Fragments of earlier memories of Taiwan

[shanlung]

Fragments of earlier memories of Taiwan

 

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/111670.html

 

I first thought I should hold off placing this here for another couple of months or so.

By which time I guess folks here know me a lot better.

 

Then I thought , no matter how well you know me, what is contained in the above will be paradigm shift from all that I write and will write about here.

 

I also being reading through the threads, some dealing on Immortals and strange stuff. Except that was based on folk lore and vivid imaginations.

 

I can only say what I wrote was downplayed by me.

 

I wrote a lot less than what happened.

 

Against my beliefs, I have met an Immortal on Earth

 

Who came to help me later when I invoked him.

 

And a place wiith strange entities, entities that reached even into my camera and wife's camera, PC and Internet.

 

I cannot tell you more than what I recorded.

 

 

That was written for my beastie and birdie forum friends. Which was a lot worse for them and mentally, they were not prepared for that at all.

 

They all did not know what to say.

 

I do not know what you all will say here, even if you are probably better prepared mentally for that.

 

 

 

 

 

The Taoistic Idiot

 

aka

 

Shanlung

山 龍

Mountain Dragon

 

http://shanlung.com/

[Gerard]

.

Edited September 16, 2013 by Gerard

[johndoe2012]

.

Edited August 18, 2013 by chris d

[Moonbar]

Wonderful

[Taomeow]

Great story.

 

I have a very cool Laughing Buddha netsuke but the origins are mundane (ebay ). However, the mystery lives on. A whole bunch of years ago I had a dream-vision (different from just a dream) where a monk quite similar to the one you encountered sold me a little figurine of a sleeping cat for a nominal fee. I kept thinking about it and pondering for a while, everything from the dream was as vivid in my memory as a real-life event I lived through. Then I came across an article about an ancient temple of the Sleeping Cat in Japan, Nemuri Neko, and there were pictures, and there on the facade of the temple was my figurine from the dream, a full-size version. (The cat's face looks a bit like that of the black and white cat in your pictures, doesn't it?)

 

 

 

 

 

[GrandmasterP]

Marvellous stuff Shanlung, thank you. You'd fit right in amongst like minded friends at our centre. Check out the website via my profile.

[shanlung]

Gerard

I love the delicious hawker fare of Taiwan. My first dinner of all my frequent return visits to Taiwan will be at Lor Her Night Market to eat myself silly on the hawker food there.

 

chris d

You will agree the difference was the way that little Milofor came into my hand. There were thousands if not hundreds of thousands of that. I even have one Milofor about 2 feet high carved from wood and given as a farewell gift to me from the company I was with. None will match the little one sold to me by that monk. That Milofor is priceless to me now.

 

Moonbar

 

taomeow

 

I wondered many times, alone and with friends, on the nominal fee. Which perhaps might just be a nominal fee and with no numerical significance. That cat looked like Dommie. My wife came back from Oman. I found I could see the photos this time unlike the last time when I just could not see the photos she took of Dommie the cat and Riamfada the parrot.

All of them are doing well.

 

GrandmasterP

I was at your site. Pity I live about halfway round the world from where you are.

 

Friends,

 

When I wrote that report, I wrote that for an entirely different audience altogether. You can page back on my Lifejournal to know I have been writing in parrot and kitty forums. Comprising of nice people (and a few nasty ones), and young people , and I was conscious what I did for birdies and kitties had been a shock for most of them. The last time I was in martial arts and Taoist was in 1999. And that was all because of Tinkerbell. I did not just give up my taijichuan for her, I gave up writing in Taoism stuff too. I later went back, but as said, into birdie and beasties forums.

 

I tried to keep true to the things that I did in Taiwan, but tone that down considerably because of the audience I was writing for. I could not bee too descriptive of the neu rou chang. Neither did I want to frighten them of the combat and fights I was involved in various challenges. And so, that was tone down. And even if not, I doubt they would have understood anything of tingjing.

 

My account of how I tried to use tingjing on that monk had been unknown blah blah blah to the birdie folks then. And even here as well.

 

I do not want to write more of that here. Combat taijichuan , and even more of my background of taijichuan belong to taijichuan thread elsewhere.

 

From all I have read, which for that matter, how many here truly know of tingjing and use that as a matter of routine.

 

Strangely, in the birdie forums, I would get a lot of questions and emails on routine birdie training and playing and cooking of food for them asking for more details. On accounts that took maybe 10 or 20 minutes to write in the first place.

 

They known me also for years. And knew I never wrote anything but the true things.

