ChiDragon

I am waiting to see who is brave enough to come forward and say "yes".....!!!

炁 Yes, the pictograph of this Chi character with two radicals, 旡(none) and 火(fire), indicating "no fire"

Did you get the "fire" idea from 着火....???

ShenLung......... Well said, I agree with you 100%........

Harold.... You're welcome and thank you very much. I wish you well too. It can be either past or present tense. It was the thought that counts. The reason I chose the word was because, the character 着, was implicating 着迷(spellbound). Thus if there was nothing serious in the mind to be occupied, then, the other minor things are insignificant as compared to all. Finally, that will let you to attain the state of 静.

Based on the English sentence structure, lines 8 and 9 are one complete sentence, thus we have: When these two together do no harm, then, virtue (and ethics) return (and dispatched off) to? My original translation: 8. 夫兩不相傷, 9. 故德交歸焉. 8. Since both do no mutual harm to each other, 9. Then, the virtue of peace was returned to the people. Since both do no mutual harm to each other, then, the virtue of peace was returned to the people. Annotation: Since no harm was done to all, then(there was no question about it), it was the people who were ended up with the benefits of peace.

心中一无所着，一念一无所思 There was not a spellbound in the heart, There was nothing to be considered in the thoughts.

Let's look at the "two", in line 1, were referred to the ghost(鬼) and human(人). Since the ghost and human do no harm, (2.)then, the virtue are credited(归) to them mutually(交). 2. Then, virtue (and ethics) return (and dispatched off) to who? The character 誰(who) was not in the phrase. However, if the "who" was there, then, the phrase would become: 故德交歸誰焉? In this scenario, the character 焉 would have been used as a question mark.

In classic, there were no punctuations. There are some special characters were used as punctuations. Sometimes, there are auxiliary characters were used at the end to make the sentence sound better. You are right, this is not a question. Normally, the character was used as a question mark. However, it was used as an auxiliary character in this case.

It takes to understand the whole Tao Te Ching in order to deny the Tao Te Ching is not a shamanic document. Based on the mistranslation and misinterpretation of one chapter, unfortunately, it cannot represent the Tao Te Ching as a whole as a shamanic document. Line 1. Why do you use "frying" for 烹 and fish for 鲜? 海鲜: in classic, it was understood as the fresh catch from the sea or fish. There are two way to cook a fish. One way is to steam it; another way is to pan fry it. Steaming a fish does not required careful handling. However, when the fish was being fried, it take a special care to turn it over in the pan. The metaphor in line 1 was implicating that a ruler has to run a country with special care as analogous to pan frying a small fish. The character 焉, in classic, was to be placed at the end of a sentence as a "question mark".

Here is: 1. 治大國,若烹小魚. 2. 以道莅天下, 3. 其鬼不神; 4. 非其鬼不神, 5. 其神不傷人; 6. 非其神不傷人, 7. 聖人亦不傷人. 8. 夫兩不相傷, 9. 故德交歸焉.

The original characters were 7. 聖人亦不傷人. Throughout the study of the TTC, sometime ago, it was established that 聖人 can be interpreted as gentleman, sage, a virtuous person or a ruler. You seem to be very forgetful and have a tendency with fluctuation in your thinking. If I have to remind you the definitions that had been established every time, when the argument comes up, then it is very cumbersome. Based on line 1. Ruling a big nation is like frying a small fish. To answer your question with justification, the first line was a dead give away that the sage is a ruler.

I had tried to clarified it but people already have their mind made up that the Dao De Jing is a shamanistic "treatise". I'll let you read my translation: 1. Ruling a big nation is like frying a small fish. 2. With the presence of Tao beneath heaven, 3. The ghosts cannot extent their power. 4. It's not only that the ghosts cannot extent their power, 5. But its power cannot harm anyone. 6. It was not even that their power cannot harm anyone, 7. A ruler also does no harm to anyone. 8. Since both do no mutual harm to each other, 9. Then, the virtue of peace was returned to the people.

It was bothering me too, but I was afraid to ask which might divert to further confusion and out of context.

Well, I don't have to live like a monk to get all the chi ever. Some Taoists do live like a monk and some don't. It happens to be that I don't and still getting lots of chi from practicing Chi Kung and Tai Ji. I can release my energy anytime and get them back anytime. People have a great urge to build up their sexual energy in a hurry but there was no need for me to do so. It just comes with the package in my cultivation.

