What are the defining qualities of a Taoist immortal?

[nac]

Compassion? Benevolence? Power? Mellowness? Just ending their breath cycles or something like that?

[minkus]

Compassion? Benevolence? Power? Mellowness? Just ending their breath cycles or something like that?

 

Often a funny little man with a long (sometimes white) beard and talking gibberish in weird scentences wich often seem unlogically composed. The immortal laughs alot and drinks tea from mountainspring water. When you ask him what he knows about immortality or internal alchemy he will smile quickly and deny he knows anything although when you do one step closer it feels like he's dantien's energy is pushing you back 2 feet.

 

When you ask him: Who are you ? He will be slightly confused as he doesnt know who the heck you are talking to.

 

When asked how to meditate to become immortal he will answer something in the line of: what is there to meditate upon ? or: You are immortal you yust need to recognise it and stop being reborn the whole time.

 

When you ask if he has internal power he will say he hasnt got any as he told before but when he needs a fire to warm a tea he yust looks at the wood and it starts to burn pfff.

 

The immortal sleeps often and doesnt apologize when he burps.

 

Female immortals are about the same, sometimes worse .. and minus the beard.

 

You are free to use this definition anytime

[Taiji Bum]

The immortal sleeps often and doesnt apologize when he burps.

I'm almost there then!

 

In my opinion there is only one defining characteristic and that is true physical immortality. A stage one immortal is re-birth with full conscious memory of previous lives and the last stage immortal is full ascension.

[nac]

Isn't there anything like a consensus among religious Taoists?

[neidan practitioner]

Compassion? Benevolence? Power? Mellowness? Just ending their breath cycles or something like that?

 

From what I understand, and I could well be off on some of this, diifferent branches of Taoism

used the term differently. In early Taoism, there were many who were actually trying to

create an external physical elixir that would bring physical immortality. Unfortunately

many of those doing the experimenting met unfortunate ends, since they ingested poisonous

materials. So an immortal to them was someone who was physically immortal.

 

In other sects, an immortal is someone who has spiritually ascended to the Taoist immortal realms.

These immortals can apparently appear to people on earth in a bodily form if they wish to do so.

 

In other later Taoists sects that were influenced by Buddhism, from what I understand anyway,

an immortal is someone who has not only achieved complete spiritual transformation and ascendance,

but also has achieved a oneness with tao or complete enlightenment.

Those are just my impressions from reading various Taoist texts. As I said, I may well be

off the mark on this.

 

At any rate, a Taoist immortal who has not yet left this physical realm,

has been described with characteristics such as the following,

(see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_(Daoist)):

"They are immune to heat and cold, untouched by the elements, and can fly, mounting upward with a fluttering

motion. They dwell apart from the chaotic world of man, subsist on air and dew, are not anxious like ordinary

people, and have the smooth skin and innocent faces of children. The transcendents live an effortless

existence that is best described as spontaneous. They recall the ancient Indian ascetics and holy men known

as ṛṣi who possessed similar traits"

 

Don't forget to say hi to them when they bound past you effortlessly as you are climbing

up the mountain.

 

- np -

Edited May 18, 2009 by neidan practitioner

[neidan practitioner]

Here is a link to an article that contains descriptions of some the

famous Taoist immortals:

 

http://www.qi-journal.com/philosophy.asp?-...rchID=Immortals

 

Best wishes to all, for I am off to sip the pure morning dew on the high majestic mountain peaks ...

 

- np -

[goldisheavy]

Compassion? Benevolence? Power? Mellowness? Just ending their breath cycles or something like that?

 

My first answer is that there is no such thing as "the defining quality" for an immortal.

 

But if you have to pin it down, I would say the immortal's mind is beyond fixated viewpoints. That is to say, an immortal can entertain various views without becoming fixated on them, or taking them as the absolute truth. A mortal fixates on certain views as absolutely true, and thus experiences the life of a limited identity with birth and death.

Edited May 18, 2009 by goldisheavy

[Stigweard]

"The process of spiritual attainment proceeds through six phases or levels, beginning with personality refinement and conscious refinement and culminating in becoming Tao.

 

Step One: Chi refinement and Natural Meditation as the cultivation of chi.

Step Two: Teh Tao: Receiving or discovering the path and learning the Tao.

Step Three: Wu Tao: Enlightened by Tao.

Step Four: Ming Tao: Lucidified with Tao.

Step Five: Teh Tao: Gaining Tao, and Tao also gains you. You live beyond your personal cares.

Step Six: Chen Tao: Attaining Tao. Your physical presence gradually merges with the invisible reality of Tao, but you are still able to respond, if you choose, and appear in form. You have achieved spiritual immortality, not physical immortality in the ordinary sense of a life that needs to eat, sleep, and pay taxes."

 

P65, Ni, Hua Ching, "Enrich Your Life With Virtue", Seven Star Communications, CA 1999

 

Blessings

[goldisheavy]

"The process of spiritual attainment proceeds through six phases or levels, beginning with personality refinement and conscious refinement and culminating in becoming Tao.

 

Step One: Chi refinement and Natural Meditation as the cultivation of chi.

Step Two: Teh Tao: Receiving or discovering the path and learning the Tao.

Step Three: Wu Tao: Enlightened by Tao.

Step Four: Ming Tao: Lucidified with Tao.

Step Five: Teh Tao: Gaining Tao, and Tao also gains you. You live beyond your personal cares.

Step Six: Chen Tao: Attaining Tao. Your physical presence gradually merges with the invisible reality of Tao, but you are still able to respond, if you choose, and appear in form. You have achieved spiritual immortality, not physical immortality in the ordinary sense of a life that needs to eat, sleep, and pay taxes."

 

P65, Ni, Hua Ching, "Enrich Your Life With Virtue", Seven Star Communications, CA 1999

 

Blessings

 

You didn't answer the question. The question was, how is the person at step six like when you take that person out for a beer. What cologne do they wear? Do they like Nike or Rebook? Do they make more than 100k a year? What size is their dick? Etc... Those are the things people want to know.

[mat black]

The Shurangama Sutra explains various types of immortals and how/why they became so.

[mYTHmAKER]

You didn't answer the question. The question was, how is the person at step six like when you take that person out for a beer. What cologne do they wear? Do they like Nike or Rebook? Do they make more than 100k a year? What size is their dick? Etc... Those are the things people want to know.

 

i wear MacBeth sneakers, no cologne, less than 100k and size 11 shoe

[nac]

Would "perfectly unattached" be a good description?

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

Edited June 3, 2009 by Zhuo Ming-Dao

[Seth Ananda]

Me