LongHu Shan Posted June 11, 2009 (Some kind spirit advise it better to re-post the below away from "Lobby") Dear All, I am trying to bring over a Chinese Taoist priest (from Spain!) and would like to seek the support of those who are interested in letting a Chinese Taoist (Yes! They exist!) clue us in on his wherefors and whatfors and whatyoumays on the Tao. I think Chinese Taoist views are as valid as any other view of Taoism outside of China, I am not going to go into the validity or purity of who's got the monopoly of 'truth' here and everywhere else but it would help (my humble view) if for the UK (at last) we can have our very own Chinese Taoist priest to enlighten or even to join in the general confusion that Taoism may be different bean curd to different experts (or even Taoists!). Please visit http://www.qingjing.net/ you can click on 'Espanol'-with-the-squiggle on the top right if you can't understand Chinese and if you can't understand either, you can click on 'English' also on the top right. Our friend is pictured on the page and is a highly assessible priest and of considerable standing. A humble man he is studious and commands a range of practices in the Taoist arts. Aim is to bring Master Tian in to lead a range of activities both the wordy and the practical leading to a permanent center (with more priests and helpers) and its own clinic, teahouse, shop, maybe retreat facilities... Now you know it is a fair bit of work involving getting off the bum, so may the brave get out of their beds together with the not-so-brave from their fengshuied hovels and actually do something other than going around in circles and off in tangents discussing debating and getting self and others in everlasting confusion about 'nothing'! Those who are interested (serious, please, we have to deal with the gatekeepers to this Tao-forsaken country, deal with money, other miserable people and so on...) please get in touch on this board following my post. Say that you want to make a difference to yourself and a difference to the endless forums, messages, posts, expert opinions, queries, questions, answers, more answers, sales pitches, ... etc etc Why let everyone else confuse you when you can let your very own Chinese Taoist priest confuse you albeit at the moment mostly in Chinese and Spanish and a litle bit of English only... You do not need to grow long white beards, keep your hair long and wear nice gowns yet but you will need to do plenty to get things off the ground (ie. levitate...)... (Note: There would be along the way, involvement by the Chinese community in the UK too, the more the merrier...) Best wishes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iskote Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) ... Edited June 11, 2009 by Iskote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pietro Posted June 11, 2009 Longhu Shan's post may seem a bit flippant, but don't let that put you off , as he appears to be quite serious about working on bringing a Taoist priest acquaintence of his to England to teach various Taoist arts. I believe the Taoists priest's full name is Master Tien Cheng Yang (please correct me if I got that wrong) and he is currently teaching Taoists arts in Spain. Master Tien's English website is http://www.qingjing.net/English/ and it describes the various practices he teaches, and also has a webpage about his former teacher. Very interesting reading. Here is more of what Longhu Shan said about this in the thread he started in the Lobby forum: May all your thoughts be good... All this is very interesting indeed. (especially since he is in Spain, I could go and visit him in a week end trip ) What do our resident bums say about it. For example people like YMWong, who were so critical to our previous guest, saying that he was not a real taoist priest. Is this one ok instead? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LongHu Shan Posted June 11, 2009 <<< Is this one ok instead? >>> Ok for what? Approved by who? I wouldn't worry about what others say... You will have to go and visit him and find out from yourself. Before going, call the centre and ask to speak to him before you go rushing off from watching Berlusconi TV output, eh! Master Tian spends time in China each year for his work and his cultivation (maybe toward 'approval' by some experts outside China?). I usually leave him in peace so I don't know the very latest with him, he does disappear suddenly at times (but this is not Taoist magic...)! If you do go, the centre is poor, do bring along some of your soon-to-be worthless liras/euros and make a decent donation - it might even end up as fund for a visit by Master Tian to your horrible city! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pietro Posted June 11, 2009 ... before you go rushing off from watching Berlusconi TV output, eh ????????????????! do bring along some of your soon-to-be worthless liras/euros and make a decent donation - it might even end up as fund for a visit by Master Tian to your horrible city! You must have felt truly offended by my post, to react like this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LongHu Shan Posted June 11, 2009 <<< You must have felt truly offended by my post, to react like this. >>> Come off it, Piedmont! Don't choke on your raviolis! I was only joking, do lighten up, man! Relax! Open a good bottle of Barolo and drink to our new friendship and misunderstanding! Sorry if I stuck the needles in the wrong places, but rest of post is serious - do get in touch with Master Tian and even pay him a visit. And don't forget to ofload your worthless liras/euros/pastas onto his centre! Bring along a good bottle of your Italian extra virgin olive oil, Master Tian would appreciate geture like that he is getting nowhere with Spanish 'cuisine'! