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In answer to your question; to me it does sound like it 'means anything' ... as the last 2 posters say ... its up to you. Some symbols seem they would have obvious association to you though. LIke the shovel : I am a gardener so ... however, you may be an undertaker ... . If I asked people to interpret a dream I had about a boat oar .... some might point out that it is also one of my Martial Arts Kobudo weapons - eku.

I think the best persons to interpret the dream is the one who dreams it.

Hi Spotless, Interesting to read how someone walks the unknown path before you. As I have only recently woken up to the idea that I am waking up, I'm also wondering about the why do we perceive what we perceive. And I'm not talking about our physical senses. The experience can be subtle, but now and again they are unnerving, to say the least. A couple of months ago, I woke up in the middle of the night hearing someone whisper quite loudly in my ear in a strange language. It sounded like a prayer, a sermon or a spell, and I didn't recognize the language as one of the known earth languages. Needless to say, it freaked me out in the beginning. But, since there was nothing I could do about my perception, I let go of the fear. It lasted about an hour, and I think I may have picked up on someone or something actually praying. Interesting, but it's a thing that I lay beside me, because I can't make sense of it. Recently I also see an overlay of some sort of pattern resembling the flower of life on my normal vision. Or I see a hint of a reality behind this one. I have no frame of reference for this, so I let it rest. And I had the weirdest dream a few weeks ago. In my dream I had a pyramid with the all seeing eye, about 1.20m in height, and put it inside my body, where the all seeing eye converged with my third eye. Upon waking up, my third eye area felt strained. It lasted a week or so. Most peculiar. I might be harming myself in my sleep.

Welcome to TTB I think you present a truncated history. There was shamanism, and a spiritual and energetic prior to the more philosophical methods; you simply mention the Religious methods which come later. There have been plenty of discussions on this but my point is always going to be that whatever box someone wants to put around what is Tao[ism] is a box of their own making. Remove any boundary (including historical ones) and then one will be more likely to discover what is Taoism. Yes, I'm aware of its shamanistic history. But you must see the period in which Tao itself came into its own. You cannot present Taoism in any sort of singular form, but rather accept it for its form at the time in which one refers. The shamanistic period is not Tao, it is a predecessor of Tao. It has many of the same or similar energetic systems and even shares similar beliefs. But as it came unto its own definition after people left "the wild," to put it generically, and it became a philosophical method, combined with energetic practices which set it apart from its shamanistic past, and distinguishes it from its religious offshoots and evolutions later. Though I do agree. Putting Tao in a box is like puttin' Baby in a corner. You just don't do it ;-) But that's actually my point. I see that many people on here bog themselves down with factors of Tao that are unnecessary or just flat don't actually belong. Tao fully accepts any practice... but if in this "dream" of Tao, I decide I want bigger pectoral muscles, I cannot practice watchmaking to get them. While in the dream, we must follow its rules to get results we want. Those results do not matter, and our wanting them is unimportant. But we, the one source, play this game for the sake of the thrill of individuality. And so one cannot achieve "awakening" with an incorrect worldview. Hence, those being awake, and those not. We acknowledge there is at least an illusory difference. And while the habit of putting Tao in a box is something Tao is all about ridding oneself of, we realize that there is what works and what doesn't on a practical level. I simply make a point for others to understand that I practice the Tao of Laotzu and Zhuangtzu. The kind they practiced, which was a philosophical Tao, meant to alleviate suffering and to explain the universe. Something that it does beautifully if understood correctly and implemented correctly. However, what I also attempt to do is cut through the bullshit that these early writers muddied their works with. It was a secret, and it still is. And I don't like it. But, the ancients didn't like giving away their insights without making the subject work for it. I think that is something that came from a time period that no longer exists. Or rather, many of our current societies provide a secure enough atmosphere that the walls of secrecy can come down. And I like to try to make the Daojia (not Daojiao) more accessible to the average person. To realize that the Tao that Laotzu and Chuangtzu speak of is not meant to have used Yogic practices until we leave our bodies and so on. We can do those things, and I think they're an important part of spiritual development. But Tao is not meant to be spiritually escaped. We are meant to see the beauty of everyday normal consciousness, the "miracle" (I don't like words that smack of divinity) of our existence, and the strangeness of reality... and just how lucky we are to be here. The enlightenment I have received has been a glorious re-interpretation of the world around me. And all of my insights have been of a "physical" nature, one could say. The allay of my suffering was found in literal, physical relaxation inside my body. Everything I have achieved follows strictly by Tao principles of Yin and Yang, and my Taiji being "internal," it also follows this guideline as well. It's very strange, the irony I have experienced. I have continued my practice over the years, always expecting one thing, only to get the result I want but for a different reason! I never expected these insights, but they have been revealed to me nonetheless. And so, I give them freely to others who would like to benefit from them. I offer an eminently practical and accessible Tao with all the fruits the "internal arts" have always promised- martial ability, health, and the keys to a happy life.

lets see, Iron Giants, The New Hudder Dream Machine, The 4rth Dimension Backups. Looking Glass rockers, lets see what else comes to mind.. Reply to this Topic or uh.. Last Auto Saved, is oblique but memorable.

Science, as wonderful as it is will never give us a complete answer to the Mystery of Life! One must go beyond the mind to find that answer! Awakening, Recognition, Enlightenment, whatever you want to call it........ will never be answered by science either, as science is ever limited. If one would become full....... one must first become empty. This grand illusion we call Life is but a dream, no different than the dreaming state when one sleeps. Lose the ego and one will find God, Ultimate Reality, Realization... whatever you wish to call it. The word is not the thing.

Ok, this may seem childish, but I had a dream yesterday and wanted to know if it meant anything. I am not new to dreams and I like them quite a lot, but this one I dreamed about a buddha statue. I dreamed that I was outside and it was raining a lot. On the ground in the mud, I found a little buddha statue, a little more in height than my outstretched hand. The buddha was a standing figure and on the neck of the buddha was a chain attached and at the end of the chain was a shovel. Both chain and shove were not made out of gold contrary to the rest. When I picked up the statue I marveled at it's beauty. It seemed it was radiating a brilliant glow. In my dream I thought that it would look beautiful in my bed chamber. When I woke up this morning and remembered the dream, I was a little sad to find that no there was no buddha statue in my room. This was the first time I ever dreamed about something buddha related and throughout a lot of the day yesterday I chanted "Namo ami tuofo"

from what Ive seen , there is the basic law of yang yin ( + and - ) from which all other laws are derived. It forms an egyption type pyamid. a point at the top getting larger towards the earth below. the positive + symbol means ( more ) because it has two lines. 1 more line than - which only has one . +Symbol has twice as much material as the -symbol . when you see the earth going around from the south pole looking up it turns clockwise and from the north looking down counter clockwise. water drains from left to right or right to left depeneding on the pole sides too. Water drains in opposite directions. its not easy to change this based on perspective that I know of . But some things are. the opposite of north/ south is east /west but east and west also have poles. East is yang and west is yin . How do I know ? whats the tie breaker. ? east ALWAYS comes first . the sun always rises in the east and goes down in the west . This doesnt change . Its no conicidence that when we sleep its at night , we are not aware, not awake, not, knowing, not walking, not talking, not seeing , hearing. All of theses are yangs and are being opposed half the time by yin. Well for teenagers who sleep 12 hrs a day anyways . But this is only a small example. since life created everything it must have come first so life is yang, and yin is everything life is not . That as in the physical universe. Life+ IS positive+ in every way and limitless+ in every way . Only life+ can limit- itself . Lifes the yang and creates yin to oppose itself or " not " itself. Life ><not life. Not life is any " thing" when ever a + gets close to a - ( like a magnetic field ) it generates motion. It Generates mass and from mass energy and from energy sensation . Sensation is what lifes all about baby . Soorrrrry I know it feels like Im telling you the end on a movie you want to see and have now spoiled it for you . when we walk its foot forward+ first+ and foot backwards- last- . MOTION sun comes+ up+ and then goes- down- you begin to see more and more of the world around you . a bigger pictute of what the heack is really going on rather than the illusion it has become . Real comes first, illusion after that . First the truth and then the lie that says the truth is not so . this isnt a selective law thats based on oppinion and its basic from all other laws. Even oppinions are laws . You wont find the sun rising at night or setting in the morining and you wont change it either . but we can change how fast we run in a race or if we win+ or lose- yang or yin . these are all sub laws and not basic . The duality law is the only basic law. Its a universe law . i know why this basic law is never taught in american and other schools in the world. Life does not want to know about it . Life wants to live the dream called reailty and never wake up . Teach+ is yang and learn- is yin . Teach knows and student does NOT know. good thing is that we can wake up even while others still sleep . bad thing is that there no one to have fun with unless they are awake to the same degree we are . Staying awake once woke is the trick youll need to master . when water goes down the drain in the north half of planet it turns with the planet but when it drains at the bottem it turns against the planet . Steam and water are both water but one is more transparent than the other. The state relates directly to hot or cold. Hot and cold relates to altittude high or low . The hotest place is below sea level in death valley Ca and the coldest at the highest pointof the world. But high is yang and low is yin so how can cold be yang and hot be yin ? when you say he has a warm heart vs a cold heart or cold blooded for example Yang is warm and yin is cold. contrast or + and - generate sensation . thats all there is to it . Like tow poles of a car battery touching generates a spark. Words have many meaning and the same spelling. a word can have a definition of yang or yin but thats as far as perspective will go . Attention is needed when making a determination . Context and definition are relivant to a degree. Once you have that , then there is no way to change it with perspective. Low is yin and high is yang when you get a quote for car insurance thats lower than what you have now thats good ( yang ) low now becomes Yang . high rates are yin. This perspective is also changable . But in the end its still Yang and yin . Only yang and yin . simplicity is yang , complicated is yin . Another easy one to switch. The only three perameters to the basic law is that yang comes first and yin after. So its 1 yang comes first , 2 + and 3 - . There is a law of Karma we speak of so allot . Its deried from the basic law and goverened by it . Its very real . The more you understand it the more reall and less illsuional it becomes. Knowing it intimatly will and can completly change your life for the better . To get a full understanding if it , the basic law must also be considered with it . the world is very organized in terms of law . Like a computer has perameters , so does the universe. Understanding them fully in every possible way brings a wealth of power that money cant buy . When you become more able by the way of understanding and become more poweful than money, you can rule the world. when you contemplate life its best to start with the basic law and then move forward to present time and then the past in that direction . That way youll be swimming with the flow rather than against it . everything in the universe starts in the future yang and enters the universe in present time. It leaves the universe in the past. perspective will no change this. its as real as real gets but it can be lied about . It can say the truth is not so . Ot can say its not true. The lie always says the truth is NOT so. its an is + and a NOT is - yang yin. you wont find this set of parameters in any book or internet. No where. You find plenty of everything about yang and yin , or incorrectly yin yang . opposites, dichotmies , the tao , the dao, etc but you wont find any reference to positives always come first . you wont find a diagram of the human body illustrating the two sides of yang and yin and how it relates the way I have where the spinal cord is present time and the left and right sides are the past and future or yang pos and yin neg. Like a ping pong table yang is the servers side and yin its opponant who opposes yang . The net is present time and when ever the ball goes accross the net correctly a good sensation is felt. If not, if you fail, a bad sensation is felt. The butterly has a past wing and future wing and its body and spine in the center in present time. Sensation is in the middle of the universe between pos yang and neg yin and the spine is there to sence it . The middle of the universe is present time . these are the things im referring to not the ones that change with perspective and context. The more basic the better. You can learn this stuff easy like learning how to play a piano.The more you practice the better you get . The better you get the better you get . You CAN go all the way to being the 1 , That perspective must be experienced to be known. Words wont do it justice. to be edited latter

