Questions about meditation for Tao Bums

[RedKooga]

What's your take on sitting meditation? If you do practice a form of sitting meditation in addition to your Qi Gong exercises, what kind do you practice?

 

Just curious

[hagar]

h

Edited May 25, 2009 by hagar

[sean]

You'll probably find a wide assortment of opinions here.

 

Many, especially lately, believe that sitting meditation is the practice and any other cultivation practices are either a helpful aid in preparing/enhancing sitting meditation or are disposable.

 

The Healing Tao's "party line" tends to be that "mind only" enlightenment, as they might be apt claim is the desired result of a practice of only pure sitting, is not complete and is even potentially imbalanced.

 

I believe there is absolutely no disagreement thought that sitting practices of all sorts are beneficial to any path.

 

I frequently do a "follow the breath" meditation with either eyes open or closed depending on my mood. Sometimes I just do straight Shikantaza, which is just pure sitting without any aids of breath following, mantra, visualization, etc. Other times I practice what is known as the White Skeleton Meditation espoused by Bill Bodri. You can do a search for an in depth discussion of this meditation here on the forum, although it's not described in full since it's copyrighted material. If you want I will snail-mail you the meditation, but you have to promise to mail it to the next person that requests it.

 

Sean.

[sean]

Also, for the record, Sidharta Gotama explicity taught students to meditate sitting, standing, walking, and lying down. He also explicity taught to meditate on the physical forms of our body, on visual objects (ie, the moon), on certain truths (ie: impermanance), on emotional and mental phenomenon, etc..

 

See the Maha-satipatthana Sutta for reference.

 

Sean.

[RedKooga]

Though it's common to say 'all roads lead to Rome' different practices produce different effects. If circumstances are permitting I think it's great if sitting meditation can be practiced alongside Qi Gong or something like Hatha Yoga. They compliment each other so well.

 

Sean very interested in that White Skeleton exercise. Would love you to snail mail it to me or you could give me a link where I could purchase it myself.

[HaPPyMaraXXus]

I am also very interested. I've also got no problem with purchasing the material.

 

Lots of stuff going on here, however - since I focus more on meditation dealing with movement...there's alot that I do not have in practice for still-mind.

 

The hardest thing right now I'm facing is "harmonizing the stressful and competitive environment" that I work in. So much activity. I can identify that some more grounding work needs done...but not quite sure yet how to go about it.

 

Any suggestions for that? Perhaps?

 

unconditional appreciation,

 

-Jessica

[rex]

This is my adapted mish mash from what the established authorities teach so make of it what you will:

 

Grounding and working with the solar plexus can do a lot to harmonise stressy environments. These don't necessarily change the environment or the people in it but they can change our response to them by allowing a small breathing space (usually less than a second) where we can choose to respond or react. Slowing the mind down with quiet sitting practice might also extend this breathing space.

 

I don't know what other people's experience of grounding is but after doing a moving qi gong form outside for three months I noticed that towards the end of each practice session a palpable feeling of body energy sinking into the Earth. Incidently if you're brave try qi qong late at night outside; you can get the feeling that things are checking you out (and I don't mean nosey neighbours or drunks).

 

Basically just relax and allow your energy to sink into the earth. Smile to the Earth from the heart centre allowing the gratitude/respect feeling to flow down the legs and arms and out through the feet and hands into the Earth. Wait for a response to come back though don't expect one or worry if one can't be sensed. Breath in Earth energy through the feet and hands either straight into the navel or trust it to flow anywhere in the body it wants to go (be sure to gather in navel at the end of the session). If you want you can exhale with the heart sound any energy your body doesn't like out through the finger tips and toes into the Earth. This exercise can be be sitting, standiing or walking and is an adaption of Mantak Chia's 5 Pulse Breathing given in his book Awaken Healing Light of the Tao.

 

The solar plexus can be worked with in a similar way except yellow or golden light permeates the air around you and it's breathed straight into the front and back and sides of the solar plexus. From here the energy can stay stored in the solar plexus or it can be trusted to go where it wants breathing out any wanted energy through the mouth. Simple eh? Again this can be done sitting, standing or walking.

 

Once you're used to them these exercises can be done together. When walking sink the energy and connect the navel with the centre of the Earth (Michael Winns Internal Chi Breathing and Grounding series is good for this) while doing the solar plexus breathing.

 

Hope this gives you some pointers. Any questions please do ask.

