I hadn’t heard anyone else talk about this, only my teacher, nice to know others have this too. Thanks for sharing Steve!

4 hours ago, thelerner said:

Sorry I live a couple states away.  Sounds like an interesting curriculum.  

Could you give us a little information on your practices of Taoist Walking & Sleeping Meditation? 

Thanks

Hi thelerner.

Taoist walking and sleeping meditation are supplemental practices for internal alchemy. Like with so much Taoist stuff there is more to them then meets the eye. Each of the practices have many levels. However here’s a basic intro based on my understanding.

Taoist walking is called “Method for Exchanging Qi with Nature.” It is a way to draw in precelestial original qi from nature and cycle out old stagnant qi from our body. There are nine levels of practice. The walking is done at a brisk pace, with a specific posture. There are a number of different methods we use while doing the walking. Until at the highest level, the wuwei level, we just walk.

Sleeping meditation is another supplemental practice. It literally means sleeping practice, shui gong. However, it is not done while asleep, just laying down. Maybe I should translate it as Laying Practice. There are 11 postures, and each posture has different ways of doing it, depending on level of ability.

Both Taoist walking and sleeping meditation use alchemical methods to power them. Basically they are just another way of practicing.

Starting up a new neidan Foundations Course June 16 to Sept. 1. The weekly classes will be held in Vancouver, Westside.

The Foundation course introduces the basics of Taoist neidan practice. This beginner class is the first part of the internal alchemy program. Over the course of three months students learn to meditate using traditional Taoist methods for regulating the body, breath and spirit. Students will also begin learning the neidan supplemental practices of the Dragon Gate Lineage (Longmenpai).

Course Content:

Taoist meditation class starting up in Vancouver's Chinatown May 16th. 

The class is geared towards those wanting an accessible and flexible meditation format, without the commitment required for the Taoist alchemy program. These weekly drop in classes include a short talk and mediation session. The session uses Taoist techniques to still the mind, turn around our observation and look within. The classes are open to everyone.

The classes will be held every Wednesday night, 7:30 to 8:45. Drop in, $20/class. Starting May 16th (no class May 23rd).

PM me or check out website for more info:

http://www.nathanbrine.com

The above post is great! Not elements, but movement. 

Metal- contraction inwards

Water- decending and pooling

Wood- expansion outwards

Fire- ascending 

Earth- cycling/rotation

Lot's of great advice above! Although I don't have anything more to add, since this is a Taoist forum I thought I would mention that some Taoist lineages contain a whole slew of problem solving practices. 

The problem solving methods in the lineage I am familiar with are called Zhi Neng Fa (Wisdom Ability Methods). And they are a lot of fun. Unfortunately you need to be a practitioner with a decent foundation before they work. So I guess put the work in (if you haven't already) and find a teacher who will share. But, yeah, no help for you today. Good luck!

Also, caves are super yin, with lots of Earth Qi.

In the lineage of alchemy I practice we like to do the work in very yin environments. Extreme yin leads to the birth of yang. Out of the extreme stillness movement begins. And for the purposes of this conversation that movement is qi. It's like the Yi Ching hexagram, Fu ䷗ Return, five lines of yin over one line of yang just beginning to stir. As practitioners we want to find and harness this stillness. 

So places like caves, cellars, basements are all useful places to work at this stuff, really anywhere that has good Earth Qi. And as some of you mentioned above darkness helps develop certain aspects of the training as well. 

My sense is that fasting and sitting in caves are tools we can use to gain certain results. There isn't a perfect way of practicing, just what works best at that moment. For example there are different modes of neidan practice to build up qi. One way works the body in a very active manner, for this we need food to fuel the buildup of jing energy. If we used fasting while doing this kind of training it would deplete us. However, there is another way that works the body very gently, letting layers of body and self fall away, which allows us to tune into the qi more easily. For this sort of training fasting works well.

A better way to put is we can either add or subtract to develop qi. If we are using methods that subtract then fasting will help. I don't think there is a best way to practice. Just what works at that time. I've done both, and they both produced results. 

Wang Liping mentioned to a group of us in Austria several years ago that going through the minor and major deaths was the hardest part of his training. My sense from what he said was that the practitioner actually experiences the death process, and that it's not allegory. When Wang Liping brought it up you could tell from his manner that the experiences had had a profound impact on him. He also said he wouldn't take any of his students through the process because it was just too hard integrating back. 

Interesting discussion.

