Twin Cultivation (no not that kind) heehee❤

[deci belle]

Somebody asked about this in another thread, so i decided to start a new one.

 

 

 

The Twin Cultivation of Essence and Life.

 

 

 

In general, buddhists start with fire and taoists start with water.

 

That is to say, one starts with essence and the other with life.

 

But the most natural and direct way is to enter into self-refinement by cheerfully accepting your lot in life in terms of everyday ordinary responsibilities without burdening the self with even the most subtle of cravings.

 

Other than that, the twin cultivation of nature and life is none other than seeing through circumstances without denying characteristics.

 

Seeing through the conditional realm as void of substance is cultivating essence. Not denying characteristics is selflessly adapting to circumstances which is the way to save/create/free energy. Energy in this sense is the energy of vitality: this is life.

 

Here one uses essence to gather life. This is the direct and explicit exposed kernel of alchemic practice. Using Earth (open sincere intent), one clarifies conscious knowledge by seeing through the conditional. When you know it is empty (and act on that knowledge by not acting or non-doing), then polluted habit energy turns into unrefined potential energy. This frees potential (the energy otherwise stultified by virtue of karmic evolution), from creation. You enact this natural process.

 

To put it in other words, one's own potential and that of others is freed from the matrix of karmic evolution by seeing through the temporal yourself. Seeing through the temporal is turning the light around to shine back on its source. This is itself working directly with essence with no intermediary. Well, in strict alchemical terms there is an intermediary: Earth (intent).

 

This is the immaterial Center of the real body which has no location.

 

This is also the secret of the highest understanding of the Golden Flower teaching

 

Looking at it in this way, twin cultivation of essence and life is taken up together from start to finish. So in real terms, essence and life are one already. Enlightening activity is just forgetting feelings and self-reifying views of self and other in everyday ordinary situations.

 

When one uses essence in this way to enter into situations without minding, one encounters Difficulty, the third hexagram. One naturally gathers unrefined potential by activating open sincerity within the essence of conscious knowledge (this is also known as the child giving birth to the mother). This is just your mind right now without entering into habitual views of self and other.

 

There is always a critical juncture in each situation's cycle (or many within many cycles within one cycle). The critical juncture I'm speaking of is called the Yin Convergence. When yang waxes and wanes and the killing energy of polluted yin energy comes to the fore, this is when alchemists withdraw the fire and store the heretofore gathered potential in utmost innocent Darkness, the fourth hexagram, without letting so much as a spark of intellectualism leak from the pot pairing water and fire. Just forget about it altogether— as far as you are concerned, just lay low and avoid further friction.

 

In this way, it is actually possible to master the third and fourth hexagrams.

 

I recommend it highly.❤

 

 

 

 

ed note: typos in 6th et 12th paragraph

Edited August 23, 2013 by deci belle

[Wu Ming Jen]

Complete Reality northern and southern school. one starts with essence and one starts with life.Essence is the most direct route that does not fall into secondary methods.Personality and awareness will call to one's path and correct way.

 

Dual cultivation is natural because they are one even though we call them two methods. Benefit of life method to start with is to have a health body to travel in, essence is to have a healthy mind and transcend conditioning. Mind and body is one,so where we start may not matter as long as we start.

 

Can we talk about the other dual cultivation now? Just kidding we can keep this heady and not below the belt if you wish.

 

If I forget self and do the dishes, the dishes are washed and I had nothing to do with it. So I am the same with cultivation I have nothing to do with it, it just happens to be. I can't remember now if I started with plates or glasses, they are done and then there is more to non do.

[deci belle]

ooh… does dishes!! Wu Ming Jen could be husband material!! haha!!❤

 

I forgot who asked me about this, Wu, but that which does not fall into secondary methods is without peer.

 

Let's be peerless about this thread on the subject of dual cultivation, hmmmm?

 

I know~ you pretty much exhausted the subject as far as I'm concerned… Bravo!!

 

Would you be interested in expounding on aspects of the timing or tell-tale characteristics the bums might be able to recognize in terms of the yin convergence/withdrawing the fire in ordinary situations? I've heard myself too much and I'd really appreciate a break.

