Request For Advice

[Alexander]

Greetings all,

 

Well, as you can tell by my forum name, my name is alexander (alex), and I am a 18 year old college student. I have been doing a lot of research/practice in Eastern "faiths" (I suppose you could call it that), and that is what brought me to this forum. If you don't mind reading a little paragraph, I have been having a lot of difficulties in my life because of some recent changes in my brain chemistry.

What first brought me to what you would call "religion" was that at some point during the summer I had smoked marijuana and had a very depressing high, and through a a series of coincidences I was convinced of a higher power other than "myself". I then somehow stumbled upon Buddhism, and it made so much sense that I pursued it for hours and hours each day. I practiced mindfulness, etc. and I noticed that everything became more lucid. Then one day, I decided to smoke (I'm sorry for all the marijuana references, I just feel that they are important to know about) to let it all soak in, and boy did it. The effects after the weed were just tremendous, it was like the lucidity that I was experiencing before multiplied x10. I continued on through the summer, and I felt a little less "stable" than before. Two weeks later, I had to go to college, and I found myself devoting even more time to these studies. I picked up many Hinduism things, and thats what has finally led me here. It seems that my lucidity I suppose you could say, is getting out of control. I am losing my sexual drive, and I find it hard to relate to people now. I am usually a very sociable guy, and I am finding myself lost in my own mind these days. I feel like my individuality is lost, and I think that is one of the beautiful things of Humans. Hinduism/Buddhism has nailed in my head that looks/personalities are subjective and there is no point in seeing someone as attractive, and someone as not. But how can that be so when they advocate naturalness? Isn't being natural related to sex, much like eating and sleeping? I'm just really confused what to do, and I read somewhere that Taoism doesn't denounce sex, but rather sees it as a sacred thing. So if you guys could please explain to me, what am I experiencing, and how can I gain back my sexuality/life?

[Stigweard]

Greetings all,

 

Well, as you can tell by my forum name, my name is alexander (alex), and I am a 18 year old college student. I have been doing a lot of research/practice in Eastern "faiths" (I suppose you could call it that), and that is what brought me to this forum. If you don't mind reading a little paragraph, I have been having a lot of difficulties in my life because of some recent changes in my brain chemistry.

What first brought me to what you would call "religion" was that at some point during the summer I had smoked marijuana and had a very depressing high, and through a a series of coincidences I was convinced of a higher power other than "myself". I then somehow stumbled upon Buddhism, and it made so much sense that I pursued it for hours and hours each day. I practiced mindfulness, etc. and I noticed that everything became more lucid. Then one day, I decided to smoke (I'm sorry for all the marijuana references, I just feel that they are important to know about) to let it all soak in, and boy did it. The effects after the weed were just tremendous, it was like the lucidity that I was experiencing before multiplied x10. I continued on through the summer, and I felt a little less "stable" than before. Two weeks later, I had to go to college, and I found myself devoting even more time to these studies. I picked up many Hinduism things, and thats what has finally led me here. It seems that my lucidity I suppose you could say, is getting out of control. I am losing my sexual drive, and I find it hard to relate to people now. I am usually a very sociable guy, and I am finding myself lost in my own mind these days. I feel like my individuality is lost, and I think that is one of the beautiful things of Humans. Hinduism/Buddhism has nailed in my head that looks/personalities are subjective and there is no point in seeing someone as attractive, and someone as not. But how can that be so when they advocate naturalness? Isn't being natural related to sex, much like eating and sleeping? I'm just really confused what to do, and I read somewhere that Taoism doesn't denounce sex, but rather sees it as a sacred thing. So if you guys could please explain to me, what am I experiencing, and how can I gain back my sexuality/life?

Welcome to the party my friend.

 

First encounters can be like the first rush of blood in a new romance ... it can be heady and intoxicating and can turn your life upside down.

 

Regardless of which path you choose you need to ground yourself out with dedicated practice be it Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung, meditation, prayer, yoga or whatever.

 

I would strongly advise not to indulge too much in marijuana. It can be good to help dissolve our fixations so that we can get more of a fluid view of life, but this can quickly lead to substance abuse if we become dependent on it to alter our awareness. Finding a practice that shifts the awareness naturally is much better in the long term.

 

Marijuana is a power herb and is yin in nature. Your loss in sex-drive may be because of this.

