林愛偉

A "highest state" is just saying that it is a highest state. There really is no heirarchy of anything. It is the mind which will look upon things as high or low. I just say high for the sake of saying so. I have read many ideas of Wu Ji, though I do not agree with them completely, I believe they touch somewhat close, yet give people the idea that it is the ultimate because of the way it is translated. To know the manner that is "higher" than Wu Ji.. or with less attaqchment of it, one must cultivate for themselves. Describing any further does nothing good for one's cultivation, and only causes more blocks in the mind. I leave the idea, and give a method to attain, if cultivated. Explanation is left to questioning. No question, no answer. Place the idea, let the mind cultivate, and then when there is a place one cannot get past or see clearly, there will be questions, which lead to some sort of an awakening for the person. I thought your question was perfect...and really was close to it. Peace,

Sounds good. I am moving from my current home, and will have a stable address by the beginning or the middle of January. So, I should have things fully prepared by then, and ready to lay out the information needed to begin taking orders from you all. It looks like I will be offering a small medium and large...even xxl and really really really large ..option for clothing... hahaha I may not need measurements at all. Baggy pants are good. Peace,

Anything that moves the mind is thought. By moves, it is meant of any attachment of the mind. The wind blows, and you cringe the face from the coldness that you perceive. That is a manner of thought. Yes, images, and such. Another example on the wind ... When the 6th Patriarch Hui Neng arrived at a temple, noone knew he was the 6th Patriarch. He was walking in and saw two monks arguing. He listened, and it was that the two monks argued about a flag flapping in the wind. One monk said it was the flag moving, and the other said it was the wind. Hui Neng, walked over and said, "You are both delluded. Its your mind." After, the two monks got it. Peace, Thanks for the tip Micheal.

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In Chan there is a totally different language, than that of which the common mind speaks and recognizes. I am sure you all know what I mean. It is very easy for one who does not have the "Chan mind" so to say, to misunderstand anything, and everything the Buddha, and the Patriarchs, and well cultivated disciples, say and write. That is why there are teachers who are skilled in this through Chan cultivation. So, anyone can read the Shurangama Sutra, and be all confused, but not everyone will read the Shurangama Sutra and be confused. Some would say, "The Buddha was just selling the ideas he had so he can live without working like everyone else." That would be true to a mind that has not cultivated enough to have the roots of Buddhism take a deep foundation, or a strong enough foundation... atleast in understanding the manner inwhich Buddha is Buddha...which really isn't Buddha, but just said to be so for the sake of minds. In a mind of all beings being awakened, enlightened, there is no Buddha. In a world where minds are not awakened, the awakened minds are clear and illuminating... those minds are called Buddha. Yet all mind is mind, neither separate or together. THerefore all mind is illumination, but not illuminating when it is all minds illuminated. Peace,

Chan was passed by the Mind to Mind Transmission from Sakyamuni Buddha to Maudgalyayana. At one time when Sakyamuni Buddha was sitting on his seat, about to speak the Dharma, he sat quietly, and lifted a flower. Then he held it up, and looked into the crowed of disciples and Bodhisatvas. He saw Maudgalyayana smiling with deep wisdom. From that moment, the Mind to Mind Transmission was established so to say. This is where Chan (Zen) took momentum from in terms of Chan school, and Patriarchs. It is from Sakyamuni Buddha as the first patriarch of the Chan school , Mind to Mind Transmission, then to Maudgalyayana, and so on to the first patriarch in China (because of a different country and culture) It is that Bodhidharma left a the mark of no mark while he was in china, and that those who he taught, were very much taken aback from his abilities that he became most revered. The monk who cut off his own arm to make the snow red, was actually a monk who was speaking Dharma. He struck Bodhidharma in the mouth prior to the arm cutting. Since Bodhidharma knew that if a Sage's teeth hit the ground, destruction to the area will follow. So in compassion, he swallowed his own teeth to save the people in that area. He passed on the Mind to Mind Transmission. He began the Patriarch line in China, but was not the first to make the Chan school. 6th Patriarch Hui Neng became awakened by hearing a verse of the Diamond Sutra outside a place he sold firewood to. The verse was, " One should produce the thought that is no where supported." Upon hearing this, he instantly became enlightened. Peace,

