dawei

Whatever your reasons for change are your reasons... that seems reasonable. BTW: Nice topic.

not sure why your apologizing... I didn't direct it to you as necessarily pushing Tao is a 'thing'... you are the OP and staying very close to the conversation and guiding it... so I hope you don't apologize for apologizing

I think people are "trying" to wu wei is not wu wei... is that part of the discussion?

Nobody is arguing translates but those posting translations... look back over the pages and who is pushing translations??? We are talking concepts... and some overlap. I know MH agrees with ZiRan... I tied to that as well... MH is the OP... he can steer the posting.

I might go with 'ten-thousand-thing-self-guiding-principle'... but that is a mouth full of what ZiRan is simply saying

You'll need to wait for chapter 57... you may change your mind then...

I think there is too much being made of Tao here... too much like a thing. Tao is nothing but a concept of how things work; whether in the transformational phase of non-being or becoming. It is not itself visible or invisible at any time. The outcome of each transformational phases abide by some operative 'way' and it the outcomes which are visible or invisible; not the mechanism of the outcomes (Tao). JMO.

I think it comes from Qigong and Taiji influences on some level. 'Xuan Pin' is essentially Tai Ji; the root of movement... aka, to some, Dao. I personally replace an understanding of Xuan as 'mystery' with 'original', as in primordial.

Anyone who talks about the "pin"... is 'pinned' to constructs about Taoist. Lost in explanation.

As Stosh suggested, I also wondered if you had some specific in mind or your just talking generally. But the sometimes fetish focus on chapter 1 may be compounded by the way one understands it; if they miss something they have also missed out on much by focusing on that one chapter alone. But the same could be said of the DDJ... focusing on one book misses out on the historical aspect of daoism as a whole; pre- and post-DDJ.

SPOT-ON... glad to see some reality comes to light... Both/And.. beyond mere words... why do we need to explain it over and over to some??? Of course... but your beating your head against a reproving door... but your right.

This may be an interesting exploration into energy which this thread is not about, but maybe it is... my wife is chinese; her mom is a retired TCM doctor. They have said repeatedly for more than a year: Why do I have a high level of energy despite I appear to eat very little? I said in matter of fact way: Where is energy from? Is it only from food? Maybe the mind controls more than we think; also conditioning. I wrestled for many years; and have been involved in many sports over my life... the body finds the energy in sports... How do other pratices find energy??? After I practiced Qigong and Taiji, my energy levels jumped despite a decrease in food... This is just my thought: food is overplayed as an energy source but if it is your physical, mental, emotional source of energy, then eat on...

Hey Twinner... so your ready for MMA now? Your fetish is worrisome aspects of daoist action in life. How they play out and questioning their motive... this is really respectable about you. As an aside, I miss our getting together. Let's re-connect. I think the only thing you could of done is to do it MMA style... Drop him to the ground and look him in the eye and say, "this is going to hurt me more than it is going to hurt you...". A little cliche but in fact this is the truth...

Your not reading enough books... where is your book-wisdom now??? --- Let's stick to the thread. As JB says, where you focus is going to alter the experience. But I will add that by causing a stir in questioning, researching the web, and asking questions... you have altered the Qi already in a direction that is not meant to be. The moral of the story is: If you start on 100 days, don't question until the 100 days is over; otherwise, your not focusing on the 100 days. In reality... there is no magic to 100 days. If you do it twice a day, you will do 50 days; if you do it 3x a day, then it is 33 days. This was never originally 100 days. Only modern teaching has it this way... but in extending out the days, there is more pressure to focus a longer time.

Rumors never die... ergo, rumor must surrender to rumor itself. Thus rumors awake to what they truly are... Rumors.

First off, follow your nature and feeling. Do what is natural. If your trying to force a change to your bodily routine and paradigm then that is ok; but you need to give it time to reset. I cannot do any exercise within 2 hours of any eating... That is my body response, although I have been overtly athletic all my life; this is my reality. There are a few good questions posed to you but I think we should go back to the basis: 1. What time did you last eat the night before? 2. What time do you generally wake up the next day? 3. When is your ideal practice time? While 3-5am is an ideal qigong practice time due to it being the 'lung' hour, I find this works for a while and then suddenly something in the evening works better. This may be due to seasonal or other changes in the yearly cycle but I am just saying that you need to see what feels most natural for your cycle. Here is a basic question: Why do you need to do qigong practice in the morning? Is it due to practical work issues or your own desire? this gets back to following your nature...