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pietro Posted June 11, 2009 <<< You must have felt truly offended by my post, to react like this. >>> Come off it, Piedmont! Don't choke on your raviolis! I was only joking, do lighten up, man! Relax! Open a good bottle of Barolo and drink to our new friendship and misunderstanding! Sorry if I stuck the needles in the wrong places, but rest of post is serious - do get in touch with Master Tian and even pay him a visit. And don't forget to ofload your worthless liras/euros/pastas onto his centre! Bring along a good bottle of your Italian extra virgin olive oil, Master Tian would appreciate geture like that he is getting nowhere with Spanish 'cuisine'! Now I see where the confusion was coming from. My address said that I was in Rome, Italy. That's why. No, I am no more in Rome. I am in Portugal. And this is why I mentioned that he is not that far from here. If/when I will have a car I might go and visit him. I also paid a visit to Mak Tin Si, and I wrote my experience in a post buried somwhere. But then there was a huge discussion over the point if Mak Tin Si was a legitimate Taoist priest or a person who has deluded himself into being a Taoist priest. I think the jury is still out. Or yet, each person of the jury seem to have took their own decision, and seem to be unwilling to change it. There just was no agreement over it. This whole discussion have been started with you saying, let's interact with a legitimate Taoist Priest. Now it is only fair that I ask if this person is truly legitimate. Especially after our recent discussions. The fact is that I do not understand nothing of Taoist Priests. Never been to China, never been to Hong Kong. So I was asking out more experienced brothers to give a feedback over this priest. Nice one about Barolo, it's starting to become the wine of choise among Taoists around here. Along with San Giovese (liked by RJ), and Champagne (liked by Bruce). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LongHu Shan Posted June 11, 2009 Thanks for post. I do admire your ability for being omnipresent! It is supposed to be a high skill in Taoism being everywhere and probably nowhere! First Rome, then Portugal, I have a sneaky suspicion you are a Brit! Since you know your alcohol, I forgive you for being everywhere and for being Brit! I haven't said anything about anybody being "legitimate", I won't give a one-armed one-legged monkey to whoever here who thinks he/she/it has the blessed potatoe in the head and self-appointed to judge who is or is not "legitimate", real Taoist or plastic Taoist. Sure, there are people around who pose as masters of Taoism as there are people around who pose as anything else for that matter. There are those who 'know' who may have been around a bit and have come across either genuine or fake masters but I haven't come across anyone who would appear to know beyond that one or two person in Taoism or one or two books on the subject. There may be people who 'know' more but that to me is usually someone who has met one more person in Taoism or slept over one more book on Taoism. But being 'knowledgeable' is not the issue, for me one must go and seek truth by himself/herself, learn as much as possible and not rely on, as far as possible people who are themselves actually 'blind'! I do not have any 'method' for attesting the genuine from the otherwise. I simply leave that to 'sinpatico' and empathy with the person in question. Is he sincere? Is he humble? Does he go round publicising himself or allow a bunch of sycophants to do that for him? Is he into commercialism? Does he need to be worshipped? Does he need an army of unquestioning followers? Does he really spend time cultivating himself or takes off his robes after sermons to count his money or beat up his wife? Does he really have things to teach or he spends his time going on and on about 'deep' subjects that nobody but he understands? Is he for real - does he eat, sleep, sing, bark like the rest of us? - too often the fake would spend a lot of effort cultivating some kind of 'mystique/mystery' about himself, etc etc... The Taoists I have met are all approachable, very giving, down to earth - they are relaxed, open and crack jokes like the rest of (normal) us! Nothing of that put-on man-of-mystery/'deep learning' bovine manure! I can remember not many years back an old Taoist master asked among Taoist priest friends for me for days till everyone thought he wanted to see me for something really urgent. When we finally met, I saw him from a distant, the near-100 year old man had a wide grin which I could see - when he came face to face all he wanted to do with me was to tell me a joke! There you go! He did not dispense great wisdom or tell me some secret technique to transmute gold into scrap! Same with other Taoist priests or devout novice - they are just very approachable, humble and down to earth folks. They are also happy with themselves can't be bothered about the mad rush to run the next course in secret breathing technique or open the next Kentucky Fried Taoist temple! I can remember a senior geomancy expert (he was part of team locating position for Mao's mausoleum, yes the communists use Taoist knowledge