Taoist Yoga Question 1

[Neophyte]

I recently started reading "Taoist Yoga" by Charles Luk.

I have never studied "tao" before, so all of this is very new to me and I'm still confused by a lot of it.

 

I have a few questions that I hope Tao Bum members will be able to answer.

 

Chapter Five discusses Quick and Slow Fires.

 

My question is in regards to Quick Fire. The author says to use a hypnotist's crystal ball. "Place it in front of you and sit in the usual meditative posture."

 

The author writes: "After gazing at the ball for some time tears will flow."

 

I didn't try it yet, because I don't have a crystal ball. But the instruction seems overly simple.

 

My questions: 1. Does simply staring a crystal ball actually make tears flow?

 

2. Is there anything that I can substitute that works just as well? If not, what type of crystal ball do other taoists use?

 

3. When do I practice this? and How frequently?

 

I encourage you to answer because I really need any advice you might have.

 

Thanks, folks

[Pero]

Chapter Five discusses Quick and Slow Fires.

 

My question is in regards to Quick Fire. The author says to use a hypnotist's crystal ball. "Place it in front of you and sit in the usual meditative posture."

 

The author writes: "After gazing at the ball for some time tears will flow."

 

I didn't try it yet, because I don't have a crystal ball. But the instruction seems overly simple.

 

My questions: 1. Does simply staring a crystal ball actually make tears flow?

 

I'd hazard to say that the crystal ball has nothing to do with the tears (directly).

What are quick and slow fires?

[joeblast]

I have never studied "tao" before, so all of this is very new to me and I'm still confused by a lot of it.

That's a very tough piece of literature to start out with!

 

If you focus your gaze on something, eventually your eyes will tear up, provided you dont blink. You can also do it with a finger held about arm's length, focus the gaze on it until your eyes tear.

Edited February 2, 2010 by joeblast

[Tao99]

Edited July 10, 2010 by Tao99

[Taoist81]

I recently started reading "Taoist Yoga" by Charles Luk.

I have never studied "tao" before, so all of this is very new to me and I'm still confused by a lot of it.

 

I have a few questions that I hope Tao Bum members will be able to answer.

 

Chapter Five discusses Quick and Slow Fires.

 

My question is in regards to Quick Fire. The author says to use a hypnotist's crystal ball. "Place it in front of you and sit in the usual meditative posture."

 

The author writes: "After gazing at the ball for some time tears will flow."

 

I didn't try it yet, because I don't have a crystal ball. But the instruction seems overly simple.

 

My questions: 1. Does simply staring a crystal ball actually make tears flow?

 

2. Is there anything that I can substitute that works just as well? If not, what type of crystal ball do other taoists use?

 

3. When do I practice this? and How frequently?

 

I encourage you to answer because I really need any advice you might have.

 

Thanks, folks

 

Without reference to Taoist Yoga, staring at a crystal ball, glass of ink or coffee, a black mirror, etc. is in the West commonly called "Skrying" and yes, you will tear, just by staring (you end up "distracting" your physical eyes basically and looking "without looking"). And, in most traditions, the different methods are closely equivalent in their effectiveness (though in some systems like the A.'.A.'. they are considered inferior in effectiveness to astral travel and "skrying" without any object to focus on, a la Liber O).

[Spirit Ape]

My art has this and is similar to western mirror magic!

[shaolin]

Ive just started reading it too , and its quite confusing.

 

Are you supposed to practice one exercise at a time , chapter by chapter or do the whole thing?

 

on pg 18 - 19 it says that the generative force should be held for 100 days then it mentions the results of each subsequent 100 days of which there are 6! Perhaps Drew and other experienced taobums could advise on how to use the book. Any help would be appreciated.

[altiora]

I recently started reading "Taoist Yoga" by Charles Luk.

I have never studied "tao" before, so all of this is very new to me and I'm still confused by a lot of it.

 

I have a few questions that I hope Tao Bum members will be able to answer.

 

Chapter Five discusses Quick and Slow Fires.

 

My question is in regards to Quick Fire. The author says to use a hypnotist's crystal ball. "Place it in front of you and sit in the usual meditative posture."

 

The author writes: "After gazing at the ball for some time tears will flow."

 

I didn't try it yet, because I don't have a crystal ball. But the instruction seems overly simple.

 

My questions: 1. Does simply staring a crystal ball actually make tears flow?

 

2. Is there anything that I can substitute that works just as well? If not, what type of crystal ball do other taoists use?

 

3. When do I practice this? and How frequently?

 

I encourage you to answer because I really need any advice you might have.

 

Thanks, folks

 

With respect to the crystal ball, this is just a variant of the flame meditation; in the Indian system it's called Trataka meditation: http://www.indiadivine.org/articles/93/1/Trataka-Meditation-Meditation-on-a-Flame/Page1.html

 

Like all meditations, you need to start at a few minutes and gradually build your endurance; it's purpose is to still the mind, build mental concentration and, as well, it is meant to be very good for the eyes by strengthening the muscles and purifying them.

 

Despite being admonished regularly by my teacher, I haven't tried this meditation and I'm feeling very guilty since it is clearly a meditation that is a crucial preliminary practice.