 

rex

[rex]

Sorry, typo alert:

 

From here the energy can stay stored in the solar plexus or it can be trusted to go where it wants breathing out any wanted energy through the mouth.

 

Should read:

 

From here the energy can stay stored in the solar plexus or it can be trusted to go where it wants breathing out any unwanted energy through the mouth.

 

rex

[Yoda]

that's been a recent discovery for me that outdoor practice is very energizing and grounding. This seems to hold for everything from strength training all the way to stillness practice. The Greeks exercising outdoors and naked is an image that comes to mind these days. It also seems more 'enlightening' too--the elements wake up instinctive memories.

 

Remembering the wind, the sun, or the stars brings me back to the real world.

 

I read a bit of that RJ Stewart material--good stuff. It's very cool that Winn and Stewart are pals and that they have combined their teachings. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

-Yoda

[rex]

Funnily enough Yoda it was your praises of Primordial Chi Kung that prompted me to get the video and when reading the handout saw a resonnance with RJ Stewarts work.

 

Practicing outside does seem to awaken what I can only describe as basic instinctual sanity. RJ Stewart says we are the elements. I see from your posts that you used to be into Tibetan Buddhism and this also states that we are the elements - the consorts of the Five Dhyani Buddhas are the elements in their pure form.

 

Finding the wind, sun and stars so grounding and inspiring as you do try checking out RJ's 'The Miracle Tree'. It's a non-dogmatic exhortation to freedom and experimentation full of practical working suggestions. He gives an exercise for walking outside, 'Walking Participation', where the

feet, genitals, heart and head are connected with the Earth, Moon, Sun and Stars. This exercise is done after working with the Rising Light Below exercise for about two weeks and seems to enhance this outside instinctual sanity.

 

Anyway glad you liked RJ's stuff.

 

rex

[HaPPyMaraXXus]

Thank you for your kind suggestions, I will definetly consider many parts and find some sort of direction deep inside kidh-yiddakh.

 

If you want you can exhale with the heart sound any energy your body doesn't like out through the finger tips and toes into the Earth. This exercise can be be sitting, standiing or walking and is an adaption of Mantak Chia's 5 Pulse Breathing given in his book Awaken Healing Light of the Tao.  

 

Do you have any other sources for this kind of material I could perhaps check out? Just a little wonder...

 

I actually have some Michael Winn material, so I'm a little familiar with that one...I still remain neutral on the antics going on at this time over that name. Thats for sure. :?

 

I am getting some pages of material ready for an article on here, perhaps. Or maybe just a really good journal corner. Not sure yet. I thank everyone who's had patience with me up to this time. (You know who you are)

 

danchka, mekheim, gratse.

-Jessica

[Yoda]

HappyMaraXXus--

 

There's a free copy of primordial chi kung floating around somewhere--it's a great practice.

 

Rex--

 

The coincidences of this website often remind me of Napoleon Hill's idea of the mastermind group that collective focus to a topic yields better results.

 

-Yoda

[HaPPyMaraXXus]

Hey Yoda-

 

Thanks for the tipoff, but just wanted to call out-

I had mentioned in one other post somewhere on here that I had a few items of PCK material and that I definetly incorporate it into the many practices I do on a daily basis. Being very committed and redundant, I found a place of good discipline. The very common problem I have come up with lately is empty mind practices and grounding. I am certain I will hit an imbalance soon if I do not do less movement meditation/exercise and start with more stillness practice.

 

Always good feedback here, I can definetly appreciate the large number of experienced and knowledgeable taoist-minds.

 

While I am remembering, I had a question for you (I know this isnt exactly the perfect area for it, but the way my mind works lately I better get it out while its there)

Do you actually gaze into the direct vacinity of the sun's radiance? Or do you allow your eyes the presence and splendor while diverting just barely and taking in its pulsating energy...? I am just trying to better understand it...this concept has been lingering in my contemplation for a few weeks, since I first read some of your journal material ( found guilty! :oops: )

 

Anyway I will be looking into some of these things in the next week or two and configure it into my ever-revisin' daily practice!

 

Blessed adieu,

-Jessica

[Yoda]

Grounding is the big challenge for sungazing but if you do it barefoot it helps. Something needs to be done to ground it right after the practice. The common thing is to walk around 15+ minutes outside barefoot. I'm still figuring this part out. Walking around barefoot is good stuff. I just googled for RJ Stewart miracle tree and found a few chapters about walking there as a grounding practice. WSM is a groovy stillnessish practice. A copy of that is floating around the lending library too.