too!) who came to see me for half a day when I was in Beijing on one occasion. He had to travel south to Guangdong from Henan his home province then go upward a long distance to Beijing just to see me very briefly. If the old man was into money he would not be bothered! I've got lots of anecdotes, proofs, i can recount about real Taoists and real people but I am sure you and the rest of the board would have your own way of seeing the real from the fake. If at first you are fooled and yes there are more swindlers than the honest in Taoism, you learn from your mistake. You should know at least something about yourself - are you desperate to find something you want to latch on to? Why? I find that when I stop wanting, stop needing, and just 'let go' things start to happen... I get to meet those I had hoped to meet, they just appear... and so on... I was running after a whole bunch of Taoists and things at one time I got so exhausted that I just gave up. And that was when they all suddenly appeared and things started to happen and still I was too exhausted to handle anything! Do go, car or without car, and meet up with Master Tian as you said you are right next door to Spain. Go and be pleasantly surprised by him! He 'clicks' readily with people even if sometimes he is (really) too busy (he actually works hard!). A friend of mine who can speak Portuguese sometimes communicate with him they are like a chicken and duck talking but they do somehow still understand each other, that's sinpatico, mate! Spare yourself the discussions all over just pop over soon as you have arranged something for your stay in Barcelona. Go and show yourself genuine and legitimate - Hey! the opposite does take place, you will be 'looked over' just like you go and suss him out! Come back to the board and tell others your experience and have everybody else lecture you from their armchairs and behind their 'safe' books! I would avoid the alcohol though, Master Tian is no drinker..! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iskote Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) ... Edited June 11, 2009 by Iskote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheng zhen Posted June 11, 2009 Sounds like an interesting teacher. Go Pietro, go! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iskote Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) ... Edited June 12, 2009 by Iskote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LongHu Shan Posted June 11, 2009 Hi Iskote, I heed your advice but I feel we (at least some/most? of us) are grown-ups here and can take a bit of 'stick n stone', not perceive remarks I may or may not have made as slights, take offence and all that. I do agree some can be little princesses when it comes to some of my remarks but i feel there are always those others who are prepared to allow me to 'be myself' and tolerate me, what evil is it that I have done here, eh? I am not terribly worried that there may be those 'honourable sirs' who may not wish to lend a hand for my 'cause' because I am not behaving the way they may think I should to get their gracious support, maybe I should do a bit of slavish kowtowing?... Those who may be unsure can surely speak their minds, maybe even get dangerously convinced, no? If there is any interest even 2% of that on the part of such people surely they can put aside their 'differences' with me rather than expect me to hammer myself into a shape or form suitable or convincing enough for them to come down from Heaven finally to offer a little finger. If there are those with problems with thinking that I imply "... the forum members here are all lazy, do nothing but argue or otherwsie talk nothing but nonsense, and are only practicing nonsense practices, etc." I won't know what to say, at least at this point. I can try one tact "What if I do?" Are these people going to get very angry, tear their hair out, unplug their eyeballs to get at me? What about thinking along the lines of "Hey, everyone is entitled to have an opinion, a say.. Let them say what they want, I can defend myself, my guru, my stupidity/freedom.. I have an open mind we can discuss., debate, argue..." I could also say "I haven't said any of those things which some may have imagined I did". So what about not letting your imagination run wild? Relax, and try to convince me slowly I am not behaving the way they want me to? Thanks for your view, Iskote, I won't worry about turning off that "happy juice" I'll squirt that all over the place, it might 'hurt' some it might give others a laugh but if each and everyone of the little princesses were to tell me how I should behave toward them I would become many Jekylls and many Hydes! Hows about we all suck tolerance juice and live and let live? Hows about wiping off that happy juice but still show some of us are Taoist enough to still lend a hand, "in spite of..". A moment ago we had Pietro took a bit of offence with my remarks. He has been understanding enough to put misunderstanding aside and I hope he can get on his bike to Barcelona soon. I have not made any effort to convince him 100% about anything and I hope he hasn't expected that of me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
de_paradise Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) Edited June 11, 2009 by de_paradise Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iskote Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) ... Edited June 12, 2009 by Iskote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
