The Tao Bum Pai

[That Guy]

Just wondering here if this community has ever tried to come together and create a system of its own.

 

Apparently there are many masters and very well studied masters here. It could be pretty interesting if you all put some stuff together and create The Tao Bum Pai.

 

Now I know mixing stuff can be dangerous and all, but thays why we'll do things slightly differently should you be willing to contribute. We should outline the steps first, like first thing we wanna do is improve chi circulation lets say, so you all weigh in on what the best way to do this is. Then next we should improve concentration, so you all weigh in on the best way to do this is.

 

So basically set the goals in some order, and then come to an agreement on the best way to get there. We want a complete system for health, strength and dare I say it special abilities

 

So by the end we can have some bad ass system, The Tao Bum Pai.

 

So if you wanna give this a try, lets start by listing in some order what you think is most important to train, and once we got that down we can look into the best exercises to do that.

 

And we're starting from level 0 here, so assume you will be teaching n00bs this system.

 

 

Edit 1:

 

Now this is kinda made from nothing here, so i can't be sure where I am going and how this will turn out But my vision is something we can practice and get good results from, these results should include good health, strength, flexibility and super powers

So first thing I will try and do is get a list of what the most essential things to learn so you can progress in your development. Towards what you ask? towards all that you can be

 

Once we have that we can put together routines and use levels. Lets try and make an example

 

Level 1

 

We improve fitness through an exercise routine, people weigh in on what a good beginner routine is based on their experience.

 

Energy circulation, we weigh in on what a good exercise to circulate energy in a beginner is.

 

And so on...

But basically we want to create a good foundation here by training the more essential things.

 

Level 2

 

We begin to do the secondary things and build more on the primary with more advanced exercises recommended by you guys.

 

 

We can decide n a number of levels, and decide on what they should build and how I guess. I m making this up as I go along, its a lot to consider. But if we lay out the foundation, and build on that and introduce new things on the higher levels it might be best. So start from 0 and build from there, right now we're just deciding what should be built first.

 

 

 

Voters so far: Scotty

 

Points so far:

 

 

Exercise (5)

 

Energy Circulation (4)

 

Meditation (3)

 

Diet (2)

 

Visualisation (1)

 

Getting in touch with Nature ()

 

Flexibility ()

 

EDIT 2:

 

Things are a bit hard to sort right now, I shall set some structure for us to follow

 

First The Tao Bum Pai shall have main 2 goals per level. Level 1 is for a complete beginner, we'll do that first, and then level 2,3,4.... and so on. How high we shall go I don't know.

 

 

I've created a format for us to follow for each level. We'll do a level at a time or else it might be an overwhelming amount of info to try and sort out. So just copy paste the form below and fill it in with your advise.

 

 

Level 1

 

-First Goal-

 

Exercises and Effects:

 

-

 

-

 

 

-Second Goal-

 

Exercises and Effects:

 

-

 

-

 

Extra Curricular Activities (this is for extra things you can do, I added it with Sun-gazing type activities in mind)

 

Activity:

 

Benefit :

 

 

Previous Levels Step Up: (here we add on and make changes to exercises in previous levels)

 

-

 

 

Level Up Requirements:

 

-

-

 

 

This is pretty tough to think out, what have i done?!

Edited December 28, 2009 by That Guy

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Just wondering here if this community has ever tried to come together and create a system of its own.

 

and then come to an agreement on the best way to get there. We want a complete system for health, strength and dare I say it special abilities

 

 

BwaaaHaaaaaaaHaaaaa!!!!

[Inedible]

The first thing I want to add is that if we are going to speak english, we should use english. No chakras, no meridians, no tan tien. No prana, no chi, no qi, no lung. Literally, we should put in in our own words even if we must be influenced by other traditions.

[Taomeow]

The first thing I want to add is that if we are going to speak english, we should use english. No chakras, no meridians, no tan tien. No prana, no chi, no qi, no lung. Literally, we should put in in our own words even if we must be influenced by other traditions.

There's a French writer, George Perec, who wrote an e-less novel, La Disparition, that doesn't use the vowel e. He also wrote another novel, Les Revenentes, that uses no vowel but e. A translator, Ian Monk, has undertaken translating them into English. I suggest we hire him as a consultant if we decide to follow your proposition.

