Finding a good guide / teacher.

[skillzLeet]

Hello,

 

I'm trying to find a teacher to teach me about the internal arts. Is there somethings I should look for specifically? What about learning internal alchemy on my own or with books? Has anyone managed to make good progress on their own?

 

Why is it important to have a teacher?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Thunder_Gooch]

I dunno what are your goals for practice? There are a billion teachers, and a billion paths.

[skillzLeet]

I want to learn how to use majick and be immortal.

[Thunder_Gooch]

I want to learn how to use majick and be immortal.

I think all things magickal are absolute BS, and the only power they have is to lighten your wallet and your brain.

 

Immortality, the only school I know that leads to that is mo pai, but only level 2a is known to the west and level 30 is required as a minimum for that goal.

 

That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it if your heart is set on it however.

Edited September 29, 2013 by More_Pie_Guy

[zerostao]

"the only school I know that leads to that is"

there is more than one way to get there.

[RiverSnake]

While this article does have a slant towards witchcraft and the western tradition, I still feel it shares some highy valid points: http://sarahannelawless.com/2013/09/19/evaluating-our-teachers/

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[Thunder_Gooch]

"the only school I know that leads to that is"

there is more than one way to get there.

 

Might be, I don't know of any other ways at the moment though.

 

 

 

______________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"How long has your guru been teaching?"

 

"Well, uh, over thirty years."

 

"And how many of his students have achieved enlightenment?"

 

"Well, uh..."

 

"That you know of personally?"

 

"Well, uh, I never..."

 

"That you've heard of?"

 

"It's not"

 

"That there were rumors of?"

 

"I don't think..."

 

"What is it they're doing, Martin? The recipe for enlightenment they're promoting - what is it?"

 

"Uh, well, meditation and knowledge, basically."

 

"And in thirty years they've never held someone up and said, 'Look at this guy! He's enlightened and we got him there!' In thirty years, they don't have one? Don't you think they should have, like, an entire army of enlightened guys to show off by now?"

 

"Well, it's not..."

 

"After thirty years they should have a few dozen generations of enlightened people. Even with only a quarter of them becoming teachers, they should have flooded the world by now, mathematically speaking, don't you think? I'm not asking all this as a teacher myself, mind you. I'm just asking as a consumer, or a consumer's advocate. Don't you think it's reasonable to ask to know a teacher's success rate? The proof is in the pudding, right? Didn't you ask them about the fruit of their teachings when you started with them?"

 

"Well, that's not..."

 

"Don't you think it's reasonable to ask? They're in the enlightenment business, aren't they? Or did I misunderstand you? Do they have something else going?"

 

"Nooo, but they..."

 

"If Consumer Reports magazine did a report on which spiritual organizations delivered as promised, don't you suppose that the first statistic listed under each organization would be success rating? Like, here are a hundred randomly selected people who started with the organization five years ago and here's where they are today. For instance, thirty-one have moved up in the organization, twenty-seven have moved on, thirty-nine are still with it but not deeply committed and three have entered abiding non-dual awareness. Okay, three percent - that's a number you can compare. But this organization of yours would have big fat goose egg, wouldn't they? And not just out of a hundred, but out of hundreds of thousands - millions, probably. Am I wrong?

 

- Jed McKenna - 'Spiritual Enlightenment:The Damnedest Thing'

Edited October 1, 2013 by More_Pie_Guy

[Wells]

"the only school I know that leads to that is"

there is more than one way to get there.

 

Well, fact is that all chinese taoist alchemy schools claim that their teaching lead to the goal of immortality!

The question is however, how much of the books available contain their REAL teachings and not only "outdoor student" BS!

However, it seems to me that Wang LiPing's Longmenpai manual which is available on amazon actually contains the true exercises which lead to immortality!

http://www.amazon.com/Ling-Bao-Tong-Neng-Gong/dp/1470174545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380627813&sr=8-1&keywords=wang+liping

[joeblast]

Hello, I'm trying to find a teacher to teach me about the internal arts. Is there somethings I should look for specifically? What about learning internal alchemy on my own or with books? Has anyone managed to make good progress on their own? Why is it important to have a teacher? Thanks in advance!

Good luck finding a teacher that will want to train a dishonest student.

[zerostao]

"how much of the books available contain their REAL teachings "

you posit that 'real' teachings are found in books? and can be found on amazon?

dorian, i thought that you had a teacher?

