fatguyslim

I love this quote...Yeah I agree with you mate I will definitely keep to myself when I learn stuff, I learn by according with the text. My preception (for now) will not get me anywhere. Like the text says firmness and flexibilty should go together. So one thing I am sure at practicing wherever I am is making the intent sincere and the will firm, only then will I see the true and will avoid the false. Its good talking to people through this... It opens my eyes which I have forcefully kept closed for no reason in the past. Thanks for your help and I hope to hear more!

Again what a legendary poem... This is music to my ears!!!

Haha I wish I had that kinda strength... I am surely building upto it! I am not in China and learning a language away fro the home country is hard job. Thats why me being in Ecuador is to study more text as it is far away from where my afflictions lie (external but very real to me) and also people here are humble and very kind. Thanks for your reply man, the plan is to learn the text one way or the other (my virtue is too low lol).

Hey man thanks for your kind reply... The one day in my life in future is a seriously hard question. I know that now I am working with the mundande to get out of the mundane (building a sustainable house or what not). I am also aware that I am very weak and I am fooling myself if I say that I can practice the Tao in the midst of mundane. Without proper guidance from an enlightened being I am just acting willy nilly. I hope my future life is spent under a master who I find when I am ready to be a student. I have no virtue and I am trying my best to eliminate the self from everything that I put my effort into... ITS VERY HARD!!! So from what I gather I think cultivating virtue is my way of finding a teacher and through virtue I would be able to go through pain and suffering without a problem. I am not ready yet but I believe (through my own mindset) that being in Ecuador seems like a good starting point and life is not too mundane here. I hope this answers your question... I look forward to your reply!

Well where do you want me to start mate? I was introduced to the Way by a very dear friend of mine who asked me to read Tao Te Ching and see what it makes me feel. After reading Tao Te Ching I got the wrong idea of enlightenment. I thought that going into the mountains to find like minded people (I am not joking I almost made that step). Knowing this my friend warned me time and time again that I am being silly but I convinced myself that if I had to leave (I was running away from pain as I recently broke up with my girlfriend). It was not until my friend forced me to read Awakening to the Tao, which by the way came across as a tight slap on the face. It opened my eyes and cleared up loads of doubts for me (I was a complete ignorant and self satisfied fool before I knew the Way). The book connected with me on a very powerful level because being from India originally I was pushed so much away from the spirituality after seeing countless forms of deceit and scheming. One thing I always knew was that spirituality is beyond any means of physical techniques or methods. This is where Liu I-ming (18th century Taoist immortal) stepped in, his words were as though I was meant to follow. He never once said that students should still their thoughts, or concentrate on energies through some movement, or eat herbs or plant based produce to enhance the life. He goes straight to the core of the celestial mechanism explaining how one should refine himself while in the midst of people and then once empty in mind and thought should one search for an enlighten one who can help then teach the firing process (again not physical technique). His words are what I always try to follow. I recently moved from the UK to Ecuador (not in search of a teacher) to start a new life. As I mentioned earlier I am originally from India but I lived in the UK for last five years. I don't enjoy going back to India simply because when I go back the entanglements becomes so strong that it makes it harder to practice the Way. In the UK the power of Mundane is too strong and I had to worry about Visas and all the legalities just to survive on day to day bases where nothing good was being cultivated. I moved to Ecuador because I building a sustainable house here as simple as possible hence making this my place to read more text and help other (not for reward or merit) when in need. I know this way is not the perfect way but it works for me for now. I am here today but unsure where I will be tomorrow. The one thing that I can promise is that I wont leave the Way. I hope this will let you know what state I am in and what I lack in terms of knowledge. I am sure you have more questions just send me a private message and I will try and answer them. Cheers

The thing is man you will find it absolutely soul destroying if I asked you to translate the whole text. I have a habit of reading the whole text and what you did there was a glimpse of how amazing the whole text would be. Its just that I am unsure how to go about this to be honest.

Aye I agree with you someone really needs to translate this or I will spend all my life learning Chinese and then one day translate it lol.

I am so moved by these sayings mate, they hit me at my core and wakes me up. Can you please send me a pivate message with your email address or skype I WOULD LOVE TO SPEAK WITH YOU MATE. You are good translator and I humbly ask for your kind help in this path. I have no Chinese background (which I sincerely wish I did), I don't even know where to start. This blew me away the most "Isn't it true that when you lose an object, you go back to the place it is lost to find?" you are good at this man. I look forward to your reply. Thanks

http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n85-331645 I think this link shares all the knowledge that Liu shared with the world. I can' believe how lucky you are mate... I sometimes think that without learning Chinese I wont get anywhere!