 

On the Fragments of earlier memories of Taiwan which took a few days to write, not a letter asking me more of the details. As if they were afraid to ask. And afraid of more details And afraid it was all true. That by closing their eyes, all that will go away.

 

I gone over those events many times myself. Still trying to understand. Still trying to accept what happened. My friends from the bird forums did not help me with their induced cone of silence on that matter

 

I was actually hoping for more questions from you all. That might help shed some light on those events.

 

Or will I get another collective cone of silence here as well?

 

Idiotic Taoist

 

aka

 

Shanlung

山 龍

Mountain Dragon

 

http://shanlung.com/

[Tung]

Thanks for charing Shanlung, I enjoyed reading about your experiences.

 

I cud not find any thing on your martial arts background, maybe i did not look close enough, or the link was wrong.

 

Tung

[Stosh]

Shanlung ,

To defy the cone of silence , I comment only,,

 

Its an interesting story ,

a string of personal experiences shared

and what argument could I have with it?

What support could I lend it ?

It is complete.

 

Stosh

[shanlung]

Tung,

I suggest you read the short intro I wrote of my martial arts here.

http://thetaobums.com/topic/24575-taijiquan-styles/page__st__32

 

Above is just a short intro. You will see my links in above.

That added a bit more.

I wrote a lot more than that in the past. Except that was into BBS before the birth of Internet.

And as you have read, what I wrote died in the hard disk that was fingered by that entity from the forlorn road side shrine.

 

 

Stosh,

Thank you for breaking that cone of silence.

It was strange enough when I first wrote of that in Taoist BBS long time back. Even without the 2nd and 3rd encounter with the road side shrine by the road before that road descended to sea level again. As can be read, that 2nd and 3rd encounter was after the coming of Tinkerbell into my life. And in a way, an extension of that mystical monk episode.

 

My earlier taoist friends did not know of that as that did not happen when I was writing in those forums.

 

Even so, what I wrote drew a cone of silence there and then.

As if they could not bring themselves to say anything.

 

My credibility was already good then. I known more for understatements than over statements.

 

Probably I am about the most visible and traceable on the Internet because of my prior writings even if they were on birdies and beasties. Enough photos can be seen of me as well.

 

I know it can be said that I just accept that. Events that started over 20 years ago.

The inexplicability of all that went by. The why it happened to me.

 

Why not that mystical monk go into the UN where his words can do a lot more good, then appearing to me in a lonely town in the North of Taiwan.

 

What impact had that mystical monk made? Other than striking most of the people who read of him speechless

 

The Idiotic Taoist

 

aka

 

Shanlung

山 龍

Mountain Dragon

 

http://shanlung.com/

[Stosh]

Getting everybody at the UN to shut up would be a miracle indeed!

Stosh

[GrandmasterP]

Maybe we get the spirit guides we either need or deserve. Your monk guide was there for you for a purpose more important right then than anything anywhere else. Your cultivation and deep psychic abilities acts as an antenna to spirit friends Shanlung. I can see where birdy and beastie posters might be peplexed by such issues but not here. Even the most secular culivator is far and away more in tune with spiritual issues than those who do not cultivate,whatever their method. You will be made most welcome at our centre if ever you find yourself in this part of the forest. The ladies make a good bowl of tea sometimes accompanied by home made and most delicious cakes.

[dwai]

Tingjing. My teacher was talking about how tingjing can be applied in regular day to day situations. In meetings at work, in the supermarket etc. What are your thoughts on this topic?

[GrandmasterP]

Depends on what you are after does Ting Jing. For example listening and reacting to the energy dynamics in a meeting at work could empower one. But it is jolly hard work and implies a will to be empowered and get something from the meeying, usually to one's own advantage. Heavy on the Yang is Ting Jing in that context. Another approach in meetings is to not do anything. End result is always the same [meetings never achieve anything in a work context. They exist for people who enjoy meetings] and you've saved yourself the effort of Ting Jing.

[shanlung]

Stosh,

 

Dont talk of the UN.

It seems even mentioning in another thread in the lobby " hey its a new guy" had this unfortunate effort of stopping all talk in that thread, other than well meaning advise from GrandmasterP for me to seek treatment for my thoughts of flagellation, necrophilia and equine bestiality.

 

Maybe that mystical monk or immortal I met wanted to remain hidden. And he came to me so he could remain hidden. He knew whatever I wrote would make others shut up and not talk about it. Imagine John Chang and his puny powers. Still being talked about because of the folks he met and their shouts to the world were repeated and repeated, even into here. And John Chang coming out via Ring of Fire was well before that mystical monk coming to me.

 

And btw, it is bad to get the UN to shut up. I thinking even useless talking is better than napalming or rocketing each other, even if I do think some deserved to be napalmed and bombed.