 

But I will re-emphasise that finding good practice to ground you and keep you focused is what you should be looking for.

 

Would you say you are an action type of person, or someone who likes to be still and silent?

[Alexander]

Well, I have actually given up marijuana because of that exact reason, and I haven't done it since that last time I posted about. I would consider myself an action person.

[LBDaoist]

I would offer you the suggestion that you have not lost anything. Your mind has simply found other things to focus on. When the opportunity for sex arises, you will still be able to indulge in it if you choose to.

[Alexander]

Okay, so even a taoist in harmony with "the way" has sex?

[Stigweard]

Okay, so even a taoist in harmony with "the way" has sex?

The answer to that question is: "It depends"

 

If you did a search on this forum on "Jing" you will find alot written about sexual practices in Taoism. However, and it is a big HOWEVER, the main consideration is how sex fits in with one's spiritual practice.

 

The Taoist alchemical formula is that we transform Jing, or sexual energy, into higher forms of Chi or Shen energy. The 'normal' biological flow of Jing is downwards and outwards -- ejaculation for men and menstruation for women. If there is too much "down and out" then the Jing becomes depleted and our life essence is wasted with the result that we no longer have the vitality required for spiritual development.

 

So, from a pure energetic view, Taoists try, through various practices, to "reverse the flow" of Jing, turning it inwards and upwards. By stopping the leaks of Jing, and in fact transforming this raw energy into higher subtle forms, Taoists get a vital boost to their development.

 

Now one way of "reversing the flow" is through celibacy, and for the young and those on a spiritual mission then this can be a recommended path but only if you engage in proper practices. For the young, like yourself, I would definitely recommend finding a good Kung Fu like Hsing I Chuan, Bagua Chuan or any Kung Fu that attunes to the basic Taoist tenets of the Five Elements or the I Ching Bagua. It would be also good if that Kung Fu taught basic Chi Kung and meditation. If you have the patience and temperament for it then perhaps you can also look at Tai Chi Chuan.

 

There are however many practices that use sex as a cultivation -- viewing it as a fusion of the feminine yin and the masculine yang. There are stories of how high level practitioners of opposite sex would come together at times to supplement each other's energy with the polarity aspect.

 

Personally I wouldn't recommend these sorts of practices unless you had many years of chi kung and meditation behind you.

 

For most people an attitude of conservation should be observed plus an observance of natural forces. According to some teachings you should conserve your Jing more during Autumn and Winter, while Spring and Summer are times when the high energy allows for a certain degree of loss. I have heard that a man can ejaculate within two days after the full moon and not lose his Jing.

 

So yes, the answer is "It depends". It depends on how much Jing you have, it depends on where you are in your development, it depends on the spiritual goals you have, it depends on your choice of partner. Developing clarity of mind so you can perceive what is naturally right for you is the key

[RiverSnake]

Developing clarity of mind so you can perceive what is naturally right for you is the key

 

I second this statement, this is very important.

[Alexander]

Okay thank you for clarifying. It wasn't that I needed to incorporate sex in everything I do, I just needed assurance that it I wasn't going to experience something (for obvious family reasons) like the Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda who was "beyond" the difference of male and female.

 

The answer to that question is: "It depends"

 

If you did a search on this forum on "Jing" you will find alot written about sexual practices in Taoism. However, and it is a big HOWEVER, the main consideration is how sex fits in with one's spiritual practice.

 

The Taoist alchemical formula is that we transform Jing, or sexual energy, into higher forms of Chi or Shen energy. The 'normal' biological flow of Jing is downwards and outwards -- ejaculation for men and menstruation for women. If there is too much "down and out" then the Jing becomes depleted and our life essence is wasted with the result that we no longer have the vitality required for spiritual development.

 

So, from a pure energetic view, Taoists try, through various practices, to "reverse the flow" of Jing, turning it inwards and upwards. By stopping the leaks of Jing, and in fact transforming this raw energy into higher subtle forms, Taoists get a vital boost to their development.

 

Now one way of "reversing the flow" is through celibacy, and for the young and those on a spiritual mission then this can be a recommended path but only if you engage in proper practices. For the young, like yourself, I would definitely recommend finding a good Kung Fu like Hsing I Chuan, Bagua Chuan or any Kung Fu that attunes to the basic Taoist tenets of the Five Elements or the I Ching Bagua. It would be also good if that Kung Fu taught basic Chi Kung and meditation. If you have the patience and temperament for it then perhaps you can also look at Tai Chi Chuan.

