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Chan magazine pdf files free http://chancenter.org/cmc/publications/chan-magazines/

Hello. I have been putting off making this thread since it's hard to put this stuff into words. As I said in my intro post, I have strong influence from schools of Chan, and an inclination towards Dao, even though my background on these is rather on the lacking side. I mentioned that I don't like to subscribe to a "religion" because of their coercive nature, but I do like to inmerse myself when something interests me. I don't know much about Dao besides having read the Daodejing a few times (actually, I usually stop where it stops making sense for me, near the middle of the book), even less about the religious aspect of this. I don't know much about buddhism either, so I try to stay in the point where both systems (Dao and Chan) overlap. I think at the core of my aspiration lies one single idea: Simplicity. Which is probably why I have a stronger inclination towards Dao. That is one reason that I don't go into the more exotic aspects of either school. As with any discipline, mastery of the fundamentals is where the substance lies, where the plethora of different techniques and variations are like the flowers that stem from the roots of a handful of "strokes", as I like to call these fundamentals. Back to the point: Simplicity. Once I saw a video of a chinese old man making a porcelain vase, and it caught me. The man was putting his whole mind into it, and after decades of doing that, he had developed a sort of perfection (or as close as it gets) in his practice. That's why works like the Ox Herding Pictures are so appealing: as they simply and succintly express the path (any path, really) with 10 pictures. Where the void picture is not the last, but "Return to the world" is the culmination of it. I don't know if I am making sense here, but for me, this last step for return to the world represtens the maximum point in simplicity: You're no longer a master of X, but one more among men. Dao represents what would be the pinnacle of simplicity, and it's immutable nature, present in every situation and in every living being, a manifestation of such simplicity. I like to think life is essentially simple, and that we overcomplicate ourselves. Contrary to the Western mindset, I think we ought to rediscover our animal nature. Well, that's kind of what I strive for, and I am way too far from that yet. I am an overcomplicated person with possible ADD who is very confused about his path in life (and a huge ego that keeps talking about itself ). I can't even put my thoughts succintly into words. What do you guys think of this? I mean about the whole "simplicity at the core of it all". I know this is a Daoist forum so perhaps everyone will agree, yet some feedback will be nice. What do you think about the multiple practices of "daoism" in relation to this? Thanks for taking the time to read.

Just scanned the Wikipedia article, reflected a bit and come to a conclusion myself. Interested in other opinions. No justification necessary but feel free to post reasoning if you want.

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Hi, I just joined the forum in order to get contact information of a member, I read one of snowmonki's posts, and noted he was in the UK, and wanted to find out more about him/her. I'm a long time Zen student who taught Tai Chi up till about fifteen years ago, when various circumstances - mainly physical - conspired against continuing it. I am now quite old. I am also interested in Chan, and also in Taoism. But my main study is Zen. I've been at this so long, that I see it as part of my identity I guess. Some three years ago my Kundalini awakened on a Chan retreat, and I've been dealing with the aftermath of that since then. It is a very difficult subject to get any useful help on, and I eventually started on Mahamudra studies in order to get access to experience from that path. The Tibetans are very broad in their views and very helpful.But I've just recently got my Vajrasattva initiation, and the Six Yogas of Naropa part of the study is still some years away, so I am still in limbo. I found that my Zen teacher doesn't value this direction, which is disappointing, particularly as this Zen school, like most of them, think the world of Hakuin, who in fact rated its usefulness highly. However, there does appear to be a prejudice in some spiritual traditions against the physical/emotional/energetic aspects of K. I can understand that K awakening may causes issues for students and in groups, but if it is unsought, then the path should be broad enough to include them, if it is a valid way. I think. The problems can lead to benefits too perhaps, though it might take time. I've recently been reading Nan Huai Chin, and it is disappointing that his particular branch of teaching doesn't appear to have made it to the UK. He says, that while this energetic/physical path is a left hand path, a side door, "a side door is still a door. One cannot ignore or deny this completely." I realize their are more modern approaches, like KAP, and teachers like Chrism. But somehow they are not for me. Traditional Yoga - as it is practiced in this country - doesn't interest me either. I wish I could find a teacher like Huai Chin.

Gui Zhen Society in Staten Island NY. Hi Every One! I'm Lin, been on the Dao Bums for ages now, and recently moved back to the U.S. from China. I re-established my cultivation school in Staten Island and am offering a number of cultivation methods I have been putting together over the last several years. One of them is called White Canopy Meditation, a.k.a. Jiu Wu Tan Gong (Nine Five Platform Cultivation). Its quite a lengthy description, so I wil leave a short one here and link you to my personal practice page for the full idea: White Canopy Description Also new to the martial arts world, as well as to the Qigong, meditation, etc world, my own expression of both spiritual cultivaton and martial art , Origin and Illusion (Zong Huan). Origin and Illusion: Zong Huan Peace and Blessings, Lin Ai Wei Gui Zhen Society, Pure Mind Center Pure Mind Center Blog

I wasn't even aware of this until today! Noted Master Nan Huai-Chin Reported Dead in China