 

If not, that's ok~ I do appreciate the post you wrote, Wu…❤

[deci belle]

ok… shoot. Something did come up today and I believe it will help introduce the aspect of timing in terms of the firing process of the twin cultivation of sense and essence.

 

Because of my profession in the film/fashion/music circus, even show-girls have to deal with things, sometimes the technicians on set would describe the elements of stuff to me (I listened)!

 

Even the ancients spoke of capacitance. I read a line today, "…mind is a capacitor of the Way; when it is as uncluttered and quiet as can be, then the Way stays there and insight emerges."

 

Guitar amps, big foto-studio flash units and motion-picture cameras have dangerous things inside them called capacitors (they can and do kill people). They store electrical energy (potential) based on increments of time. After they gather potential for a time period, they release the potential in terms of a time cycle too based on cycles of alternating polarized energy. Release is spontaneous as a result of being triggered.

 

So we understand that emptiness beckons fulfillment based on the timing of heaven? If you are empty and still while adapting to situations effectively, this is impersonal selflessness naturally abiding in the tao in reality. So this is the time of the mind being a capacitor of the Way. And the Way gathers there to produce insight.

 

The Way gathering there is karmic energy turned into unrefined potential in terms of using nonpsychological awareness to suspend potential (like a capacitor being there to store electrical potential). When you can see potential, this is the same as the Way gathering there to producing insight. Not speculating on outcomes is not-doing. Having no mind for such things (complaisant speculation) is automatically stealing potential while in the midst of situations.

 

Saying you see potential is just a way to say that you see reality as is without engendering mind-states of good, bad, self, other, etc. Not-thinking from the personalistic perspective is seeing potential. It's not that reality looks any different than delusion. It is the human mentality which uses awareness to produce illusion.

 

When the situation of capacitance is replete (if you are empty and still in terms of your selfless adaption, you just know), this is the time of reversal and withdrawl into secrecy (hexagram 33) to wait out the Yin Convergence (hexagram 23). It's like leaving a party without standing on ceremony. You just go because it's time to and no one can stop you. Again, this is simply adapting to the requirements of the time and has nothing to do with conventional mores or issues of the personality.

 

There are 50 ways to leave your lover, non? This is an apt facsimile of the potential because habit-energy is polarized and (like a magnet) wants to stay stuck in that powerful thing, hmmmm? ANY thought concerning potential is very detrimental to the resolve necessary to sealing the potential away without so much as leaking the tiniest spark of intellectualism. One just completely withdraws oneself from further involvement in the situation's evolution. This is withdrawing the fire without further deliberation inside and out.

 

The alchemical manuals state that here there is nothing outside coming in and nothing inside going out.

 

If you do entertain thoughts at this time you are as good as dead (in the wrong way). This is the time of one's capacitance of fulfillment in terms of potential. One must not let it leak away or the foregoing effort and achievement will have gone to waste in vain.

 

Capacitors are designed to release potential as needed based on the time-factor of the electrical circuit (karmic situation). What kills people is getting between the (+) side of the capacitor and a suitable conductor (—). I'm consulting a technician as I type!! haha!! Doont's doo zis wis your homme!!

 

For now, whatever situation you were in is kaput (for now). It's just how it is for no reason at all.

 

I guess I really didn't say anything helpful about the timing…

 

It is the natural trigger comprised of the time, the situation, and your sensitivity to the gravity of energies inherent in the situation itself. The part that is up to you is waiting for the time whereby circumstances are moot …ultimately, they are literally circumstantial and nothing more.

 

Rather than going along with karmic evolution you have reversed it. This is enlightening activity and no one knows why. Doing this over and over in every situation you enter, you gather the potential grain by grain. This is not calculated manipulative behavior. It's just not-doing views and intentions with a clear mind while adapting in the midst of situations. You don't have to remember anything; it's just now.

 

This is the celestial mechanism of adepts and the subtle operation of the Virtue of the Receptive. Whether you dive into the depths or fly into the heights at this point is up to you.