 

GrandmasterP,

 

If I am in your part of the world, I definately will drop in on you and your friends.

And talk of things while enjoying your tea and cakes.

 

I had felt enttities like that mystical monk aka immortal should also be very concerned with the state of our poor planet. Even if not for the cancer like humans infesting the planet, they should be concerned that this same planet support them and they should do their bit in frightening the shit out of all that care and with the power and control of $$$$$$ to effect real changes. And not pounced on an innocent like me who cannot even spread properly word of them.

 

My work involved in a fair bit of travelling about. In the first year of that meeting, his presence was very close to me. When I was in my hotel room in Erlangen, Bavaria, or in Guangzhou, there were times I felt he was there beside me.

 

I regret to this day I did not just abandon my neu rou lunch to follow him when he walked away. Or that I should have just dropped to the floor , grabbed the end of his robe and kowtowed to him.

 

 

Words here of mythical beings and mystical powers have been debated and analysed more finely than the number of angels dancing on the head of the pin.

 

What I wrote first frightened all my poor birdies and beastie friends. I admit very high number of hits on that Fragments thread even if replies were zero.

 

Or maybe it is that folks rather talk on mythical beings and mystical powers found almost only in books and not in real encounters.

 

 

dwai,

 

Take care of talks from anyone on jings. Listen politely to all, but listen closely only when those that talk to you of jing can do that at will and at all times and to you.

 

I cannot do fajing at will, and at best one out of 3-4 times. But the tingjing that I had had tied people into knots. And moved them such that their own center of gravity trip them over. They thought I fajinged when it was only simple direction and redirection via tingjing.

 

They need not have to be able to fajing at will. But at the very least, able to tinging. I take it that tingjing and dongjing will be like wuwei and tse-run, both sides of a Mobius strip, and not able, or indeed not important to know where tingjing start and where/when dongjing begin.

 

Unlike what one guy said, the tajiji, real taiji that you do must lead you into that tingjing/dongjing. Regardless of what taijichuan. And I done enough. Starting from Sunjia, then into Chenjia Laujia, pau chew, the Chenjia Jiang set, the dadao set, the chiang set, the Chenjia Tsin jia set. Then the Wu jia, the Yangjia and the Yangjia sanshou suantuishou, the Chenjia ChenFake. All those sets, and the detailed instructions and beatings, finally let me into the path of tinging, even if I cannot say I understood that process.

 

I can intellectualised as well if not better than most. That intellectualising and pseudo mambo scientific hocus pocus that I did was my biggest stumbling block into the world of real taiji. Not that what I say will matter or believed by you and most. You will probably want to continue to think too much, or listen to others who think too much, and paint yourself into a corner of what you think taiji is.

 

The only way is to be tossed about by a real Master as against all those tiny masters and HAWs infesting much of our world.

 

At the time when I met that mystical monk, I was only a few months on that path of tingjing. And even at a later stage, I dare not say I can tingjing without contact. Perhaps I might have like in that roof top encounter. But perhaps that might be figment of my imagination.

 

I needed to be in touch with that mystical monk then.

 

I tried so hard, both at the handing over of that 50NT, and later at the taking of the Milofor from his hand.

All I needed was just a touch of him to connect and hear him via tingjin.

 

Writing of that now, I could feel his laughter at me at both attempts. He knew what I was trying to do, maybe before I even thought of trying that. And to amuse himself, and to educate me in my incompetence, he did not allow it.

 

 

The Taoistic Idiot

 

aka

 

Shanlung

山 龍

Mountain Dragon

 

http://shanlung.com/

Edited September 21, 2012 by shanlung

[Stosh]

There are a lot of things I just dont believe in Shanlung,

But two things are pretty obvious

I dont know everything

and folks have all sorts of reasons for believing what they do.

I think forums like this are a great venue for folks to test

their own tolerance , its probably the best lesson one can

learn this way.

Heck , the situation practically begs for persons to stick

their neck out , and others to try to hand them their heads.

Dont sweat it.

Stosh

[shanlung]

Stosh,

 

What happened happened regardless of whether you believe or not believe.

It took me a long time to write what happened as can be seen from the times of those different postings, maybe about ten years apart.

Since they were first posted in birdie forums, those dates could not be changed to suit what I wrote.

 

Your choice not to believe a word of what I wrote here or anywhere else.

 

You make your own universe to what you chose to believe in.