[Thunder_Gooch]

"how much of the books available contain their REAL teachings "

you posit that 'real' teachings are found in books? and can be found on amazon?

dorian, i thought that you had a teacher?

http://www.amazon.com/Ling-Bao-Tong-Neng-Gong/dp/1470174545

 

Longmen Pai's practices

[thelerner]

""How long has your guru been teaching?"
"Well, uh, over thirty years."
"And how many of his students have achieved enlightenment?"
"Well, uh..."
"That you know of personally?"
"Well, uh, I never..."
"That you've heard of?"
"It's not"
"That there were rumors of?"
"I don't think..."
"Don't you think it's reasonable to ask? They're in the enlightenment business, aren't they? Or did I misunderstand you? Do they have something else going?"
"Nooo, but they..."
"If Consumer Reports magazine did a report on which spiritual organizations delivered as promised, don't you suppose that the first statistic listed under each organization would be success rating?

- Jed McKenna - 'Spiritual Enlightenment:The Damnedest Thing'"

 

I've listened to this on Youtube. It always struck me as verbal bullying, he was picking on a woman who was clearly freaking out. He could have asked someone with experience and confidence but then he couldn't manipulate the conversation. It was like demo's I'd see where a 6'5" instructor picks a 5' woman from the crowd to 'prove' his martial expertise. Speaking of expertise- I noticed he didn't answer the question himself. What's his enlightenment rate is. As long as he's guru busting, he may as well come clean about his own wonderous method and the 1,000's he made as egoless as himself <sarcasm.

 

Back on topic: Majick and immortality are pretty grandiose. A little bit like saying 'I want 10 billion dollars, how do I get it?' Personally I'd say worry more about gaining good fundamentals for the next few years and put Majick & immortality on the backburner. What are the fundamentals. Breathing, sitting, meditating, moving strongly. It could be a martial art, yoga, tai chi, chi gung, look around your area. Watch a class. Ask to try a free class. Talk to students afterwards, see if they're level headed.

 

An exception I'd make would be Franz Bardon system, IIH, someone mentioned above (abardoncompanion.com has good info on it as well as a few indepth audio practices and they're free). Because its slow and methodical and heavy into knowing yourself and learning self control. I'm sure there are others. The 30 Day Mentorship thread pinned is for people who want to learn a simple thing in 30 days. You could post you're looking for a mentor in beginning meditation, or breath work, or some simple aspect.

[thelerner]

You're right. I can tell he didn't study the Buddhadharma deep enough. Enlightenment is not even "achieved". It always been there. But we have people who argue to say it don't exist then make all of these comments that shows their lack of knowledge in the conversation.. If you want to know what is meant by enlightenment, at least read some sutras.

 

If he asked a Buddhist monk who was level headed, Jed Mckenna would not have gotten anywhere.

I believe in the interview the woman said she did yoga. An instructor level could have given there styles founder, a lineage list and said 10,000 or 100,000's, depending on if you want to include hard core yogi's over the millenniums.

 

Enlightenment is a slippery term meaning different things to different people. Immortality too. In classic Taoism there are many levels, some not so nice. Look around, try some things, don't fall for grandiose literature unless there's someone you know and respect giving it a good review. Once you have experience, get married to an art and go deep. You may not get enlightenment, immortality or majick abilities but you'll get a lifelong discipline with fruits of peace, health, flow and perspective that put you ahead of the game.

[Isimsiz Biri]

I want to learn how to use majick and be immortal.

 

What will you do if you are able to be an immortal?

[Thunder_Gooch]

 

What will you do if you are able to be an immortal?

Focus on my training.

[thelerner]

What will you do if you are able to be an immortal?

The same thing I do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!

Edited October 3, 2013 by thelerner

[Isimsiz Biri]

Focus on my training.

 

You do not have to be an immortal in order to reach this objective. Then, what is the point of being an immortal?

[Thunder_Gooch]

You do not have to be an immortal in order to reach this objective. Then, what is the point of being an immortal?

 

 

You asked what I would do if I achieved Hsien status, my answer is keep going.

[BaguaKicksAss]

Definitely, what else would be the point of immortality?

[Isimsiz Biri]

Definitely, what else would be the point of immortality?

 

If you ignore that getting power and possessing Jedi knight abilities, there is not much.

[Thunder_Gooch]

 

If you ignore that getting power and possessing Jedi knight abilities, there is not much.

Preventing rebirth in my opinion is the only thing that matters in life period.

[Cheshire Cat]

The same thing I do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!

 

 

Definitely, what else would be the point of immortality?

 

To help others more effectively...

[Isimsiz Biri]

Preventing rebirth in my opinion is the only thing that matters in life period.

 

It is a claim that is not proved at all and it does not make any sense regarding that someone reached that certain level in a Neigong school without purifying his/her ego, be granted with preventing rebirth by God and Divine Realm.

[Thunder_Gooch]

 

It is a claim that is not proved at all and it does not make any sense regarding that someone reached that certain level in a Neigong school without purifying his/her ego, be granted with preventing rebirth by God and Divine Realm.

Liao Sifu slaughtered an entire village men, women and children, smoked opium and became a low level hsien before he died.

[mike 134]

I want to learn how to use majick and be immortal.

 

 

lol