dao zhen

Where are you in Wudang? I live across from the big outdoor vege market - base of the mountain - Where are you? Lets meet up........

I have had two experiences with Fu. Before these experiences, I thought Fu were a joke or superstition. Before I go into this, my Alchemy Master told me about Fu, and that it is a very real science of Taoism, and very effective for curing disease, even cancer - but - he said Fu in itself has no power, the power must be "unlocked" via the author having cultivated himself previously, and himself having inner development. Without the author having the inner development, a Fu is just fancy drawings. It was also said that the Fu author must receive a "transmission", and gains "permission" of Heaven to share the Fu with people in need. This is perhaps like the person gets a bank account in Heaven, and has cash to share with the needy - without such an account, there is nothing to share or give those in need. First experience: I was taking a trip to the Budhist Mountain WuTaiShan, and met a Taoist there from the Huashan school. We took up shared lodging in a temple, and he shared many things about his training from the age of 9, what he practices, sleeping practice, and Fu. He spoke a lot about Fu. I had suffered an accident on my back at the time, and one morning was doing Tao Yin to prepare for the day. He asked me about my injury, and came over and with his hand in the sword finger position, traced a Fu over the place of injury while softly chanting certain words - it was like healing energy and Qi was coming in and just took the injury and pain away, and I was left with a wonderful feeling of lightness and happiness. He then took out a small Fu he had made before - he had a bag of them - and also traced a pattern over the paper while chanting. He gave it to me for protection and to keep the effect of the healing. He said that unless the Fu is "activated", it is just fancy writing. It changed my view of Fu and this Taoist Technology. Second story: In my travel I found myself in the area of LungHuShan, where the sect founded by Zhang Dao Ling resides. I wandered around the main temples, and they had boxes of pre-made Fu for sale, and it all seemed like selling superstition to people with the aim of making money...... Later walking down an alleyway next to the main temple, I was attracted to what looked like a small temple undergoing construction. It had an entrance behind the rubble, and I went in. It was a bit dark, smokey, and had candles from the large alter casting a soft glow in the room. There were Fu for sale, but they had some kind of "aura" or "force" about them. A smiling old man came in and gestured for me to kneel down and pray to the shrine of Zhang Dao Ling. I offered three sticks of insense, and went through the ritual three bows, placing my forehead on the ground each time...... He then looked at me - up and down with a kind of inner vision - and advised me what Fu would serve me for the coming year (it was almost new years). As they were very cheap, I said sure. He then took the Fu to the altar and did chanting and prayer with the Fu, and then took the three insense sticks I had prayed with, and used them to trace empowering symbols over the Fu while chanting. He then took his personal ritual stamps and an object I am not sure what it was, and placed these on the Fu while chanting. It was very beautiful and powerful to watch this master and artist at work. But for me the amazing thing was what happened as soon as he began the whole Fu empowering ceremony.... As soon as he began chanting, it was as if a wave of force came through the room and hit me, and filled the whole room..... It was as if every hair on my body was standing up, and I had chicken skin, and felt very tingling - electric like - sensations, and was a little giddy, and actually could not control myself from laughing a little..... After he was done, he rolled the Fu up - it was painted and stamped on yellow cloth - and very formally handed it to me..... A second experience to make me think about the deep science and technology of Taoist Fu. Perhaps Fu are misused and abused and people prey on the weakness of mind of fearful people, and make money from them. This is wrong. But on the other hand, if you are in need - at the time I was in LungHuShan, I had been feeling a dark force around me, and I could not shake it off and the Fu really seemed to "lighten" my load - Fu is a "tool" or a "technology" that can give great help and aid to the Taoist or person in need. From my study in China, every sect has their own, "Family" Fu. Huashan has certain Fu they pass down, Dragon Gate Sect has their own Fu, and the Heavenly Masters have their own Fu. It is an aspect of traditonal Taoism Science that has developed over a long period of time. It is certainly something to look into and investigate....... I thought of it as like taking a vitamin, eating a wonderful meal, or getting a massage....... Sometimes there is a pain, problem, negative spiritual influence or you are lacking an element, and the Fu can help provide that extra thing or push to get you past the problem or situation. The trouble is getting an "authentic" empowered Fu from a real master..... I think there are a lot of fakes out there taking advantage of weak minded people, and charging a lot of money for slips of paper........ This is wrong, but Heaven will also punish these people.... In the end, our main activity should be self cultivation, and seeking to uncover our True Innate Nature and gain Union with Tao.......

