Taiji Bum

Done. Canyon Lake, TX.

Welcome, Joe. I don't know the two things you're researching, but I guarantee there are Tao Bums here who do! I hope you find what you are looking for!

Welcome, Cructacean. I also practice Zen Meditation with Taoist influences. I don't have any formal training in Taoism, but I do in Korean Taego Order Zen Buddhism. What's your background training (not that it is necessary)?

Welcome, tjmac! I hope you enjoy yourself here. If you are already involved in a practice like Spring Forest Qigong, I'll be looking forward to your insightful posts. Nothing pushes progress like practicing every day. Welcome again!

I love the Bell Curve. Get a big enough population and just about everything will conform to it and that includes other attributes like strength or wisdom. But, I always notice that smart people always want to discuss intelligence and strong ones want to talk about how strong they are in comparison to others. I notice only one person in this thread mentioned "wisdom". I'd put that guy in the top 50% of the Wisdom Bell Curve.

Try the "google scholar" search engine and search for Qi, meridians, accupuncture, and anything really. There has been a ton of research into Eastern mysticism and medicine.

I just moved to Texas two weeks ago. It's going down to 48 tonight and tomorrow it will be 60. Hehehe.......

Yeah, sounds like a easy question that will get as many answers as there are people here. The good life for me would only be judged by my laying on my death bed and looking back. I don't really live in the moment. I am an INTJ and I am always planning for the future. If I were to really focus on the present the good life would be no bills, a circle of great friends and enough free time to play and seek Tao with passion(or dispassion?). I like the simple things.

As long as he knows... she's my girl, Bill.

I tend to judge the content of the book and not the character of the author. Character is for the gods to judge.

I've seen all the books and videos exposing him as a fraud, but I still love Castaneda's material. I am not even sure I believe all the material saying his stuff is fake. All I know is that everything that I have tried from his books has worked. I've never experienced elemental beings though. Of course, that's never interested me.

Hi, Bill. Can you tell us a little more about yourself?

Same here. 26 years ago I trained with an Aikido dude at Ft Bragg. There was a small Special Forces Aikido club there, but they did a little Taijiquan as well. My very first exposure to Taijiquan was at Ft Campbell in 1985. When I was first studying Taijiquan I had no idea it was primarily used for health and spirituality. It was all about fighting and was super similar to Judo in its sparring. You don't see that much anymore.

Is this an informational/promotional thread or a discussion/debate thread?

Yes, but could we see some proof that we are teachers? A photo of us with our students maybe?

What do you think?

I found these. World Star Chinese Martial Arts Competition http://www.kungfucompetition.com/ ICMAC 2017 Tournament & Camp Schedule http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/ KUNG FU TAI CHI 25th Anniversary Festival - May 19-21 2017 http://www.tigerclawelite.com/

Welcome to TTB! Do you practice Taijiquan, or another martial art?

Legends of Kung Fu http://www.legendsofkungfu.com/

Looooooove Waysun Liao! Anybody get his new book, "Tao: The Way of God"?

Got any photos? If it is masonic, I can probably decipher it for you.

There are more types of Buddhism than there are types of Christianity. There are places where Buddhists pray and sacrifice to gods and there are places where Buddhists are atheists.

Thanks Apech, I am sorta new to the Dharma and every new insight put simply and succinctly is a great help to me.