 

Dr Stephen Chang in his two books has instructions on the flame meditation from a Taoist/TCM perspective (see the Complete System of Self Healing: Internal Exercises). There is nothing magic about the choice of a crystal ball -- it's just an object that lacks any features that could distract your mind. (It has nothing to do "scrying", divination, John Dee etc as has been bizarrely suggested here)

 

My teacher states that any small object can be used. He recommends something that can be worn as a necklace -- like a crystal or glass bead -- because the concentrating on it directs qi into the object, and so it can also serve as a energy pendant.

 

With respect to relying of Charles Luk, I tried to use his book from a guide and failed miserably. The instructions are not clear. I'm not really sure that Charles Luk was that well-versed in the actual practice of internal alchemy. He was versed in Buddhist meditations, which I understand were his main life practice. If you're interested in internal alchemy, I'd recommend going to some classes by Eva Wong or someone who has been initiated by a Daoist master/teacher. The reason is that the texts are deliberately obscure and there is much that is left unwritten.

Edited February 3, 2010 by altiora

[IMPERIAGO]

You're not supposed to practice as you read.

 

I don't remember which chapter it's in, maybe the last one or somewhere in the last few chapters, but it explicitly states that you don't work through the book but instead read it several times over & memorize it thouroghly before beginning the training.

 

 

The breathing and the movement of the energy occur naturaly in accordance with proper practice.

 

 

I don't know why it was written in such a dislexic(that spelled right?) manner but it was.

[Taoist81]

There is nothing magic about the choice of a crystal ball -- it's just an object that lacks any features that could distract your mind. (It has nothing to do "scrying", divination, John Dee etc as has been bizarrely suggested here)

 

All "skrying" is (did someone mention divination or Dee?) is staring into an object that "lacks any features that could distract your ming". Some people now confuse it with "remote viewing" or the like, and at times people will talk about "skrying" an object (meaning the unproven "art" of "tactil telekenesis"), but that is not the traditional use. Some would traditionally skry for divination, but that was not the only use for skrying. Either way the act of "skrying" is simply the staring at the object. Whether it results in an (so called) "astral vision" or a (supposed) vision of the "future" is a result of the skrying, not the skrying itself.

[Aetherous]

With respect to the crystal ball, this is just a variant of the flame meditation

 

Yup. It's good to cry.

 

In Taoist Yoga, I think it's in the outer alchemical agent chapter where he discusses his own practice of looking at the lit tip of an incense stick.

 

TY...what a book!

[Procurator]

 

 

My questions: 1. Does simply staring a crystal ball actually make tears flow?

 

*yes,eventually, but not necessarily the type of tears needed for the purpose of the exercise: getting the ilness out.

 

2. Is there anything that I can substitute that works just as well? If not, what type of crystal ball do other taoists use?

 

*anything shiny and small will do. you need to understand why it has to be shiny and small : to pierce the energetic blockage in your eyes.

 

3. When do I practice this? and How frequently?

 

*it is in the 5th chapter, it means that by that stage you are supposed to feel the illness, its connection with the eyes and special tears, and how much energetic tears you need to get it out.

Edited February 3, 2010 by TianShi

[Guest sykkelpump]

when you do trataka.try notice how your concentration breaks between inhale and exhale and between exhale and inhale.the trick is to not loose the concentration between in/out and out/in.

[Neophyte]

 

 

My questions: 1. Does simply staring a crystal ball actually make tears flow?

 

*yes,eventually, but not necessarily the type of tears needed for the purpose of the exercise: getting the ilness out.

 

 

So you're saying that this exercise doesn't eradicate all the illnesses latent in the body? The book says that this exercise (accompanied by slow fires) will destroy the roots of illnesses in the body, by getting rid of them through the eyes.

 

If this doesn't work, then what does? How do I use tears to rid my body of diseases?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Procurator]

 

1.So you're saying that this exercise doesn't eradicate all the illnesses latent in the body?

 

 

2.If this doesn't work, then what does?

 

3 How do I use tears to rid my body of diseases?

 

Thanks for your help.

you welcome anytime, no sweat.

 

1. no . i am saying that the tears produced by this exercise are not normal tears. the latter are useless. what you need is tears connected with your qi. e.g. when i stand in immuvable post for 5-10 min then tears start to well up, even thou there is no shiny object. and it happens because the qi gathers inside and seeks an outlet.

2 it does work quite well but needs to be understood correctly. its a qi exercise not eye exercise.

 

3. you need to learn how to gather qi, so there is something to work with, both a shiny ball and your bodymind are just props, they aint gonna work without the amassed qi.

[Neophyte]

[Guest sykkelpump]

[Neophyte]

how do you practice slow fire? as far as I remember from the book,it is meditating(concentrating) on the center of the head.

 

To answer your question, slow fire is used to soothe the pupils after practicing quick fire, and to clear the psychic channels. Yep, it involves concentrating on the center of the head, but also plugging the heavenly pool with your tongue and then swallowing saliva. I practiced it like that, but only did it a couple of times. And I did it at the hour of tsu, not during the negative half of the day. Hence my questions.

 

to swallow salvia I think is waste of time,if I remember correct it is the salvia produced by the pineal gland with a honey taste you should swallow.

 

Is the saliva from pineal gland more effective than regular saliva? I've been having problems with this exercise. How do you do it to get the honey-like pineal fluid to fill mouth, as opposed to regular saliva?

 

 

 

Also, if anyone knows about when to practice quick and slow fires and positive/negative halves of day, see my post 15 in this thread for my questions. Thanks, any knowledge shared would be appreciated.