Taiji Bum

That sounds like general withdrawal symptoms.

Can you cite any sources for these ideas?

OP, how many Buddhist monks have you met? Most I know in the Zen tradition are "mind only". If you were to approach them and say you could help them with "high-level" Taoist practices, they would be very polite as they declined your offer the same as a Catholic Franciscan would. Each already thinks it has all it needs within its own respective tradition. That said, I am a martial arts hobbyist so I can feel you.

I think we join forums to connect with other people with similar interests which is a good thing. I belong to a sangha and I get my need to talk shop and ask Buddhist questions fulfilled there. So, I think the people who get angry over a forum post about Buddhism, most likely are lacking in real life Buddhist connections beyond reading. Do you have any idea how different the different Buddhist sects are? Even in India there are people who worship Buddha as a god and believe in reincarnation to the ones who believe Buddha was just an awakened man and there is no reincarnation. As it spread East it changed even more. Then Chan started in the 5-6th century CE and that spread from China to become Zen in Japan. Personally, I am finally officially joining a Korean Zen Buddhist sect. I am an atheist who doesn't believe in reincarnation and the Zen bishop I study under says that's fine. All that is required to be a Buddhist are the 4 Noble Truths and 8 Fold Path. Just some thoughts…..

Thanks!

I was looking to put awakening in perspective. It's like that saying, "Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment chop wood and carry water." I would say before enlightenment, gods and reincarnation. During enlightenment no gods or reincarnation. After enlightenment, gods and reincarnation."

Thanks, Rex. It's Korean Zen Buddhism with Tibetan (ascension/rainbow body). Dukkha actually translates directly as "thirst" and not suffering or bondage. You are right about mixing other paths. I will remove those. Thank you again! I set out to write out my understanding of Zen before I applied to a Zen Buddhist seminary to become a dharma teacher. It just grew into a manual so I thought I would share it. What do you mean by "rigid" in the meditation instructions? In the Zen tradition they are very exacting. Everything has to be precise. I swear its like being Catholic again. Bow to that statue, bow to the other statue, kneel, prostrate, kneel, prostrate, walk around the temple, kneel, prostrate….

thelerner, you have been here forever. You have kept such a calm head even in the worst discussions. I am sure your going to do great, but seriously, do you know what you are in for? Hahahahaha! God bless you, man!

What Steve said.

It is great you are going straight to the source! I am not a fan of Japan, but I loved Taiwan! I hope you have a wonderful time there and welcome to the Tao Bums!

All modern kabbalah comes from Bahir, Sefer Yetzirah and Zohar. Living traditions outside of Judaism are pretty rare.

These days it is mostly used by the Golden Dawn and Thelemites. In Freemasonry we just call each other, brother.

The principles are the same in Eastern and Western alchemy but in the West alchemy is often kicked off and supported with some ritual. In masonry we have mediations much like those found in Tibetan Buddhism. I practiced Taoist alchemy many years before I joined the Freemasons and meeting extremely adept ritual magicians. I think it is just a matter of taste. I enjoy the ritual but I prefer straight up Eastern meditation and energy work. Its all related to the Great Work. Crowley talks about it in MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. Some people prefer devotional mysticism, some prefer ritual mysticism and others prefer just the bare bones. I think Yoga talks about 8 paths or yogas, Karma yoga, kriya yoga, bakti yoga and the rest I forget.

Full-time student.

I've just purchased the land to do the very same thing. I've decided on the Western sacred geometry model. These are all over the world and still being build. I am going to do the same thing but on a much smaller scale. The basics are a dome, courtyard, obelisk, river and graveyard in most cases. Luxor Vatican D.C.

Teacher vs Coach? A young western boxer will learn how to box from one teacher and when he gets the fundamentals down then he can leave that teacher but will always seek out better and better coaches. Its the same with internal martial arts except 99% of teachers can't fight and don't know the fundamentals good enough to teach them. So they teach forms and more forms and more forms and after 20 years a student is still a student and hasn't a clue what the difference between Ward Off and Splitting.

I am in the beginning stages of setting up a retreat/hermitage for Taoists in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I have the land and now I need to set up legal structure. Anybody know about this? I kinda want a Tai Chi Farm but on a much smaller scale. Should I make it a church? Should I just go non-profit? Keep it private so I keep 100% control? I am sure others have thought of this so I would like your input. Thanks!

Thanks for the links, Informer! Money isn't an issue. I bought the land free and clear and the taxes are really low. Plus, I have some passive income that will cover all my misc. expenses too. Guests will have to pay for themselves though. Minke DeVos.... Silent Ground..... I need to do some googling!