[Tao99]

The first thing I want to add is that if we are going to speak english, we should use english. No chakras, no meridians, no tan tien. No prana, no chi, no qi, no lung. Literally, we should put in in our own words even if we must be influenced by other traditions.

If we did this we might end up with a bunch of science terms, specifically -

 

TBP = synapse, neurotransmitter, neuron, bioelectric (refined=relaxation respone/ragged=stree response), nervous system, and maybe even neural-initiator (spirit)

 

The TBP Seat of the Soul:

 

[Aetherous]

Well, as funny as it is thinking we can ever come to an agreement here...this is actually a really cool and great idea!!

 

So if you wanna give this a try, lets start by listing in some order what you think is most important to train, and once we got that down we can look into the best exercises to do that.

 

Well, I think the first most important thing is to get people out of their heads and into their bodies. Second most important is to have a technique which transforms strong energy (like sexual frustration, addiction, emotion, etc) and recirculates it. Third most important is to get the lower dan tien going!

 

"Dan tien breathing" accomplishes everything. Health, circulation through the MCO, qi building, emotional wellbeing, meditative state, concentration, etc.

 

It's especially good with a Stress Eraser, for those who have trouble relaxing at times (like me).

 

...

 

Something else that people here (I think forum member "durkhrod chogori") have brought up: sitting isn't good if you haven't been using your legs. So walking for a while before sitting can be good.

 

Some might lean towards zhan zhuang for rooting/grounding/integration, but I think walking does the same thing with less mental effort. You don't need a teacher to correct your posture so much. Just imagine that the head is being suspended on a string so that you are comfortable and balanced, upright...and walk. Plus you can have an excuse to get out in nature.

 

Of course...who wants to just walk and breathe? Doesn't seem so exciting, does it? It's not some fancy shmancy stuff...however, it's what will bring the most benefit.

 

The first thing I want to add is that if we are going to speak english, we should use english. No chakras, no meridians, no tan tien. No prana, no chi, no qi, no lung. Literally, we should put in in our own words even if we must be influenced by other traditions.

 

This is a good idea, too!

 

Another thing to consider is "keep it simple stupid"...if we get all bogged down by different mini exercises, then we lose the point and find it hard to even know what to practice. There should be a definite outline of what to practice as a beginner, and it shouldn't be confusing at all.

 

I'm curious to see what people from other Taoist schools have to say...

Edited December 26, 2009 by Scotty

[That Guy]

Good to see positive spirits here

We'll reach an agreement, even if it is the agreement to disagree, but I thought the same thing as you TheSongsofDistantEarth In which case we can have a vote, and hope we dont draw

 

Pretty interesting idea from the french author Taomeow

 

And we should keep english, but it should be ok to use foreign words like qi, chi,ki , prana, yin, yang etc But at the start we have to point out how we define these things in our system The Tao Bum Pai in order to avoid confusion. Like Yin and Yang are real energies, and not just a concept for example.

 

So first things first!

 

What are the most important things to develop first? pick 5 and place them in order, your #1 choice gets 5 points #2 gets 4 #3 gets 3 and so on. Once we feel enough have put in the their opinion we can start suggesting exercises to improve those.

 

Example:

1. Meditation

2. chi circulation

3. exercise

4. visualisation

5. diet

 

Thats not official, just an example of what I'd like the masters of The Tao Bum Pai to do

 

 

EDIT: Good to see you Scotty

You made the first contribution to the systems practice needs, you will go down in history

 

 

And also, feel free suggest different things from what I say, because this is our system, The Tao Bum Pai

Edited December 26, 2009 by That Guy

[voidisyinyang]

Tao99 you might want to watch this lecture by Stuart Hameroff -- a specialist on the quantum brain --

 

http://www.rhine.org/vlstuarthameroff.htm

 

He says it's the microtubule junctions in the dendrites -- NOT the chemical transmitters in the axons.

 

 

 

If we did this we might end up with a bunch of science terms, specifically -

 

TBP = synapse, neurotransmitter, neuron, bioelectric (refined=relaxation respone/ragged=stree response), nervous system, and maybe even neural-initiator (spirit)

 

The TBP Seat of the Soul:

 

[Aetherous]

Contributing again, according to the list...

 

1. Exercise - Exercise integrates the energy with the body, and purifies us. It makes us healthy, and can be a good way of subduing the REALLY strong emotions that sometimes arise in life (for instance, sometimes you just need to punch something!). Without exercise, energy practices can be weak and also unsafe.

