On 8/14/2024 at 9:49 AM, stirling said:

What a mistake! Blind fools, what sort of juice do they expect to get out of old dried bones?"

Blind fools do not take notes!  

14 hours ago, Lukks said:

Yanq qi movement creating strong zi fa gong(spontaneous movements) reactions does depletes/consumes your jing and qi?

Question: If Zi Fa Gong, 自發功, cause harm to one's body, then, why do you still want to wasting your time to investigate it? The movements are not any different than other slow moving martial arts. Your body works the same with any kind of practice that gives the same effect. Why should it be treated differently? I wouldn't believe what others had said. It is because everyone tells a different story only by the word of mouth. There isn't a uniform code for martial arts. The masters only tell it as they pleased with no justification. There is always a wise guy come up with some wild stories to spread around. 

Peace on earth!

16 minutes ago, forestofclarity said:

 不二 in Chinese Chan is translated from advaya अद्वय in Sanskrit, which is a term of art meaning "not two." This has a number of meanings, most often referring to the "freedom from extremes" (most commonly, existence and non-existence or subject and object--- both stances taken by Buddhists who are listed as Zen Patriarchs, Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu). So you see, this is a term of art with very rich meaning.

 

Sorry, you don't speak Chinese like I do. I won't ague with you!

5 minutes ago, forestofclarity said:

信心不二

Faith in mind is non‑dual.

 

This phrase says: There was no second doubt in one's trust or confidence.

Chapter 21 Manifestation of Tao Te

1. 孔德之容
2. 惟道是從。
3. 道之為物
4. 惟恍惟惚。
5. 惚兮恍兮
6. 其中有象。
7. 恍兮惚兮
8. 其中有物。
9. 窈兮冥兮
10. 其中有精。
11.其精甚真。
12.其中有信。
13.自古及今，
14.其名不去。
15.以閱眾甫。
16.吾何以知眾甫之狀哉！
17.以此。

1. The appearance of great virtue;
2. Only trails Tao.
3. This thing, Tao,
4. It's hazy and indistinctive.
5. Amongst the haziness and indistinctive,
6. It has images.
7. Amongst the haziness and indistinctiveness,
8. It has a thing.
9. It’s minute and dim,
10. It’s a minute substance.
11. The minute substance is real,
12. It can be proven.
13. From present to ancient,
14. Its name does not vanish.
15. Using it to observe the origin of all things.
16. I can recognize the original state of all things!
17. From it.

誠懇 is a better translation.

On 1/4/2024 at 6:34 PM, Maddie said:

 

So then what exactly is the purpose of LDT breathing exactly?

It helps you to breathe better for a healthier life and longevity.

On 1/1/2024 at 7:10 AM, Chang dao ling said:

Hi, which is the best breathing method to fill lower dantian? 

Natural abdominal breathing or riverse abdominal breathing? Which is safe to practice without a teacher?

The question being asked in the OP indicates that the author did not breathe down to the lower dantian. The normal condition is to breathe down to the LDT. Otherwise, people will have health problem was caused by a breathing problem.

Our respiratory system breathes the same way. Actually, the best way is learn to breathe down to the LDT. The first thing for a martial artist is to train to breathe to the LDT. Whatever the practice was, eventually, the breathing will kick in and bring the  breath to the LDT. Whether you like it or not. You don't really need special instructions. You just need to practice the art style diligently, you will get there.

1 hour ago, 心神 ~ said:

@ChiDragon

 

Thank you! I'm grateful to be here, and I hope in addition to learning from everyone, that I can one day add value to the discussions.

 心神，Spirit of the heart(心之靈), you are all hearted. Nice nickname, BTW

On 10/4/2024 at 11:40 AM, 心神 ~ said:

I've been learning about Taoism and the internal arts for about two years now. I've absorbed a lot of information from various sources, and I'm ready to develop a more disciplined, consistent practice. I'm here because I'm interested in learning from people on a similar path.

心神，Welcome to TDB! Learning from various sources with an open mind is the way to go. Thank you for staying and participate in the discussions.

22 hours ago, NaturaNaturans said:

Let me repeat something I just read ans commented on in another thread: the chinese translation of the greek term Logos (the Word in english). They translate it as Dao. This was helpfull info for me aswell, since it gave me a lense to understand dao better with. So lets see:

 

 

 

John 1

 

King James Version

 

 

1 In the beginning was the Word/logos/Dao, and the Word/logos/Dao was with God, and the Word/logos/Dao was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

 

Another interresting curiousity, is, I belive, that in the works of Aurelius and Epictetus, the term gods and nature are used interchangebly.

 

 

I am sorry it came out that way. That was not what the TTC says. Apparently, someone did not read the whole TTC throughly to relate all the chapters. There are few chapters have good description of Tao that cannot be ignored.

8 minutes ago, Nungali said:

Its a start      - this also ;  ' God created Man , but Man created God first . '   - no, its not a riddle .