Hey my brother! I am getting ready to take a bamboo raft down 9 Bends river in Wuyishan! Would love to talk sometime..... Interesting events have taken shape in my life....... My last lesson from my teacher is one of independence........... He kept talking about retreat training, and us building a house, and how we need practice partners, vegetable growing, how to practice in retreat, etc........ And now he has gone off alone in the mountains to complete his final stage...... I thought we were going to go into retreat together, but, realize he was just showing me how it should be done..... His last words to me were...."All the seeds have been given, and everything has been taught. You are young and still have a long way to go along. Good Luck! The path for you now is one of self exploration. " There you have it. Want to be a practice partner and go off in the mountains??? Anyway...... Independent now, and letting the next phase unfold. Was invited to a temple in Tian Shan, so might spend the winter there....but maybe too cold! Much love! Time to float down the river in a bamboo raft!!!

This seems to be a very strong statement. I think most people have never had the chance to receive real Taoist training, in the West or in China. From my experience it is usually something that takes place one on one from Teacher to student. I personally have very little experience. If you feel like sharing, what "teaching" have you had, and what "direct route" do you "understand". Looking forward to hearing what actual training you have received in Taoist studies, and where........

You can lead a horse to water, but you can not make them drink.......... Another one I like is............ Wake up and smell the coffee............ or........ Do not take any wooden nickles......... or how about........ Give me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth....... From the Chinese side we have.......... Crows Are Universally Black....... It is a metaphorical statement of "Bad people are bad no matter where you find them because human nature never changes".

Dear Tao Bums. It has been a great pleasure to be a part of this interesting community. I learned a lot from all the many members, and also made some nice friends. I will be going into retreat to study and practice in a few months, and will be away from society for many years. I will not have access to a computer and phone from middle of September, and have to work to prepare things now; as such I can not post here often and have a lot of work to preapre from now. I just wanted to say goodbye, and perhaps in many years when I am back online, I will drop in here and say hello. Hopefully I can have some interesting story to tell, or perhaps some new insight into practice. I really hope everyone here may make great gains in their practice, and gain direct experience of Tao. Good luck in your personal practice and self cultivation. With all of my respect, and best wishes. Sincerely, dao zhen

Thank you all for your thoughts and kind words. It means a lot to me, and gives me strength to move forward. I am almost finished with my visa process here in Japan, and then will head back to China. To be honest, it is a hard step to take now. I have to make a choice between family, friends and secular life and the unknown. Yet in the end, I am going to take this step, and embrace this new chapter. I know in my heart this is the proper direction, and something I must do. I hope someday we can all meet in person. Please take care, and good luck in all your pursuits. With much love and respect. Your friend and brother. ~ dao zhen

