The Golden Void

Thanks for that marblehead - he seems to have got a more up to date take on the angle that The Tao of Physics started with. I guess in a sense these class-fields and course-fields that Bache worked with [and which exist whether one works with them or not] are kind of "latent patterns" in the unmanifest that guide the probabilities of what will manifest? Alternatively in the many models that have kind of physical-emotional/psychic-mental planes of reality the actual class-course event takes place on the physical level of reality. However the experience and the formation of patterns over time is on the mental plane. Anyway starts to sound weird but Bache presents a convincing case based on starting with actual experience and ending up with a model [but even then the model isnt a big deal - just a way to hang together all his practices working with the fields]. thanks again TGV

James is one of my favourite teachers. One of the magic bus generation he set off for the East in the late 60s and after many adventures and training in the Dzogchen lineage under CRLama in whose home he lived he returned to the west and is now a consultant psychotherapist in the NHS as well as teaching Dzogchen. Hi approach is fresh in that it presents the inner realisations in a western way. Dzogchen itself has some Taoist roots - especially in terms of the naturalness vibe. There are some great resources here which is a website of transcripts of talks and more recently videos: www.simplybeing.co.uk To pick out two at random: a very nice 20minutes video interview "Saying the Unsayable" & http://www.simplybei...fe_Cologne_2005 which starts... Enjoy! May all beings be happy TGV

Not sure you guys have mentioned this work before. Real interesting and a couple of great podcasts on "how to" work with collective fields [in which context he subscribes to/validates Rupert Sheldrakes model of morphic fields] - very original work it seems to me. He talks about the course field and the class field and the various porcesses he developed for owrking with and potentiating them [and what happened when he missed out a vital last step]. Bache has been mentioned on the forum in the context of his entheogenic studies but in his day job (wikipedia): In a different incarnation I wrote up some material and references here which also contains the links to a 2hr talk (in two parts) he did at IONS. Of course these fields apply to any group activity not just teaching - so not just of interest to teachers Real interesting and real unique (a rare thing in itself). Enjoy TGV

Hi idq You say that you do some postures from Master Lams book ... if you do those in the way he describes, then unless you have some pre existing medical problem in this area there should be no problem. However the way he describes in his books strongly emphasises natural breathing - just forget about it - the body will keep breathing. Zhan Zhuang is very powerful - deceptively so. Breathing techniques are very powerful - deceptively so. From your experience you have found that making up your own approach combining material from different places has deleterious side-effects. So simple answer which you have found your own way to is to stick to the prescribed recipe. Done with relaxation you will get (as you found) plenty of benefit kindest TGV

Zhan Zhuang in its modern form as a specific "practice in itself" traces to Wang Xiang Zhai 1885-1963. Of course static postures have in general been key to the power of internal martial arts, health arts and meditative arts/spiritual development for many millenia (so we are told). You mention ZZ "meditation" - well meditation is itself a vast field and there are poles of cultivating wide open spacious allowing awareness and at the opposite end closed, very focused, very sharp single-pointed. There are now very few 1st generation Masters still alive [ie those taught (for some time - not just met once or twice ;-)) by WXZ himself]. Given the formless nature of Yiquan/Da Cheng Chuan [the martial art based on Zhan Zhuang] even amongst the 1st generation there was much variation already. There are many 2nd generation masters, 3rd generation teachers such as myself and I even know 5th generation teachers. The point being [and I dont know who taught Ken Cohen - a very wise man and excellent teacher] is that there are now a huge range of "styles"/"approaches" to ZZ. Of course one then asks "which one is best?" or "which one is right?". Well if you fancy that line then you can spend your life arguing with folks on TCMA fora - and end up non the wiser Long story short there are many approaches/lineages - some more martial focused, some (like mine) more health focused, some more internal-meditative focused, some more external-open focused etc etc. It also depends greatly on the person. So no right answer! However in my experience given your symptoms/issues then I feel you will probably get by far the most benefit from eyes open [which is how WXZ taught - you cant fight with eyes closed :-D] and in nature. This leads to a greater interchange of energy with the environment [the eyes are an important conduit] and I think openness will help you release your bad stuff/tiredness and breathe in (thru all the senses) some of the good stuff. But ultimately only you know [and the usual caveat of the best thing is to find a good local teacher (of any reputable lineage) than to try and do something made up from various snippets around the net]. The most important is standing in a good way - easier said than done. Good luck with your process. TGV

Hi Mal Well you fianlly achieved something - been a rare browser for years but this thread made me sign up As always here plenty of folks have advice, strong/black&white opinions and far less have any credentials/qualifications to talk with authority. As an instructor of Master Lam I can say that for sure 25mins aint breaking any records, nor is there anything wrong with doing several small stints - prob helps keep a good posture throughout the day. Wang Xiang Zhai and his students would spend up to 8hrs a day in the Beijing park - so you are a long way short of doing "a lot" right now. Naturally getting some instruction is very useful for anything [especially, ironically, something that sounds like nothing]... even a lesson or two gives you some feel for the basic errors. However if your Tai Chi wu-chi has been seen by a teacher then you are safe there... [it was never well-known but many of the best Tai Chi fighters knew that the secret was to stay with the first posture for rather more than a couple of seconds to build up the internal strength] Also if it feels good and makes you feel good chances are there aint much wrong. And the basic error is tension/concentration/trying to hard ... this is a Chinese Taoist exercise ... gentle and keep practicing as the years roll by. There are some recent videos of Master Lam teaching in the US here - masterlamkamchuen.com - might give you some ideas. Good luck. TGV

Hi Guys Looked at this place now and again off and on for some years ... never got round to posting and more recently noise:signal ratio seems quite high so it takes time to pan for gold :-) Zhan Zhuang instructor and personal student of Master Lam. Learned Tai Chi from Dan Docherty. Various Taoist and Buddhist learnings and practices. Thanks to Sean for the forum! TGV