 

Taoistic Idiot

 

aka

 

Shanlung

山 龍

Mountain Dragon

 

http://shanlung.com/

[dwai]

Depends on what you are after does Ting Jing. For example listening and reacting to the energy dynamics in a meeting at work could empower one. But it is jolly hard work and implies a will to be empowered and get something from the meeying, usually to one's own advantage. Heavy on the Yang is Ting Jing in that context. Another approach in meetings is to not do anything. End result is always the same [meetings never achieve anything in a work context. They exist for people who enjoy meetings] and you've saved yourself the effort of Ting Jing.

 

I have experienced that it is relatively easy to determine the nature of energy being emanated from others and what/how it affects our own. This is a natural progression to taiji practice imho, where we get sensitized to others' energy.

 

At one point I used to find it difficult to go into a mall because of the overwhelming feeling the chaos of energies evoked. I found out that it was true for my teacher too (during his formative years).

 

In terms of ting jing, I have had the experience of actually having what can be called premonitions about things going to happen and a "gut feeling" of not wanting to do something (a certain way) or to wanting to do something but rationalized against it. Inevitably everytime I went against this "gut feeling" ended up in less than desirable results ( albeit one could rationalize that as well and tell that many things will seem undesirable in retrospect). The feelings I get are very strong and sometimes I cannot "not do" something simply because I was forewarned because no one would accept my reason to not do something (say in a work context).

 

My friend and I often practice this before or after commencing a push hands session. We will stand facing each other and then try to project a thought while the other reads it. Sometimes we are more successful than other times (again one could argue that these are infact in the realm of chance, but that not withstanding, there are times when we can see the thoughts as images being projected).

 

So, ting jing does provide us insight into our environment. The hard part is knowing how to act/not act on the knowledge (sometimes definitive, sometimes intuitive).

 

About yin or yang nature of ting jing, since it is a receptive type of energy (listening), is it not therefore automatically more yin than yang?

Edited October 8, 2012 by implicate_order

[shanlung]

It was the recent discussions on the 6th Patriach HuiNeng that brought this back from my memories.

 

It was in the mid 1990s where I was living in a small fishing village Sai Kung in the New Territories of Hongkong. Which was next door to Guangzhou.

 

I made a lot of small trips into Guangzhou, and a lot of longer trips into far flung parts of China.

But this was one of the smaller trip into the province of Guangzhou.

 

To Shaoquan and a temple NanHwaSi 南華寺 near that town. And later on you realised why I wrote of that in this particular thread.

 

Travels in those days were nothing like the travelling in China of nowadays. Buses were crowded and roads small and potholed.

Money, especially USD was a lot bigger than, and pace of life much slower.

 

NanHwaSi was a vast sprawling Zen monastery with history stretching back over a thousand years and more. One of the reasons why I went to NanHuaSi was the purported mummifed remains of the 6th Patriach HuiNeng in the monastery.

 

I have said HuiNeng went on to settle in PoLin Monastery. That was correct. That was the name when he went there in 700AD. Song Dynasty Emperor Taizong changed the name to NanHwaSi in 968AD. Which was why the mummified remains of HuiNeng was in Nanhwasi.

 

I stayed over in the domitories of NanHwaSi for a few nights. Ample time to explore the vast grounds of Nanhwasi. And to see, taste and smell the goings and the rituals of the temple which started before the break of dawn. The crystal clear sound of a bell with the beating throbbing of the wooden fish interlace with the chants of prayers.

 

How much of the temple was old and how much rebuilt I could not tell. Apparently horrors of Chinese civil war aka the Red Guards visited this place. Only the prestige of departed Patriach Hsu Yun saved this old temple from even worse horrors. For those who do not know, Hsu Yun was the acknowledged Patriach of all Zen temples be them North or South.

 

HuiNeng body was behind glass panels. I looked as closely as I could and was disappointed that it looked like carved out of wood. Apparently it was truly mummified. Japanese occupation during WW2 examined the body to show bones and internal organs. HuiNeng was very highly respected by the Japanese and also the presence of Hsu Yun was very highly regarded.

 

There were signs and posters that no photography allowed of HuiNeng's mummy.

 

In those days, only the posters were there with no custodians. The only human or humanoid in the room was yours truly and his friend and HuiNeng.

 

I took a few photos with flash. Then I turned off the flash to take even more photos in case the glass reflect the flash..

 

I eventually went back to Hongkong to see the digital photos I had taken with my Olympus

Photos of the NanHwaSi were beautiful and clear, of the temple and of the grounds.

 

All the photos taken of HuiNeng, with the flash, and without the flash, were all fogged over. All photos before , and after were ok.

 

This was in about 1996, way before that strange incident with my camera and my wife's camera of the little road side temple in 2002 as I related in Fragments. When I found the cameras could not shoot that temple, I recollected the incident of NanHwaSi immediately there and then.

