Good resources on Neidan practice online?

[secularfuture]

I feel absolutely miserable...

 

I could really use some spiritual practices to help clear my mind of all the negativity, jealously, anger, depression, and frustration, and help me feel more one with the dao (with the universe, and myself).

 

Are there any good resources on Neidan (or internal alchemy / spiritual alchemy) practice online?

 

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited June 3, 2010 by secularfuture

[Mal]

[thelerner]

I feel absolutely miserable...

 

I could really use some spiritual practices to help clear my mind of all the negativity, jealously, anger, depression, and frustration, and help me feel more one with the dao (with the universe, and myself).

 

Are there any good resources on Neidan (or internal alchemy / spiritual alchemy) practice online?

 

Energetic types of meditation aren't good to do when you're in an unbalanced mood. Circulating energy when you feel bad can make things worse.

 

You may want to look at the AYP site. Many here have found it to be wonderful. It has a reputation for being well thought out, supportive and thorough. It lays out a path step by step, slow and steady.

 

http://www.aypsite.org/

 

One good clearing chi gung exercise is the Secret Smile. You can do a Search for it here. Michael Winn has free booklet on a similar Inner Smile practice, that can be found by googling his name and inner smile.

 

 

Yours

 

Michael

I don't use it, but I've got great respect for it.

[宁]

Energetic types of meditation aren't good to do when you're in an unbalanced mood. Circulating energy when you feel bad can make things worse.

 

The purpose of energetic types of meditation - at least in daoism, - is to 'balance' the inner world.

Turning the wheel and Blending the five phases have that effect.

 

In secularfuture's case, I'd still reccomend a daily walk in the park, twice a day, one in the morning, and one in the evening. It can do miracles - and it's free. In my experience, you need to apply the simplest solution possible, with the best effect.

[Ya Mu]

...

In secularfuture's case, I'd still reccomend a daily walk in the park, twice a day, one in the morning, and one in the evening. It can do miracles - and it's free. In my experience, you need to apply the simplest solution possible, with the best effect.

Great advice!

[三江源]

yes, and drink a lot of pure water and eat good steamed vegetables and oats, and good brown rice, and also

 

stand and shake.

 

as if you were standing on a rackety old train. shake shake shake, shake it all out. every joint, all of you, shake your hands and shake your wrists, shake your ankles out, and your feet, rub your lower back, make it nice and warm, and rise on your toes and flip back down onto your heels, up and down, up and down, releasing your shoulders, let out your sighs and your groans and bang your chest like tarzan does and make tarzan noises as you flip up and down. clap your hands all over your body, like vigorous slapping, all up the outside of your legs and down the insides, same with your arms, everywhere you can reach, clap and slap the stagnant feelings out of you, get the flow moving..

 

move it all out of your system, all that feeling awfulness, give it away for recycling, and get some new space coming into you that is fresh and clear.

 

after that you will be in a good space to do the inner smile. and if you cant manage a real smile, fake it. it will work eventually, and just the movement of the smile is good for releasing tensions in the crown.

 

good luck

xxx

[Creation]

I feel absolutely miserable...

 

I could really use some spiritual practices to help clear my mind of all the negativity, jealously, anger, depression, and frustration, and help me feel more one with the dao (with the universe, and myself).

 

Are there any good resources on Neidan (or internal alchemy / spiritual alchemy) practice online?

 

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi secularfuture.

 

I also have trouble with negativity, misery, depression, etc. One thing I am beginning to realize is that the attitude "if I could just learn how to do neidan (or any other "technique"), I could fix myself" is fundamentally flawed. Ones's ego perceives these emotions and reacts with rejection. This rejection and the consequenst need to change or fix one's self actually prevents true healing from occuring. The only advice I can offer right now, still discovering these things for myself, is to expand your awareness of what you are feeling, thinking, seeing, and hearing all at the same time, and to fully accept and yet not identify with the way you are feeling, that is, realize that what you are feeling is just another sensation like what you are seeing in front of you. You can do this while following the suggestions of others here, like walking and shaking. For me, those things don't do much unless I add in the awareness component.

[宁]

Great advice!

 

Thanks!

 

 

I forgot to add, if you can walk barefoot for a little while in the grass, it quadruples the effect!

[Ya Mu]

...

I forgot to add, if you can walk barefoot for a little while in the grass, it quadruples the effect!

I call this "walk me out in the morning dew" qigong. Kinda brush the grass with bare feet. Very good for a person to do.

[adept]

Are there any good resources on Neidan (or internal alchemy / spiritual alchemy) practice online?

 

Here's a couple of excellent sites.

Should keep you entertained for a while.

http://atouchofancientszhouyi.blogspot.com/

http://www.taoiststudy.com/content/damo-qigong-taoist-inner-alchemy-study

[Mal]

[hagar]

Neidan is primarily to be done in a phase of practice where emotional material has been taken care of, i.e after it has been somewhat resolved.

 

Practice that profoundly shifts emotionally difficult material is tree qigong. Radically effective.

 

You might also enjoy this lady.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interdenom-meditatations-jeddah/id301698663

 

h

[Ya Mu]

[secularfuture]

Neidan is primarily to be done in a phase of practice where emotional material has been taken care of, i.e after it has been somewhat resolved.

 

Practice that profoundly shifts emotionally difficult material is tree qigong. Radically effective.

 

You might also enjoy this lady.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interdenom-meditatations-jeddah/id301698663

 

h

Interesting timing. I had iTunes open while reading the replies. I'll check it out.

 

And thank you all for your suggestions. I'll look through them over the next few days.

[宁]

No you won't

[secularfuture]

No you won't

Yes I will.

 

My reply was brief because I work on the weekends. I'll have more time to give a proper reply on Monday.

[secularfuture]

Update: I had a hard time applying the Daoist practices, so I went back to the practices that worked for me in the past - my insight and satipatthana meditations. I have a love / hate relationship with Buddhism. I REALLY wanted Taoism to work because I felt it was more in tune with the natural world, but I couldn't find any practices that provided thorough instructions that attacked the 5 hindrances directly. Too many Taoist practices focus on healing the body; quality instructions on healing the mind are too difficult to find outside of a personal teacher.

Edited June 17, 2010 by secularfuture

[宁]

Update: I had a hard time applying the Daoist practices, so I went back to the practices that worked for me in the past - my insight and satipatthana meditations. I have a love / hate relationship with Buddhism. I REALLY wanted Taoism to work because I felt it was more in tune with the natural world, but I couldn't find any practices that provided thorough instructions that attached the 5 hindrances directly. Too many Taoist practices focus on healing the body; quality instructions on healing the mind are too difficult to find outside of a personal teacher.

 

maybe it's because the health of the body is a fail-safe sign of the state of health of the mind... what an idea! to solve buddhist problems with daoist methods! i'm not sure these two go together like ham'n'eggs though! btw, your opinion on daoist practices sounds like something other people told you... interesting as a case, nevertheless.