The same token goes with Tao.
Tao was created by Laozi, then Tao was said to be before god or deity. Tao is on top the universe to monitor how things are created properly. If not, so let it be by following the course of nature. That is what the Laozi's philosophy of Wu Wei(無為) was all about.

The interpretation of stagnation of liver chi.
It simply means that the liver is malfunction. It cannot carry out its normal duty for the next organ to function properly. The biological process stops. Thus it was to be said that is the stagnation of the liver chi.

This thinking is hard for people to convert to the indirect interpretation. Sorry to say, people are just stuck with direct translation without the proper interpretation.

6 minutes ago, Thrice Daily said:

People pray to Quan Yin though no? In much the same way as Mary? Or no? In China is there an Eternal mother that is prayed to? In ancient lore, beyond local figures?

Most often, I said most often. The Chinese women worship Quan Yin is because they wish to bear a male child to carry the name for the family. That was in the male dominant society in ancient Chinese thinking.

On 9/18/2024 at 11:15 PM, -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- said:

From “Chinese Massage Manual” by Sarah Pritchard 

 

In TCM, the esoteric chi(氣) often means the function of a system or something else. By the definition of deficient chi(氣虛), it simply means the function of an organ or the area that is associated with organ is malfunction. Thus deficient chi(氣虛) doesn't means that the chi was lack of. People are most often thought something was missing when the term was mentioned. This term is very esoteric. Hence, it was difficult for people to interpret it and comprehension. 

When a herbalist said 腎氣虛, the direction translation would be the "deficient chi of the kidney". Actually, the interpretation should be treated as the " kidney is malfunction." Even Chinese natives think of the same way, it was properly how it was transposed to the west. 

Guanyin is originally based on the Hindu god Avalokiteśvara. Avalokiteśvara’s myth spread throughout China during the advent of Buddhism and mixed with local folklore in a process known as syncretism to become the modern day understanding of Guanyin. Though she can take both male and female form, she is most often represented as a woman in Chinese lore.

Ref: https://mythopedia.com/topics/guanyin

1 hour ago, Thrice Daily said:

 

I think I also read someplace that Guan Yin is regarded as the very highest expression of Yin.

FYI Quan Yin is 觀音. Please don't be misunderstood that yin as 陰.

Quan Yin, 觀音, is a male figure. He disguised as a female for the women to worship him. One can tell by the flat chest on all the Statues. 

 

PS It has been known that Quan Yin, 觀音, is as such in the Chinese culture.

1 hour ago, Thrice Daily said:

So, I posted not so long back about the possibility of God Creating the Tao, in a reply it was proposed that perhaps the Tao created God.

Chapter 4 The Fathomless Tao.
1.道沖而用之或不盈。
2.淵兮似萬物之宗。
3.挫其銳
4.解其紛，
5.和其光，
6.同其塵，
7.湛兮似或存。
8.吾不知誰之子，
9.象帝之先。 

1. Tao is a vessel and its function seems inexhaustible. 
2. Abyss, aha! It seems like the ancestry of all things.
3/7. Fathomless, aha! Unconscious or conscious.
4/8. I don't know whose son he is,
5/9. It seems like before the heavenly god.

***** Lines 3 through 6 seem to be out of context. They were reappeared in Chapter 56*****
In Chapter 4 of the TTC, Laozi had already defined, in line 5/9, that Tao is existed before any deity or god
 

45 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

Wang Chongyang, is considered the founder of Quanzhen.

Yes, Quanzhen, 全真(All True) is a Taoist religion group founded by Wang Chongyang, 王重阳， who advocates the Xing(性) and Ming(命）dual cultivation.

35 minutes ago, -ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ- said:

cleared a block nose doing Long Form

Congratulations!

10 minutes ago, Thrice Daily said:

It’s a nice mental exercise and certainly is a good way to get around the chatter and really be present in the practices.

IMHO Breathing alone should be suffice to occupy the mind without distraction. Your mind is not in the empty state while counting your breath.

9 hours ago, dwai said:

CD doesn't seem to understand the difference between a hypothesis and a fact.

It would be an insult accusing an aircraft test equipment design engineer that doesn't deal with facts.

1 hour ago, dwai said:

If he were truly scientific in his approach, he would set up experiments, take muscle biopsies, and process them in a lab to prove his hypothesis

Yes, if I have access to a well equipped laboratory, then, I would measure the mitochondrial density in the muscles before and after the proper practice of Taij periodically to check for progress.

2 hours ago, blue eyed snake said:

 

there's also a difference between beliefs and lived experience, will leave it at that.

Yes, just leave it at that.  I wouldn't spend my life time to argue about it.

2 hours ago, Thrice Daily said:

Instinct - Facts? 
 

Well I guess you could see it like that.
 

Do you work much with MDT ChiDragon?

 

Loving Kindness Meditation, Metta, Inner Smile?

No, I do not work with MDT at all.
I do Meditation but it is purely Taoist meditation other than Buddhist styles.