To know how to properly focus on the Dan Tian, and its location is very, very important. Also the Dan Tian can not be something you keep packing and storing, but there is a stage to collect, store and harvest. Timing; know when enough is enough and when to move on. Looking at Lower Dan Tian should be like a Gaze, or much like how the sun shines over everything - not staring strongly. With strong intention, it can cause a kind of "poison fire". There are teachings about how to gaze in the Lower Elixir Field, in order to gain a stronger Water Element, which can counter any strong fire that is generated by using a strong gaze; it is not done using a "direct" route to the Dan Tian,such as gazing directly down from above, but has to be explained in person, and using some drawings to explain the location and method of gaze. There really are points, and centers used in practice that are still not in the public light. Most students do not understand how to use the Mind Will in the first stages properly. Later after some time, we drop the gazing and listen with the power of the "ears" to the Lower Dan Tian. Or perhaps it becomes as if the gaze becomes internal, and then the listening becomes internal and the two combine, also they combine with the "breath". Maybe practice needs to be thought of in this regard at first when sitting as composed by my Taoist brother: Some time later, when the heart has been calmed down, you should gradually close your eyes in order not to witness scenes, gaze in the lower elixir field and also let your ears hear the lower elixir field, make even the breathing in and breathing out, in order to make it as gentle and weak as possible. Of course, nasal obstruction and other disorders concerning the nose should be properly dealt with so as not to effect the breathing to a larger extent. Get legs crossed, the right shank located on the left (which is to see right shank inside while the left outside), place both hands in front of the lower abdomen, palms upwards, left hand below, right above, the thumb of left nestling against the forefinger. The right hand, in the same way, naturally laying above the right--which is called the yang hugging yin. Teeth lightly closed and tongue touching roof of mouth. When engaged in the practice of sitting, one should settle the mind-will in the Lower Elixir Field (the Lower Dantian or Tan Tien), which is located in the empty space below the navel in the middle place between the kidney and navel, a sphere of around 3.8 centimeters. Let the internal vision gaze upon that place. Let golden virtue begin to grow within, releasing all negative qualities and deeply relaxing the body. To constantly settle mind-will in the Lower Elixir Field is the key practice for the novice. From a more advanced outlook: In the lower elixir field there are two orifices, of which most people don't know. The external one is the source of yin and yang, the chamber in which congenital qi takes residence, the origin of the breathing of a fetus and acquired breathing, while the internal one is the apartment in which to halt all acquired breathing, and the source of the constant standstill to which the practitioners should come. When you have brought down the qi of great unification you gathered to the lower elixir field, the false heart is close to death, and the true heart begins to appear little by little. Only when the heart of greediness has passed away, the innate nature can be offered with the chance to prevail with its pure light brightening up everywhere. Breathing is something we should allow to become softer and softer. Really if the breath can become soft, smooth, and full, almost to the point there is no air really moving in and out of the nose, wonderful things can arise naturally. If you can use the "power" of the ears to combine with the breath, this is a wonderful attainment. It can lead to the Before Heaven Breathing, or Fetal Breathing. Here is something my Taoist brother composed talking about this experience: This acquired breathing, after a certain length of time, will come to an end when the breath inside will never go out and breath outside never come in, which means you have recovered the breathing in your fetal state and all mysteries have come back to their common root. At the time when the breathing of fetus proceeds to come to its most ethereal phase you will perceive that no things accumulate when something comes in and no things drift away when something goes out. And you, like falling into a trance, drift away and drift away into a region of the most profound stillness in which there are no any existence and only the mind-will remains independent and constantly maintains what it is without any things to disturb it. You begin to feel the interior and the exterior have been converging to form a common body, all motion and stillness have been coming to an end, the automatic revolution along the Du- and Ren Channel has been breaking off, and the sun seems to merge with the moon. Extending to hundreds of thousands of miles, the ethereal breath of the spring seems to be accumulating into a mass, and stretching upward to the highest layer of the sky the pure air seems to be changing into one dew drop. Wonderful is this vision! Enchanting is this kind of feeling! Why? Because the yin and yang are having the most charming intercourse, and as like molten steel spray spreading out of a furnace, the precious qi of great unification is coming forth from congenital jing as does a flower burst from a bud. This process is to break through the great chaos and re-enter one realm to prepare for the creation of the true self. I think the main problem is people do not know how to prepare the proper conditions internally, which will lead to a natural development. The key is to know what is your job - practice technique and taking action - and what is the job of nature - when to let go and rest in emptiness - Or perhaps you can think of Alchemy as such a practice: Taking action through applying concentrating. Taking no action through cessation of concentration. Then allowing nature to lead you.........

I was taught that first just meditate when you can. Then..... morning - 5 - 7 am afternoon - 11am - 1pm evening - 7pm - 9pm *extra session if you are awake and aware from 11pm - 1am. this is a very standard and classic time to meditate in the first stages. the very start of the Yang Qi cycle. but not a mature Yang Qi Also in the first stage we were taught to face the South direction. Later the direction changes. Then it changed to two sessions per day. Begin at 12pm Begin at 12am After this there is a certain process that begins to take place naturally. You find yourself waking up around 3 - 4 AM. This is the best time to meditate, as it is the peak time of Yang Qi. Yet, if you do not have the proper internal development, it may not really make any difference. So my teacher said you should only begin practice at such an hour when you naturally awake from the STRONG circulation of Qi, and also the STRONG arrival sound of the Yang Qi. Sounds and feels much like: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Not really, but maybe you get an idea. It is a sound, almost like some sort of strong engine, but it has a density, and is felt and heard - both inside and outside. It is one of the first sounds that singles the arrival of Yang Qi. With this sound there is also a strong "pumping" or circular vibration the beging in Yang Chuan K-1. This is also a start of a process and stage in practice - at least how we are taught in my school.