I agree.. even though there is nothign to agree with. His pointing directly to the mind would make mountains quiver. One shouldn't think that chinese are the greatest masters. The light is on them now, but it will fade and pass to another place of historically well cultivated beings, and such. I have heard from many in different forums, and many emails saying how health and martial arts are the ultimate combination., and how a teacher from china would be ultimate in teaching martial arts. Little do some people realize, a great percent of the pop. here smoke cigarettes and drink heavily. I literally have watched Wushu teachers teach their students while smoking cigarettes and drinking wine. It is all perception. What one wishes to take as truth...even though it isn't, and there isn't. Peace,

I'm in there right now :-D

Hi There, I have sent Sean some pictures , but some are not very great quality, and some are. Because of the nature of this small venture...to provide a service for you all, I will need a bit more time to prepare things properly with presenting pictures of clothing, and manner of ordering. Since my clothing is fairly simple, I am looking for other pictures of chinese clothing so I can present it to you all. It will take some time to sort them out, but it would be worth the wait. I hope it would provide a good outlet for those who want thesae style clothing. Peace and Happiness,

The manners of synchronicity are wonderous. It is all resonance of the mind. Great stuff. Let's see what you manifest from these choices...hehehe Peace,

The salary for english teaching ranges from about 3500-10,000rmb a month. That is about 400-1100dollars a month. That;s alot of money out here. I hope I do see you out here. I live in Shandong province. We have a coastal city called Qingdao which is home to Laoshan..a Daoist Mountain...I know of several schools next to there, and around Qingdao. ALso, Taian city, my first plae I taught for 2yrs, is home to Taishan..another Daoist mountain... and with exceptional Qi... hehehe Peace and Happiness,

You are right, there is a lot to sitting. Before I sat in full lotus, I sat in half lotus for many yrs,never thinkking to get to full lotus. Then I realized that its not just the manner of sitting that is important in "attaining" certain stages, but it is the position that taps into a certain ...manner of mind. To sit in the full lotus took me about 3-5 months to sit comfortably passed the pain in the legs. It is determination that gets one past the pain in the legs. And the numbness will take longer to set in as time goes on. But there will be numbness, and it is not going to hurt the legs. If one can, they will still be able to move energy/blood through the crossed legs during full lotus. But that stage of cultivation will take time and guidance. The full lotus position shapes the body as a pyramid. The head being the upmost point, and the knees being the base. A pyramid is an energy absorber, as well as a great energy giver. Sitting in a position that locks the likeness of a pyramid will itself begin to lock into higher energies.. it allows the mind to do that. Ofcourse, given the stage of mind at the time, one will only be able to recognize what they will be able to recognzie. That is why talking of other's benefits really does nothing to the person just learning, or already well cultivated. There are manners inwhich to have the numbness go away quicker. Massaging in a downward motion on the outside of the legs starting from under the knee down along the muscular part of the shins opposite the shin bone. Left leg, outer left side. Right leg, outer right side. Move downward down to the toes. One can also, once regaining some feeling, slowly stand and bring the chest to the knees, stretching the back of the legs. THere are more, but those should be under guidance, as well as for the backpain acquired during sitting. Peace,

Hi Pat, I teach English out here 5 days a week, and my hours are about 15hrs a week. I have loads of free time from teaching English and use it to cultivate and such. The schools offer a fully furnished apt., bills paid except phone and internet. It is a great deal actually and stable. A one year contract is the way to go, unless you want to do some travelling, then a 6month contract is good too. Not all school sgo for the 6month contract, but there are some. Basically, it is a pretty easy job. Teaching children, or college students ow to speak English. And its only that.. Speaking. You only speak, offer materials to the students to practice reading aloud, and basicaly that's it. You have weekends off, and Chinese holidays, which are many ... haha. Any questions, feel free to ask. Peace,

Though it didn't derive from the Daode Jing,.... Peace and Happiness,

The first part to one of the chapters in the manuscript fits for your place at this moment. Good stuff. Peace, Aiwei 10 To change to let go, receive nothing and see the beauty of Nature. We grow accustomed to things. Things do not change, but mind does, naturally. When the mind is fixated to accept things as a conclusive reality, then the mind is forced to perceive one expression of creation. Freedom can not be achieved by these means. How can one exist freely if their mind is chained to fixed expressions of things, reality, freedom and non-freedom

Thank You for the links and the time looking for the information. In China, no price is set. Each city has a different rate, so it will not be certain as to the price for sending clothing to the U.S., but I can estimate about 20-30 dollars after acertain amount of pounds. I still have to be clear on that. I hope all of you know that this is a personal project, and not a commercial venture. I hope that I can offer you all some good service in getting some chinese clothing for your own personal matters. Be well... Peace,

