Bill Bodri's Tao School course in production...

[SheepishLord]

...tell me what you want covered and I will pass it on. So far:

 

Intro - History - overview of Taoism (fang shih, difference from Hinduism/Buddhism, philosophy, etc)

Stages of Transformation (jing-chi-shen)

Basic Taoist Meditation Practices (dan tien, inner viewing, sexual) and mistakes -(don't spin chi)

Changing the Body with Herbs and Supplements, medicine

Karma, Fortune, Strategies, Chi and Sciences in Taoism

[hagar]

Wanted to know if Bodri can elaborate more on the reason for the two distinct schools of taoist alchemy: The school of pure sitting, which I understand Bodri belongs to, and the schools which implies doing. Different things need to be worked through to reach the stated of the immortal fetus and then its liberation.

 

Why do some state that the alchemical work is worked out naturally, and others that you need to be very careful about timing and the firing schedule?

[Yoda]

Definitely the fundamentals: inner smile, healing sounds, frolics, microcosmic orbit, embracing the tree come to mind. Perhaps Bodri could free associate while flipping through nice, basic chikung books like Way of Qigong by Cohen or Tao of Sex, Health, Longevity by Reid etc.

 

I found WSM to be a brilliant "non-packing" relative to the iron shirt stuff. But anything on iron shirt would be great. Any WSM adaptations, with standing, etc. WSM got me to discover my feet too. I'm hungry for more commentary re: bones, my left big toe, etc. What about my right big toe, anyways? Any WSM like practices for organs? Why the insistance on white light vs other colors? I have a hard time keeping my WSM visualization stable--I sort of have to breathe in the white light and then breath it out. Any suggestions? What does he think of Sean's idea of mentally scrubbing the bones with a bristle brush to lighten/brighten/and stimulate? Max is always saying that emptiness is the main part of WSM--I don't quite get that part. Just visualize that I'm gone--just the landscape where I was sitting??

 

Also, any celibacy/retention tips like the crane frolic type exercise before bed.

 

I don't know if Bodri has any thoughts on Wang Xiangzhai and his yiquan/stance training but I'd be interested in that.

 

Also his commentary on picking up energy from weather, sun, stars, earth, etc. Anything on sungazing/sunbathing/vitamin D/serotonin/the pineal gland, etc. My WSM seems to be most successful when I'm practicing in total dark or in direct sunlight, for instance. Seems to mix well with sungazing, etc.

 

I don't know if he's familar with Primordial Chi Kung, but moving drills like that, I'd like his input on.

 

Dream practices come to mind as well.

 

I don't think the taobums on our own, have enough buying power to make the book worth it for him, but it sounds like a fantastic book that would have popular appeal to others as well. Maybe Sean could link taobums to it as recommended reading, etc. If the title is something like introduction to basic chi kung and taichi principles it might could appeal to the larger taichi/yoga crowd.

 

Keep us posted!

 

Thanks!!!

-Yoda

[Mitch]

I'm interested in Bill commenting on the Taoist system used by Wang Liping in Opening the Dragon Gate. He is started off with Dark Room training and eventually combined with sitting properly. Then he is moved on to the Spiritual Jewels made up of:

 

3 Exercises

Quiet sitting

External exercises for balance

Sleeping exercises

 

9 Methods

Mental Capacities - 9 Steps

1) Retrospective training by returning to infancy

• a. Distinguishing real from the unreal

b. Developing Clarity of Spirit

c. Knowing the correct way to go

d. Reduce food intake

e. Changing into new clothing

f. Seeing through the mechanism of Nature

g. Revolving Time

h. Gazing at the Moon

2) Stopping Illness

3) Curing Illness

4) Transmitting Awareness

5) Stabilizing the Mind

6) Settling Birth and Death

7) Cutting of Earthly Soul

8 ) Receiving Images

 

Also I would like him to comment on steps to becoming a breatharian.

And whether physical immortality is feasible for the purpose of guiding others to the Tao, until physical immortality is no longer needed, which I think Buddha instructed some of his friends to do when he was gone.

[sean]

I don't have any specific suggestions on content yet.

 

But I would really like to see Bodri start incorporating more footnotes that link to a Bibliography. A Bibliography that lists all of the sources consulted in preparing his work.

 

IMO Bodri shoots from the hip a lot and it would be very nice to be able to correlate his opinions with authentic sources outside of what I can't help feeling is often just because Nan says so. Even if he does just insert footnotes to, ie: "based on xyz book by Nan", throughout the majority of his work, it would still lend more credibility and lessen the air of arrogant casuistry.

