Daoist Diet - Meal Suggestions?

[CloudHands]

Books? Since when? I personally don't find books very useful for most teachings. You make a lot of assumptions, just to try to prove your personal theories.

 

To me being alive is common sense. I cannot digest vegetables (aside from carrots and peas); am allergic to most things vegans use to make stuff.

 

There is no reason that buying meat which is grass fed, from a local farm (via my butcher), is wrecking the rest of the world. It's a nice thing for vegans to say, but I personally think vegans have their heads in the books/media.

 

How about just living your life and stop trying to judge and change others? That would be quite refreshing.

 

 

Whoah, you took it personally (sic) probably because I quoted you. It wasn't.

 

@BKA, SOT : I do my best you know I got my ideas and I share them.

 

@SOT impact of the meat industry is bigger than any other industry (I-M-O)

 

Next ?

[Taomeow]

Taomeow,

 

I have no problems with grains as I wouldn't be able to train Bagua if I had to remove brown rice, steel-cut oats, barley, spelt and rye from my diet. No way, train like a warrior eat like a warrior. I eat good solid, balanced and nutritious meals suited to my 5E type (Fire Horse). Other practitioners with a different 5E makeup like yourself and BKA feel that grains are draining, so be it remove them and happy diet and practice. Each to their own, dieting is something that one needs to fine-tune for a considerable amount of time. Don't just walk in a supermarket and randomly buy food...you gonna hurt yourself. This is how crazy our world has become.

 

OK, let's see whether your Fire Horse gallops through this obstacle course smashing everything in his way -- or whether it will (as well it should) give him pause:

 

my kids are Fire Horses by the year of birth (which as I told you before accounts for 1/8th of the 5E reading which is part of the bazi reading, also known as the Eight Characters reading, also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny reading. Year of birth animal accounts for ONE elaboration on ONE of these EIGHT characters.) My son is the one with the most severe intolerances of grains, and thrives only on the strictest avoidance of gluten (present not only in wheat though it has more than the rest, but also in barley, oats, spelt, and responsible for problems with some of the grains that technically don't have gluten but do cause similar immune reactions via a pretty complex mechanism of cross-sensitivity, such as corn -- and in some people, this mechanism, triggered by wheat, may extend even to non-grains, such as dairy. When I say wheat is the devil, I mean it.) My son's twin sister (difference in time of birth 15 minutes! -- and a different Four Pillars chart because of that!!) never had these problems.

 

Neither do I, incidentally -- unlike BKA, I don't feel bad when I eat grains, I just like who I am when I don't. Oh, and in order to be able to help my son, I invested years in massive research, and came up with information no doctor, nutritionist, or amateur pasta lover could ever give me about what we're dealing with here.

 

When I first started mentioning the word "gluten," in the 90s, most people were hearing it for the first time in their lives. I suspect I may have freakin' started a scientific revolution in nutrition for all I know -- 'cause I used to go preach from the hill (not anymore -- see below), but of course here and now all such things first turn into fads and then fizzle out when a new dietary fashion comes along. I'm finding it profoundly ironic that there's faddist grain evaders out there now, who do it because they think it's the hot thing, the cool thing, the hip thing to do. Perhaps those who don't want real healthy trends in nutrition either supply all the bogus faddist ones or make the real ones indistinguishable from the latter. Sigh.

 

I will take a break before reading the rest of your post, I may have completed my karmic quota for saving erroneous eaters, and if you don't consider yourself one, I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise -- like I said, I'm done, whatever food karma I may have had has been paid in full, so I don't need to change even a speck of icing on anyone's cake anymore.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Taomeow

[Andrei]

I think the culprit is not gluten, it is actually starch, which is the main food source of candida. And we develop an allergy to candida spread inside our tissues. It may be other bacterias but candida is the main one. In Ayurveda it is called Ama, a toxic deposit inside the tissues to which Ahamkara reacts against. This is actually what the taoists called "worms" https://www.google.ca/search?q=noodles&rlz=1C9BKJA_enCA590CA591&espv=1&hl=en-US&tbm=isch&tbo=u&sboxchip=Images&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kvJqVIO0BYWrogS96ILYAQ&ved=0CF8Q7Ak&biw=1024&bih=672

Edited November 18, 2014 by Andrei

[Taomeow]

I think the culprit is not gluten, it is actually starch, which is the main food source of candida. And we develop an allergy to candida spread inside our tissues. It may be other bacterias but candida is the main one. In Ayurveda it is called Ama, a toxic deposit inside the tissues to which Ahamkara reacts against. This is actually what the taoists called "worms" https://www.google.ca/search?q=noodles&rlz=1C9BKJA_enCA590CA591&espv=1&hl=en-US&tbm=isch&tbo=u&sboxchip=Images&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kvJqVIO0BYWrogS96ILYAQ&ved=0CF8Q7Ak&biw=1024&bih=672

 

I'm talking immunology of gluten consumption, a different animal. Starches are present in tons of foods Ayurveda approves of, and even though my paleo guru hates them with a passion, and I know all the whys and wherefores myself, I'm not one hundred percent convinced yet -- I need a foray into epigenetics to better sort out what to do (or think about) starches in general.

 

However, with wheat it is different. To India and Pakistan, eating wheat came late in the day and was brought by colonial authorities. As late as the 1960s, they rioted in the streets, Hindu and Buddhists and Moslems alike, when there were famines and they would get humanitarian aid in the form of wheat. They accused their governments of poisoning them on purpose with this, and demanded rice which they normally ate... That's also a starch, and also a grain, but a lesser devil under the grand devil -- the grand devil is wheat and all the grains related to it. (You mentioned in another thread that you believe in alien intervention -- dig into the history of grain agriculture, but dig deeply, you'll find your proof...)