Man I am not sure if they will answer to my questions? I don't even know who to ask the questions? By the way what may help are these books mentioned above by exorcist_1699. Have you had any luck finding them? I found the Chinese text but not the translation. Cheers

This comment blew me away the most... I have never heard of these books and I have no idea how to get hold of them either? If anyone reading this post has these books can you please share it with us or at least share a link as to where we can get them? I believe these texts have not been translated in English if yes then who translated them? Any information on these texts would be a blessing man.

I totally agree with you my friend but it also says in text that one small mistake can set you off into more confusion. Now I am not scared of confusion or I am scared of failing along the way. I don't know the true arena of failing where after failing I could learn from it. Its like I am in constant turmoil sometimes but sometimes clarity is off the roof (it could be my true yang rising or could be a layer of my human mind only a teacher can fathom that out). I know that finding a teacher is not gonna happen overnight or if its ever gonna happen in the usual way. You are bang on when you say about the virtue, how true virtue is when there is no self involved so I am going to practice that. Thanks for your help my friend I am definitely work on this issue.

I agree with you but as you might have read Liu constantly urges students to look for genuine teachers, which if you believe it or not are impossible to find in this mundane 21st century. The time when he wrote this text was 18th century and he struggled his whole life to become an immortal. It wasn't after three masters that he finally got the true knowledge and as he says "After more than twenty years, I finally knew myself; after a hundred thousand refinements, for the first time I climbed up into the Ark." I always look at the line "after hundred thousand refinements" and laugh to myself that I have definitely have more than that to refine. Man I can't explain how important this is for me... My friend and I are the only ones who stick to what Liu says and try to practice what he says but its very hard. Liu even says "One should go along with what one desires and should gradually bring it from disharmony to harmony." Now it's all well and good in the text but how would one begin with doing that? It's so true, and right in front of me but i can't fathom it. Tao Te Ching says a master appears when the student is ready. Well how am I going to be ready? Any practice or techniques I may use would be my own mindset and it will only put me into more confusion. My friend almost tried doing that when he went to China and he was internally devastated as how he did not understand any of it. We can't fathom true from false and any attempt at practicing something would be giving up ones strength. I have never shared this with anyone through the medium of internet and I am thinking would I get screwed over for this or will I get some knowledge to break through my ignorance? I am open to a good discussion guys. Thanks

The books include Awakening to the Tao (his own composition Liu I-Ming, you can't put a price on this book), Understanding Reality (Chang Po-Tuan commentary by Liu I-Ming), Inner teachings of Taoism (which includes Four Hundred Words on the gold pill by Chang Po-Tuan commentary by Liu I-Ming), Journey to the west (short commentary by Liu I-Ming like a page explaining how to read Journey to the west), The Taoist I Ching (amazing commentary by Liu I-Ming a true gem in terms of I Ching commentaries it also include the text from the yin convergence), Vitality, Energy, Spirit (I would stick to what Liu I-Ming and Chang Po-Tuan share in this book). Liu has also done a commentary on Triplex Unity, Tapping the Lines (Qiaoyao ge), The Hundred Character Inscription, The Rootless tree (Wugenshu). I am sure there must be more books but they never got translated into English. I get so excited when I type stuff like this its like I really want to go ahead and look for a teacher but with my human mind is that even possible in this 21st Century when false has reached its peak and real has retreated back into hiding so that only genuine students can reach it? I don't know I NEED HELP!!!

My friend and I have almost all the books by Liu I-Ming that have been translated by Cleary but we don't know if the translation is to the point. Even though Cleary is not like other translators he still translates the text like a scholar. The words are not very clear in certain context. I tend to follow what Liu says about various practices and techniques, and try to stay away from them. I am not saying that they don't work, I am just going by what the master says. I was hoping to connect with someone who could guide us towards the right direction so that we don't end in more confusion.

Hey everyone, I am posing a message on this forum to connect with anyone who has read Liu I-Ming's texts and who follows his teachings. I have been reading his text for 2 years now and I have to admit that being an Indian and being immersed in Indian culture for most of my life I have never came across any genuine teachers or anyone who could guide toward the truth. This made me push away from the Indian way of spirituality and I was shut off from the whole idea of spirituality for a long time. I was introduced to the text by a very genuine friend of mine who till this day has helped me massively in understanding the text and also learning through the process of helping. Liu's text has clicked with me the most and through his teachings I have left my mundane life that I had in Britain and have moved away to seek for more answers. Me ad my friend have now come to a point where we don't know what the next step should be. I am hoping to get a reply from someone with more understanding of the alchemical text. If you are such a person then please send me a private message or just post a reply and I will get back to you. Thank you