ZOOM was not framing disturbing experiences as problems. He was framing them as objective signs of progress. I've experienced symptoms like I am walking around doing my contemplation when suddenly part of my leg feels like it's burning for seemingly no reason. It usually goes away quickly and I don't consider it a problem. If you experience serious problems of this kind, there are many solutions. One solution is to preemptively smooth out your body in the same way Chinese "park people" do it. Of course when I say "body" I don't mean exactly what materialists would understand by that term. So a dream body is still a body, for example. You can smooth out your body in many ways. One way is to look for stale or stiff areas and to deliberately gently move those areas of the body either by massage or by you yourself adjusting the bones and muscles. This is a more mechanical approach. So if I feel chest pain, I can gently stretch my arms out, breathe in to expand my rib cage, no sudden or heavily forced movements, hold a bit, breathe out. This takes care of a lot of minor issues. And doing this repeatedly trains the mind to expect the body to be more fixable and more fluid, so next time it's harder for the body to fall into a bad state to begin with. It's like your mind knows that you'll be able to smooth out the wrinkle anyway, so it doesn't bother presenting you with a wrinkle, since your mind knows that'd be a waste. Another way is to use visualizations. These can be so many. You can connect your visualization to breathing or to other bodily movements, or you can use disconnected stand-alone visualizations. Connected visualizations tend to have more power because there is a bridge between imaginary and real in that connection. So, if you extend your subjective phenomenon of breathing to penetrate the pores of your body, in and out, as you breathe, because this occurs as one indivisible phenomenon, it gains potency from the breath side because you conventionally think breathing is real whereas you conventionally think imagination is unreal. By hitching imagination (unreal) to something you consider real (breath), you can create an effect that's more powerful than a disconnected visualization would produce. An example of a disconnected visualization would be, for example, visualizing white light suffusing your body and healing it, and this white light would operate in a way independent of breathing and anything else. But basically the way to manage symptoms is to: 1. Realize they're visionary. 2. Never allow the symptoms their full expression. As soon as they appear, smooth them out right away. 3. Train yourself to expect a healthy condition. 4. Stop looking for signs! Expectation is a powerful manifestation agent. If you crave and want signs of progress, your mind will absolutely throw some your way. And if you think health disturbances are useful signs and you crave such signs, you can bet you'll experience health disturbances because your mind is just trying to be nice to you by manifesting your expectation.

Feeling is as feeling does though...is this why we are experiencing things dualistically (most of us that is)? We have mind/body splits. Mind is seeing the reflection of reality, yet is also part of it. The mirror that is dust proof suggests unity. So then this is Buddha mind, which was always under the dust. The dust acts as a filter, blocking out or skewing the true light of reality. What is then perceived is a shadow realm, a dream world. And yet! Regardless of how incorrect my perceptions of reality are, they are still neat and enjoyable. I would tend towards believing that as mind approaches clear seeing, Samsara turns into Nirvana. Samsara/Nirvana both composed of the same essence, yet it is an issue of polarity and spinning. Change the spin, and then you win! But! Let us not be attached to bliss. For attachment is a cross to bear, which drives one in ways that, while fair (or foul), might create a disharmonious body state of seeking, hunger, grasping, which shortens the life span by degrees. Seeking ease is a dis-ease. Mind is the culprit of all these things...so I say that mind is the grasper - its tentacles reaching forward and backwards for the root of its misery - ignorance.... As ignorance is the root of suffering, and mind's job is to destroy ignorance, it is both our savior and our harbinger of sorrows, for in these paths we tread, hither and wither are we led towards completion through using the very tool which causes us much angst. The beauty of it all is that suffering is also bliss, simply flipped.

Why does it matter ? Who cares.? Does it really matter what's right or wrong in the world . Do we want to live the right way or wrong way .? What's right for one person can be wrong for another . So how can we ever really know what's right , what's true or what's false , or what's wrong . There's a way . What this yin yang thingy and who cares if it's just opposites , so what , Who put the little black and white circles in each side ( unlike my avatar ) and who said they could do that ? What's the significance of those two little additions and what about blue green red yellow purple . Why just black and white when there's so so much more to life than black and white . ? Why was I pulled out of the fifth grade and told I could just play all day , roller skate , no school work no home work and then tossed back into jr and sr high school only to fail miserable while others excelled and graduated while I dropped out . Nice ! Thanks sooooooo much . I'm from the city of angels in calif , born and raised . There was no education in this subject and as far as I know , it's not correctly presented in any educations , in any country in the world. Threes no " planet earth users manual " that comes stock with each life form . You're on your own so to speak and I will tell you form my own experience that life on planet earth is a jungle baby. People killing animals , animals killing people , life forms eating other life forms , insanity , deceptions, Illusions , and the list goes on and on . Sorrow pain happiness gratitude. Pleasure and joy , agony and defeat success and confidence ,fear and love . What a bloody mess. It's all stirred up into a mass of confusion just waiting for us to be born into and try and sort out . How the heck did all this stuff come to be and who the heck did it . It didn't just " happen " on a Sunday afternoon did it " Who " really " knows . How can we ever know ? I mean we got prisons , and billionaires, rich people and the poor . Cars planes boats water sun moon and stars on a merry to round of light and dark It's no wonder so many say hey stop the ride I wanna get off and yet there are others who say let me live here forever and never die , I love it so much . You can read books watch tv and chit chat about life on earth until the day you die and still be no better off than the day you arrived . Is it all an illusion ? A dream ? Oh yeah ,, what's up with that ? Dreams , nightmares. I had one the other night . Haven't had one in a while . It fast short and horrible. ( lol ) then I woke up . Then there's the internet , are you kidding me ? How convenient is THAT? But looks what's in it . More of the same insanity , truth , lies , humor and everything else that's already here on the planet . Then we've got religion , war, nukes, submarines, presidents and dictators , little green men with big eyes made from silicone rubber from planets far away and living beneath the earth . WHAT ? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON????????????? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE HERE ? I want to have a talk with who ever is . : ) Can anyone help ? Let me know . There' IS a way to know .

What do you want to do? Develop a dream/rainbow/astral body? Or learn internal strikes? They are two separate classifications of "chi," ultimately. And even though people will say they are connected, I don't think they are. But rather, two individual phenomena which have been confused and combined out of a desire to explain the world. But I digress. Anyway, you should choose one or the other, because this is where the confusion over training (and more importantly, results) comes from. People think training mental and spiritual techniques are going to give them super powers in the real world. They don't. And I don't mean you must give up one to train the other. I mean that you must train specific techniques for on or the other, not attempt to train spiritual Neidan in the hopes of acquiring "energy strikes."

Hey guys thx for the replays , Beyonder , no problem , I understand completely . LaoZiDao, I went to the link , thanks for including that . When I got to the the guys answer where he referred to humans as " souls " I had to leave the page . It's not a bad thing . I used to be convinced of that too. And before that I didn't even know anything about spirituality . Earlier this year , I had the experience to be one with all spiritual life in existence. It was amazing . It was then that I realized there's only one life , one soul, one spiritual being for all life forms , not separate would for each life form . If someone were to tell me this prior to this year I would have said oh really .? Ha what a goof ball. I know I'm a spiritual being key word being the letter A , and you are a spiritual being as well. We are separate beings just like we have separate bodies. There was no doubt no question . Just like prior to 1982 when I had a full blown out of body awareness experience. It was like wow, I'm not my body and my thoughts and spiritual being can leave the body and return to it. Like when the body dies so to speak . My son got hit by a car when he was 5 and he told me he left his body too when it happened. Fortunately he was ok and just had a couple bruises. But last Feb I went out of body and rejoined all life as in one with all life . Spiritually . Life as I call it is a spiritual being , just one spiritual being for all life forms everywhere. It's just another progression in my spiritual awareness. First no spirit just body , then latter it became spirits and body's and finally one spirit for all body's. What's next ? I wish I could tell you . when i know i will tell you . Here's a little analogy. When a person walks into a room and it's dark , they turn the lights on to see. So they assume that in the beginning of creation , it was all dark and THEN there was light. Mainly because they are so used to living in the physical universe and have very little knowing of the spiritual aspects of life . So like the guy who , like me at one time , has and had the understanding that each body has a individual soul, mainly because he is so used to living in the physical universe with individual bodys. You'll see when your body dies, you'll just rejoin so to speak with all life again and that's that. It's the way it's always been and will always be . When we dream and then wake up from the dream completely , can you go back to the dream you were just having? Life outside the physical universe is no different. When we die , or our body's die , can we go back and live with the same body again? Like the dream , we can go back if we don't wake up all the way but of we do then no. Our body's are the same way . Once we die completely , no going back . Some how or another , I went all the way "dead" but my body didn't die and I came back from being one with all life as if I died completely . I was doing my meditative exercise and looked at the self and others dual package and colapsed it completly . When i did , spiritual others vanished and by the law of duality there must be two poles for a thing to exist in this universe. POOOOF ! i was back to being just self and no other or in other words self and all others too. It has been thee most amazing spiritual experience to date and at the top of the top for me . The voodoo religion for example in convinced that there are three body's for each soul. I don't expect anyone to just take my word for it. True reality must be experienced , not instructed. Mine included. When i read about the three body concept I was like..... oh come on . Thats horse radish nonsence. Well now in hindsite they are much closer to my reality than most others Ive heard to talked to . my experience, my reality is one soul for all life forms . The 1 is very self aware too . All knowing and all the yang attributes to the fullest degree and the fullest sence of the words. Absolute in every posible way with limitless ability and no exceptions. Thats life in the spiritual form. Im in no way refering to life forms . Those are physical forms created by life . Spiritual life has no creation . it wasnt created , its always been and will always be . Awareness has levels. The above is the top of the top in awareness level. Thats not my awarness as i write this post but the awareness can be reachived by me when i need it to . I keep in my back pocket so to speak and pull it out when the going gets tuff. im here now , ( and i know this sounds spiritually narcissistic ) but im here to have conversations with ant like life forms and the best way to do that is to become an ant. Only the ants are human. Please dont take this the wrong way . Im a human too . Have you ever tried communicating with an ant ? good luck with that . If you stomp on their ant hill or nest, youll have communicated with them as youll notice they are moving allot faster in a panic to survive. Its like the admiral sounded general quaters on a battle ship. Im in the same boat now with humanity and i know stompimg is not the best way to comunicate from my experience. In many ways its like talking to myself. Or playing a game of ping pong by myself. Theres only me and others who are also really me . Insane? not to me but to others? oh very insane. So be it . I know what I know . I knd of view others who dont know what I know as the insane ones but I dont dislike anyone. I pose my questions in a retorical way yes. Its just a way to start a conversation . No harm really. Sanity ( yang ) and insanity ( yin ) are just two poles of the same item . Life can choose which side it prefers at any given time. Then be on it . Or sit nicly between the two poles like it can and does with any other pole it choses. " It " being life, the creator of all things. Read all my posts and threads. There arnt that many . When you do youll get a much better understanding of who I am and why im here . Or not, its your choice. I can show you a way to becoming one with all life but if youre not interested or consider me a lunatic or both then thats fine too This is why i say I totally understand. Because I do .