 

There are however many practices that use sex as a cultivation -- viewing it as a fusion of the feminine yin and the masculine yang. There are stories of how high level practitioners of opposite sex would come together at times to supplement each other's energy with the polarity aspect.

 

Personally I wouldn't recommend these sorts of practices unless you had many years of chi kung and meditation behind you.

 

For most people an attitude of conservation should be observed plus an observance of natural forces. According to some teachings you should conserve your Jing more during Autumn and Winter, while Spring and Summer are times when the high energy allows for a certain degree of loss. I have heard that a man can ejaculate within two days after the full moon and not lose his Jing.

 

So yes, the answer is "It depends". It depends on how much Jing you have, it depends on where you are in your development, it depends on the spiritual goals you have, it depends on your choice of partner. Developing clarity of mind so you can perceive what is naturally right for you is the key

[goldisheavy]

Greetings all,

 

Well, as you can tell by my forum name, my name is alexander (alex), and I am a 18 year old college student. I have been doing a lot of research/practice in Eastern "faiths" (I suppose you could call it that), and that is what brought me to this forum. If you don't mind reading a little paragraph, I have been having a lot of difficulties in my life because of some recent changes in my brain chemistry.

What first brought me to what you would call "religion" was that at some point during the summer I had smoked marijuana and had a very depressing high, and through a a series of coincidences I was convinced of a higher power other than "myself". I then somehow stumbled upon Buddhism, and it made so much sense that I pursued it for hours and hours each day. I practiced mindfulness, etc. and I noticed that everything became more lucid. Then one day, I decided to smoke (I'm sorry for all the marijuana references, I just feel that they are important to know about) to let it all soak in, and boy did it. The effects after the weed were just tremendous, it was like the lucidity that I was experiencing before multiplied x10. I continued on through the summer, and I felt a little less "stable" than before. Two weeks later, I had to go to college, and I found myself devoting even more time to these studies. I picked up many Hinduism things, and thats what has finally led me here. It seems that my lucidity I suppose you could say, is getting out of control. I am losing my sexual drive, and I find it hard to relate to people now. I am usually a very sociable guy, and I am finding myself lost in my own mind these days. I feel like my individuality is lost, and I think that is one of the beautiful things of Humans. Hinduism/Buddhism has nailed in my head that looks/personalities are subjective and there is no point in seeing someone as attractive, and someone as not. But how can that be so when they advocate naturalness? Isn't being natural related to sex, much like eating and sleeping? I'm just really confused what to do, and I read somewhere that Taoism doesn't denounce sex, but rather sees it as a sacred thing. So if you guys could please explain to me, what am I experiencing, and how can I gain back my sexuality/life?

 

Let's say you discover a tasty liquid. You get all amazed and start gulping it down. If you don't find a way to moderate liquid consumption, there are going to be negative consequences for your well-being.

 

Or let's say you find some very tasty bread the size of a mountain. You begin eating it. If you don't find a way to slow down and reach a reasonable pace, if you try to eat the entire mountain of bread all at once, there is a good chance you'll rupture your stomach.

 

Well, the same thing happens with new ideas. New ideas can be very interesting, stimulating and they can point you toward the truth. However, if you don't establish a reasonable pace of integration and digestion of these ideas, you might go insane sooner rather than later.

 

So, just take it easy. Just slow down and relax a bit.

Edited September 23, 2010 by goldisheavy

[LaoTzu21]

Greetings all,

 

Well, as you can tell by my forum name, my name is alexander (alex), and I am a 18 year old college student. I have been doing a lot of research/practice in Eastern "faiths" (I suppose you could call it that), and that is what brought me to this forum. If you don't mind reading a little paragraph, I have been having a lot of difficulties in my life because of some recent changes in my brain chemistry.