I have had very little direct experience or exposure to Chia's methods. Although I do have lots of his materials as e-books. While I do think some criticism and warning of some of his materials is warranted (particularly the semen practices), I also feel he is much more maligned then he deserves. He has dedicated his life to this art and whether he himself and/or the insatiable desire of practitioners for such stuff produced a media production craze, I don't know. But there is the law of supply and demand even in this. I like his healing sounds and inner smile book. His Iron Shirt material seems good. He stirred the sexual pot and attracted much attention with both his semen retention and open love approaches. I think the former needs some due diligence of warning; Personally, I would not attempt what he writes. In the latter aspect, ask his ex-wife about his propensity for sexual energy; There is a reason they bitterly divorced. He is not a man of the cloth who took some vows, but she may of thought he was going to at least only use the Ox to plow her soil... he-said, she-said... as the sexual-energy-qigong- Like with any energy work you read: It is just words, it is not a teacher at your side. And I don't mean a teacher to only direct you but to fix your bone-headed, self-determined, I-can-do-because-I-read-a-Chia-book energy problem which arises. A confession: In my early days of too much exuberant excitement over the experience of Qi energy, I experimented a little too much... Without a Qigong master to 'right' the energy problems I created from reading books... well, maybe a few know my point. I just don't want future practitioners to learn it the hard way when there is really a much easier way...

Ok. I now recall some do the lock throughout. I follow the method to let the hui yin modulate with the breath. One can touch that area to see if it moves or not. It is also a point which can be massaged (and should be). Constant locking would probably need one to get really relaxed in that area so no tension built up. A description by Yang Jwing-Ming http://ymaa.com/articles/breathing-exercises-for-tai-chi

I see... this corresponds to what I think of as the 'kidney position' which I can see the relationship to your comment of "transforming the Jing to Qi". The 'water' picture is the only one of the three that is the same as I know them. The fire position is most common since it relates to the heart and the heart is the 'supreme commander' which oversees all. Thus the fire position is most likely best to use for overall regulation reasons. But the 'fire' picture I see posted here is more the 'wood' position I know. The fire position I know is the tongue is more forward and just above the teeth (more like the wind picture).

You did not say when the action of the Hui Yin occurs; The reason to lock it (and the anal sphincter if you want) is to encourage the energy movement up the spine. I think of the stomach expanding/contracting in 3D, so that the Hui Yin is just a part of it; if inhaling air / expanding the stomach then expand at the Hui Yin; and on exhaling air / contraction of stomach the Hui Yin locks upward. Do you regulate these two (stomach and hui yin) simultaneously in this manner? If yes, then you inhale / expand stomach and hui yin as energy goes up the spine but the lock does not occur to stimulate energy upward? If no, then your inhaling air / expanding stomach / locking hui yin as energy goes up the spine?

Nice to read more detail on what your practicing. I want to add that I should not state whether what your learning is 'wrong'; I know different systems will use different techniques and I can't claim to know them all. I would only re-state that the system I learned has five positions for each organ association and you can reconcile the two materials you have. It would be interesting to read if you come up with in regards to the two explanations. You showed 3 pictures: Wind, fire, water. After some thought, I realized that there are MCOs described as the 'wind', 'fire', and 'water' path. So I am now thinking these tongue positions are specific to the MCO path and not to organ associations as I know the positions. After a little more searching I found a past thread where someone talked about this too: Again, this may or may not be exactly as you are learning so just sharing the info.

A few thoughts: 1. If they knew you (and potentially your idea of your power), then how did you separate out of your study the 'fear factor' they might possess? 2. Since you distinguish between those who know you and those who do not know you, how did you just your energy for such situations? 3. Do you have energy practices which deal with people you know vs people you do not know?

To be fair... you have not yet describe WHICH MCO you practice... which direction, Taoist or Buddhist? Normal or reverse breathing? How do you define the MCO? Can you give the timing of breath and direction and the action of the huiyin and stomach with your breathing?

That really depends on the practice... For myself, from the first session, it was internal and external simultaneously... I am sure everyone's experience is their own. But you raise a distinct point for beginners: Understanding where internal and external play a role.

I would say with the first breath...