MCO Brain Damage. Please help.

[Neophyte]

The MCO in Taoist Yoga is different that than found in many other books, such as Dr. Yang's books, which I study.

In chapter 3 of Taoist Yoga, it describes part of the mco path: The generative/vital forces rise up the channel of control (tu mo, governing vessel, spine) -- and then enters the brain! Then it descends in the "medulla oblongata", behind the face, down throat and onwards...

 

My question is: Isn't it dangerous to bring any kind of energy into the brain, as it can result in mental illness and brain damage? How do I do it safely? Do I concentrate on having it enter just bottom part of brain or the top part? (In other words, I don't know what to do with the energy once it gets past my neck.)

 

Please help me to understand this fully, because I need to know it.

[joeblast]

You already constantly have energy running through your brain etc. The warnings are real, that is why its always advised to learn these things from a master - so that you may be instructed clearly, questions answered, confusions cleared up. Practices should not be random, haphazard, or poorly closed, not completely settled in stillness afterward. As such they should always be gentle, purposeful, and well settled in stillness afterward. Dr Yang's advice on head & scalp massage is also good.

 

If you "dont know what to do with the energy once it gets past your neck," please dont do these exercises until you understand them more thoroughly. Even though you already have the information, you know Yi leads Qi, have read about paths from a couple different sources - if you're not clear on what you're practicing and what your goal is, its not a good idea to try a sprinkle of this, a dash of that - unless you are a longtime cook and understand the ingredients and cooking process well, tossing ingredients together without fully appreciating what they'll do to the dish is more often than not a recipe to make the dish taste bad

 

What is the purpose of the MCO?

[windblown]

Being mentally ill is normal to me!

[Jetsun]

I don't know much about the MCO but Bruce Frantzis says brain practises should only be done after many years of personal instruction from a qualified teacher. In terms of mental illness or problems the only account I know of is that of Gopi Krishna who fell into psychosis for many years by focusing on third eye meditations, so personally I wouldn't go anywhere near the head with this stuff without personal instruction.

[thelerner]

I don't know much about the MCO but Bruce Frantzis says brain practises should only be done after many years of personal instruction from a qualified teacher.

 

Personally I think doing MCO is fine for most. For some sensitive people and people who over do it, there can be problems, big ones. If you're concerned don't go that route. Or do it with a live experienced teacher, not from book or video. (KAP, a 'live Skype' course' is a viable alternative).

 

Many respected teachers and traditions say its better to stay in stillness meditations and let your dantien fill up naturally, over the years. Course others don't, but I suspect having a few years of solid sitting practice is nothing but a plus.

[joeblast]

the prerequisite of a couple years of being able to center oneself is good in that it establishes a habitual path of least resistance for energy to follow - then when you do other more complex things, returning to default programming is effortless.

[oat1239]

There is a lot written about the MCO, and if you read from various sources you might find that there is sometimes conflicting information as well. As near as I can gather what different sources describe as the MCO, right or wrong, is not always the same thing. Also, there is medical qigong, martial qigong, and spiritual qigong. They are all connected but views and approaches can vary quite a bit. In Taosim one takes the natural approach, so if you are trying to deliberately direct qi in some way to open the MCO then that would seem not to be such a natural approach and it could potentially lead to problems if something is not done correctly.

 

The MCO can open naturally on its own by sticking to basic practices and allowing progress to come naturally. Since there are many different approaches and goals, it would seem best to stick to one particular approach and also learn directly from a teacher that you trust, if possible. Mixing approaches may have the potential for problems. If you can't learn from a teacher in person, if the teacher at least makes themself readily available through workshops and email or phone, at least you still have guidance available. If the teacher teaches mainly through books and DVDs and is mostly unavailable otherwise, then that may not be so good. What do you do then if you have questions or run into problems?

Edited September 11, 2011 by oat1239

[Harmonious Emptiness]

the prerequisite of a couple years of being able to center oneself is good in that it establishes a habitual path of least resistance for energy to follow - then when you do other more complex things, returning to default programming is effortless.

 

This is probably the most important advice to this situation, imo... not trying to do MCO meditations without having a really solid ability to sit in nothingness and clarity, allowing things to arise without losing calm centered focus and awareness.

 

MCO is basically a Taoist practice, so to do it you really need to start with basic Taoist meditation which involves sitting sitting in nothingness and clarity and letting things arise without getting drawn away by them too much.

