Seeking a Practice

[Cat Pillar]

Hello everyone!

 

After being linked to this forum from two different sources (Half Past Human and Golden Flower Meditation) I decided to register and ask for some advice.

 

I've been "seeking" for three years now, and consistently I seem to be drawn and prodded towards Taoism. I don't know a whole lot about the practice of Taoism, although I know a little bit of it's philosophy. I've read the Tao Te Ching and various articles scattered around the Internet - casually familiar, but by no means a scholar.

 

I've read about and dabbled with many different kinds of meditation techniques, and I can never really seem to find one that I can stick with. I've been doing kind of a basic form of the GFM lately (whenever I decide I actually want to practice, that is), which consists of the deep diaphragm breathing, 5 slow counts in and 5 slow counts out, attempting to keep the breath from being loud enough to hear. The trick is in trying to stay disciplined with the practice, while having very little free time to do it in.

 

Basically, I'm interested in learning more about Taoist Inner Alchemy...so if any of you can point me to or recommend good materials for study it'd be appreciated.

 

I also have some questions concerning the martial arts, since there seem to be a lot of practitioners here. With my particular spiritual aspirations, it seems that Tai Chi would be the most fitting art to follow. However, I've already taken some Wing Chun training and I've really enjoyed it so far. From my limited experience, it's been implied that Tai Chi is not as effective for practical self-defense applications. I'm interested in hearing the opinions of the artists here, as I've also been taught that training in more than one style can limit your effectiveness by confusing muscle memory. I can't make up my mind whether I want to continue with Wing Chun or pursue Tai Chi, so I'm looking to expand my perspective.

[pilot]

Welcome Cat Pillar,

 

have you read the book that GFM sources, secret of the golden flower? If I'd recommend one on internal alchemy, that one would be it. Eva Wong has a number of good books, though nothing as solid as GFM.

 

I don't know Wing Chung, but I doubt Taiji would somehow interfere with other practices. You are expanding your experience and skill set, not constricting and solidifying it. Variation keeps things exciting and enjoyable after all, and I believe even allows you to do more without overdoing any one of them.

 

If you tend to focus on one style or topic, which is often a great thing to do, it might come as a surprise that eventually you'll want to do the opposite and broaden outward who knows where. At least this happened to me.

 

enjoy!

[Cat Pillar]

Hello Pilot! Thanks for the welcome

 

I have not read Secret of the Golden Flower yet. I'll have to pick that one somewhere, maybe order it from Amazon. That should provide pretty much all I need to get started, then?

 

Another thing that's occurred to me is, this all might be much easier with someone to help guide me along. How hard is it to find a teacher for this sort of thing? Or can I go "all the way" as it were on my own?

[pilot]

that book is something I'd think you might find highly insightful since you already showed an affinity for GFM and internal alchemy; not sure I would call it 'getting started material' though. I prefer the wilhelm edition over cleary's for a number of reasons, but better yet read them both.

 

if someone asked a very general question of: where do I start, I would answer with start with looking first at yourself, what you're attracted to and perhaps repelled from, continue along those lines, alternating between a broad view and an in-depth look. next to that, simple meditation, which you've already explored.

 

you'll often find the recurring advice to "find a teacher," and while I don't disagree with that, doing so should not be done to undermine or side-step your very own potential and inner guidance, especially not for setting up and using the vast resources already available now more than ever before.

[zerostao]

qigong practice does not take alot of time. it is better to do it a few minutes a day rather than one day a week for an hour. start slow and dont force anything. wing chun is very compatable with taiji. but the time available could be the factor.really it is best to stick with a single practice at first and eventually getting to a level where you can discover some of the deepness. but i would say add qigong practice. just decide where you feel more comfortable,go with that and stick with it.

[zerostao]

qigong practice does not take alot of time. it is better to do it a few minutes a day rather than one day a week for an hour. start slow and dont force anything. wing chun is very compatable with taiji. but the time available could be the factor.really it is best to stick with a single practice at first and eventually getting to a level where you can discover some of the deepness. but i would say add qigong practice. just decide where you feel more comfortable,go with that and stick with it.

[Cat Pillar]

Hello Pilot,

 

Yeah, I meant "getting started" specifically with inner alchemy...I'm pretty sure that Taoism is the direction I want to go in, because it just "feels" more right than other paths I've looked into (Hermetics, Hinduism, Buddhism).