 

Numerous times I've tried doing research on aspects of his work and come up with an utter lack of resources for either confirming or denying his theories. Personally I am not going to invest a whole lot of time into someone's eccentric perspective on cultivation if they are not going to do at least one of the following:

a) Speak primarily from personal experience. ie: "When I practiced the Hungry Ghost feeding ritual for one month, I noticed it did xyz for my meditation practice. This is how I intepret that."

Quote sources in detail.. ie: "Nan tells me that the Zhunti mantra is even practiced by the Zen school in China even though this school typically eschews external cultivation."

 

Sorry if I sound harsh or critical. But I think it's a bit irresponsible of him to not be more upfront with his level of experience and the sources of his insights. Bodri has a combination of charisma and matter-of-factness that I feel could be dangerous in it's ability to draw in and potentially take advantaged of, ie: depressed people surfing the Internet for a new guru. I would prefer not to think that he is deliberately utilizing cultish language patterns and the inclusion of a detailed bibliography in his future research would do a lot to dissuade me from this belief.

 

Sean.

[Mitch]

... I would really like to see Bodri start incorporating more footnotes that link to a Bibliography. A Bibliography that lists all of the sources consulted in preparing his work.

 

I agree with Sean footnotes would be greatly appreciated and what exactly is the level of Bill and Nan?

 

I know Nan thinks highly of Bill because Bill wrote the forward to 2 of his translated books in english. I've skimmed through 2 of Nan's books and read the one where he gives a retreat but no where that I see does Nan say I've achieved XYZ. Maybe it's a cultural difference where it may be seen as boasting, but it would sure be helpful to know where a teacher is at in his practice.

[Cameron]

check12

[SheepishLord]

All comments have been forwarded...

 

...but let me ask you this:

 

The 2nd patriarch cut off his arm to present to the 1st. How did he know the 1st patriarch was worth cutting his arm off for?

 

Answer: the 2nd patriarch did what Shakyamuni demanded of his disciples--to practice and verify the truth of what he taught. Why don't you go and practice and verify the validity of Bill's and Master Nan's teachings instead of obsessing on footnotes??? :roll:

[Mitch]

[Pietro]

The 2nd patriarch cut off his arm to present to the 1st. How did he know the 1st patriarch was worth cutting his arm off for?

 

ehm, sat on a cave for nine years.

 

Beside once your arm is frozen you can as well cut it off.

[Pietro]

I'm hungry for more commentary re: bones, my left big toe, etc.  What about my right big toe, anyways?

 

Well, :wink: you haven't had an orgasm until you had it in your big toe :bounce: . Both of them.

[Yoda]

I look forward to having them! In the meantime, I've been showing my toes foot fetish material, massaging them, etc

 

-Yoda

[monucka]

Standing meditation.

[DentyDao]

[GrandTrinity]

Id be really interested to see what Bodri says about all that except I am not too interested in herb and jing chi shen theory is a bit boring unless he has good points...?

 

That PDF id rather long, is it the entire course?

Edited January 7, 2006 by GrandTrinity

[Taiji Bum]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I was hoping for more discussion on Bill Bodri now that a year has passed. Any more insights?

 

I want to by his 900 page $97 book but its an E-book. If I print that out how much ink and paper will that take? I have read nearly everything on his site that is free and so far he seems legit. In the past year has he been sued or anything?

[Smile]

Use a printing service- cheaper this way. The book is worth more then $97.

[DaoWaDiddy]

Has anyone followed the protocols and suggestions in Bodri's "How to Clean Your Arteries and Detox Your Body for Spiritual Practice" e-book?

 

If so, what was your experience?

[Yoda]

It's good stuff, but back it up or print... my Bodri collection perished with my hard drive. My favs were White Skeleton, Beautiful Skin, White Fat Cow, and then the big tome. Maybe buy a cheaper book first to see if you like the vibe. Bodri reminds me of Matt Furey... I don't like him personally, but I love his thoughts.

[Taiji Bum]

Use a printing service- cheaper this way. The book is worth more then $97.

What do you mean by a printing service?

[Smile]

Printing services like http://www.mimeo.com/index.html or Kinko's or Staples or search for cheap printing services on the web. I used Mimeo and they are very good.

If you have a laser printer, it's probably cheaper to print yourself, but the good thing about printing service is they will print on both sides of the page and bind it for you.