What first brought me to what you would call "religion" was that at some point during the summer I had smoked marijuana and had a very depressing high, and through a a series of coincidences I was convinced of a higher power other than "myself". I then somehow stumbled upon Buddhism, and it made so much sense that I pursued it for hours and hours each day. I practiced mindfulness, etc. and I noticed that everything became more lucid. Then one day, I decided to smoke (I'm sorry for all the marijuana references, I just feel that they are important to know about) to let it all soak in, and boy did it. The effects after the weed were just tremendous, it was like the lucidity that I was experiencing before multiplied x10. I continued on through the summer, and I felt a little less "stable" than before. Two weeks later, I had to go to college, and I found myself devoting even more time to these studies. I picked up many Hinduism things, and thats what has finally led me here. It seems that my lucidity I suppose you could say, is getting out of control. I am losing my sexual drive, and I find it hard to relate to people now. I am usually a very sociable guy, and I am finding myself lost in my own mind these days. I feel like my individuality is lost, and I think that is one of the beautiful things of Humans. Hinduism/Buddhism has nailed in my head that looks/personalities are subjective and there is no point in seeing someone as attractive, and someone as not. But how can that be so when they advocate naturalness? Isn't being natural related to sex, much like eating and sleeping? I'm just really confused what to do, and I read somewhere that Taoism doesn't denounce sex, but rather sees it as a sacred thing. So if you guys could please explain to me, what am I experiencing, and how can I gain back my sexuality/life?

 

just think as a child or a baby do babies smoke marawana? answer no they dont. sex is just one sect of taoism. and if you want a bit more normality and grounding stop the weed. yes weed enchances what you already have inside 10 fold but what its great at is delusion. making you think your acheiving when actually you are going backwards. mental clarity can only be achived via natural methods. meditation, excersize and eating healthily. you marawan eates away at the jing or sexual/creative life force while keeps your delusion going that your making progress.

 

here is a list of foundations as a taoist/ good person

 

1. stop the weed.

2. take up the mantra that everything you do has its consequences. by saying that everything is your fault.

3. make peace with your family.

4. show love to others.

5. healthy diet

6.correct attitude this i cannot stress to be the most important. watch the kung fu kid the new karate kid film to understand exactly what i mean that film explained alot for me of what i was missing in my practice. epiphany's happen in the strangest moments.

7. look into esoteric practices such as lower dan tien meditation and zhuang zhang as a good foundation to understanding natural energy and your body.

8. work out your spiritual goals and understand yourself more day by day.

 

these steps should correct your current path

[Alexander]

Let's say you discover a tasty liquid. You get all amazed and start gulping it down. If you don't find a way to moderate liquid consumption, there are going to be negative consequences for your well-being.

 

Or let's say you find some very tasty bread the size of a mountain. You begin eating it. If you don't find a way to slow down and reach a reasonable pace, if you try to eat the entire mountain of bread all at once, there is a good chance you'll rupture your stomach.

 

Well, the same thing happens with new ideas. New ideas can be very interesting, stimulating and they can point you toward the truth. However, if you don't establish a reasonable pace of integration and digestion of these ideas, you might go insane sooner rather than later.

 

So, just take it easy. Just slow down and relax a bit.

 

I will definitely try to slow down, I don't feel in control as much as I should. Hopefully I go insane after I marry.

 

just think as a child or a baby do babies smoke marawana? answer no they dont. sex is just one sect of taoism. and if you want a bit more normality and grounding stop the weed. yes weed enchances what you already have inside 10 fold but what its great at is delusion. making you think your acheiving when actually you are going backwards. mental clarity can only be achived via natural methods. meditation, excersize and eating healthily. you marawan eates away at the jing or sexual/creative life force while keeps your delusion going that your making progress.

 

here is a list of foundations as a taoist/ good person

 

1. stop the weed.

2. take up the mantra that everything you do has its consequences. by saying that everything is your fault.

3. make peace with your family.

4. show love to others.

5. healthy diet

6.correct attitude this i cannot stress to be the most important. watch the kung fu kid the new karate kid film to understand exactly what i mean that film explained alot for me of what i was missing in my practice. epiphany's happen in the strangest moments.

7. look into esoteric practices such as lower dan tien meditation and zhuang zhang as a good foundation to understanding natural energy and your body.

8. work out your spiritual goals and understand yourself more day by day.

 

these steps should correct your current path

 

 

I agree, I have not smoked since then, and I do not plan to in the future. I have been working on the diet, peace, and love thing recently.

[Gauss]

Well, looks like you are searching for the meaning of life.