 

2. Energy circulation - Doing this correctly makes meditation work better, to the point where you just be yourself and meditation is happening naturally...otherwise it can just be an exercise of frustration and futile attempts at controlling the mind. So I think proper energy work is important.

 

3. Meditation - This is often overlooked for the Tao Bums in general (not saying everyone)...however, just be-ing could be said to be the goal of all practice anyway...so why not start practicing the ultimate thing now? However, it's hard to be still if your energy isn't still...thus, it's #3 for me.

 

4. Diet - somewhat important...but it's often overemphasized. Plus some need/want meat, some need/want veggies...you never know. Some like pizza. I personally believe that fasting is really bad for you, however some want to practice it. So, sticky subject.

 

5. Visualization - people will find it hard to practice if they're not open to energy, and integrated in the body...plus it will keep their awareness up in their heads, which will cause problems, if they don't have the foundation down.

[voidisyinyang]

Fasting is actually the secret to advanced practice. You would have to study the book "Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality" trans. by Charles Luk to understand this. Chunyi Lin did the 49 day fast taking no water, no food and no sleep - just full-lotus alchemy. I did the 8 day fast on just half glass of water and that's when my energy was strongest. Yogananda's book has more on this secret behind the "energy feasting" as it's sometimes called.

 

Contributing again, according to the list...

 

1. Exercise - Exercise integrates the energy with the body, and purifies us. It makes us healthy, and can be a good way of subduing the REALLY strong emotions that sometimes arise in life (for instance, sometimes you just need to punch something!). Without exercise, energy practices can be weak and also unsafe.

 

2. Energy circulation - Doing this correctly makes meditation work better, to the point where you just be yourself and meditation is happening naturally...otherwise it can just be an exercise of frustration and futile attempts at controlling the mind. So I think proper energy work is important.

 

3. Meditation - This is often overlooked for the Tao Bums in general (not saying everyone)...however, just be-ing could be said to be the goal of all practice anyway...so why not start practicing the ultimate thing now? However, it's hard to be still if your energy isn't still...thus, it's #3 for me.

 

4. Diet - somewhat important...but it's often overemphasized. Plus some need/want meat, some need/want veggies...you never know. Some like pizza. I personally believe that fasting is really bad for you, however some want to practice it. So, sticky subject.

 

5. Visualization - people will find it hard to practice if they're not open to energy, and integrated in the body...plus it will keep their awareness up in their heads, which will cause problems, if they don't have the foundation down.

[Spirit Ape]

Add red phoenix with handstand Yoga asana, lmao!!! How about that scotty??? hehehe

 

Yeah, I like the Idea lets see what others think should be in there, I would like to add Sun Gazing as my choice this is a beautiful method found in all cultures and sometimes if not worshipped for a reason. Its power!

 

And connecting with the other 3 elements, air, water, earth as well ether!

 

Ape

[soaring crane]

Just wondering here if this community has ever tried to come together and create a system of its own.

...

 

And we're starting from level 0 here, so assume you will be teaching n00bs this system.

 

Hey Guy, can you define a little more narrowly what it is you have in mind? You've left an entire universe of possibilities open here. Do you mean a compact Qigong routine, from opening to closing moves and meditations, or an entire program that would be incrementally learned in the course of, for example, one year? I'm not sure what you're asking here... Trying to compete with Ken Cohen?

[fiveelementtao]

I also think this is a great idea!

[That Guy]

Hey Guy, can you define a little more narrowly what it is you have in mind? You've left an entire universe of possibilities open here. Do you mean a compact Qigong routine, from opening to closing moves and meditations, or an entire program that would be incrementally learned in the course of, for example, one year? I'm not sure what you're asking here... Trying to compete with Ken Cohen?

 

I tried to address this best i could in my modified post above, will add more later when I'm free until then comment and suggest

[electric chi magnet]

your not thinking in the right direction. What we should is is the first internal power expo sponsored by the tao bums. IT could have demonstrations, seminars, and an overall meet and greet. I think it would be cool if we wore signs that had our screen names on it.

[That Guy]

your not thinking in the right direction. What we should is is the first internal power expo sponsored by the tao bums. IT could have demonstrations, seminars, and an overall meet and greet. I think it would be cool if we wore signs that had our screen names on it.

