Eric23
-
Content count
698 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by Eric23
-
Who's married here and how has your practice effected it?
Eric23 replied to thelerner's topic in General Discussion
Taoism found me after 30 some odd years of marraige. We met in a Christian environment and in the beginning attended church etc. For the most part, our participation in church has been non-existant. Why I drifted away from Christianity is a subject of another post, however my wife still considers herself a follower. I guess like any marriage thats lasted as long as ours, there have been some really good times and some horrible bad times mixed in with mainly just every day kind of days. We've tranistioned from red-hot lovers to good friends (not my choice btw) and have settled in to a comfortable daily existance. I know that she would dis-approve of me getting involved in a religious form of Taoism (or anything but Christianity). I have no real desire to get involved in any kind of religion at all. If I had to label myself, it would be "philisophical Taoist". I'm also very interested in qigong for a variety of reasons and am beginning a very basic practice. I keep it mostly to myself, getting up early in the morning and enjoying the only quiet time in the house for practice. My wife knows about the yoga part of my practice, but I haven't brought up the meditative aspects. I realize this is a far from ideal situation, but not rocking the boat seems like the way to go for now. -
I've done lots of interesting things on motorcycles, been riding since 11 yrs old. But f...cking sheep on one has never crossed my mind
-
Sorry, I didn't doouble check the exact name of the organization. It's the Singapore Zhineng Qigong Society http://www.zhinengqigong.org/methods.htm
-
For whatever it's worth... When I first read the bit about xing shen zhuang fooundation training it sounded very interesting and something worth looking into. So I googled it and came up with about 10 pages of possible links. At the top of the page is the Xing Shen Zuang Society of Singapore. Click on their methods page and you have complete written, detailed instructions for all ten movements plus a whole lot more. I fully understand and realize that only a live teacher can fully explain and transmitt the knowledge. I teach a course at our local university so the student/teacher relationship is very real to me. It's no coinsidence that every C or D I ever gave out went to students with poor attendence. I also know that I taught more while answering questions than from my lecture notes. I'm rambling now, but my point is that the information that was given has already been out in the public domain for a while.
-
I'm currently working my way (very slowly) through your Taoist Yoga book. I'm most grateful for introducing me to standing forms of meditation. Sincere thanks. Eric
-
Who would you like to see go for Lei Shan Dao training in China?
Eric23 replied to Cameron's topic in General Discussion
In no particular order...Cameron, Sean O, Spectrum -
In Tao, the Watercourse Way, Allan Watts equates the problem of defining Tao to that of defining electricity. You can describe many attributes of both. You can measure electricity, not sure about tao or qi. You can point to how each is experienced. However, when you sit down and actually try to write a definition of either one, it becomes very tricky. In the end, you come up with something like "electricity is electricity". In the case of Tao, the first chapter of TTC comes right out and says it can't be named. When it comes to the subtle body and the flow of qi, one has to rely on their own experience and have faith that in this world there are things that exist beyond the senses. Perhaps like Tao and electricity, we may not be able to clearly define qi, but we surely know it's there.
-
I watched the entire thing. It was very interesting and informative. I'm always a little sceptical when someone says they have a secret key to unlocking the mysteries of religious cannon. Being an artist, I particularly enjoyed the visual presentation. It is interesting that the serpent icon is common to almost every tradition. Towards the end of the video, I came away thinking that Gnostic Christians are as dogmatic as Fundimentalist Christians. I also felt they left you hanging. Some points I have issues with include the assertion that kundalini only rises during marital relations. Just too many people have experienced kundalini in all sorts of situations. Another point is that they never really talked about just how couples are supposed to find the secret. They are obviously planning to publish a book or offer seminars that will reviel the secret sometime in the near future. It's like "this is what's wrong with you, I know the secret teaching that will set you free, it has everything to do with how you're having sex, the end."
-
Before really knowing the full Yudelove story, I bought his Taoist Yoga book. The forward is by Chia so you are basiclly getting that program through a westerner's language. I've been pretty happy with it, although after hearing all the stuff about Chia on this board there is some doubt now. My interest in the Tao kind of mirrors your experience. The sex aspect caught my attention, then I got around to reading the TTC....
-
Nice find. First qigong move I learned with the eight pieces. When time is short, this is the move I do.
-
-
One book on tantra to recommend a female friend?
Eric23 replied to GrandTrinity's topic in General Discussion
I would highly recommend Daniel Odier's Tantra Quest. After reading this book I finally understood what Tantra was about. This is not "neo Tantra", but the real deal. This is not a book of sexual techniques, but the accounts of the author's initiation into Tantra by a dakini. He goes into the philosophy and practice of opening your mind to every reality. -
I'm beginning to understand wu wei, go with the flow. We have our kids still at home along with my grand daughter. It can get very hectic, loud and full of angst. I get lots of practice with wu wei.
-
Reminds me of my college graduation party, came really close to catching the sofa on fire!
-
In your origional post you had a link to the site. Was very busy and out of town over the weekend and did not get a chance to carefully read the site. It looked very interesting, could you please post the link. Thanks
-
Came across a mention of the Falun dafa organization on another web site. They have a couple of classes in my area. Does anyone have any experience with this group? I've bookmarked their website and plan on downloading their reading material later on this evening. Their website has lots of video and reading downloads. Lots of reality going on in Eric land, so it may be awhile before I can get back to the computer to digest it all.