http://longmenpai.blogspot.ca/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=9 Quote: Mr. Cheng, male, from Busan , Korea. The followings are excerpt from his practice diaries. I have always liked Duke Zhou (周公) since I was a child, therefore when I was in the fourth grade, I borrowed the Confucius classics, Four Books and Five Classics (四书五经), from an old gentleman in my neighborhood. The old gentleman was a Confucius scholar, I studied from him and due to his influence, I started to develop a deep passion for traditional Chinese culture. I did not follow my father’s expectation and entered a Buddhist University instead, then, I began cultivation. The Buddha said, “all is created from the heart”, I thought then where do our hearts come from. This was the question I have been pondering on. After meditating on it for 9 months, the following was my conclusion: 心心本是空，莫问何处生。 夜月照天地，寒风摇竹林。 (Roughly: Hearts are originally empty, do not ask where they are from. The moon shines on the ground, the cold wind shakes the bamboo forest.) Beginning in 1991, I was the Abbot of two thousand-year-old temple in Korea (Guangde temple and Duoshuai temple), even though I came to China to study, my positions were held for me until 2009. When I was an Abbot, I always had this empty feeling about my lack of real achievement as a cultivator, so in order to search for the great Dao, I decided to come to China. I didn’t find any high level teachers nor any suitable methods however, so I entered the Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine University to study TCM. 5 years of undergraduate, 3 years of Master and another 3 years for doctorate. Then I entered another doctoral program at Shandong University to study Pre-Qin dynasty literature. I wanted to write a thesis on “the link between Man and Heaven and Earth”, among the relevant literatures there are “Zhou YI Can Tong Qi”, “Ling Bao Bi Fa”, “Zhong Lu Zhuan Dao Ji” and “Wu Zhen Pian”, after reading them I realized that if I don’t know Dandao, I could not appreciate the Chinese Culture and Chinese Medicine at a profound level. Motivated by this, I began to search for people who has this transmission, I managed to meet the author of “Notebook on Internal Viewing and Observation” (内证观察笔记), he recommended “Opening the Dragongate” (Da Dao Xing) and “Walk on the Great Path” (Xing Da Dao). I was extremely excited after I finished both books, and with his introduction I was able to meet Mr. Shen Zhigang. From April 9th to April 19th, I went to Lanzhou and studied with Shen laoshi for 10 days. Shen laoshi taught me the core materials of internal alchemy, setting up the stove and installing the cauldron and the gathering of internal medicine. I had quite an experience only after a few days. I have studied Chan Buddhism for more than 20 years but I have never understand completely what the Buddha meant by “micro white brightness”, I can only interpret it superficially but I had never had actual experience of it. After coming to Lanzhou for three days, I have experienced “micro white brightness” and there is a series of transformations in my body too. I could feel the vibrations in my organs when I worked on the five elements. I was happy, excited and energized every day. I couldn’t even fall asleep for a few nights. Learning dandao has filled the empty part of my heart. After the 10-day class, I left the following poem in my notebook: 炼三宝，贵在呼吸； 修内丹，全凭口传。 世面言丹法，皆是口头禅； 明师引入门，无非真实法。 寻大道之颂 ——4月26日炼安神祖窍后而作 大道本无言，无名而无形。 若无借言说，不能显大道。 昔伏羲作易，后昆晓乾坤。 老子著经也，全彰道与德。 二圣明根源，兹以知还本。 人皆有性命，由此修大道。 魏老人撰书，凭易参同契。 丹道据天道，有钟吕传道。 灭邪小儒骇，传世为真宝。 谁知长生药，只在自身中。 As instructed by Shen laoshi, I continued to practice everyday for a month. Then I came to Lanzhou again on 9th May 2011 to continue my study of authentic internal alchemy. Shen laoshi furthered my study by systematically instructed me on the crucial steps of internal alchemy (Set up the stove and install the cauldron, internal medicine, external medicine, fusion of elixir and channel SHO). 20th: Morning and evening, we practiced enhanced method of gathering internal medicine, no reaction in my organs. 21st: Morning : Continued enhanced gathering of medicine, no reaction. Evening: Continued enhanced gathering of medicine, organs began to vibrate and got stronger and stronger. 22nd Morning: Continued enhanced gathering of internal medicine, organs continued to vibrate strongly and I almost lost control. With the guidance of the teacher I was able to take control again. Evening: Same as in the morning, after tuning my body position, I was able to control myself nicely. 23rd Morning: Use the first method of Ling Bao Bi Fa to practice the three-universe breathing and lower field, I could actually feel the stove and cauldron in “Set up the Stove and Install the cauldron”, very interesting and wondrous feelings. Evening: Began to gather the external medicine, I could see the spirit light going down to my lower field. 24th Morning: Practiced gathering of external medicine. I could see the spirit light but found it hard to condense them. Afternoon: We packed out stuff and headed off to Mount Xing Long. I had read the annontation of the Wu Zhen Pian by Liu Yiming and now I could come to the place where he cultivated, I had a deep respect for this place. 25th Morning: Enhanced method to gather the internal medicine, I could see the colors and their changes inside my organs. Afternoon: Continued enhanced gathering of internal medicine. Not only was I able to see the changes of the colors inside my organs, the outside bodily vibrations caused by the internal organs' vibration is calming down and getting into my internal body. The high frequency vibrations of my organs gave rise to a feeling that are interesting, calming and comforting, very special. Evening: Practiced Ping Heng Gong, I worked on a thousand-year-old giant pine tree. I could smell the fresh pine scent which permeated my entire body. This was my first contact with this divine tree and already I had this wondering feeling. I was very excited. 26th Early Morning: I practiced Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree. Again, I could smell the clean refreshing pine scent. When I was doing Zhan Zhuang with my back facing the tree, I could see different outlines of many temples with my eyes closed. Shen laoshi said that Liu Yiming had built over 70 temples on this mountain, no wondering I could “see” so many. Morning: When I was working on the external medicine, I could see great deal of bright yet transparent spirit light that permeated my whole body. When I condensed the light in front of my eyes, I retrieved it down to my lower field, it felt like a stream of water flowing down from the upper field, though the middle field and into my lower field. My three fields were bright like a sunny day. Afternoon: Same as the morning. Evening: Met with the divine tree again. When I was doing the Zhan Zhuang, I could see spirit light of deep green color flowing down into my lower field for more than 30 minutes. Afterward I "saw" many temples again. 27th Early Morning: Met with the divine tree again. The pine tree qi flowed through my ten fingers into my body and collected in my lower field. During Zhan Zhuang, I saw with my eyes closed a tree in front of me. Shen laoshi explained that this is “reflection to the origin”. Morning: During external medicine, the spirit light in front of my eye was sparkling and was making popping sounds. I could feel its incredible strength and it made my head vibrate. When I retrieved the light back into my lower field, my lower field started spinning and vibrating rapidly at the same time. Afternoon: During meditation, once I closed my eyes, a flood of bright golden color spirit light appeared in front of me. The light then changed into white color. When I retrieved the light, it felt like unlimited amount of it was filling into my lower field. My lower field wouldn’t stop vibrating. When I worked on Installing the spirit at the ancestral chamber practice, the strength of the spirit light was too great for me to condense. Evening: Met with divine tree again. During Zhan Zhuang, I continued to see the ancient temples, the mountain, the streams and old tea-colored walls of houses. Nighttime: Secret supplementary practices. 28th Early morning: Zhan Zhuang in front of the divine tree. With eyes closed, I saw mist-like spirit light filling into my lower field for more than 30 minutes. Fresh pine scent and flower fragrance flowed into my nose. At nine old clock in the morning, Shen laoshi said I am ready to try the Channel SHO. I burned some incense and prayed to the heaven. When everything was ready, I got into the full lots position. I regulated my breath, clamed my mind and strengthened my stove and cauldron. I felt that my lower field was burning and vibrating rapidly. After that, the Hui Yin point also began to vibrate then the qi flowed up my Du channel, the three gates on my back was broken though at once, my Heavenly eye point felt like it just exploded, my whole body was burning and inflating. There were many sparkling light on my body, liked firework. My tongue rolled backed and blocked my throat, I found it really hard to swallow,. Then suddenly after a “GU LU” sound, a hot stream flowed down my Ren channel into my lower field. After that, qi was like a spinning wheel inside my Ren and Du channel. When it was flowing slowly, it felt like an inch-wide white light. When it was flowing quickly, it felt like several light streams. The qi was flowing freely and there was absolutely no blockade. After letting it flowed like this for about 10 minutes, Shen laoshi asked me to stop. After getting off the lotus position, I felt relaxed and happy and I thanked my teacher. There was an interesting anecdote to this. I met with Shen laoshi before dawn, he said, “I dreamed at midnight that I went to visit a classmate in Qingdao, there was a long fish pond, more than 10 meters long and 1 to 1.5 meters wide, the depth was between 1.5 and 2 meters. Inside the pond, one can see many big fishes playing and chasing each other. There were many spectators around the pond and among them were friends and colleagues. Suddenly a fish jumped out of the pond, the owner picked it up and throw it back into the pond. When a fish jumped over the dragongate it became a dragon. I think this is a sign that you will open your SHO today.” I opened my SHO around 9:20 in the morning, the teacher said I was the 108th person that he helped to open the SHO. 108, a very nice and auspicious number. Afternoon: Sitting practice, I saw that the spirit light was clear and bright, my strength to condense qi had become stronger. SHO flowed again. Evening: Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree, I saw the temples again and I smelt strong flower fragrance. After opening my Channel SHO, I realized all the books on Daoist cultivation, internal alchemy etc on the market are pretty much worthless, what they describe are so different from the actual thing. The contents of these books are mostly empty words or just speculations of the authors. Same thing on the common understanding of “Wu Wei” and “Wu Xin”(“no heart”). A common interpretation of Wu Xin is that even the heart (Xin) is gone and that’s Wu Xin. However Xin is the most fundamental element, without Xin means there is nothing. So what is Wu Xin? For example, a bottle that contains nothing, we called it an empty bottle and not that the bottle itself is gone. Follow this then the concept of Wu Xin is clear, Wu Xin meant there is no polluted conscious thoughts in the heart. The heart of shining quietly is Wu Xin, without a trace of stray thought is “quiet”, when you know immediately a though has arise is “to shine”. No stray thought is the body of wisdom, once the level of the heart of shining quietly is reached, our heart then become the heart of the universe. Lu Jiuyuan said,” The universe is our heart, our heart is the universe.” This is exactly what it means. Buddhism and Daoism are not just about the heart, they have transcended the heart and the material world. People that have Western philosophy type of thinking all declare that Buddhism is all about the heart. If one can understand what is Wu Xin, then will he be able to understand what is the true meaning of Wu Wei and Wu Xin. They are more than the material world. The same thing can also be applied to Dandao, without actual cultivation experience, one can never understand the true extent and meaning of inner alchemy. There are only few true lineage of internal alchemy left in this world. I am extremely lucky to be able to learn the authentic internal alchemy of Master Wang Liping. 29th Early morning: Practiced Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree, while the mist-like spirit light was pouring into my lower field, another stream of spirit light entered the side of my left eye. My lower field vibrated and spun rapidly, SHO spun automatically. Morning: While gathering of external medicine, I found it much easier to condense but still I couldn’t condense all the spirit light. The light used to be pure white in colour but today it has a tint of green in it, very bright and transparent. Once the light got into the lower field, my SHO started on its own again. At first I was only able to feel the part of the SHO orbit below my neck but after I increased the strength in the lower field, the entire orbit could be felt easily. Afternoon: When fusing the elixir, the retrieved spirit light immediately appeared in front of my eyes. I didn’t listen to the daoyin and immediately collected the light into my lower field. The light poured down into my lower field like a giant waterfall and I could see many drops of pearl-like spirit light. I thought the scene was absolutely breathtaking! This beautiful scene continued for almost an hour and then I followed the daoyin again to work on installing the spirit at the ancestral chamber practice. Pure white spirit light flowed into my bladder, then it changed to grey and enters my liver, then it changed to green and enters my heart. Then it changed into tea-like color and entered my stomach, afterward it changed into sand yellow color and entered my lungs, afterward it changed into white and entered my kidneys, afterward it changed into grey and entered my bladder and finally it was still grey and entered my lower field. The ancients said that the five elements have their respective five colors, this is absolutely true. I was absolutely awestruck by their wisdom. Evening: I went to see the tomb of Liu Yiming. No one ever took care of the tomb and the place had been abandoned for a long tim. I felt very sad seeing this since I read his annotation of the Wu Zhen Pian before and I had respect for him. There was a really thick pine tree besides the tomb so I practiced Ping Heng Gong in front of it. When I did closed-eye zhan zhuang, spirit light immediately appeared in front of me. The qi here was different from the old divine tree, they were like misty pearls. After collecting them into my lower field and worked on the five elements, I felt for the first time qi moved vertically and horizontally inside my body. Qi in the liver moved from left to right and then from right to left and qi in my lungs and bladder moved up and down. The qi of the old divine tree shook and spun when it moved inside my organs. 30th Early morning: Practiced ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree, I felt that the qi wasn’t that strong today, so I recited mijue while working on the five elements. The organs vibrated slightly, the strongest one was the stomach. During zhang zhuang, I “saw” the roads and the pine trees with my eyes closed, and also the mist-covered forest. Finally under the influence of the spirit light, I spontanesouly worked on the Bagua Yi Sphere. Morning: During meditation, I was able to see the color change of the five elements and also the surrounding area. I was meditating on the second floor but I was able to see the peope and the floor of ground level. Afternoon: During meditation, I had experienced a new phenomenon, my mind was very clear but I wasn’t able to hear anything from the surrounding. But after a while I was able to hear the daoyin again. I then saw within light-yellow spirit light, there was a rice-sized red sphere entering into my lower field. The lower field then immediately contracted and expanded slowly, like a massage, it was very comfortable. Evening: Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree. During the bladder phase of the five elements, my SHO started automatically and I wasn’t sure what to do. So I observe my SHO while continued to work on the 5 elements. There were influences from the two affecting each other but they still managed to be run at the same time. Five elements is small restoration cinnabar while SHO is grand restoration cinnabar, I didn't know why they appeared at the same time. 31st Early morning: I changed a tree this morning, it wasn’t as big and as old as the divine tree, the feeling was also slightly off. The tree appeared in front of my eyes while I was working on the Ping Heng Gong and also while I did zhan zhuang facing the opposite way. The movements of the qi inside my organs were not balanced, for example, the qi shook in my right lung while it spun in my left. It spun in my right kidney but moved in line-movement in my left. Morning: During meditation, spirit light appeared as soon as I closed my eye, so I ignored the daoyin and retrieved the spirit light inside my body. I saw many imageries, mountains, sky, rocks and pine trees, they were very bright, just like seeing with eyes opened. During the ancestral chamber practice, the spirit light was transparent and my ability to control it was better, the condensed light got smaller. After it went down into my lower field, qi began to move between my lower field and middle field automatically. After lunch, I took a tour of the temple where Liu Yiming cultivated, the Zizai Wo. After talking to the daoist in charge there, I entered the temple and closed my eyes to meditate, very quickly I saw yellow color spirit light. After condensing it and put it in my lower field, the feeling was quite good. Afternoon: After the tour, I got into full lotus and gather external medicine, I wanted to continued the feeling I had in Zizai Wo. Immediately after I closed my eyes, the spirit light appeared. Condensed it and retrieved it for about 30 minutes. After the light went into my lower field, I started the five elements practice. When it got to my stomach, the SHO started automatically. So I quickly finished the cycle and to concentrate on the movement of the SHO. An idea flashed into mind at that moment, I heard the method of Macrocosmic orbit from Shen laoshi, so I immediately thought about my Yong Quan points, suddenly two streams of qi flowed up from my Yong Quan points, through my legs and into the Hui Yin point and then followed the SHO and into my lower field. A new pathway appeared: Yong Quan -> Hui Yin -> Du channel -> Ren channel. It flowed in this new path for about 20 times. While the qi was moving, it shined a bright light, it was beautiful. Finally, qi flowed in circles inside my lower field, from big to small, from one direction to the other. My lower field was burning, it was very very hot. Finally I quieted down and finished up the meditation. Evening: Ping Heng Gong in front of the divine tree again. During the five elements cycle, qi flowed between my lower field and middle field automatically. I wanted it to stop this movement but wasn’t able to. I asked Shen laoshi afterward and he said let them move on their own. 1st June Early Morning: After greeting the divine tree, I closed my eyes and regulated my breathing, the spirit light appeared immediately. I condensed it to the size of a green bean and put it into my lower field, the qi in the lower field began to vibrate. The amplitude was small in the beginning but then it got greater and greater and even moved back and forth inside my Dai mai, there was some small pain. Afterward qi in my right kidney started spinning and then my left kidney. Qi in the lower field circulated in big and then small circles. After letting it be for about 30 minutes I started zhan zhuang. The same phenomenon appeared. During five elements, the qi moved between my lower and middle fields. Then it started moving in the Dai channel and I again felt a slight pain. Morning: Learnt the practice of “Using the external five elements to open the channels” , then full lotus, light appeared immediately after I closed my eyes. Macrocosmic orbits ran for about 30 times. Then qi moved between the middle and lower fields. Then qi moved in big and small circles in both directions in my lower field. Then qi was collected in my lower field and started spinning rapidly. Afternoon: Practiced “External 5 elements to open the channels”, then full lotus. Light appeared immediately after I closed my eyes, after collected it in my lower field and worked on the five-element cycle, the qi moved between the lower and middle fields, I immediately finished the cycle to observe the qi movement between the two fields. Then Macrocosmic orbit started on its own, it felt like every meridians and channels were moving in my body, I could feel qi inside several meridians were moving at the same time, they had different colors, very bright and moved very fast. There were also white color qi surrounding them and I also saw qi moving in front of my eyes. The entire meridian system were moving rapidly and I was actually a bit worried. But I remembered Shen laoshi’s advice to carefully let them work on themselves, so I quieted down and started to observe and count the number of cycles. After about 70 times, the speed began to be reduced. I then put some intention at the yong quan points and qi immediately flowed up from there into my hui yin then Du and Ren channels into my lower field. After about 100 cycles, qi began to move between my lower and middle fields. Then the qi started moving in big and small circles inside my lower field. Then the qi was collected in my lower field and condensed into rice-sized ball ad started spinning rapidly. Evening: Met with my favorite divine tree again. Light appeared immediately and I collected it into my lower field and then qi started spinning. When I retrieved the spirit light again, qi started moving between my middle and lower fields. After a while, I observed my lower field and the qi started the circular movments. During Zhan Zhuang, Macrocosmic orbit ran for more than 10 times together with several meridians. My 10 fingers were full of qi and they were very hot, I could feel qi moving in my meridian. 2nd Early Morning: Met with my favorite divine tree again. Light appeared immediately and I collected it into my lower field. Then Macrocosmic orbit ran for 70 cycles, then several meridians also started moving, the Dai channel also moved. 3 cycles of five elements and stopped, approximately 90 minutes. Morning: Full lotus on my bed, light appeared immediately. Put it in my lower field. Got into a trance for about 30 minutes, then 2 cycles of five elements. Macrocosmic orbits 16 times. During ancestral chamber practice the spirit light was like a yellow bean, golden color and a layer of rainbow on the surface. Retrieved spirit light into my lower field, it then vibrated very strongly which caused my body to almost leaned back. It happened twice. Then I used the spirit light for the five elements practice, when it got to the lungs, qi started pumping from the yong quan points, so I quickly finished the cycle to observe it. Macrocosmic orbit started running rapidly for about 200 times. Then starting from my toes, I felt vibrations, heat, light and electric shocks, I could even heard a noise that sounds like electricity moving between two metal objects. The phenomenon moved up my legs, thigh, waist. And starting from the waist, a bright qi loop appeared, same thing happened at my chest. I thought this must be the new latitudinal orbits mentioned by Shen laoshi earlier. So I tried my best to remember their positions and numbers. But after I finished the practice, I had forgotten almost all of them, it was just like a dream. After lunch, I went to Mount Long Tou with Shen laoshi. I meditated on mount Long Tou and light appeared immediately, they looked exactly like pearls, they dropped one by one into my lower field. The lower field began to move on its own. The qi inside it then slowly spreaded out like mist. I felt there were several small objects spinning inside. Circular movements of qi then appeared in the lower field. Because it was too sunny, I quickly finished up. Meditating on mount Long Tou felt different from other places, the qi at this place was particular strong. Afternoon: Back to the living quarter, after some tea, full lotus on my bed. Macrocosmic orbit ran for several dozen times together with all the meridians. Then ancestral chamber practice, I did it twice and collected the light in the lower field. Since I felt that the qi did not dissolve completely in my lower field, so I increased my intention to dissolve the qi in the lower field. When I hold my breath to dissolve the qi, a flood of white light bursted out of the lower field and spread to the surrounding. I could feel that my lower field was expanding and contracting and it was breathing rhythmically. At the same times new orbit lines appeared. I thought this was embryonic breathing and so I was very excited. So just like this, I inhaled, hold and then exhaled and during each hold breath, the lower field would started breathing automatically, it was very comfortable. It was like this for about 30 minutes. While this was happening, my legs really hurt and they started shaking, felt really hot, it felt like my legs were burning. During reverse breathing and drawing in the anus, it exacerbated the feeling. After some time, the vibration and burning sensation started to subside, my left leg did not hurt anymore but the right leg continued to hurt. The entire session was about 2 hours. Afterward I went to Shen laoshi and told him excitedly that I had embryonic breathing and I described the phenomenon to him. The teacher said calmly, “This is not embryonic breathing. This is True Breath” and he told me a story. Some guy thought he had reached embryonic breathing, just liked me, and he went to ask Master Wang. The Master did not answered directly but during the class he said,”In order to have embryonic breathing, you must first have an embryo. To have an embryo you must first have Yinyang. To have Yinyang you must have Taiyi (ultimate unity), and to have Taiyi, you must first have internal and external medicine.” Evening: Met with the divine tree again. Light appeared immediately. The circular spirit light had a very special coloration. It was tea color inside but the boundary was grey. After collecting it in the lower field, the lower field began to jump. Afte Ping heng gong zhan zhuang and five elements, macrocosmic orbits started to cycle, the qi movements inside my meridians were very thin. Then the new orbits surrounding the three fields appeared. 3rd Early Morning: Stood in front of the old divine tree, spirit light appeared immediately. The circular light was white and sightly brown outside and black in the center. After pulling it a bit, the color changed to white outside with some rainbow color and the center was gold color. Retrieved it back to lower field and it began spinning immediately, the qi circulated in big and small circles and in different directions. Then I retrieved the light again and the Macocosmic orbit started running, the speed was too fast for me to count the number of cycles, it must had been about 200 times. During the cycles, when it was slowing down, I would strengthen my intention at the yong quan points and then it would speed up again. After the orbits, I closed my eyes to do Ping Heng Gong, suddenly the tree became a giant white column and there were some crossectional light loops. The qi moved from the bottom to the top just like the meridians in the human body. During Zhan Zhuang, the macrocosmic orbit ran again for another 200 times. New latitudinal orbits were also circulating. I looked at it carefully and recorded thir positions and number. I finished up after 2 cycles of five elements. The entire practice was about 2 hours long. I asked about the tree light column, Shen laoshi said, “Trees also have channels where they transport the nutrients.“ he further added that “The number of loops and their position you saw are correct.” Lifes and nature are so wonderful and mysterious! Morning: I took a tour of the Qi Zhen Dian. I stood in front of the oil pine tree in front of the temple for a brief moment. Once I closed my eyes, the light appeared immediately, its color was just like the sun. Retrieved it down to lower field and it immediately began to spin, the Macrocosmic orbit also spun for a few dozens times. The qi of the oil pine tree was soft but full, the tree has a beautiful and respectable appearance. Afterward, I went inside the Qi Zhen Dian, after praying my respect and burned an incence, I sat down to meditate for a bit. The spirit light was liked the rising sun at dawn, when I retrieved it back, its color changed into sparkling gold, it was very strong and limitless, it poured directly into my lower field. I kept at this state while I slowly stood up, I continued to retrieve the spirit light and not long afterward the macrocosmic orbits started runnning for a few dozens times. The power of this authentic ancient temple was so great! Afternoon and evening: Full lotus, light appeared immediately, I collected the golden color light in my lower field. Macrocosmic orbit started running and also the new latitudinal orbits. During ancestral chamber and five elements practice, the Macro orbit also started running for about 200 cycles. I sat in full lotus for almost 2 hours and my legs hurt a lot, but the meridians seemed to be auto correcting themselves and the pain reduced, although the pain was still too much for me and I took one leg down. After tuning my body and looked up, spirit light appeared again, I collected down to my lower field and the true breath happened again. I got into a trance, semi-conscious and dream-like. Suddenly, my legs started shaking and I felt that there were three channels moving up and down and the pain in my legs disppeared and the Macro orbit started running again. I was in this state for a while longer and then I finished up. The entire practice was about 200 minutes. 4th After migdnight: Full lotus, took light into the lower field. Qi started spinning in big and small circles inside the lower field. Tuned my breath, inhaled, held an exhaled. When I was holding my bretah, the lower field started breathing, a rope-like white qi band was leading the lower field to breath, then slowely, my ordinary mouth nose breathing stopped and skin breathing began. Macro orbit started spinning. When the lower field started spinning, the top part would exhale and the lower part would inhale, rising and lowering regularly. During Macro orbit, it raise from the back and fall at the front. It was very comfortable and I got into a dream-like trance state again. I was like that for an hour. Early morning: Met with the old divine tree, light appeared immediately. The first time I condensed the light to a small point, it escaped. I tried it again and collected it to the lower field. The lower field started spinning and the Macro orbit also started running. I could see the dvine tree with my eyes closed as though my eyes were actually opened., the only difference is that it seemed to be cleaner and clearer with my eyes closed. During zhan zhuang, I could see mountain, lake, sky and bamboo forest etc. Morning: Full lotus, light appeared, ignored daoyin. Collected light to lower field. Dantian started spinning. I continued to collect the spirit light which was light blue color. I used my intention to spin my lower field while holding my breath, I could feel the true breath. True breah stopped when I heard the daoyin for ancestral chamber practice. Collected spirit light down to lower filed again and the Macro orbit started to run. Probably because I did full lotus for too long the day before, my legs hurt a lot so I changed into half lotus. Not long afterward, Macro orbit started again until I finished the session. After lunch, we packed up to go back into the city. Our car broke down though so we had to stop at a service pit to get it repaired. At the mechanic's, it was still possible to make out the location of the Qi Zhen Dian and the Oil pine. Shen laoshi said it is possible to retrieve the spirit light of the temple even from this great distance, so I decided to try it. The spirit light of the temple appeared in front me immediately and not long after, the oil pine's light also arrived. How did I tell the difference? I remembered the different colors of the spirit light from yesterday. So I sat in the mechanic’s place and faced Mount Xing long to meditate. Not long afterward, the spirit light of the temple and the tree appeared although the pine tree’s light was weaker than the temple’s light. Both light were somewhat weak at first but it got stronger and stronger gradually. After I collected all the light in my lower field, I was going to do five elements but the lower field started spinning on its own, so I let it do its thing. This lasted for about an hour and in between, true breath appeared and I could hear the surrounding sound, I felt like I was about to get into a trance. The qi slowly flowed into my lower field and the Macro orbit started running, I let it ran for almost 1000 times until our car was fixed. 5th Morning: Woke up and the Macro orbit started on its own, so I straightened my legs and lay on my bed to let it run for about 40 minutes. The night before, I dreamed a giant snake that had beautiful pattern on its body. I was a bit scared so I threw a rock at it, it chased after me so I ran away. It caught up with me though but at that moment, a beautiful tiger appeared and bit the snake at the 7th-inch position, the tiger seemed to be hesitating and so it stopped. I thought, did the snake also bite the tiger? The dream ended at that point. Afterward, full lotus for about an hour, I used the spirit light to link up with the spirit light from Qi Zhen Dian, after a few minutes the temple’s light appeared and I collected it to my lower field. Not long after, true breath appeared. After more than 10 minutes, qi slowly flowed into the lower field. Qi moved strongly inside my lower field and it was very hot. I could also feel granular shaped qi in the lower field, probably because it wasn’t dissolved completely. Then I did five-element cycle three times and took qi back to the lower field. I still felt that the qi wasn’t completely dissolved but my legs hurt too much so I stopped. Shen laoshi’s plan was that after coming down from the mountain, the focus would be shifted to the discussion of the three classics: Zhong Lu Zhuan Dao Ji, Ling Bao Bi Fa and Taiyi Jinhua Zong Zhi. I had read the three books before I arrived at Lanzhou, the words weren’t so hard to understand but the actual practice and their true meaning were of course hidden and I was really not so sure I understood them at all. I read it again after I got back to the city and this time, especially the verification parts, I felt that I really do understand them especially since some of verifications had happened in my own body. After Shen laoshi had arrived, I asked him about dream, he said just go and read the third chapter of Ling Bao Bi Fa. The third chapter is the Mating of Dragon and Tiger and then I understood, isn’t snake a small dragon? Today, we mainly discussed the first chapter of Ling Bao Bi Fa, the Matching of Yin and Yang. 6th Morning: Half lotus for 90 minutes, pretty much the same as the day before, nothing new. Today we discussed the second chapter, the collection and dispersion of water and fire. Night time: Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, I ate too much in dinner, my belly was swelling. I sat down and try to dissolve the qi in my stomach, after some noises from my stomach, I felt more comfortable. I continued the practice and retrieved the spirit light from Qi Zhen Dian into my lower field. Two cycles of five elements and I felt plenty of qi. I did two times ancestral chamber and then two more times of five elements. After collecting the qi to the lower field, the qi raise up and it looked like a 4 inch long light band, I tried to force it back down to the lower field but wasn’t able to, so I just let it be. I felt the qi raise up from my back and flowed down in front, the strength and speed of the movments were unprecedented. I felt like it was moving at 2 or 3 times the speed of the Macro orbit. My whole body was very hot and sweating. After I finished up, I felt very comfortable. 7th Morning: Half lotus, light shifted and spun in front of my eyes. After collecting it down to lower field, qi started moving between the middle and lower field. Today, we discussed the third chapter, the mating of dragon and tiger. Evening: Full lotus, light appeared immediately, collected it to lower field. One cycle of five elements and the macro orbit started running. After that, I did the five-element cycle again, when it reached my lungs, the macro orbit started again. Not long after that, there were big movement up my back and down my front, the movement was very fast. In between, several meridians and channels were also moving. But I felt that the speed and hotness weren’t as good as the day before. After 90 minutes, I changed into half lotus and then did five elements twice. I finished up then and the session was 140 minutes. Afterward, I felt that my skin was especially smooth. Night time: full lotus, retrieved the light from Qi Zhen Dian to lower field. After two cycles of five elements, the macro orbit started running. Then after ancestral chamber practice, after retrieving the spirit light, true breath speared and lower field started breathing. It expanded and contracted regularly like a balloon and the expansion got bigger and bigger and I felt like I was about to float up. My whole body sweated and I thought suddenly, what if I exploded? So I decided to ask Shen laoshi before I continued. I slowly reduced the movement and finished up after another two times of five elements. 8th After midnight: When I was sleeping, I felt that the macro orbit was spinning, so I woke up and meditated. Half lotus, took light back and then did 2 cycles of five elements. Ancestral chamber practice, took light back to lower field, two cycles of five elements, took qi back to lower field. My lower field felt empty and it seemed there were a lot of space in there, I thought where was my Dan? Then I finished up but the lower field started spinning again, I thought what was going on? Why does it happen again? I asked Shen laoshi later and he said,”In college, the junior year ended and the vacation began, the senior year hasn’t started yet, and that’s the happiest time.” I thought about what it meant. Morning: Cross-legged, linked up with the old divine tree, the light I got back was fairly weak, took it back to lower field. Two cycles of five elements and then Macro orbit started. Two more cycles of five elements and I finished up. There was a new phenomenon, whenever I was meditating or resting, as soon as I moved my feet or stimulate the yong quan points, the macro orbit would start running. It was a headache, but a blissful one. Today we discussed the forth chapter, the Cooking of Cinnabar medicine. Nighttime: Full lotus, light appeared immediately, took it to lower field. Macro orbit started running. Two cycles of five elements, ancestral chamber practice, I felt that my ability to control the light got better, two cycles of five elements, macro orbit, latitudinal orbits, entire meridian system moved up and down. 80 minutes in total. 9th Morning: Half lotus, true breath appeared. Saliva pouring out from under my tongue, I swallowed them to the lower field. Macro orbits, entire meridian system were running. I used my intention to contract some of the latitudinal orbits, they got smaller and smaller but their speed increased. Two cycles of five elements and then I finished up. 90 minutes in total. Today, we discussed the fifth chapter, the golden crystal flying up from the side. Nighttime: Full lotus. Light appeared immediately, took back to lower field, then five elements twice, then macro orbits and latitudinal orbits. After ancestral chamber and five elements, the macro orbits ran again. Then I tuned the latitudinal orbit and following my regulations of my breaths, the orbit got smaller and smaller while the speed increased. This time the upper, middle and lower field were connected in one line. The broken line is no longer broken! It was just like a meridian and starting running. Afterward, my legs hurt so I finished up. 70 minutes in total. Night time: Crossed legged. Light appeared immediately, took it to lower field. Five elements and then macro orbit, latitudinal orbits and entire meridian system started moving. I decreased the size of the latitudinal orbit to make it run faster. The broken line then also started moving. I was worried that the qi might burst out from the Tian Men so I use the body universe and personal universe to regulate it. Qi moved up and down between the upper and lower field. Afterward, I saw the sky, clouds and mountain ranges just liked with my eyes open. Then, I saw a flood of light, it was transparent and golden color, liked a curtain. I was going to finish up but the Macro orbit and latitudinal orbits just wouldn’t stop. So I continued to sit. 200 minutes. 10th Midnight: Half lotus. Light appeared, took it to lower field. Five elements and then macro orbit, the speed was much faster than before. Latitudinal orbit, broken line started moving. Used body and personal universe to regulate the movement. Qi moved to lower field. Then I saw the edge of the personal universe, I was sitting inside a big sphere, very bright, liked the scene when I opened my SHO but just without the stars. Morning: Half lotus, light appeared, took it to lower field. Five elements, macro orbit, latitudinal orbit. Qi to lower field, then it wanted to go up. Lower field spinning, five elements again. Finished up. In the afternoon, I left my place of rebirth, Lanzhou. I went home happily and a changed person. Conclusion A limited lifetime and an unlimited universe. How can a human obtain a lifespan that is as long as the heaven and earth? The ancients observe the movements of the heaven and earth, they understood the transformation of yin and yang, the movements of the sun and the moon. And using these observations, they revealed the rule of the great Dao inside the human body. This is Dandao, ordinary people only used their normal eyes to see man, things and the universe, but they don’t know how to use the Heaven eyes to see the world behind the ordinary world. Life is short, normal people don’t know how to escape the pain of living, like birth, old age, diseases and death. Living only in the material world, there is no escaping these pains. But if they looked back and read the wisdom of the old sages and started learning and practicing dandao, then there is a possibility to escape. The “On true immortals” chapter in Zhong Lu Zhuan Dao Ji is excellent, and one should study it carefully. Through the personal guidance of Shen laoshi, I was able to experience firsthand the pre-heaven movements of qi (SHO, macro, latitudinal orbits) and also the shining brightness of the original spirit and ling xing. I have changed completely as a person, from inside to outside. I understood what is meant by “Dao is not far from human”. By studying the three classics and the verifications in them and the things that happened inside my body, I was able to understand the Zhong Lu Dandao is the complete method and perfect integration of theory, method and verification. It helped me reaching a new level of consciousness and a deeper appreciation of traditional Chinese culture. This ended my 15 years of study in China at a high note and I hope a full ending would be possible with my own further tireless effort. June 10th 2011 at Lanzhou. End of the quote. Where are you in your [neidan] cultivation? What do you do? What do you see? What do you think?