 

In fact sexuality is one of the six desires mentioned in Buddhism. As one cultivates to very high levels one drops all desires and emotions. Maybe you are automatically drawn towards the higher level of cultivation. Some people have it in them, it is really automatic I find.

 

I cultivate in Falun Dafa where sex is not forbidden but it is sacred and supposed to exist in the marriage form. One believes otherwise that one accumulates karma and karma debts are heavy to pay back and disturbs your meditation level.

 

You may want to read the book Zhuan Falun, it is a special book to say the least:

 

 

http://www.falundafa.org/eng/books.html

[Alexander]

Well, looks like you are searching for the meaning of life.

 

In fact sexuality is one of the six desires mentioned in Buddhism. As one cultivates to very high levels one drops all desires and emotions. Maybe you are automatically drawn towards the higher level of cultivation. Some people have it in them, it is really automatic I find.

 

I cultivate in Falun Dafa where sex is not forbidden but it is sacred and supposed to exist in the marriage form. One believes otherwise that one accumulates karma and karma debts are heavy to pay back and disturbs your meditation level.

 

You may want to read the book Zhuan Falun, it is a special book to say the least:

 

 

http://www.falundafa.org/eng/books.html

 

Yes, I suppose you could say I am searching for the meaning of life, however, I would rather do this as a lay then a monk, otherwise I feel I would be dishonoring my parents. From what I read though, isn't Tao more in tune with nature, rather than Buddhism which seeks to separate from it? There are a lot of similiar practices between them, so how do you draw the line between separating yourself from nature, and being in harmony with nature?

[freeform]

Put very simply we have the Mind and the Body... two very different aspects of you...

 

Some people advocate working solely on the mind - where the body is just a dense hindrance... so they meditate and meditate and do astral travel and visualisations and expand their awareness with drugs and ideas and thoughts and philosophies.

 

Some people advocate working solely on the body - it's actually a path much more suited to most people in this day and age. They focus on the health of their entire system - their organs, muscles, tendons, bones and glands. They do martial arts, qi gong, breathing, yoga, special diets etc. All to purify their body.

 

If you had to put Taoist and Buddhist practitioners into pigeon-holes - Taoists tend to focus on the body and Buddhists tend to focus on their mind.

 

However - most advanced Taoists would tell you that purifying the body is a foundation to further travel the spiritual path. By deeply connecting with the physical you begin to see the spiritual in it. Taoist practitioners work with the energy - refining from the very physical to the energetic and purifying to the spiritual... also - just like the cycle of water and weather systems on our planet they bring the spiritual down and ground it in the energetic and physical aspects of themselves...

 

Many Taoists emphasise practice - rather than philosophy. You will notice that as you start practising qi gong that your mind will stop racing, your sensory awareness will be turned up and you will develop a strong and noticeable 'presence'. This is the result of consciousness anchoring to the physical aspect of 'you'. Sexuality for some Taoists is an important aspect of practice - conserving your semen, whilst practising specific qi gong techniques has certain effects on many systems and glands in the body. Sexuality is not ignored - it is either sublimated or used as a tool - but it's never ignored or suppressed.

 

Developing a child-like mind has been mentioned - it's one of the effects of good practice. Being able to find joy and curiosity in everything you observe... having simple, un-contrived motivations and seeing other people, yourself and the world in a non-judgemental, natural, loving way. Accepting the good and the bad that life has to offer with open arms.

 

Developing this state of mind leads to powerful spiritual experiences eventually...

 

And it all starts with qi gong practice. Find a good teacher (there are several great ones here that would accept you providing you show maturity and balance) and learn from them. It's as simple as that

[LaoTzu21]

Yes, I suppose you could say I am searching for the meaning of life, however, I would rather do this as a lay then a monk, otherwise I feel I would be dishonoring my parents. From what I read though, isn't Tao more in tune with nature, rather than Buddhism which seeks to separate from it? There are a lot of similiar practices between them, so how do you draw the line between separating yourself from nature, and being in harmony with nature?