 

So work on the basics first. Them MCO might even arise naturally after awhile, which is the way it normally should by writings like Secret of the Golden Flower. Just be aware of what the chi wants to do\does on it's own and you'll get more out of the meditation right now. Don't force it. Use and appreciate what it gives you instead...

Edited September 11, 2011 by Harmonious Emptiness

[deci belle]

All the manuals of old and new stress care, moderation and expert instruction in these practices— not to mention a mature approach.

 

It certainly is possible to cause harm and illnesses that are impossible to cure conventionally.

 

Many beginners resent being warned…

 

My question is: Isn't it dangerous to bring any kind of energy into the brain, as it can result in mental illness and brain damage? How do I do it safely? Do I concentrate on having it enter just bottom part of brain or the top part? (In other words, I don't know what to do with the energy once it gets past my neck.)

 

Please do not concentrate on ANY specific part of the body ESPECIALLY the head! What is concentrated is your observation on the whole body and mind unity not points or apertures.

 

It is a matter of guiding the energy~ not drilling it into a spot. The energy knows what to do. By concentrated observation, you find out what happens. The books tell you what to expect, but do not forget that it is a subtle affair. Keep the tip of your tongue on the palette where your top front teeth come out while doing this exercise.

 

After massing cool energy in the perineum and passing it through the coccyx and up the mid-spine to the "jade pillow" at the base of the skull, let it mass there. Don't let it go further for awhile. It needs to be primed as it is a pass as well as a pump.

 

Then let it flow into the head. Just continue concentrated observation and keep the energy all along the active channel activated and flowing up into the brain. Eventually you may begin to notice it spinning in one direction. Count however many revolutions you care to.

 

In all these exercises, the point is to activate, direct, mass and diffuse the energy to repletion and sufficiency, then move it on to the next area without lagging or hurrying.

 

After you observe the spinning and note it's directional travel, let it begin to flow to the front of your head and down the bridge of your nose and behind the lips to the tongue and down the throat. I didn't notice what sex you are. Here it is different for boys and girls. Mantak Chia notes the differences. The book Immortal Sisters has specific information for girls.

 

Even this simple practice requires psychological maturity and a grounding in the ancient classics, like the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang Tzu who's emphasis is about energy diffusion and clarity.

 

Study these and the specifics of basic induction practice techniques before going further, please.❤

Edited September 11, 2011 by deci belle

[Everything]

Being mentally ill is normal to me!

Define mental ilness

 

It seems that all natural behaviours are labaled as mental ilnesses these days. They should just call it natural mental states of being or something, hehe.

[Everything]

All the manuals of old and new stress care, moderation and expert instruction in these practices— not to mention a mature approach.

 

It certainly is possible to cause harm and illnesses that are impossible to cure conventionally.

 

Many beginners resent being warned…

Damn, that sounds serious. There is no place for a sentence like "You can only learn from your own mistakes, not that of others" after what you said there.

 

Tell me... If it can cause ilness... Can it also cause cures of equal proportions?

Edited September 11, 2011 by Everything

[fiveelementtao]

Please help me to understand this fully, because I need to know it.

 

You don't need to know it. If you want to understand it fully, then I echo what others have said which is to make the effort to find a qualified instructor and study with them.

 

This MCO thing is blown way out of proportion. IME, if you learn an energy form like Tai Chi or Ba Gua, just by learning the correct form and breathing, you will automatically open and stimulate the MCO. MCO by itself doesn't do much of anything especially if one doesn't know what to do with it if they are lucky enough to open it correctly. People talk about MCO like it is some magical key to enlightenment or something. It is just the natural flow of energy once it has been opened. Buying running shoes doesn't make one a champion runner unless you use the shoes to train and learn how to run marathons. MCO doesn;t do much unless you use other practices to run energy through the meridians...

 

What alot of people may not understand is that practices like MCO are meant to be practiced along with other practices that balance and strengthen them. Doing stuff out of a book by yourself out of context will not get you very far. It's like trying to drive a car without gas. You can maybe push it along but you won't get very far for the amount of effort you put into it.

 

If you really feel that you need to learn this fully, then make the effort to find a live teacher who can teach you this stuff in person... Learn an energy form like tai chi and stop trying to put stuff into your brain. IME, It is totally unnecessary.

 

Good luck with your search.

[fiveelementtao]

Tell me... If it can cause ilness... Can it also cause cures of equal proportions?

 

Sure, if you know what you're doing.

 

Since we are talking about healing...Can scalpels and medicines cause more injury and illness if used without proper knowledge and training? Yup.

Edited September 11, 2011 by fiveelementtao