Correct. Have you ever done eyelid gazing? This is a passive visualization exercise where you close your eyes and watch the darkened space behind your eyelids. At first you see what people call "phosphenes" and maybe some splotches of color. Later you may see some abstract geometric shapes. Eventually you may see some what looks like gears or machines. Then you may see faces. They may appear static. Later they might seem like they're smiling or saying something, more animated. Then you may see bodies in addition to faces. Then you may see something that resembles an open space, and a vague sense of environment. Eventually a full blown dream scene can develop from this. Now consider how these people, with seemingly independent minds and personalities emerge from the space of your own mind, when given half a chance, such as during an eyelid gazing exercise. Subjectivities represent viewpoints, and viewpoints can evolve arbitrarily. Because of the possibility for viewpoints evolving arbitrarily, it's possible to experience what I call subjective convergence and subjective divergence. Subjective convergence happens when your perspective gets closer to some other perspectives. When this happens, it feels like you're sharing an experience. The more convergent the subjectivities, the more sharing seems to happen. And the opposite is true for divergence. So one example of divergence would be you going to sleep while your friend stays in your room to watch. Your friend will then see your body laying motionlessly on the bed. While you will experience a world that is perhaps nothing like this Earth realm, and the friend in your room may no longer be present in your dream world. That's what I call subjective divergence. That's just one example of it. You can choose to involve other people into your visionary process. Depending on how you involve other people, you can grant them powers or you can rob them of powers. This will not improve or hurt anyone because everyone has the same power, and when two subjectivities dream incompatible dreams, they simply diverge each into their own worlds with their own sets of relatively compatible beings. That's the manifestation process. Yes, this can happen assuming I've involved enough other beings into my vision. If I consider other beings as truly independent observers, I can no longer dictate what their vision will be like. When I wave my hand in front of your face, you are almost forced to see it. Why? And why "almost"? Well, "almost" because you can ignore my waving around to such a profound extent, that you won't see anything at all. This is what's known as a negative hallucination in hypnosis. It's when you can't see something that is "actually" "there." So even if I am waving my hand in front of your face, in truth, I am not able to 100% force you to see anything. You still maintain sovereignty of your experience. But assuming you're an ordinary being, your sovereignty is lost in a drunken stupor, since most of your activity is a result of habituation and craving with virtually no intent left open for something creative and amazing. So as an ordinary being, you can be abused pretty easily, because people can exploit your habits and cravings against you. So if I know you crave contact with your family, I can take your family hostage and demand a ransom. That's what I mean by exploitation. If I know your cravings, I can take advantage of you. But this exploitation can be very very subtle. It doesn't have to be something stupid like a kidnapping. It can be psychological and spiritual manipulation of the most subtle kind that you'd never be able to detect as an ordinary being. And how do you think I'd know what your habituations and cravings were? Well, I'd judge them by my own! Haha.. I mean, I know your weakness by judging my own weakness, and then reasonably assuming that if our subjectivities intersect, we must share a very significant portion of weaknesses. If you were too different from me, I'd not be able to see you at all, because you'd then be in a realm different from my realm. In other words, we tend to witness beings similar to ourselves, plus or minus a few points. Of course there can be some exceptions to this. There are no hard rules. But that's the tendency as I see it.