It is much better than learning from a modern radio book to be a ham radio operator......... :D :D FYI Did you know that all the dusty old books from the Shaolin temple are sold for thousands of dollars; and people are very hungry for them. However, they still might learn something from them with a half-ass translation. Hopefully, they will not be 走火入魔: Running over fire and enter a devilish path.

A word about choosing a method to practice. There are a conventional and non-conventional way of practice. The non-conventional way was considered to be 旁門左道; it will get one into 走火入魔. 旁門左道: Taken the side door and the left side of the road. Normally, people will take to front door to enter a house in the open with nothing to hide. Those who take the side door were something fishy and sneaky about them. The left side was considered to be the wrong path. 走火入魔: Running over fire and enter a devilish path. It was a result describing one from practicing some non-conventional methods which causing internal body injury. It is wise and important for one to study a method thoroughly and determine its category before practicing. The conventional methods will be benefited for the health of the body, definitely. In the contrary, a non-conventional method maybe good in a short run but it will cause health problems and get worsen more seriously along the path.

Sorry about that...!!! Is there anything you've posted that I'd missed and should cast my humble opinion upon....???

All the sexual energy talks were from fiction stories. I read those stories throughout my life. "send jing up the spine to nourish the brain" How much truth can anyone see in that....??? Who can prove or disprove of that....??? The purpose of Chi Kung(with breathing) was to rejuvenate the body after the energy was consumed or to heal a damaged part of the body by mitosis. Preserving your energy was not by not using it. You energy will be diminished if you don't use it. If you've used it, then it will be regenerated. Another words, if you don't use any energy in the body, the energy generator was less active, so to speak. Based on the yin-yang concept, when the yang energy was too high, it will start releasing the energy to go to a yin-state. After the yin-state was reached, then the energy will start building up to a yang-sate. The yin-yang cycle repeats itself constantly. BTW In the fallacy case about retaining semen, it violates the yin-yang concept by some offshoot Taoists. "Just ignore ChiDragon and test it for yourself. Once your qigong practice has been in place a few months, simply go 2-3 weeks without ejaculation and see how you feel during qigong. When I do that, I definitely feel the qi grow stronger day by day." The reason "I definitely feel the qi grow stronger day by day" was not because of the celibacy but it was the Chi Kung practice itself. I know someone who ejaculated twice in one day, after a nap and a short session of Chi Kung practice, feels like a brand new man and mow a good size lawn still feels very energetic. What is happening was that after the energy was used up, the Chi Kung will rejuvenate the body to replace the energy that was consumed. After the energy was resumed, the body will be continued to pick up where it was left before the sexual activity. If one thinks that celibacy help to preserve energy in the body, then one was really under estimate the efficacy of Chi Kung. FYI All the confusion about jing was misled by the two jing's. The jing in "jing, chi, shen" was misinterpreted by some ancient Taoists as the 精子(jing zi), sperm. It was worse, somehow, it was mistranslated as "semen" in the west. Unfortunately, this jing was getting more misleading, misunderstood and confusing from person-to-person day-by-day.

"My night practice is dedicated to Chinese Qigong..." What is Chinese Qigong in your own words, please....???

You will never hear from this person.........

Just pay attention to the breathing and ignore the semen retention part.

First of all, I want to make myself clear that this is straightly from my point of view based on my empirical experience. As a Chinese, my practice has no external influence whatsoever. I had leaned all the ideas from the Chinese traditional way. I was only try to stay pure with one, and only one, system to reach the ultimate goal of a particular system. I will explain how I understood it without any other influence. I had talked many times about the subject of Chi Kung throughout this forum. Therefore, I wish this will be my last time to repeat myself again. 1. It is not stupid rather its unwise to practice two systems at the same time as a beginner. You should just stick with one system and be familiar with it before go to another system. 2. I want to answer your question very seriously and hope someone will follow my advice, so, this will be my final words on this subject matter. NO, it is not possible to discover and work with chi through the mind and meditation without Chi Kung(qigong). The Chinese definition for Chi Kung is the ultimate method of breathing. Another words, without breathing, then you will not have any Chi sensation which means no energy will be built up in your body. Here was my recommendation for all beginners: http://thetaobums.co...ioners-to-know/

Yes...................

Now, do you see why I'd said that you are not a Taoist......???