Sleeper

The practice: Mo Pai nei gong. 2 and a half years. A year and a half into level 2. The problem: Horrible itching all over my body. I've experienced a lot of unpleasant chi-related problems, but this one takes the cake. At the moment, I don't have a teacher I can turn to for help, so I consider Tao bums, a forum which I know a lot of serious practitioners to use, the next best thing. Without limiting my meditation, what can I do to reduce the itching? My doctor has tried treating it as a bacterial infection, fungal, and so on, without any results. No medicine seems to be working. If I had the cash to fly out to Indonesia, I could go and see The Man, but I don't. What must I do to stop the pain???

Ladies and gents, thanks for all the help and encouragement. I'm still itching just a little bit, but after getting some amoxibustion done, I am feeling a LOT better. There is a big TCM clinic in town, so I just went there and told them what was going on. By the way, BaguaKicksAss and Moonnite- thanks for the compliments! Most folks think I'm nuts when I tell them what I'm doing with my life, so it's nice to get some positive feedback every now and then.

Oh, and I would hasten to add that while meditating in my apartment, I only do about five "sets." Also, yes, I've tried cold and warm water. Idk, it could be allergies, even though I've never had them before. At night in the forest, when I turn on my flashlight, the air glitters with pollen... so that's certainly a possibility.

Ah yes, allow me to elaborate. As to the symptom itself, there is no actual sign of a rash, hives, or anything like that. There are burst blood vessels where I've scratched too hard, but other than that, no visible problem. Let me tell ya' though: it itches like crazy, and I'm kind of hoping there's someone out there who's been through this too. Furthermore, yeah, Jim was my teacher. I'm more or less waiting until I've finished level two to go out and find a new teacher. I think probably tomorrow or the day after I'll ask around about an acupuncturist. I live in China, so I'm sure I'll find one somewhere. As to where I meditate, I meditate on the floor of my apartment (on the fifth floor, sitting on a stone connected to the plumbing) two days a week, and in my cabin during the rest of the week. My cabin is dug out of the side of a really steep incline, and I sit directly on the ground, butt naked.

Greetings, one and all. I love reading stories about the Taoist immortals who catch arrows between their teeth, Christian saints who pacify and befriend animals, and other such things. I especially love the stories about Zheng San Feng. Does anybody have a yarn or two to weave about people, past and present, with awesome powers?

“Nurture energy, forget words and guard it. Conquer the mind, do non-doing. In activity and quietude, know the source progenitor. There is no thing; whom else do you seek? Real constancy should respond to people; In responding to people, it is essential not to get confused. When you don't get confused, your nature is naturally stable; When your nature is stable, energy naturally returns. When energy returns, Elixir spontaneously crystallizes, In the pot pairing water and fire. Yin and yang arise, alternating over and over again, Everywhere producing the sound of thunder. White clouds assemble on the summit, Sweet dew bathes the polar mountain. Having drunk the wine of longevity, You wander free; who can know you? You sit and listen to the stringless tune, You clearly understand the mechanism of creation. The whole of these twenty verses is a ladder straight to heaven.” (Attributed to the Taoist Master Chang San-Feng, Translated and edited by Thomas Cleary) ...Another legend tells of one of the Emperor's sons who went hunting and encountered Zhang San-feng in the forest. The prince's curtiers ordered the disheveled Zhang to leave the area immediately, as his presence was disturbing the game and therefore the hunt. Zhang, quite literally up a tree at the time, politely refused. There was a order given do dispatch the recalcitrant monk to heaven with a flurry of arrows. Several ace archers fired there bows at the target, but, to the prince's alarm, Zhang San-feng jumped off his branch and proceeded to catch and break all the arrows as he descended. When safely on terra firma, he returned the snapped shafts to their surprised owners.

Just like the title says. I'm trying to figure out if I've said something to offend him, or if he's... well, passed on. At any rate, I haven't heard from him in a long time, and as I don't know his family or anything, I have no way of knowing what's going on with him. Does anyone here know anything?

Thank you.

I don't suppose you could link the post, could you?

Why can't I see what the guy said in the first place? It seems like it might have been interesting..

Hello to one and all. Let me start by saying a little bit about myself, and why I signed up for this forum. As to the former, I'm a 25 year old male, and a bum indeed. While I'm not a renunciate, with the career opportunities available to a guy with a B.A. in philosophy, I may as well be. As to the latter, I joined because there seems to be an abnormal amount of literature and opinions on nei gong/kung. It's as simple as that, really. Anyways, I've recently been disenfranchised. Suffice to say, my teacher isn't talking to me anymore. Why is this so? you might be thinking. Did he do something terrible? Did he say something he shouldn't have? You're guess is as good as mine, although to clarify, I don't believe I've done anything terrible. Does anybody have the scoop on Jim McMillan? When last I spoke to him, he was not doing that well, with regards to his health. Now that I haven't heard from him in a while, I'm starting to get worried. I'm level 1 now, and I have no idea what to do. I don't even know if my teacher is still alive. If any one has any advice, or better yet, would take pity on me and tell the instructions for level 2a and b, I would be eternally grateful. I have to say in advance, I can't pay you. I have no money. However, in a few months, I'll be living in China, so if you need a place to stay while you're over there, I could repay you thusly. Peace be with you, Tim

Thanks..