I've never seen this done. I've heard stories and seen pictures. All this can be faked very easily. But let's suppose we take these accounts at face value as true. Is this evidence of objective reality? When 10 people agree that ice cream is pleasant, does that mean ice cream is objectively tasty? Maybe 10 is not enough. How about 100? Or 1 billion? If one billion subjective opinions coincide, does that imply something objective? When I am dreaming, in my dream world there are people there. Suppose I see a dream table in a dream room with 10 dream people in it. Those dream people point their fingers to the dream table. We all see it together. Does that mean the dream table is objectively real? So explaining hand prints, assuming we accept them as valid phenomena, is easy. One reason I am able to experience such things is because I myself have elevated my own spiritual state to a point where I can now begin to encounter such phenomena in my life. So some credit for witnessing such things goes to me. And some credit, by convention, goes to the beings that appear to perform these things. I could then say the beings who leave handprints in the rock have more fearlessness, fewer attachments, softer habituations, and more familiarity with the extraordinary types of experiencing than I have. I have a lot of experience myself too. Compared to normal people I am like God, basically. But if you compare me to a yogi who's spent 10 lifetimes meditating 30 years in a cave during each one of those 10 lives, as a hermit practitioner, then I will be like a tiny baby by comparison. But this is not a guarantee. I've met some tremendous morons of no skill and no understanding who've meditated their entire long lives (think over 6 decades), and died ignorant and useless idiots while leaving many students who were just as ignorant and confused as their teacher who meditated an assload and understood nothing whatsoever. So what I am saying is, experience matters, but experience is not just automatic with time. You can spend 30 years doing something and gain no experience at all. So clocking time is not what grants experience. In my hypothetical example in the previous paragraph I am assuming 10 lifetimes of 30 years of productive, skillful, helpful, useful practice, and not just time clocking. There is a vast scale of relativity when it comes to spiritual state of beings.