Anybody buy this book? Any reviews? http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Canon-Chen-Family-Taijiquan/dp/5986870085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337896460&sr=8-1 "The Illustrated Canon of Chen Family Taijiquan" is universally acknowledged by Taijiquan practitioners as the seminal sourcebook of Chen Taiji philosophy and techniques. A work of intense scholarship which took over fourteen years to complete, this tome was intended by its author to be both the first ever written repository of Taiji lore, and a referential resource for Taiji instructors and practitioners for generations to follow. The English translation of this canon in its entirety was made by an experienced Taiji practitioner and scholar of Chinese culture Alex Golstein and marks the first ever attempt to translate into English Chen Xin's highly esoteric and detailed technical explanations of Chen-style Taijiquan techniques, including his meticulous inscriptions for over 400 illustrations. Given the complexity of the material, the main objectives of this translation are twofold. First, to render the work accessible to as wide an audience as possible by modernizing and simplifying the language while conserving the integrity of the author's intention and instruction. To this end, the Pinyin system has been used to standardize the spelling of all Chinese nouns, and footnotes have been added wherever additional clarification was deemed necessary. The second objective is to encourage its usage as a reference book by improving on the user-friendliness of its structure. Hence, minor adjustments were made in the order and naming of the chapters, and more importantly, the order of inscriptions explaining the illustrations have been clarified through a detailed numbering system. Detailed table of contents was also added to facilitate navigation through the 750 pages of this book. Readers will find this first edition a useful introduction into the philosophy and techniques of Chen Taijiquan and a valuable source of knowledge as their practice and understanding evolves.

Welcome to the Taobums!

Do you have a website?

I am shopping for some land right now and this is a concern of mine. I grew up in the country on a farm and when I was a kid I was very dedicated (obsessed) to Tom Brown and primitive survival skills. All through my 20's after the Army I studied survival along with Taoism and Taoist alchemy. I am now 45 and I have saved up enough to buy a woodland retreat and I am pretty sure I can do it and make it a pretty easy life. I am planning on an earth bag dome home with as much passive heating/cooling technology as I can figure out, artesian well, and every other cool new thing the survival nuts have figured out to make living close to nature very, very comfortable. I will be buying in northern Michigan and perhaps the upper peninsula so winters are of particular concern.

Welcome back! Hey, thats a pretty short into... for a ghostwriter.

There are a ton of very detail resources out there! This is mine.... THE TAOIST ALCHEMY OF 100 DAYS BUILDING THE FOUNDATION MY PREPARATION Diet- I ate no meat but I ate eggs, fish and dairy. Meditation- Emptiness 4 times a day 20min to 1hr until in July I was doing 8-12 hours of meditation a day which included several hours of taiji also. The Firing Process- After having gathered enough qi in the lower dan tien through a good diet, taiji practice and meditation you need to "fire" it so it moves upwards and transforms into shen. Normally the firing process happens naturally if you have enough desire or if your very young or going through puberty. If your older you will need an outside agent and this has been one of the greatest secrets of alchemy in the east and west. Three things fire the qi and that is pain which means ascetic practices such as self-flagellation, sexual arousal without ejaculation such as is found in Tantra and fasting. Any will work but use sexual stimulation only on days you do the breathwork, fasting should be extreme but don't kill yourself and if your going to use pain then do it every day. Breathwork- Bone breathing with closed eyes lasting 20 minutes once a day and I did this several times a week but not every day. This is done by- inhale 10 times into your belly and focus on pulling qi into your belly on each inhale and storing it on the exhale. Then with an inhale draw the qi from your dan tien to the bones of your left hand. Exhale and visualized compacting the qi all the way into the marrow. Do this same routine in all your bones starting next with your left forearm, upper arm, right hand, right forearm, right upper arm, left foot, left lower leg, left upper leg, right foot, left lower leg, left upper leg, pelvic bone, collar bone, spine, jaw bone and lastly cranium. Then 10 more deep breaths drawing qi into your dan tien and on both the inhale and exhale draw the qi up your spine and into your head to lead it to the pineal gland at the center of the brain. After the last ten breaths you should hold your focus on your pineal with your attention and it should feel like you are "reverse gazing". My 100 Days Start: 24April1994 (Full Moon) Practiced the firing and then I practiced bone breathing with breathing energy up my spine and then in meditation and had a powerful vision of interior light. Every time my perineum would begin to pump furiously the interior light would blaze forth before my inner vision. 08June1994 (New Moon) I did the firing process and then the bone breathing. While breathing energy up my spine, the perineum began pumping with pressure/pain was felt in the third eye area. My testicles were also in pain. I was using forced will power to move the energy up the spine. I tried to relax but couldn't. I tried to leave my body several times unsuccessfully. Then I seemed to come out of my forehead. It was like I was like in a little body a couple of inches tall. I could only get out of my forehead up to my waist. 100 Days End: 27July1994 It was incredible. My normal vision was replaced with a new vision. Instead of seeing with my fleshly eyes, I became aware I was seeing from my spiritual center, my soul. This spiritual center within me was the same spiritual center within all things. This "Unity" filled me with awe and peace. I also seemed to be eternally caught up in the now. I wasn't thinking or feeling anymore. I was just being. Looking at the trees did not reveal leaves and bark. I saw an explosion of light. It began where the seed sprouted originally. The explosions then flowed upwards and downwards. I saw into the earth. It was a golden hued transparency. The trees were like flowing golden fountains of living light that were continually being born anew every moment. It seemed purely accidental that water and dirt were carried along with the exploding fiery-light. It did not diminish the glory of it in any way though. I thought modern science was absurd because it studies the accidental shadow and not the actual substance. I knew everything from the beginning of time. I saw it all. At the same time I was so peace filled that I did not desire to know anything in particular. With this expanded perspective human understanding of everything, including metaphysics seemed worthless. All the books I had read paled miserably in comparison to this. All the spiritual anguish I had been experiencing for the past few weeks vanished. I felt desireless, completely free and at peace with all. It was as if I woke up and was seeing reality for the first time. I was released from this universe of light after a few minutes.