 

And as that entity fingered my hard drive, non of the photos of NanHwaSi can now be seen, unfogged or fogged, and many other photos of my travelling about in China, near and far.

 

Just another bleep for those who do not think I lied.

 

Those who think I lied can fuck off.

 

Idiot on the Path

[XieJia]

Hello Shanlung,

 

enjoyed reading your stories.

quite amazing how you can't take photo of the remains of Master Huineng.

 

Keep us posted,

 

XJ

[Stosh]

I dont think you lied , I just figure it for simple physics.

My cameras fog when changing environments too.

Flash is a good thing to avoid using (indoors as well) if its at all possible

especially in front of glass!, sometimes switching to the macro setting

helps to get a proper focus.

Stosh

[shanlung]

I dont think you lied , I just figure it for simple physics.

My cameras fog when changing environments too.

Flash is a good thing to avoid using (indoors as well) if its at all possible

especially in front of glass!, sometimes switching to the macro setting

helps to get a proper focus.

Stosh

 

Figured it all you want.

While you are at it, figure out too which part is a lie and for that matter,

why do you even bother to read what I write.

 

I do not bother to read you anymore and you can join that hot air worm in my bin.

You make good company for him.

 

Idiotic Taoist

Why not you

[shanlung]

Hello Shanlung,

 

enjoyed reading your stories.

quite amazing how you can't take photo of the remains of Master Huineng.

 

Keep us posted,

 

XJ

 

Thank you.

 

I tried to be as factual about what I had been through.

 

I know there are some here who think they are god gift to those that they think are unscientifically inclined.

That they then had to show their logical scientific mind to shine their light on dumb folks like us and cast their pearls of wisdom to us peasants.

 

I have written enough papers to peer reviewed engineering journals in the past. That started 40 years ago or so.

 

I wish those folks who must show their brilliant scientific minds to focus on writing their own papers to scientific journals. Even better still will be to go win their Nobel prizes instead of stumping about here showing their scientific expertise.

 

Or having the gumption to talk to me about photography techniques as if I am so dumb to need their mealy mouth advise on camera settings. As if I had not been taking photographs (unlike their snapshots) over last 40 years. That I need their scientific explanations. After all, there are so many other threads that he can go into.

 

 

 

 

Taoistic Idiot

[shanlung]

I felt what I wrote into another thread should be placed here as well

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

From http://thedaobums.com/topic/27581-immortals/

 

 

Perhaps it might be a telling of me to let go.

 

Those who read above would have known that Immortal I met gave me a momento of a Milofor.in 1991 

 

 

That was always with me. kept in my backpack which you have seen in almost all my blogs.

 

Then in  Oct 2014 , I was in Nepal Khatmandu.  I stayed there a while to enjoy that city after an absence of 30 years or so.  That was also about the time of the Dashain, a festival that celebrate the victory of good over evil.  So naturally I stayed on for that delaying my going to Pokhara and going on the Annapunna trek.  The 8th day of Dashain , Maha Ashtami: Wednesday, 21-10-2015 , was a big day that involved in the beheading of countless buffalos and goats.  I was at that 30 years ago.  In the days when cameras are loaded with rolls of 36 shots and this time I had electronic camera loaded with countless shots.

 

I was in the Khatmandu Durbar Square and on top platform of one of the pavilions.

My money and passport was in body belt and pouch hang on my neck.  My backpack had nothing of value compared to what I that I had safely on my body.  That backpack still had about 3-400USD I considered as loose change of SGD and Malaysian Ringgits, and tele photo lense of my Olympus.

 

I left the backpack on the ground next to my leg as I sat on the step.  A commotion came and the Kumari, the living Goddess of Nepal was walking.  Since she was a Goddess and her feet must not touch the ground.  So they were placing rolls of silk on the ground and a huge crowd was around her.

 

Even on top of the platform, I could barely see her.  I stood up to try to get some shots of her.  It was only a couple of seconds.  And in that couple of seconds my bag was gone.

 

I cared little for the money left in the bag or the telephoto lens.  My priceless Milofor was in that bag.

 

Maybe thrown away after they strip it of money, tele lens and my Buck folding knife.

 

I made offer of 1000 USD for the return via the friendly staff of the place in stayed in (Secret Garden).  I was actually prepared to pay more, 5 times more.

 

I have to accept eventually that I never will see that Milofor again.  Maybe that was for the good. Maybe I should not remain attach to anything or object.

 

And anyway, that Milofor , with that Immortal, remain forever with me in my heart.

 

 

 

Idiot on the Path