I dunno. I used to dream a lot about being being eaten by animals as a child. It never happened. I've had some pretty violent things happen to me, people trying to take my life. Definitely have PTSD from it. I don't think my irrational fear of death, which isn't so irrational after all considering the circumstances, is going to cause me to have an early death. Smoking and coffee and eating like shit and living in this "society" on the other hand, well that just might. But, we all know that already.

One must promote subjectivity. Why so? We need to examine what it means to say that an experience is subjective. An experience is subjective when its relevant only from a certain point of view. Upon analysis we realize that this is true of all experiences without any exception whatsoever. All experiences and all modes of experiencing require a point of view. Dzogchen teachings constantly harp about "the view," "the view," "the view" for a reason! A Dzogchen-style experiencing requires a Dzogchen view. This entire endeavor is completely subjective because it's based on voluntarily committing to a specific worldview. What separates competent Dzogchenpas from many other types of beings is that Dzogchenpas realize they could be holding any one of the infinite variety of worldviews. In other words, for them the choice is a conscious and deliberate one. Because one's point of view influences one's own experience so dramatically and so completely, it is essential to stress subjectivity as the key point of all spiritual practice that aims beyond convention. You're simply lying to people when you say this. Psychic powers are very helpful in understanding what the capacity of mind to know, to experience and to will is really like in experiential as opposed to theoretical terms. I know that you don't agree and I know why you don't agree. You're not upfront about the real reasons why you don't like to talk about psychic powers. You have real reasons for why you want to avoid such discussion, but you keep those close to your chest. Here's a direct contradiction: dream yoga. Dzogchen does too. Read the Tantras. I don't know if speed is a major factor here. I think the real variable is the depth of non-conceptual relaxation. When one relaxes habituations very thoroughly it is simply impossible to experience solidity anymore. The speed with which you accomplished this has little effect. The mind is always in a state of concentration. What changes are the objects of concentration. Since concentration is an ineliminable aspect of mind's activity, it is short-sighted to insist that concentration is merely provisional.

I still think the indigenous , in many cases, might supply what you outline. You just have to find the ones that have been influenced the least by our culture and 'mind -set'. Here, it is a very difficult adaptation for some to make ... even though they want to, have good intentions and might visit the welcoming indigenous, they still bring their programming with them when they visit (and I might add here that, considering what the previous interactions have been like and how welcoming and understanding these indigenous people can can be .... still they welcome them and still they are kind and patient and loving and understanding us ! ) . The concept ( or lack of it ) of personal ownership is an interesting intersection ... very challenging for some. 'Hey guys, I'm going to 'Babylon' , anyone want any thing!" "Sure Nungali ! The camp needs ............ and I want .... and ... needs ..... " I trip to the equivalent of one's local store can be in excess of $100 easily. I wouldnt dream of mentioning that to anyone there. I have seen .... work his arse of and scrape up $3000 to return home and distribute it out within 48 hours and be 'dead broke' ( but never poor ). So, one also has to consider . If I do meet people without this western, non 'eastern' non new age mentality (and by definition, also then, programming) ... what am I bringing to them ?

Well, I am Cancerian (supposedly) yet I look nothing like the girl in that picture ( Damn ! I should really give up that dream ) . What would people here classify me as I wonder? Cancer or Gemini ?