 

Could you perhaps elaborate more on what you mean by the following?

 

especially not for setting up and using the vast resources already available now more than ever before.

 

 

Hello Zerostao, nice to meet you!

 

What I've read about qigong really interests me, so I would be very open to adding that to my practice. Especially if a few minutes a day is all you need to start. Can you recommend any good resources for getting started with this?

[pilot]

I really the internal alchemy and theory that goes with it, and although I do see it as a sort of "core", the external layers are no less important, and as a beginner, see them as a gateway that makes one's approach truly comprehensive. There are many styles of Qigong sets, including tai yu shen gong which I consider closer to this core, and others apparently farther away such as taiji, more still, simple cardio exercise even. Chinese internal alchemy is great, but highly cryptic and hardly open. Later on on your search, I do also highly recommend AYP by yogani.

[Mr. T]

hey all, and hello cat.

 

i am somewhat of a novice myself, having only had a formal taiji teacher for a little over four years. here is my take on what you are asking, but feel free to ignore it!

 

as others have mentioned, the advice to practice only one thing at a time is so that the student can actually learn what they are studying. the vast majority of us are not intelligent enough to learn more that one of these complicated arts at a time...they are very deep, as you are aware. however, our sifu does caution that some arts can be dangerous while practiced at the same time. i'll have to inquire more about that at our next class!

 

there is nothing wrong with wing chung...the art and its "creator" are/were very much aligned with taoist principles. having said that, taiji quan is also an extremely effective form of self-defense- if one has been trained and has practiced properly...only you can decide which is right for you. once you decide, practice, practice, practice.

 

as far as internal alchemy...a proper taiji quan instructor will help you learn more about these practices. you will probably find it quite difficult to find a teacher specifically teaching internal alchemy...unless of course you live in southern california or nyc!! and even then, these things are typically not taught to just anybody...you must prove that you are a worthy, dedicated student to get more instruction than just the basics...usually through years of rigorous study and training.

 

i feel that you have taken the right first step, which is to inform yourself and begin to ask questions. good luck! they say that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear....

[Gauss]

Hello everyone!

 

After being linked to this forum from two different sources (Half Past Human and Golden Flower Meditation) I decided to register and ask for some advice.

 

I've been "seeking" for three years now, and consistently I seem to be drawn and prodded towards Taoism. I don't know a whole lot about the practice of Taoism, although I know a little bit of it's philosophy. I've read the Tao Te Ching and various articles scattered around the Internet - casually familiar, but by no means a scholar.

 

I've read about and dabbled with many different kinds of meditation techniques, and I can never really seem to find one that I can stick with. I've been doing kind of a basic form of the GFM lately (whenever I decide I actually want to practice, that is), which consists of the deep diaphragm breathing, 5 slow counts in and 5 slow counts out, attempting to keep the breath from being loud enough to hear. The trick is in trying to stay disciplined with the practice, while having very little free time to do it in.

 

Basically, I'm interested in learning more about Taoist Inner Alchemy...so if any of you can point me to or recommend good materials for study it'd be appreciated.

 

I also have some questions concerning the martial arts, since there seem to be a lot of practitioners here. With my particular spiritual aspirations, it seems that Tai Chi would be the most fitting art to follow. However, I've already taken some Wing Chun training and I've really enjoyed it so far. From my limited experience, it's been implied that Tai Chi is not as effective for practical self-defense applications. I'm interested in hearing the opinions of the artists here, as I've also been taught that training in more than one style can limit your effectiveness by confusing muscle memory. I can't make up my mind whether I want to continue with Wing Chun or pursue Tai Chi, so I'm looking to expand my perspective.

 

 

You ever tried Falun Dafa?

 

It includes many Daoist teachings but still belongs to Buddha Fa Qi Gong. I first started out with Tao Te Ching etc but later started with genuine Dafa cultivation.

 

The book Zhuan Falun and the exercises are appropriate to get a brief intro to the practice:

 

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

 

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

 

 

Falun Dafa is all free of charge which is pretty unique these days.. FD also is global nowadays and there are practice sites in more than 100 countries.

[Cat Pillar]

Hello Mr. T,

 

Thanks for your response! I'm curious what arts are dangerous when practiced together, so definitely let me know what your instructor says! Hopefully he'll give some kind of explanation of why along with it, too.

 

Gauss,

 

I'm reading through Zhuan Falun right now. It's an interesting read, that's for sure.