-
After reading through this thread, I'm really questioning what direction to turn. Kind of jumping on with Thaddeus here, what practices are safe, particularly for beginners? I'm getting the feeling that a lot of the stuff that has been allegedly "made up" started with Chia, and is being passed on by his former students. Who out there with material in English have not come through Chia or HT?
-
My understanding from Alan Watts' Watercourse Way is that virtue in the Taoist sense is from the origional meaning of the word. That is , virtue is "the active power accomplish a given effect" (Webster's). You seem to be using the meaning that equates virtue with morality. Watts' take is that because we are human there is within us the virtue of human which operates according to the Tao. The realities of life, our shortcomings, including monkey mind/chatter all get in the way of letting our human nature function as it should. Therefore by seeking to understand Tao, and get out of it's way, we begin to increase our virtue as humans. That is to say, we begin to function using more of the active power. Watts comes from the contemplative perspective and never really talked about the alchemical aspect in any great detail other than to mention it wasn't in the scope of his book. However I can see how virtue (the active power) could encompass the alchemical practices.
-
Big ticket, expensive household appliances were breaking yesterday. Good thing we got our tax refund, it's spent now. Yet through it all, for the most part, after an initial panic attack, I was in wu wi mode.
-
Seandenty, Darebak, Spyrelx: When you guys refer to Traditional Taoist methods are you talking about alchemical processes/methodolgies or religious rituals? The reason I ask is that for the average westerner who has discovered the Tao Te Ching and finds the words resonating and profound, your views seem very discouraging. I can certainly see how the alchemical practices of Taoism can be taken way out of contex and mis-represented to the western market. I can only imagine the vast majority of folks stumble into this looking for better sex or a more powerful punch. I don't think that the US and western Europe have a monopoly on the consumerism mentality either, just look at Japan or Hong Kong. Everybody, world wide is looking for the quick fix and really don't want to be bothered with the long, slow inner work. From my novice perspective, the basis of the inner work is quieting the mind, stillness and working with the breath. Basicly we're talking meditation. I would think that at this basic level of meditation, westerners can find something positive in their lives being taught by folks who may not have the credentials of the ancient masters. FatherPaul paraphrased a quote I heard attributed to LaoTzu, " At the center of your being you have the answer, you know who you are and what you want." To me this implies quieting the mind through stillness and letting real you who has been beaten up by the monkey mind/chatter telling him everything that is wrong emerge. Does one really have to travel to China or the Himalyas to find a teacher who can help a person find emptiness? My experiences with religion have been so bad over my life, the description of Taoism as the non-religion religion appeals to me. I know some folks find comfort in a religious setting, and that's fine. I've read volumes about what translation of the Bible is the "true word of God", sounds like dega vu with the Taoist cannons. Same issues, same arguements. I'm sorry, but when someone starts telling me what morals I need to subscribe to, Eric checks out. The golden rule as always seemed like a pretty good barometer. I hope you guys would agree that there is some merit in the contemplative aspects of Taoism (or neoTaoism) that seekers from all walks of life can find comfort.
-
Nirvana Tao: The Secret Meditation Techniques of the Taoist and Buddhist Masters
Eric23 replied to GrandTrinity's topic in General Discussion
I have read two of his books including the one mentioned. The other was Tantric Quest. He is the real deal. Spent several years in India/Kashmer in the 60's and 70's and was invited to live in a monestary. I found the Secret Meditation book to be rather technical and more suited for advanced students of meditation, which I am not. The chapter on Taoist meditation didn't seem as detailed as the tantric/Tibetian versions. Now that I've been hanging around the Taobums, a re-reading of that section is probably in order. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Tantric Quest. Most of the info you get on tantra in the US is really "neo-tantra" and is designed around new-agers wanting to put a spark back in their relationships. Odier was fortunate to find a real dakini, or should I say she found him. After reading the book, I had a good grasp on what Tantra is all about. BTW, in the prolog of the Tantric Quest book, he describes his school and teaching methods. His intructions for a beginning meditater are simple and to the point; I found them incredibly helpful. -
I asked the shaving question way back on the first page more as a reaction to Michelle D's pre-occupation with her partner's appearence.
-
From Yinyoga.com... http://www.yinyoga.com/ys2_2.0_asanas_anahatasana.php http://www.yinyoga.com/ys2_2.0_asanas_butterfly.php Somebody here posted the link to this site several months ago, don't remember who, but I am so, so grateful. I've incorporated these 2 asanas into my routine and the results have been significant. I do my healing sounds while in the butterfly. Usually hold the poses for 4-5 minutes. I know Yoda likes stillness, these should be right up your alley.
-
I've sat back and have read this thread with great interest. Reading everyone's points of view has been very educational. When I was 6 years old, my parents, meaning well, enrolled me in a Catholic school to get a better education than the public schools offered. The rub is that we are not Catholic. So I went to school for the first day and got hit right between the eyes with pre Vatican II, old school Catholism. Six years later we moved to a small town in Arizona that had much to my relief, only public schools. Those first years soured me on organized religion for my entire life. Towards the end of high school I found myself hanging out with evangelical Christians. It didn't take too long for the "organized" part of that religion to chase me away. The good part of these experiences is that I learned that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this world. So here I am, learning that the Tao does a pretty darn good job of explaining what does and does not meet the eye. Given my background, guess I'll never fit into religious Taoism. When it comes to sex and alchemy, Taomeow's cooking metaphor works for me. Being an artist, I've ruined many a painting by not knowing when to stop.
-
Last time I took the test (not that long ago) it came out a 4 artist. This time it came out a 9 with 4 in second place. Both seem to fit my perception of myself.