A foundation set of Taoist Yoga or Dao Yin by my fellow disciple - Yuko Kon - Tao Yoga 12 We use this set of 12 exercises as a foundation training set. It works to lengthen the tendons, open the joints, develop flexibility, stamina, massage the internal organs, regulate the breath, open the channels, circulate qi naturally, and begin to awaken the Dan Tian. Very basic set, but it can give you a lot if you really practice it. We have another set we train that is 24 exercises, and has a lot more demanding movements, stretches and stamina building exercises. It is a kind of Ji Bin Gong - or basic skill developing exercise. One note: We only performed a few movements of each exercise due to time limitations. Each exercise should be done 9 / 18 / or 36 times each. On breathing. Do not hold the breath when doing these exercises. Breath deeply and full and draw the inhalation and exhalation from the Dan Tian or lower abdomen. Generally you can inhale as you rise up, and exahale as you bend down - generally - As you practice more, forget about breathing, and let the movement and yourself become one with the surrounding nature. Here are the exercises listed 1 - 8 <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o98e4PGD-M8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o98e4PGD-M8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o98e4PGD-M8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Here are the exercises listed 9 - 12 <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECJDpnRmRmE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECJDpnRmRmE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECJDpnRmRmE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Ms. Yuko Kon is a fellow disciple of my Taoist Master in China, and when she is not studying in China, she teaches at her / our small school in Kamakura, Japan www.taoyoga.jp

It is a funny thing to be going back and forth with such a topic. There are a lot better things we could be talking about; theory, methods, personal experiences, etc. Almost every temple I visited in China, there would eventually be a conversation as such with one or a few of the resident Taoist monks. "so, do you practice sitting practice?"..... "how long can you sit for?"......... "what experiences have you had - sensations - visions - "......... "do you sit in half or full lotus?"...... It became very obvious that full lotus is a basic foundation skill for most Taoists I met in China. Basic skill....... If you can not sit in full lotus, they would kind of give you a look...... So there is that....... When I first met my teacher, I had almost no previous experience in sitting. It was very painful. Half lotus was a real challenge for me to hold for 1 to 1.5 hours. He told me it is fine to sit in half lotus and had this to say. "From our experience, we can say that you may pass through ALL of the steps in Alchemy practice in half lotus. You do not need to try and force yourself to hold the posture of full lotus." Later I began to train in full lotus. He thought it was very good. He said it is a very good concentration pose, shuts the lower gate, and good for discipline. He also had this to say.... "Lotus Pose is not important. It in the end is a physical posture. The main important thing is Liberation of the Heart Mind." "If you are full of pain, and screaming mentally due to a difficult posture, you will never Liberate the Heart Mind." "Meditation can be performed in many different postures. Master Chen Tuan performed almost completely in a lying posture. While there are standard postures that can bring the best results quickly, they are not absolute, and there can be flexibility and variation." Liberate the Heart Mind........... PS. In the end, we can look at what we get from our practice. This is reality. If there is inner growth, internal development, then something is taking place, and it is a good thing. Many can not sit in full lotus, and can still make great internal gains. Practice.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRoyP7aI2Lk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRoyP7aI2Lk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRoyP7aI2Lk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> GOT IT !!!

ummmmmmmm....... sorry. i am trying to keep up with all of this tech stuff, but I grew up before there were computers in every house. how do we get it into the post here on tao bums? do we use the add image button in our post? i am going to try and figure it out.......

Well said........ Let us all respect each other as brothers and sisters and fellow cultivators..... A friend of mine who is a well respected Taoist in China, and a friend and student of Teacher Wang Liping told me a beautiful quote I will list below....... "Though many follow a different Tao and a different practice than I do, I smile, love and respect them all." Respect them all..... Lets have more respect for each other and whatever practice people wish to do...... Lets share ideas and methods of Tao and let our understanding grow deeper..... Lets encourage each other to practice, instead of arguing about small things......

Mystical Japanese Music - modern style - PS. How do we add the actual video from Yuotube in the post? I tried to insert the image, but it did not work with the URL address? Any tips on how to place the video box directly in the post?

Good luck with your practice. Become one with Heaven and Earth.........

This really made me laugh.......... I think this is the skill from Shaolin where they can draw the "testicles" back into the body..... So there is nothing to kick, except the buttocks..... Great family.........

Good Luck! Wonderful news for you.........