Please make comments on the writing, structure and content. A HANDBOOK OF ZEN MEDITATION There is no God. There is no reincarnation. There is only, awakening What Is Awakening? "While walking down a wooded path the visible universe changed. I went from seeing the dirty gravel trail and the moss covered trees, to seeing a path of glowing gemstones and blazing fountains of living-fire covered in crystals. My entire visual field was transfigured. The ground seem like golden glass and I could see into and through all things. More than that, I saw and knew that the living-fire was giving life to all things, was the same living-fire giving life to me. I felt myself in all things and I knew all things. There was also more than that as my consciousness also seemed to penetrate into the past and I saw and knew the evolution of all life on this planet. I was pervaded with the calm and peace of knowing everything was right and complete in the world. It felt like I woke up and was seeing true reality for the first time." Things You Need To Do First Be very careful if you join a meditation group of any kind. When you begin to meditate more than them, they will try and stifle your enthusiasm. You become who you hang out with, and they will try and drag you down to their level. Buddhism has the correct method, but don't get caught up in the Buddhist religion. When Buddha said he didn't want to start a religion, he meant it. Keep things simple. As Buddha says, "You don't need to know who shot you with the poisoned arrow, who made the poisoned arrow or even what kind of poison was used. You just need to pull the arrow out, bind the wound and take the antidote for the poison." The Three Jewels Of Buddhism I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Sangha. The Four Noble Truths Life is bondage. The origin of bondage is craving. The cessation of bondage is possible. The path of the cessation of bondage is the eight-fold path. The Eight Fold Path Right Understanding: Realizing that the four noble truths are true. Right Thought: Resolving to follow the eight-fold path. Right Speech: Avoiding untrue and abusive speech. Right Conduct: No stealing, no sexual misconduct and practicing pacifism. Right Employment: Never work a job that violates the eight-fold path. Right Attitude: Cultivate positive thoughts and emotions. Right Mindfulness: Practice meditation correctly. Right Concentration: Staying focused first on awakening and then ascension. Prerequisites To The First Stage Of Meditation Start in your low to mid-twenties. Before that your frontal lobe hasn't finished myelinating , so your brain just isn't ready for it. For best results become a vegetarian. For even better results, live simply. How To Practice Concentrative Meditate Sit where where you are comfortable like a chair with a straight back. Hands in lap, palms up. Focus on the center point in your body. This point is about 1.5 inches below your belly button and 3 inches in. Take long, slow, silent inhales and exhales to this center point. When ever your mind wanders just gently bring your breathing and awareness back to this point. Practice 20 minutes a day every day, adding 5 minutes a week. Practice at the same time every day. Build up to 1 hour, 4 times a day. More is better. The Common Mistakes In Meditation: The first big mistake in meditation is not starting. Above is enough information to get you to sit down and start. The only way to get good at meditation is to start badly. Everyone has a crazy mind in the beginning. Time and practice make you better, not reading about it. There are no secrets. Just sit down and practice. The practice is the practice. The second big mistake in meditation is not trying. You sit there and then let your mind do what it wants without trying to bring your attention back to your breath. Only when you think the timer is about to go off do you think to yourself, "OK, now I will do it". You must want to meditate and to get good at it, in order to get good at it. The third big mistake in meditation is doing it for the wrong reasons. You need to practice for the sake of meditation itself. You need the intrinsic motivation to practice and not for reasons outside of yourself. Doing it for liberation, enlightenment or Union with God are good reasons. Doing it for psychic powers or for fame as a guru are not good reasons. The forth big mistake in meditation is settling for the booby prizes of out of body experiences and the other stupid psychic stuff. Don't get lost in the mental phenomena. As long as you are stuck in the mind powers, you will NOT awaken. When you have practiced meditation for months, you may experience loud noises like ten thousand thunders or waterfalls. the sensation of high speed upward flight or liquid lightening blasting up your spine may erupt. You may have the experience of flying through a tunnel and into a bright light. Just ignore the bells and whistles of meditation and continue without dwelling on the visions and voices. It is just your mind clearing itself out. They are sometimes called rapture or kundalini and will eventually stop, usually a few years after awakening. Ignore them. The Stages Of Meditation Letting go of unhealthy feelings and desires, and feelings of joy and well-being arise. Letting go of discursive reasoning and ruminating thoughts and wisdom arises. Letting go of striving and equanimity arises. Letting go of self and awakening. The Marks of Awakening Brief and usually lasting less than a half hour. All things seem to be made of fire, light and crystals. Consciousness penetrates all things with omnipotence. Consciousness penetrates all time with omnipresence. Consciousness permeates all beings with omniscience. Seated Mindfulness Meditation After Awakening Sit where where you are comfortable like a chair with a straight back. Place your hands in your lap with the left hand cradling the right hand in its palm, thumb tips touching and thumbs and fore fingers should be forming a circle. Take slow deep silent breaths. When your mind wanders to thoughts or emotions, return awareness to your breath. After a few days when you get good at noticing your thoughts and returning your attention to your breath, you no longer need to use your breathing as a crutch. Just return your attention to the calm void of "no-thought" over and over. The practice is not stopping your thoughts. That is impossible. The practice is returning your attention to the calm-void place between the thoughts, over and over. You should already be good at practicing for 4 hours a day so just turn your practice over to mindfulness meditation instead of focusing meditation. The Stages After Awakening Continue seated meditation and let it do its work. Pass the Desert Temptations of body, intellect and emotions. Don't get crazy with the fasting or you will die. Levitation and glowing is not a sign from anything or anyone. It's just some weird bodily thing that happens. You are not destined to rule the world. You are having delusions of grandeur. Relax, they will go away. You don't have magical powers and are not immortal. No matter how good the euphoria feels, try to remember you are just a human being and don't go testing your "powers" by jumping off a cliff. Final tunnel rising and brain sealing- The vision of the flaming swastika/Ezekiel's Wheel is the mark of a newly minted buddha. Passing on what you have learned. Leaving your students when it is time to do so. Final purification and alchemical transformations of body. Ascension

Taoism is a huge religion that looks on "philosophical Taoism" as a cultural theft.