 

Buddhism from my understanding is like wicca changing the world inside to create a better one on the outside. toaism is very similar but you start to learn about the rules of heaven and earth. and the rules of right and wrong on a universal level. then you can understand what your path is like. for example doing something like robbing a bank. is only a bad thing if you get caught. but the repercussions of stealing from all the hard working citizens is obviously a bad thing and therefor one of the universal rules that will go against you. my advice would be to start understanding what is right and wrong in your reality. then start following the middle road of being impartial and neutral. anything with feelings of desire towards something will always send you on the wrong path. abstain from desire and you will find peace. there are also two schools of taoism lao tzu which is to abstain from desire and let go through meditation and there is a second school of taoist thought and that is to be spontaneous. and to be spontaneous you need to let go of something in order to be that way. as for me im leaning towards lao tzu more and more and putting my chaung tzu school of thought to when i play my instruments. as for being in harmony with nature its more important to be in harmony with your own nature. and to find out what your nature is. and how that will correspond with being in harmony with tao te jing. (the way of virtue). of course it doesn't have to be as there are many ways to live ones life. but the taoist way is the way of virtue and the tao te jing is the guide and riddles to understand yourself. as for the meaning of life watch monty pythons meaning of life:D. the meaning of life is not important compared to what you do with it and what you want to acheive it took me alot of years to realise this. its helpful to know the meaning of life because it will give you insight to things but its far more important to know what your doing with yourself.

hope this helps

[markern]

If you stop ejaculating you will be surprised how much more energy you start having and how beneficial this energy is for meditation practice and how much stronger you feel and more emotionally healthy. BUT if you start having sex in the ways taught within these traditions you will discover that you get even MORE energy than you get through celibacy and that it speads up your spiritual develoment even more. You will also find that your sex life gets spiritual and your love for your partner grows, is much, much easier to maintain, and gets a spiritual dimension it maybe did not have before. My teacher was a celibate budhist monk for 4 years and now practices this kind of sex and says he got a huige gain in energy from celibacy but that this kind of sex doubles that gain. To me this seems much more wholesome and beneficial. Search through my posts in the archive and look at those in threads that concern sexuality in some way. IN those posts I have written much more about this topic and the "how to" part.

 

A good way to practice were you are right now would be standing meditation/zhan zhuan, inner smile and maybe also deep belly breathing. THe standing will ground you to the earth and get you into the body, the inner smile gives self love overal balance and a connection to the body and the breathing also sinks your energy to the dan tien. All three can be learnt ok without a teacher so you could do it right away. But find a teacher as soon as you can because that is important on this path. Michale winns primordial qigong is another practice you can learn from DVD and which I think could be good for you right now.

[Alexander]

Thank you for all of the helpful tips and insight everyone. And I'm just curious, since I am a college student I have little access to areas outside of my campus, how should I go about finding a teacher? Are online teachers also available, or is that unheard of? When I return home I will definitely research Qigong institutions, etc. but the question is what to do now. I greatly appreciate all of your support.

[LaoTzu21]

Thank you for all of the helpful tips and insight everyone. And I'm just curious, since I am a college student I have little access to areas outside of my campus, how should I go about finding a teacher? Are online teachers also available, or is that unheard of? When I return home I will definitely research Qigong institutions, etc. but the question is what to do now. I greatly appreciate all of your support.

 

if your intentions are true and you are in need of help eventually you will find one, as for me and my teacher i found him in the local chinese resteraunt he knew to talk to me because possibly of a premonition in his meditation. my point is if you really want something wait for it and keep an open mind your teacher will find you. id say dont buy into online tuition for taoism. you really need it face to face. you can however learn about meditation techniques here which would be a good start some teachers dont take lower level students because they havnt got enough grounding and good enough foundations. i dont mind having a chat with you sometime i know what its like to be confused amongst learning the grand scale of taoism. [email protected] ill send a few books etc to get you started. if your interested that is.

[King Kabalabhati]

Spring Forest Qigong can be learned from DVD/books. It's a great way to start if you haven't yet met a teacher. I don't have a teacher anywhere near me so I wanted the simplest and safest possible Qigong system to practice on my own. It's been very smooth, effective and inspiring.

[Gauss]

Yes, I suppose you could say I am searching for the meaning of life, however, I would rather do this as a lay then a monk, otherwise I feel I would be dishonoring my parents. From what I read though, isn't Tao more in tune with nature, rather than Buddhism which seeks to separate from it? There are a lot of similiar practices between them, so how do you draw the line between separating yourself from nature, and being in harmony with nature?

