Qing jing wei tian xia zheng :)

[ShouYi]

Hi, I send greetings from Poland

 

I' ve found a lot of interesting and helpful posts on Taobums, so I' ve decided to join

 

Peace to All

 

 

 

[Basher]

Welcome Shou Yi,

tell us more about your Hands !!!

 

Basher

[ShouYi]

For many years, I have been interested in daoism, qigong, TCM. I'm going to start a discussion about five spirits cultivation (shen, hun, po, zhi, yi). I think it's quite underestimated issue.

[BananaMonkey]

Welcome! This is a great place, you'll enjoy your stay

[ShouYi]

Hi BananaMonkey! Thank you for your welcome

[ShouYi]

It's one of my favourite and most inspirational quotes. It's an excerpt of the discussion between Guangchengzi and Huangdi. It appears in Zhunagzi, Chapter 11 and in Ge Hong’s Traditions of Divine Transcendents. This fragment is taken from 'To Live as Long as Heaven and Earth. A Translation and Study of Ge Hong’s Traditions of Divine Transcendents' by Robert Ford Campany, p. 159:

The essence of the ultimate Way
Is dark and obscure.
It involves no seeing, no hearing,
But only embracing your spirit in quietude.
Your body will then correct itself
And will certainly become pure.
Do not egg on your body,
Do not disturb your essence,
And you may achieve long life.
Take care of what is within, and close yourself to what is without.
Know much, and you will sure decay.

I think this is the very essence of nourishing life traditions and daoist cultivation: keep the spirit within you - by keeping the spirit within one's form, the form will live long and one will attain the Dao.

Edited June 29, 2013 by ShouYi

[BananaMonkey]

I think this is the very essence of nourishing life traditions and daoist cultivation: keep the spirit within you - by keeping the spirit within one's form, the form will live long and one will attain the Dao.

 

I'm currently writings my BA thesis on a 13th century Zhuangzi commentary written by someone who seems strongly influenced by Buddhism to me. Since I also practice Zen and study Buddhism in general, some parallels between Buddhist and Taoist philosophy caught my eye recently.

 

I also heard a Zen master say something like "keeping one's mind focused on one's body helps with enlightenment as opposed to letting one's thoughts wander about elsewhere".

[ShouYi]

I also heard a Zen master say something like "keeping one's mind focused on one's body helps with enlightenment as opposed to letting one's thoughts wander about elsewhere".

 

Yes, I think that buddhist mindfulness practice is a good method of focusing one's spirit (-s). In regard to the teaching of Guangchengzi, it's fascinating that cultivation of the spirit (nourishing, housing, etc.) can change (heal) a body, but I think that it's different practice than mind cultivation in e.g. buddhism or jnana yoga (advaita). In ancient chinese method (rooted in shamanism) one works with spirits (specific forms of energy) not with the mind (concepts, ideas, ego).