That would be interesting, but we're all over the world, I probably not be able to make it outside the UK at this time for example

 

Though we can arrange that too of course

Edited December 27, 2009 by That Guy

[markern]

Great idea!!

 

I think som esort of emptiness meditation should be central. Also the inner smile is a very good meditation that can be integrated into almost all other practices. You can focus on hte smilling when you do standing meditation or tai chi or asana or as a one minute "warm up" for qigong or meditation or to get in a nice social state after coming out of meditation etc. And you can easily do it almost all day long while doing other stuff and certainly whenever you have to wait a couple of minutes on the tube or at the office etc. Because this integration into everything makes it such an efficient tool I think it should be included. THe secret smile is also something to consider as so many find it very powerfull and it is suposed to be a very important safety factor and aid in raising kundalini. Dan tien breathing also has my vote. Building a powerful root early also important. Get the body into good physical alignment early is also a priority.

 

Five animals and eight brocades are efficient very well known qigongs that are often used by beginners and that could be used as a basic starter set. Those combined with standing meditation dan tien breathing and inner smile could be a good start.

[soaring crane]

Hi there :-)

 

One of the most fundamental exercises in my groups is 'Finger Breathing'. I was taught a very stripped down version involving a lot of imagery but I've expanded on it a lot over the years, to the point where folks with little to no experience find themselves moving Qi (am I allowed to say 'Qi'?) through their arms and down into the, um, abdomen in a pretty short time.

 

The exercise automatically results in body/breath harmony and trains Dantian (oops) breathing as well. I'd put this kind of exercise, along with some super-simple 'Qi games' at the beginning of the meditation and energetic or spiritual phases.

 

The first thing to do, though, is achieve or maintain basic physical fitness. And the way I'd do that would involve a lot of walking and maybe some light jogging or running. But it should be stressed that running was an integral part of being human for 100s of 1000s of years and so it should be done as a kind of meditation as well, one that can re-connect us to our earliest ancestors.

[That Guy]

[Yoda]

I highly doubt that anyone else will ever be able to come close to what Trunk has achieved with his alchemicaltaoism.com. Having said that, it would be very fun to see other TTBs integrations.

[de_paradise]

Nice intention.

 

I'd add that if a person is already athletic and sporty, the missing key is likely to be stilling the mind and sitting meditation.

 

I think what would be more useful is a kind of wiki of various methods, where a person can pick and choose and integrate with their prefernces and lifestyle. Probably like what Yoda said with Trunks site.

 

I would suggest add the stories and methods used by successful practitioners so that the newb can get some real references.

[Aetherous]

Using Scottys contribution I've filled out an example below, but feel free to edit and add Scotty smile.gif

 

The only thing I really care about is having a relaxing session of belly breathing each day...at least 10 minutes. I want that to be my only contribution. If people are doing that, then we know things will at least be somewhat effective and safe.

 

Everything else is fair game to what others think is good! I hope that knowledgeable people will contribute.

[宁]

I highly doubt that anyone else will ever be able to come close to what Trunk has achieved with his alchemicaltaoism.com. Having said that, it would be very fun to see other TTBs integrations.

It's a great job indeed, and I know he is your friend.... but...

I wouldn't be so sure...

I'm a nobody, but if I'll remake that website, many 'masters' will be out looking for a job...

And I think there are many others (not that many) that can do even better than me.

 

edit: or maybe I DO need a mouthful of humble pie...

Edited December 28, 2009 by Little1

[Martial Development]

I haven't finished learning the systems I inherited.

 

When I have done that, maybe I'll start thinking about how I want to change them.

 

When I've done that, maybe I'll start thinking about how this new system can be communicated accurately over the Internet.

 

After all that is done, I'll be happy to contribute to your project, maybe. Right now I'm kinda busy.

 

The first thing I want to add is that if we are going to speak english, we should use english. No chakras, no meridians, no tan tien. No prana, no chi, no qi, no lung. Literally, we should put in in our own words even if we must be influenced by other traditions.

 

Hey, why not just do the whole project in Esperanto? Then it will be oh-so-unique, and everyone will flock to learn it!

[soaring crane]

-

 

This is pretty tough to think out, what have i done?!

 

you asked for it...

 

I like your streamlining, I think it'll take concrete form soon. I want to write some stuff later.