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I have been an avid reader of William Bodri's work and some of Nan Huai Chin. They seem to imply that Buddhism and Daoism are doing the same thing but from different angles. Buddhism is from the angle of mind/Shen. While Daoism is from the angle of Qi. Bodri talks about how the first 4 jhana's or form Jhana's are alchemical in nature hence why they are called form Jhana. They purify the form realm of a person's being which is yuan jing, qi and shen. And then the formless jhana's work on emptiness itself. They say its slower than alchemy but safer. As one achieves each jhana the alchemical transformation occurs naturally on its own. They say as one becomes extreme yin true yang qi rises and opens the extraordinary meridians. He emphasizes Anapanasati or Skeleton Visualization. Do you guys think his right. Also on my own as I started reading books on daoism like Damo Mitchell, Wang Mu laying the foundation, Jerry ALan Johnsons Neigong book, Taoist yoga and even Nathan Brine the disciple of Wang Liping. They all talk about xing and ming. Ming represents jing to qi to shen transformation. While xing represents working with ones true nature. The two seem similar to buddhist Shamatha and Vipassana. Cuz Shamatha or concentration practices do not work with ones true nature rather they help to purify ones mind until it becomes comlpetely still and pliable which is at fourth jhana.Plus they seem to be energy transformations as one climbs the jhana ladder. At the point of fourth jhana you have reached yuan shen. Then from 4th jhana one can practice Vipassana cuz the mind is still and strong enough to look back on its own nature and observe itself. Similar to Xing practices in daoism. Do you guys agree with this?

Hey Everyone, I'm an enthusiastic explorer of the mind-body link. I'm a Hindu by upbringing and a curious inquirer into the nature of things. I'm a control systems engineer currently working in systems biology and was always interested about prana/chi. Recently I had a weird first person experience during the practice of yoga nidra. It's the practice of deeply relaxing but holding clarity and focus of mind simultaneously, in the supine position, and moving the the focus of awareness through different parts of the body one by one. Mostly I have experienced a sensation of tingling and vague throbbing sensation seemingly correlated with the pulse throb. But I that day the relaxation was particularly strong and I was almost in a hypnagogic state where I felt the "sensation of tingling" coalesce into a narrow region approximately half the width of a finger tip. Sharpness of the sensation was new and almost felt like a clear but mild electric current. It followed my attention and I attempted to move it throw my left arm. It felt as if a charged thin thread was moving through the upper flesh, just beneath the skin, tracing a path that felt like it was already there. I lost control of the "droplet" near my shoulder and it moved straight into my heart region automatically as if it was slipping towards it creating a sharp but mild pain which startled me out of the relaxation state. The pain was clear and sharp. I tried to recreate this experience but I have not had success in doing so yet. Mainly because of the extent of relaxation without dullness of mind that it seems to require. I have started practicing shamatha (mindfulness of breathing) to get a hang of this. I found Alan Wallace's material on concentration development to be the most erudite and practical. Please do offer suggestions on finding authentic teachers and practitioners in Tai Chi/Qi gong.

A Shamatha Meditation Based on Symbolism, Visualization, Mnemonics and Classical Conditioning. This 3-level meditation method is based on pure psychology and a completely rational method to develop focus, objectivity, discipline, inner purification, a desire for liberation, inner stillness, understanding ‘destructive normality’, and a preparedness to walk on the path of spirituality. You can read the disclaimers given at the top to understand the objective of the meditation: https://nellaishanmugam.wordpress.com/a-shamatha-meditation-based-on-symbolism-visualization-mnemonics-and-classical-conditioning/

Hello from Germany / Europe, thank you for granting me access to this forum ! My main intention is learning and asking questions, plus being able to learn from other experienced practitioners. I am coming from the Yang Style Tai Chi form and started out with basic health improvement goals. Nowadays I focus more on topics such as Nei Kung, safe ways to open energy channels and in general similarities and differences in meditation practice ( Taoist / Chan / Zen / Shamatha practice ). I welcome all guidance and once again thank you and my best wishes to all here in the forum.

I was under the impression Mantra was one method available to quiet the mind yet recently have seen some TTBs insist this is not its purpose. If Mantra is not a tool to aid in quieting the mind then what exactly IS its purpose and why do so many different spiritual traditions around the world use it?