 

I can tell you that in Falun Dafa(belongs to Buddha Fa Qi Gong school, including Taoism etc) you cultivate in everyday society, keep a job, a family and stay normal. That is one of the main advantages of Falun Dafa as I see it. It also makes you very strong since you have all the temptations around you but manage to ignore all of it and rise up from the dirty surroundings. In a monastery everyone is nice and good and you see no bad stuff, how easy is it to improve in such a cosy environment?..

 

All the exercises are free and you should try them and see what happens:

 

http://www.falundafa.org/bul/audio-video/audiovideo_video.html

 

Also there are practice sites around the globe if you want to have some instructions on-site from veteran practitioners. That is a good idea if you are a beginner.

Edited September 24, 2010 by Gauss

[Alexander]

If you are cultivating at a certain level does that mean you don't progress at a certain point?

[LaoTzu21]

If you are cultivating at a certain level does that mean you don't progress at a certain point?

 

theres no cant in cultivation you just accept your current level and progress from there plus we dont have to be talking about purely energy terms either. for instance cultivation good mean getting better at your job or work. or creativity such as an artform. all these will generate better energy qi gung is a way of life and not just the energy training itself. its a principle and attitude towards everything. "cultivating a better life for yourself" this will give you energy naturally. the more you practice that the more energy you will have.its a big thing alot of energy practitioners miss and a good foundation to start with. then when you have the correct attitude that is when you should start the energy training.

Edited September 24, 2010 by LaoTzu21

[Jetsun]

There are a lot of misunderstandings in Buddhism I think, some people say it seperates you from life so you are less involved and unemotional and become lone stone statues, but then if you see some talks by Lama's like the Dalai Lama you see they are far more open and emotional towards life then most average people on the street.

 

Taoism is similar to Buddhism in many ways, the difference I can see (in the approach I have been studying anyway) is that before you go dive right into trying to gain enlightenment like you do in Buddhism, Taoists say you need to achieve balance first, which is why Taoists focus on the body so much with a lot of grounding, healing and strengthening practises. But the Buddhist and Taoist approaches can easily intertwined like they do in the Ch'an buddhism.

 

Buddhism is incredibly rich with wisdom but it's focus is nearly all mind/head based, while many of us in the West are already too much in the head and dissociated from our bodies/nature, so for me personally I am finding Taoist body/grounding methods to be more beneficial at this current time.

 

edit: also about your sex drive, if us humans breathe naturally and freely into our bellies our breath will massage our sexual centre which will naturally stimulate our sex drive, plus if you unplug your energy meridians you will feel this throughout your body, so finding a way to dissolve the deeply embedded tensions and blockages in your body is a good way to go.

Edited September 24, 2010 by Jetsun

[markern]

Falun gong is a cult. That`s not just Chineese government propoganda. Look up webforums and anti cult sites were you can find former western Falun Gong students and you will find that their experience has been just as cultish as most other former cult members. Most people on this forum agree that Falun Gong is cultish and several ehre have had encounters with members or have done some training in Falun Gong themselves. Just go online and find former western students and you`ll find all the evidence you need. The leader is a megalomaniac that thinks he is the next Buddha and has tons of psycho ideas. With Falun Gong you get all teh classical religious extra unecessary beliefs in their worst form in addition to qigong. Not what you are looking for I believe. And Gauss, just look up former western students online yourself and see what they say.

 

A very good book for you Alexander might be a Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield. It is about budhist psychology for westerners and clears up typical misunderstandings. Some of those misunderstandings it seems you have been bothered by. A Path with Heart by the same author is also an excellent book to read when getting into this stuff. Also go to shinzen.org and look on the article section and read the articles about equanimity, escaping into life and a pain processing algorythm. Those might be very clarifying for you.

[Jetsun]

Im sure there are thousands of threads about Falun Gong, personally I taught myself the Qigong of that system a few years ago and it appears to be ok Qigong, it got the blood flowing I felt relaxed and had some good sensations, but I ended up giving it up for other practises. On the face of it it appears Falun Gong is good enough until you look more closely at the writings of the creator in his book where he starts talking about aliens and ancient cultures having nuclear power plants and other strange things, I don't mind people having different opinions but surely he should have had the sense to see that the majority of people would see this as complete madness so why even talk about it in the first place?