Greetings, I have taken pictures, but they are not of great quality. THe clothing in the pictures are what I wear everyday. I do ask that when they are posted to please look past what you see, and give way to an image of newly made clothing in a similar style. I will be working on getting new photos, and I am currently negotiating with a company who makes Chinese Clothing professionally...yet cheap.. hehehe I look forward to your satisfaction. I wish you all well and the best of health. I will have the pictures posted shortly, please be patient with me, for it is a lot of work. Peace and Happiness,

I was obviously not talking about fighting. If Taiji was really about a physical structure, there would only be the physical structure to cultivate, inwhich there isn't, for before Taiji is nothing, within Taiji is nothing, after Taiji is nothing, and within nothing is not nothing, for the boid is not empty, bt is said to be empty because it is vast, and embraces all things. Space is not empty for it holds all things. What is said to be empty means the mind is not moved by such things. Therefore it is as though nothing has manifested..when actually it really hasn't. Form is only an expedient, nothing more. Once form is properly cultivated, every step is fluid, every word is spoken calmly, every breath, and all action, thought, mind is without movement. Because of attachment to form, there is obstruction. Taiji is manifested through form, but the Taiji of one's Quan is without form. There are different levels of "attainment". Fighting is not the highest one, fluidity is not the highest one, being one with Dao is not the highest one, and returning to nothing is not the highest one. They are all expedients, and if believed to be the ultimate will only further obstruct one's mind. They do not exist, nor do they not not exist. peace,

Th price estimate... Making one pair of pants can be anywhere between 10-25rmb, which is equivalent to about 1.25-3.00 U.S. dollars. I can have an outfit made for atleast 10-15 U.S. Maybe even cheaper. I am learning that shipping would cost about 20-30 U.S. dollars. This is why I suggest bulk orders. I believe if someone ordered one outfit, shirt and pants, or longrobe(changpao),ofcourse acording to weight, it would cost them about anywhere between 40-50 u.s. dollars. Ordering in bulk would be less time consuming, especially if some people lived relatively close to eachother. I was just told by a friend that her friend sent a package to the U.S. for 200rmb, which is about 20 U.S. dolars. It wans't very big. Now clothing isn't that heavy, unless the material is thick. I will try to find shipping prices online for the city I live in. Once I am fully clear, I will see if I can post them up for you all, so you know what to look forward to. Peace,

I play Erhu, and only learned about 20 classes, once a week. I can play anything I hear, and only had one class a week for 3 hrs. Erhu is used in Daoist ceremonial music. My wife is learning Guzheng, which is good, and she is learning fast. It all depends on where your mind is when you practice. The teachers in China are found in society. Meaning, even though there are schools for it, good teachers are found in the parks. Peace,

Sorry, I can't get the manican for you. It is impossible. But the shirt is what can be made. My source is nothing special. It is basically anyone who can make chinese clothing.. Really. And since almost every 45-105 yr old person can do it, it is not a problem of who , just a manner of where I can find them. But its not a problem. I just found a women next to my home who is making a pair of pants for me for 10yuan, which is almost $1.25. So, you see my point on price. Take note, not everyone has the same price, and trust me that I look for the cheapest possible. Also, I will be moving form my current city to Jinan city in January of 2007. I know of people who make clothing there, but are a bit more expensive than the price where I currently live. I wouldn' t by silk because it is too expensive ...unless someone really wants silk. peace Once I get the pics , I will post them, and we can discuss further Peace,

Exactly right about Qigong. When cultivated dilligently it opens mind , so to say, for many other things. I began learning Chinese Medicine only through meditation and Qigong as a young teenager, and it was a result of cultivation. Because of that cultivation, I was able seeing patients at a very young age. Teach cultivation properly, have students ... DILLIGENT ones, and they will "attain" . Have messy ones, and the quality of Qigong, seen by the majority, will become lessened. Peace,

The fancy stuff is what the chinese believe the westerner likes to see, when actually they just want simple clothing. Nothing too artsy. I will post pictures after this weekend. Simple clothing is the way to go. You all should know that I am not looking to make loads of money from this. I want to provide a good service for those who really want comfortable body wear I have to go now. My internet at home isn't working, so it will be some time before I can reply. I can check emails at a different place though. I will explain more when I can. Peace,