It seems to me that the relationship between text and practice is different than with us here in the modern West. Most of the old neidan texts I have read don't seem to be how-to manuals, that includes Secret of the Golden Flower. During the late Qing there were one or two that began to appear, I’m thinking of Zhao Bichen’s text (the one that was translated as Taoist Yoga). But all in all they don’t seem meant as instruction manuals. As some of you mentioned we need the oral transmission for that. 

I wonder what they were for then? I guess they help contextualize the practice, and in turn the practice unlocks the meaning of the text. But I’m sure there is more to it than that. The texts seem to act as a source of authority too. Sort of like a map that helps practitioners not stray too far off the path, or vice a versa, to let us know we are still on path. My teacher often brings up quotes from old texts to underline a point of practice. Probably not necessary, but I like it, and the classical Chinese Taoist language is just so beautiful.

PS I heard that the Secret of the Golden Flower originally had 20 chapters, but the version that was translated only has 12  or 13.

In Wang Liping's lineage internal alchemy is the system of practice for creating the elixir or embryo.

Internal alchemy is a tool to help us on the Way (hence Taoist alchemy). If it's not working towards creating the elixir or embryo then it's probably something else. And that something else might be amazing stuff, but from the perspective of Wang Liping's lineage it's probably not internal alchemy.

But of course this is just my perspective.  

Gu Mingwei in Vancouver, Canada is really good with traditional Wu, and he teaches the 108. He also does a great 108 Wu small frame, square form. But driving a couple hours for class each way might not be optimal.  

Hello everyone! 

For those of you interested in Taoist meditation and internal alchemy, I am offering another neidan Level One course in the new year. This is the Longmenpai practice of Wang Liping.

LEVEL ONE: Setting Up the Furnace and Cauldron

Introduces students to the Taoist alchemy of the Dragon Gate Lineage

The cauldron holds the alchemical ingredients. The furnace heats up the cauldron. However, before the real work of cooking the elixir can be started the furnace and cauldron need to be set up. In Level One the furnace is the body, and the cauldron is at times both the lower abdominal cavity and the lower energy field.

Level One practices include:

    i    Opening: Connect with the Light of our Spirit

    ii    Leading to Transcendence Practice

    iii    Setting up the Furnace and Cauldron

    iv    Activation of Lower Energy Field

    v    Closing: Disperse Fire Breathing

The course will start Feb. 3rd and run for 8 weeks, every Sat. from 10am to noon. Cost: $300. There will be a free intro class on Jan. 20th. open to people who are interested in meeting me and checking out what I teach before committing.

My new website: www.nathanbrine.com

I do think especially westerners are so conditioned to make a fetish of ideological purity which we've inherited from a culture rooted in the Christian religion, where syncretism traditionally was strongly condemned as a heresy.  China, Japan, and other far eastern countries don't get hung up on this, but allow a free exchange of ideas and beliefs -- whatever works best in a given moment.  Ideological consistency is the least of their concerns.  There's a lesson to be learned here. 

 

The western fetish of a single, totalizing system comes from centuries of a predominantly Christian culture insisting that we be systematic and consistent in spirituality-- and in everything else too, with mixed results to say the least.  Philosophically, its roots are in Plato and the Greek philosophical tradition, which Christianity co-opted for its own purposes (as the so-called "handmaiden of theology").  The same totalizing tendency of the west has arisen out of almost every other religious, philosophical, social, and political doctrine, Marxism being the other obvious historical example.  

 

Syncretic flexibility which made Chan Buddhism possible by intermingling with Daoist ideas and attitudes, and in practice there really were no pure, "orthodox" Daoists, Buddhists, or Confucianists, etc.  Likewise in Japan, even today, a single family might have a Christian baptism, a Shinto wedding, and a Buddhist funeral -- common attitudes this must have drove those Jesuits missionaries up the wall!  These doctrines are distinct from one another, but it is no big deal to switch from one set of beliefs to another in a particular given moment:

 

 

[from here: http://asiasociety.org/chinese-religions-and-philosophies - emphasis mine]

 

 

We would likely do better to adopt similar attitudes rather than carrying over the (often violent) ideological intolerance that we've inherited from the west via the "religions of the Book."  "This religion is superior than that religion" is a foreign superimposition placed upon Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, etc.  For the vast majority of the Chinese throughout history, this would be a bizarre position to hold, as this amusing cross-cultural encounter illustrates:

 

http://www.newreligion.eu/2013/03/chinese-religion-and-syncretism.html

Yes.