Search the Community

Hi Folks, Been out of sight for a while due to personal reasons. Over the summer, my brothers and I recorded many videos covering our practice regimen and some short(ish) talks about how we approach Taijiquan and Dao, Daogong, and so on in our system. Feel free to share your thoughts here or on the youtube channel. Subscribe if you like We hope to make these an ongoing podcast series - the idea is, life is short, time is limited and we want to get some information out there on what we consider to be a powerful system. As the saying goes -- "proof of the pudding is in the eating", so we've shared some drills, etc, we use for training and teaching.

In Temple style Tai Chi, there is a meditation called "mother meditation". This meditation is aimed at helping the practitioner develop the ability to clearly separate substantial and insubstantial (along with other significant benefits). The meditation is modeled after the concept of a Mother and her child going somewhere (I was told 'going to the market'). Sometimes the child follows the mother and other times, the mother 'drives' the child. Does anyone know of similar practices? If so, please do share

This is an article I wrote many years ago (11) during my early days of meditation. https://www.medhajournal.com/the-i-of-the-storm/ I strongly recommend for anyone who is struggling currently to persevere and do more studying of nondual texts, along with their regular meditation practice. It might help you resolve these sort of “issues” sooner.

Hello Everyone, I'm a student in the online classes of the Dao De Center in Russia, practicing the Yu Xian Pai and Wu Liu Pai methods. I'm an official disciple in the Yu Xian Pai lineage and have practiced for almost 3 years. I'm an instructor for the beginning level practice of the school, called Dao Gong. Dao Gong is similar to Qi Gong in that it works with the body and energy channels simultaneously in order to achieve a balanced energetic state in the body. The main difference from Qi Gong is that the methods are designed to prepare the practitioner for Taoist Alchemical practices. Dao Gong was created by the Head of the Dao De Center using all of his deep knowledge of Alchemy from the Wu Liu Pai and Yu Xian Pai Schools and also Martial Arts and Medicine Schools of China. Its creation was supervised by the Patriarch of the Wu-Liu Pai lineage. I am the only instructor in the United States, so I'm in a unique position where I can offer online classes to anyone in the US due to having a similar timezone. On that note, Michael Fedorov (opendao), my Master, Alexey Khokhlov, as well as my instructor Arkady Shadursky, have been active on The Dao Bums for some time and I'm sure many of you have heard about the Dao De Center. So, if anyone in the US is interested in experiencing the methods for themselves, now is the time to start. I sure hope to hear from you soon. If you have any questions please write a comment and I'll be sure to answer.

As I was reading through my teacher's notes recently, I came across this concept, which I thought I should share -- This comes back to the concept of Dao and De, and how De really is not different from Dao. If you connect with your De, you connect with Dao. Furthermore we are told, in Tai chi practice, we have to become aware of that which gives us the ability to think, feel, smell, taste, hear and see. Instead of focussing on the process of thinking, feeling, smelling, hearing, tasting or seeing, we should become aware of that which gives us the ability to do those things. That which gives us the ability to do all these things, is essentially empty, but full of potentiality. When we become aware of this "source", we are connected with the source of the universe too.

So in the Damo Mitchell thread I inadvertently interjected the concept of Indirect Method of training. There seemed to be some interest in it, so spinning off another thread about it. Disclaimer - What I'm expressing is my understanding of what I've been told by my teachers. So salt, grain, be forewarned. Direct vs Indirect Method In the Direct Method, the practitioner uses his/her mind to drive the Qi through the Microcosmic orbit and the larger circulation of the lower meridians, arm meridians and the microcosmic orbit simultaneously. This is subject to the ability of one's mind focus, and is known for skipping/bypassing blockages instead of working through them. In the Indirect Method, we generate an energetic Taiji Ball and move it and it's movement induces Qi movement through the meridians (including the MCO etc). This is a gentler and a more efficient way once the practitioner learns to generate an energetic Taiji ball. In the Indirect method, we don't over-exert the mind to spin the lower dan tien, etc. We focus on feeling, letting the mind settle into stillness. Anything that is forced (even if it is slightly) is too much and should be dialed down. All movements and all meditation should be natural and gentle. What does the "energetic Taiji ball" you described consist of, and how is it moved around the body? It's a ball of energy that is generated between your palms or one palm and the ground or one palm and the sky. If you press into it, it pushes back. If you try to pull it apart it resists. But you can press it, compress it, expand it, split it, and so on... As to how you move it...exactly like how you would move a physical ball Can the ball be taken into the body, or does it stimulate the internal energy structure by being moved over the surface? It is both within and without -- and I'm not speaking in parables here. The lower dan tien is always connected to the taiji ball(s). The taiji ball moves energies along the meridians. Depending on the sets/forms we do. If you have more questions or ideas/thoughts...please do share.