Yes,...I fully agree with the Law of Three in nature,...duality could not be duality without it,...the Law is Three is completely fundamental to the nature of light, and how light condenses into form, and unwinds back to emptiness, within duality. It is why 3 divide 7 = 0. 428571428571….or 142857 × 3 = 428571,...it is essential to the matrix of duality. First, for discussion, understand that nothing is outside the cube. There is no thinking out the box. A single cube is part of an interconnected matrix that includes all space–time. As spectra or donuts of divided light (particle-wave duality) condense into form through a multiplication-division process, space is simultaneously extended to accommodate time. There is neither space without time, nor time without space. All phenomena, both emptiness and form, are within the cube. A cube is bounded by six square sides, which in this presentation will be called six convex optic planes. These convex planes facilitate the flow of divided light along ninety-degree arch-angles. This flow of pressure follows the recursive pattern of 142857. That is to say, from plane one, the flow of pressure goes ninety degrees to plane four, then from plane four, ninety degrees to plane two, etc. As you can see on the enneagram, the numbers 142857 are not directly connected with numbers 9, 3, and 6. The numbers 142857 can be likened to the singularly aspected Mayan gods one through six in the Popol Vuh. Thus, the dynamics of interrelationship between the six convex boundary optic planes and the three inner, or zero, optic planes are how all emptiness and form come in and out of being. The law of three is like “god seven” in the Popol Vuh text, an account of Maya cosmology. The Popol Vuh speaks of seven gods whose individual urge is to create progeny through the heart of the galactic center, yet their efforts were barren of form, and they remained alone. God seven, who has three aspects, then directed them to undertake the urge together, and form was manifested. God Seven exemplifies the three centering optic planes within a cube, which divide the cube into eight parts or optical chambers. Keep in mind that the universe is an optical universe. Everything in duality and beyond duality is light. Impermanence is divided light, whereas permanence is undivided light. (Undivided Light is not outside the cube, but can be accessed at the center-point of the cube). Once light is divided and enters space–time, it cannot return to source (Undivided Light), just as the light projected on a theater’s screen does not return to the bulb, which is “still” in the projector. In sacred geometry, the optical cube upon which light is projected is called Metatron’s cube. In this holographic theater, all phenomena are unmanifest or manifest. The cube contains all emptiness and form. Diagrams of the Metatron matrix often show extended layers of the process, that is, how the cube extends or duplicates into other cubes, forming simple structures. Duality is a manifestation of divided light. The divided light of duality is both emptiness and form. Undivided light is nonduality. Nonduality contains neither emptiness nor form. Our authentic consciousness is not dual, although it records its thoughts within the dualistic structure, which is to say that form is a record of thought. The phenomenal personal consciousness of third-density thought is as evanescent as a dream, whereas authentic consciousness is permanent. Unlike the dream state in which you don’t know you’re dreaming while dreaming, an uncovered authentic consciousness is cognizant that life is a dream and as such can play in it without attachment to hope or fear. Undivided light is like the still light within a projector. Emptiness is as the flow between the film stock and the screen. The form with which we interact is as the image on the screen, a nine-optical-planed multidimensional holographic matrix. The form got on the screen through simulated light, not real light. Emptiness and form are impermanent simulations. The still light from which the simulation effects motion is in the center of the screen, that is, in the center of the cube. Our duality reality of divided, projected, simulated light is 299,792 kilometers per second slower than the stillness of what mahamudra calls the clear light of Vajra. When you realize that, you begin to gnow who you are because you have had a taste of when you are. In duality, everything is in the past. . All divided light is in the past. It makes no difference how fast energy equal mass square divided light (E=mc²) is moving, for even at 299,791 kilometers per second, undivided light is perceived as moving 299,792 kilometers per second faster. That’s why Einstein called it relativity. Everything in duality is sexual. V Marco

i wonder what kind of beings i am working with.. not a clue. that phase between dreaming and waking i have some crazy experiences.it's like i can't move but something else can I was becoming conscious in a dream and i thought of this thread, and i said all spirits must leave. then i get some experience of something with their hands on top of both my palms sitting above me, and then they kiss me or suck something out my mouth, idk. freaky stuff though

This is a thread about Neidan, what is Neidan? It is a science, a very complex science. So yes there is correct ways and incorrect ways. Just like science/chemistry, you cannot do what you want and make up your own ideas and formulas (and if you did you would already be a Master of chemistry and you would know what you are doing), for people who are not Masters, they are students... generally there is a specific way and order to do things in a labratory to get the result you are after. What happens when you go to a labrotory and mix random chemicals, random substances, heat them, freeze them, mix them... 99.99% of the time if you did this without instruction or knowledge of what you are working with......you will harm your self, create dangerous concoctions, make an explosions. etc So there is a specific way of Neidan, as it is too a science, and it is working with a very complex thing, the human body, sky and earth. I understand you have no interest in Neidan / Daoist Alchemy. And that is fine, but this is what this thread is about, it is not about 'general Daoist discussion" on philsophical points that you feel attached to. There is a lot to gain from this post, it is a translation of an ancient scripture, which has been translated quite decently. Anyone who is interested in Dao should be very greatful of the Wuluipai students to go out of their way to share this wonderful knowledge. This thread is not about the OPs doubts, it is a anceint text from Ludongbing and Zhongliquan, who are Daoist Alchemical Masters, have been greatly respected for thousands of years. It is to help guide people to know what Neidan is, and what Neidan is not. As it is a very specific thing, it is not just "do what you want and follow your own way". There was no argument of which path is better, but this is about what Neidan is, and what it is not. You can beleive what you want, but there is a very clear line between methods of Immortals and methods of general health and wellbeing (qigong etc). It is a suprise you have not heard of him, Ludongbing is actaully famous all over China, not just in Neidan cirlces. All Chinese will know of him and some will know his famous story about the Yellow Millet Dream, which also has a popular Opera about it. So culturally in China he is very respected and praised.. even if they have no interest of Daoism, all Chinese know about him. Actaully this is not true for Neidan, but I won't argue this point here.