 

If you refer to the fourth line of the 1st hexagram, you will realize that the cycle is not yet over. I have only described the critical juncture of the timing of reversal at the cusp of the Yin Convergence in the alchemical firing process of immortals who gather potential according to the time and seal it away in total secrecy.

 

This has absolutely nothing to do with remediary meditation or energy work. This is carried out in the public marketplace. Essence and sense, fire and water, yin and yang are one from beginning to end. One uses nonpsychological awareness to gather them together and keep them together oneself. This is the work of alchemy.

 

"…mind is a capacitor of the Way; when it is as uncluttered and quiet as can be, then the Way stays there and insight emerges."

 

Being as quiet and uncluttered as can be isn't the work. That's the foundation of the Way staying.

 

Insight emerging is the power to see and accumulate the real by virtue of nonpsychological awareness which secrets its potential incipiently from the karmic matrix of creation enabling you to store it away where it is absorbed naturally by the real immaterial body in the Center which has no location.

 

One doesn't use insight oneself. The power of the Way in residence is the presence of its Virtue of the Receptive which accords naturally. You just adapt impersonally and advance and withdraw the fire in the midst of situations in terms of the celestial timing of events. You just work the room in partnership with creation— not being subject to it.

 

 

ed note: add "And the Way gathers there to produce insight"; fluff and buff paragraphs 7, 9; add last half of paragraph 17; add last three paragraphs; tweak ed note~ haha❤

Edited September 1, 2013 by deci belle

[Jeff]

Hi Deci,

 

Thank you for the above post and it's natural clarity.

 

Best wishes,

Jeff

[deci belle]

oh thank you, Jeff!!❤

[3bob]

FYI:

In A.C. and D.C circuits one of main uses of a capacitor (bank) is to connect it in parallel across a (buss) voltage, it then reaches or charges up to that voltage and helps maintain same if there is drop in the original base voltage that it previously charged up to. (through releasing its stored energy) In an A.C circuit a capacitor bank also effects the phase angle or difference in degrees between voltage and amperage, also known as effecting the "power factor" - namely where a "one to one" power factor is the same as a zero loss in energy transfer, which is something that doesn't happen in copper wired inductive devices like electrical motors, thus in industry power factors of .8 are more common.

Edited August 25, 2013 by 3bob

[BaguaKicksAss]

Back on topic please, everyone. Slight derails are OK, please keep that in mind. Personal slights and insults are not tolerated on TTBs.

[deci belle]

oh thank you, Bagua!!❤

[Walker]

I am no electrician, but it strikes me that overanalyzing the above is not unlike the mistake of confusing Daoist discussions of mercury and lead for DIY pharmacology instructions (no lesser Quanzhen disciple than Ma Danyang warns against this) or thinking that all talk of kan and li is nonsense because that's not what fire and water really do when you shoot a squirtgun at the fireplace. I suppose if this thread ever enters the canon, a hundred years after we're all dead and gone a few poor fools will fry themselves by taking guitar amps apart to build enlightenment machines, trying to be just like Deci... whaddayagonnado? It pays not to miss the point, and the point, though I hesitate to speak for the OP, is not likely that the universe should be literally understood in the same way as that box on the side of your house. When terms that sound like chemistry, physics, and biology are thrown around in Daoist conversation, this does not often mean that that's what's really being spoken of, so a willing suspension of expertise is very useful. Ie, there is no need to perform any more experiments on the poor creatures to find out if tigers and dragons and toads and rabbits really are anatomically compatible, so please kindly return your labcoats to their hooks.

[deci belle]

hahahahhaaa!! Thanks for that Walker, because evidently the moderators saw fit to leave bob's post intact~ presumably because a slight derail is OK.

 

Unfortunately, bob's point has no relevance to twin cultivation of any kind. It's just a technically appropriate piss-on-a-post— which is all these clods are trying to do. I' don't believe it is necessarily a guy thing…

 

It's an instinctual thing. All kinds of animals do it.

 

 

 

 

 

ed note: change "a" to "an" in last sentence

Edited September 5, 2013 by deci belle