 

But, yes... straight at Sunny! Some people do gaze at thirty degrees of the sun, etc. But the best way is straight at it with full focus.

 

The way to experiment with the practice is just to make a habit of admiring the sunset or sunrise on a regular basis. Plus the radiance after the sunset too if you'd like. Experiment with it on that easy, safe level and see if you like it. And let me know!

 

-Yoda

[rex]

Hi Jessica, I pickd up breathing out unwanted energy from tai chi classes and of course all the Healing Tao stuff. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in his book Healing with Form, Energy and Light mentions expelling stuff:

As long as we breathe, we can practice. If nothing else, we can inhale what is positive and exhale what is harmful.

The book gives a lot of information and some practices on the elements from shamanic, tantric and Dzogchen viewpoints. There's a particularly nice looking shamanic practice of retrieving elemental energies involving visualisation of oneself as an Earth Goddess but it might be too specific to the Bon/Tibetan tradition for most people's liking.

 

B.K. Frantzis' The Great Stillness goes into walking practice and other practices to dissolve inner blockages. There's a detailed summary of this book on the Universal Tao site http://www.universal-tao.com/article/great..._stillness.html. I've only read about this and settle for expelling stuff due to lack of time. However what I'm persistently expelling might be down to blockages so will have to look into this sometime.

 

I recently came across Pranic Healing by Choa Kok Sui (he's wriiten quite a few books) and there's a lot in there about the energetics of the hands and their ability to sense and manipulate patient's energy fields. The guy who reviewed it said cut out the whacky mumbo jumbo and it's quite interesting. Here's an excerpt:

 

HAND AND FINGER CHAKRAS

There are two very important chakras located at the center of each palm. these chakras are called the left hand chakra and right hand chakra.  They are usually about one inch in diameter. Some pranic healers have hand chakras as big as two inches or more in diameter. Although the hand chakras are considered as minor chakras, they have very important functions in pranic healing. It is through the hand chakras that prana is absorbed from the surroundings and projected to the patient. Both the right and left hand chakras are capable of absorbing and projecting prana or ki. But for right-handed persons, it is easier to absorb through the left hand chakra and project through the right hand chakra and vice versa for left-handed people.

 

There is a mini chakra in each finger. These chakras are also capable of absorbing and projecting prana. The hand chakras project less concentrated or gentler prana while the finger chakras project more intense or stronger prana. With infants, the aged, and very weak patients, it is advisable to energize them slowly and gently by using the hand chakras. By stimulating or activating the hand chakras, the hands become sensitized; thereby developing the ability to feel subtler matter and to scan the different auras. It is through scanning that the healer can locate the diseased areas in the bioplasmic body.

 

The book covers much of the same ground as Chi Nei Tsang and the Emitting,Absorbing, and Healing Qigong chapter in Shou-Yu liang's Qigong Empowerment.

 

Oh yes, Reiki practitioners are keen on grabbing sick energy from people and shaking it into the earth.

 

I 'm beginning to ramble so will stop but I hope this may have been of some use.

 

rex

[rex]

Hi Yoda, without wanting to come out with mind numbing banalities: there does seem to be a morhpic resonnance vibe tripping off some kind of synergy. :wink:

 

rex

[sean]

Though it's common to say 'all roads lead to Rome' different practices produce different effects. If circumstances are permitting I think it's great if sitting meditation can be practiced alongside Qi Gong or something like Hatha Yoga. They compliment each other so well.

Agreed.

 

Sean very interested in that White Skeleton exercise. Would love you to snail mail it to me or you could give me a link where I could purchase it myself.

Sure, just PM me your address and I'll mail it out asap.

 

Sean.

[RedKooga]

To get really grounded and 'empty minded' I think it's a good idea to go for an undisturbed extended meditation retreat, for at least a year, at some time in your life.

 

I did this at 21 and although it was the most difficult thing I have ever attempted it cut through my neuroses and other assorted mental fracas with sublime skillful violence.

[RedKooga]

Sure, just PM me your address and I'll mail it out asap.

 

Sean.

 

Yip yip! Awesome.

[sean]

I am also very interested. I've also got no problem with purchasing the material.

Hey Jessica, the White Skeleton Meditation I referred to is by Bill Bodri and can be purchased here for about $8. Or you can wait until Talking_Pebble is finished with the TaoBums Library copy and he can send it to you next. I'm shipping it to him today.

 

PS: Never got a chance to say welcome to the board. I enjoy your posts and your presence here.

 

Sean.