I would not care to view a Moby Dick remake that did not take into account Jed McKenna's "Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment." Even the Moby Dick expert in the book was permanently overwhelmed by Mc Kenna's commentary. We surely need some awesome screenplays. I'd love to see a sort of remake of the Matrix without the all the shoot'em up stuff. Even more so, the story of Tilopa's Shoe. Wow! Put a $100 million into that, with Keanu Reeves as Tilopa, and Mark Ruffalo as Naropa,...what a filn that would be. Tilopa's Shoe The story of Tilopa's Shoe is one of my personal favorites, and has been an integral guide in my life's path since I read it at 19. It's a story of intrigue, magick, humor, and enlightenment. Much of the following was adapted from Alexandra David-Neel's 1929 'Mystiques et Magicens du Thibet' as told to her through the oral tradition. Madame David-Neel, who was fluent in Tibetan, spent fourteen years in the magical and mysterious Land of Snows. Tilopa was a Bengali, some say of noble caste, who lived during the 11th Century CE. He chose to leave his home and seek realization through meditation and study in a remote area near the Tibetan border. While seated in a cave reading a philosophic treatise, a beggar woman appeared behind him, read a few lines over his shoulder and asked abruptly, "do you understand what you are reading?" Tilopa was irked. What does this witch mean by such an unmannerly question, he thought. But before he could express his feelings, she spit on the book. Tilopa jumps up and shouts "how dare you spit on the Holy Scriptures". The woman then spits again on the book, utters a word Tilopa cannot understand, and disappears. Tilopa felt an uncomfortable sensation through his body. Doubt of his knowledge arose in his mind. After all he pondered, it may be true that he had not understood the doctrine expounded in the treatise, or any doctrine whatever, and that he may be an absolute dunce. What did that strange woman say, he thought. What was that word he did not comprehend? He felt he must know it. And so Tilopa started in search of the old woman. After much wandering, he found her at night in a solitary wood. She was seated along, her red eyes shining like live coals in the darkness. She was a Dakini, a kind of faery or 'sky-flyer' who played a great part in mystic Tibet as teachers of secret doctrines. They often appear in the shape of an aged woman, and one of their peculiar signs is that they have red or green eyes. In the course of the conversation, Tilopa was directed to go to the Dakini's land, in order to meet their queen and learn the Heart teachings of the Dakini. She told him that on the road, countless dangers awaited him, like abysses, roaring torrents, ferocious animals, delusive mirages. If he allowed himself to be overpowered by fear or missed the narrow, threadlike path winding across this terrible region, he would fall prey to monsters. If he drank at the clear springs or ate the fruits hanging at hand on the trees by the road, or yielded to fair maidens inviting him to sport with them in pleasant groves, he would become bewildered and incapable of finding his way. For his protection, the woman gave him a magic formula; a mantra. She said he must repeat it all along the road, keeping his mind entirely concentrated on it, uttering no word, listening to nothing. Tilopa saw the countless, frightful or alluring sights. He struggled across steep, rocky slopes and foaming rivers. He felt himself freezing amidst snows, scorched on burning sandy steppes, and never departed from his concentration on the magic words. At last, he reached the castle whose bronze walls were glowing with heat. Trees, with branches holding weapons, barred his way. Yet, he entered the enchanted palace. There, innumerable sumptuous rooms formed a maze. Tilopa winded his way through them and reached the queen's apartment. The beautiful faery sat on her throne adorned with precious jewels, and she smiled at the daring pilgrim as he crossed the threshold. But Tilopa was unmoved by her loveliness, ascended the steps of the throne and, still repeating the mantra, wrenched from her the glittering jewels, trampled under foot the flowery garlands, tore away her precious silk and golden robes, and as she lay naked on her wrecked throne, he violated her. Such conquests of a Dakini, either by sheer violence or by magic devices, are a popular theme in Tibetan mystic literature. They are an allegory referring to the realization of truth and process of self-spiritual development. Tilopa had thus reached the level of Avadhuta, a state of enlightenment where the distinctions between good and evil do not exist anymore. He, thus, returned to his cave in the north part of Bengal, and the old woman once again appeared. She said that he still had barriers to his full realization of Mahanirvana Tantra, and directed him to go to a particular town and enter the employ of the local prostitute there. Without hesitation, Tilopa found his way to the town and began working for the prostitute. In the day he would grind seed for her oils, and at night, he would pander her clients. One day, as he was grinding sesame seeds in a mortar on his lap, he realized and released his last barrier to the Light and Love he was and levitated to the height of a palm tree while still grinding sesame seeds in the mortar on his lap. When the prostitute saw Tilopa suspended in air, still making her oil, the harlot was overcome with shame for having given this task to such an enlightened being. She contemplated begging Tilopa for the privilege of being his disciple; and in that very moment he released a flower, which hit her on the head, and as if being struck by the diamond-thunderbolt of Vajra, the prostitute instantly attained enlightenment, and elevated to Tilopa's side. Tilopa, which means sesame-grinder, realized Mahanirvana Tantra when the seed he was grinding revealed to him the inverse flow of forward moving things, thereby actualizing liberation in one lifetime; the fourth stream of mastery. He called this Fourth Way, Kagyu, the Short Path of Vajra. And it was through the unbroken lineage of Tilopa, the Kagyudpas Red Hats, that the Twentieth Century mystic G. I. Gurdjieff received the foundation of his teachings through the Sarmoun Brotherhood. Tilopa himself had no human guru, having realized liberation through Vajra, the Light of Reality. His most famous student was a learned Kashmiri Brahmin named Naropa, who in turn was the master of Marpa, the Mahasiddha that brought the lineage and doctrine of the Short Path to Tibet. The biography of Naropa is both an amusing and illuminating description of the tests devised by a master of the Short Path to train and direct an initiate. Naropa, born around 1010, c.e., was considered a man of refinement, a learned doctor and deeply convinced of his superiority as a member of the Brahmin caste. Having been greatly offended by a rajah to whom he was chaplain, he resolved to kill the prince by an occult process. For this purpose, he shut himself up in an isolated house and began a magic rite to bring about death; the dragpoi dubhab. As he was performing the rite, a Dakini faery appeared at a corner of the magic diagram and asked Naropa if he deemed himself capable of sending the spirit of the rajah towards a happy place in another world, or of bring it back into the body which it had left and resuscitating it. The magician could only confess that his science did not extend so far. Then the faery assumed a stern presence and reproached him for his nefarious undertaking. She told him that no one had the right to destroy who could not build up again the being destroyed or establish it in a better condition. The consequence of his criminal thought, she added, would be his own rebirth in one of the purgatories. Terror-stricken, Naropa inquired how he could escape that terrible fate. The Dakini advised him to seek the Sage named Tilopa and beg from him initiation into the mystic doctrine of the Short Path which frees a man from the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be, by the revelation of their true nature, and ensures enlightenment in one single life. If he succeeded in grasping the meaning of that teaching and realize it, he would not be reborn again and consequently would escape a life of torment in the purgatories. Naropa stopped the performance of the rite and hastened towards Bengal where Tilopa lived. However, before Naropa would meet the Sage and receive the Ultimate Teaching, that is, Tilopa's Mahamudra, through which Enlightenment could be realized in one lifetime, he would first undergo twelve astonishments, followed by twelve ordeals. The Twelve Astonishments were challenges to Naropa's conditioning, that is, his ego and beliefs; whereas the Twelve Ordeals, or Hardships, were intended to encourage complete surrender. The first meeting of Naropa with Tilopa occurred in the courtyard of a Buddhist monastery. The cynic Sage, nearly naked, was seated on the ground eating fish. As the meal went on, he put down the fish's backbones beside him. However, in order not to defile his cast purity, Naropa was on the point of passing by at some little distance from the eater, when a monk started to reproach Tilopa for parading his lack of compassion for the animals, that is, killing and eating the fish, in the very premises of a Buddhist Monastery; and ordered him to leave at once. Tilopa did not even condescend to answer. He muttered some words, snapped his fingers and the fish bones were again covered with flesh. The fishes then moved as if living and swam away through the air as if it was water. No vestige remained of the cruel meal on the ground. Naropa was dazed, but suddenly thought that this strange wonder worker, no doubt, was the very Tilopa whom he was seeking. He hurriedly inquired about him, and the information given by the monks agreed with his own intuition. He ran after the Sage, but Tilopa was nowhere to be found. Then in his eagerness to learn the doctrine that could save him from the purgatories, Naropa wanders from town to town with the only result being that each time he reaches a place where Tilopa is said to be staying, the latter has, invariably just left it a little before his arrival. In the coming months, as if by chance on his way, Naropa would meet singular beings who were phantoms created by Tilopa. Once, knocking at the door of a house to beg food, a man comes out who offers him wine. To offer wine or spirit to a high caste Brahmin is an insult, so Naropa feels deeply offended and indignantly refuses the impure beverage. The house and its master vanish immediately. The proud Brahmin is left alone on the solitary road, while a mocking voice laughs that man was I, Tilopa. Again, the traveler sees a brutal husband who drags his wife buy her hair, and when he interferes, the cruel fellow tells him, you had better help me, I want to kill her. At least pass your way and let me do it. Naropa can hear no more. He knocks the man down on the ground, sets free the woman, and, lo!, once more the pantasmagoria disappears while the same voice repeats scornfully, I was there, I, Tilopa. The adventures continue in the same vein. Proficient magician though he may be, Naropa has never even conceived the idea of such display of supernormal powers. He stands on the brink of madness, the beliefs he clung to for his identity shaken to their core, but his fortitude to become Tilopa's disciple grew still stronger. He roamed at random across the country, calling Tilopa aloud and, knowing by experience that the Sage is capable of assuming any form, he bows down at the feet of any passer-by and even before any animal he happens to see on the road. One evening, after a long walk, he reaches a cemetary. A fire is smouldering in a corner; at times, a dark, reddish flame leaps from it showing shriveled- up, carbonized remains. The glimmer allows Naropa to vaguely discern a man laying beside the fire. He looks at him, and a mocking laugh answers his inspection. He falls prostrate on the ground at Tilopa's feet. This time the Sage does not disappear. The obscurations which inhibited Naropa from recognizing the Sage had waned. During the next several years, Naropa followed Tilopa without being treated as of any import, athough the Sage engages him in twelve ordeals, as mentioned above. Each Ordeal or Hardship, according to later Mahasiddhas of the lineage, contained one of twelve instructions of the Fourth Empowerment. As the first three empowerments encouraged the blossoming of the sapiential mind, the Fourth liberated the sapiential mind. However, only a few of the ordeals will be given here to grasp the principle of Naropa's release from his belief barriers and surrender to the Sage, whereby he fully understood the acquenscence of who he thought he was, and realized who he actually was. One of Naropa's first hardships arose following a begging round. According to the custom of Indian ascetics can beg for food, or alms, once a day. Coming back to his master, he offered him the rice and curry which he had received as alms. The rule is that a disciple eats only after his guru is satisfied, but far from leaving something for his follower, Tilopa ate up the whole contents of the bowl, and even declared that the food was so much to his taste that he could have eaten another bowl full with pleasure. Without waiting for a more direct command, Naropa took the bowl and started again for the house where generous householders bestowed such tasty alms, even though he knew he could not beg again. When he arrived, he found the door closed. However, burning with zeal, the devoted disciple did not let himself be stopped for so little. He forced the door open, discovered some rice and various stews keeping warm on the stove in the kitchen and helped himself to more of what Tilopa had so much enjoyed. The masters of the house came back as he was plunging a spoon in their pots and gave him a harsh thrashing. Bruised from head to feet, Naropa returned to the Sage, who showed no compassion whatever for his suffering. What adventure has befallen you on my account, he said with a cynical calm. Do you not regret having become my disciple? With all the strength that his pitiful condition left at his disposal, Naropa protested that far from regretting having followed such a Sage, he deemed the privilege of being his disciple could never be paid for too dearly, even if one was to purchase it at the cost of one's life. Another ordeal took place while Sage and disciple lived in a hut near a forest. Once, returning from the village with Tilopa's meal, Naropa saw that during his absence, the latter had fabricated a number of long bamboo needles, and with covered with molten butter, hardened them in a fire. Inquisitively he inquired about the use Tilopa meant to make of these implements. The Sage responded with a queer smile. Could you, he asked, bear some pain if it pleased me? Naropa answered that he belonged entirely to him and that he would do whatever he liked with him. Well, replied Tilopa, stretch out your hand. And when Naropa had obeyed, he thrust one of the needles under each of the nails of one hand, did the same to the other, and finished with the toes. Then he pushed the tortured Naropa into the hut, commanded him to wait there till he returned, closed the door, and went away. Several days elapsed before he came back. He found Naropa seated on the ground, the bamboo needles still in his flesh. What did you think while alone?, inquired Tilopa. Have you not come to 'believe' that I am a cruel master and that you had better leave me? I have been thinking of the dreadful life of torments which will be mine in the purgatories if I do not succeed, by your grace, in becoming enlightened in the mystic doctrine, and so escaping a new rebirth and having to begin all over, answered Naropa. As the years went by, Naropa drank fowl water, a defiling thing according to religious law; crossed a blazing fire, nearly drowned in icy water, and performed other fantastic feats which often put his life in jeopardy. Once, Sage and disciple were strolling in the streets when they happened to meet a wedding procession accompanying a bride to her husband's house. I desire that woman, said Tilopa to Naropa. Go bring her to me. He had scarcely finished speaking before Naropa joined the cortege. Seeing that he was a Brahmin, the men of the wedding party allowed him to approach the bride, thinking that he meant to bless her. But when they saw that he took her in his arms and intended to carry her away, they seized on everything they could find and belabored poor Naropa so soundly that he fainted and was left for dead. Tilopa had not waited for the end of the performance to pass quietly on his way. When Naropa came to his senses again and had painfully dragged himself along until he overtook his whimsical guru, the latter, as welcome, asked him once more the usual question, Do you not regret?. And as usual, Naropa protested that a thousand deaths seemed to him but a trifle to purchase the privilege of being his disciple. By some accounts, Naropa's last ordeal was said to have occurred at the end of a day walking in a remote mountainous region. Stopping at a cliff, Tilopa asked, what if it would please me for you to jump off this cliff? Before the final word was finished, Naropa leaps off the cliff, breaking nearly every bone in his body. Tilopa made his way down the steep, rocky cliff and asked Naropa who was clearly in agony, How are you?. Naropa answered that the pain was unbearable. Then, in a calm voice, Tilopa commanded him to heal himself. Instantaneously Naropa healed himself, and his broken body was fully restored. That evening, while seated at a fire, quite unexpectedly Tilopa took off one of his shoes and soundly slapped Naropa on the head with it. In that instant Naropa saw the inverse flow of forward moving waves of Light, and would not again transgress into the sleep of samsara, the always changing and impermanent dream of Maya. The full meaning of the Short Path was then told to Naropa through Tilopa's twenty-eight verse Mahamudra, or Ultimate Teaching. The story of Tilopa's Shoe is considered a historic occurrence. Several variations of the story exist, some handed down by oral tradition, others written in the biographies of famous lamas. Yet, unlike other philosophies, the historical legitimacy of Kagyu makes no difference, for the essence of the Short Path, the realization of the sapiential Mind in a single lifetime, is contained within the story. Other paths, as the Abrahamic theology's, which cling to outside things, can never realize liberation or enlightenment, until they surrender those beliefs, as Naropa had to surrender his. The prostitute who surrendered her barriers, her doubts, and beliefs, was able to welcome the Clarity of Mind in a matter of moments; whereas Naropa, a fully indoctrinated Hindu priest, spent several years in torment, in the service of, what many would judge to be a cruel master. Yet Tilopa, through the guidance of a celestial Dakini teacher, was an awakened Being and understood the essence of Mind, Heart and Light. He was an embodiment of Unconditional Love, and only mirrored to Naropa that which Naropa chose to have reflected. The word Naropa, I was told, means the pain is killing me. Na means pain, ro is the word for killing and pa personifies it. In contrast to Naropa's awakening, his pupil, the lama Marpa Lotsawa, grasped the Short Path's doctrine rather easily. On the other hand, Marpa Lotsawa, the translator, is said to have tortured his pupil Milarespa for years, to shock his ego clingings loose. I've pondered more than once what my own name will be? What will be the one thing I'll understand, through which I'll understand everything? My wish is for it not to be Naropa; the Way of Struggle, consistently seeking lessons in hardships, and hiding from ourselves the understanding that beliefs can effortlessly be released if only we would look at them. Like Naropa though, most of us rather break every bone in our bodies before we will let go of doubts and beliefs, and surrender to the acceptance of our Clear Essence. Surrendering or Letting Go of who we think we're supposed to be, and Being who we Are. Vicente

Again I cant say as to the fate of any practitioner. John said that he had a dream of kosta months before he came. A master may be able to look into the future or past. It depends on the laws of the lineage in some cases. Wang Li Peng's teachers used taoist scrying methods and astrological alignments to find their next heir. John's friend that referred him to master Liao wasnt considered a real student even though his parents saved Master Liao's life. But Master Liao saw something special in john.