 

And then there's how wheat is harvested. Worse than starch, and worse than even gluten -- Roundup. It is drowned in Roundup days before harvesting it so as to kill it, because dead poisoned wheat is easier on the harvesting combines and they wear down less, and also you can gather more when it's all withered. I'll post a link when I have a chance (I did on FB though, so you can find it there if you're there.)

Edited November 18, 2014 by Taomeow

[Andrei]

I am born in the Rat of Water year and all my life I thought I was a water person, but after I made my BaZi analysis I found out that I was actually a Wood person (In Ayurveda this means a Vata type) because of my Day Master and hour master.

 

This is my energetic pattern according to BaZi, so a "Real" Taoist diet should conform to this pattern, I mean not this particular one but your own.

 

 

http://www.universal-tao.com/InnerAlchemyAstrology/

 

http://www.taostaralchemy.com/ziping/

Edited November 18, 2014 by Andrei

[Taomeow]

Wow, a nice diagram! I haven't looked at the details but it's clear at a glance that overall this is a lucky chart, you have Water in abundance to nourish your Wood -- this is the most important part, Mother phase to your Wood is not deficient. The rest is easy to balance -- but you are most definitely not cut out to be a vegetarian or god forbid a raw foodist, with your Wood excess and Metal-Earth-Fire deficiency.

[eye_of_the_storm]

Is Earth good for raw vegan? haha

I have:40% Earth, 37% Wood, 15% Fire, 6% Water. 2% Metal

Thanks for the links Andrei!

How does this work for other animals who as a whole eat the same few things and are of good health?

Edited November 18, 2014 by eye_of_the_storm

[BaguaKicksAss]

Whoah, you took it personally (sic) probably because I quoted you. It wasn't.

 

@BKA, SOT : I do my best you know I got my ideas and I share them.

 

@SOT impact of the meat industry is bigger than any other industry (I-M-O)

 

Next ?

 

I think I took it personally because from my experience, half vegetarians tend to be worse than Mormans with the proselytizing... surprised they aren't coming to my door yet! You were just the 101st one lately...

 

Hmmm, living where I do, meat isn't advertised much at all around here, since most are going for a healthy lifestyle (people buying headlamps so they can run at midnight around town, etc.), so we more see ads for things like fish and healthy-ish foods on all the billboards.

[CloudHands]

I think I took it personally because from my experience, half vegetarians tend to be worse than Mormans with the proselytizing... surprised they aren't coming to my door yet! You were just the 101st one lately...

 

Hmmm, living where I do, meat isn't advertised much at all around here, since most are going for a healthy lifestyle (people buying headlamps so they can run at midnight around town, etc.), so we more see ads for things like fish and healthy-ish foods on all the billboards.

 

As I said, I'm not vegetarian. My choice of eating less meat is mainly rational while most veg' people take it emotional.

I'm glad you stepped back cause you bashed me hard lady ! It didn't deserved it.

That I mainly tried to stress (growing halo) was that alimentary choices are much bigger than simply one's health (*except special conditions*) and I don't see taoism as something all turned to self... Enough said. Anyone concerned, dig it yourself.

[Gerard]

 

http://www.universal-tao.com/InnerAlchemyAstrology/

 

http://www.taostaralchemy.com/ziping/

 

Thanks for the links.

 

Here are two others:

 

1. Very practical and easy Ba Zi but with an added pillar: Minutes.

 

2. Purple Star Astrology (Zi Wei Dou Shu) This is not easy. Better leave it to a professional astrologer preferably a Taoist trained traditionally (Hong Kong is a good place to find this sort of person). Further reading: The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology.

 

 

 

 

Wow, a nice diagram! I haven't looked at the details but it's clear at a glance that overall this is a lucky chart, you have Water in abundance to nourish your Wood

 

It makes sense, he's a Water Rat as stated already.

 

 

Back to our topic,

 

A lot of maladies that users are reporting in this thread are caused by:

 

1. Spleen deficiency and damp-heat.

 

2. Liver fire invading the spleen, done so in order to not to upset the Heart (house of Fire). Isn't the 5E Theory brilliant? Send the excess fire to Earth rather then overwhelm and fatally harm the "Emperor." This excess fire clogs the spleen and forms toxic mucus which is sent to the Lungs (Spleen is the mother of the Lung) and this organ itself contains the phlegm that is created by the former.

 

Further reading:

 

Spleen Dysfunction and Food Allergy: A TCM Perspective

 

Anyway, herbal medicine and a corrective diet are required to correct all these imbalances since the ripples will affect the entire system.

 

The following book, which I have mentioned several times in the past, contains very useful information regarding this topic as well as recipes for the Five Phases according to seasonal variations and climates:

 

Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine

 

Seasonal changes produce the most dramatic effects on internal organ network:

 

"1. Spring and Autumn are usually associated with dramatic variations in temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind, so cooking wth herbs like astragalus root (huang qi), white peony root (bai shao), diascorea opposita (huai shan yao), and fresh ginger improve the body's resistance to Wind, Dampness, and Cold and defend it against the acute, infections illness that often occur at these times.

 

2. Winter. Even in the tropics it is still important cooking with herbs like diascorea, lotus seed (lianzi), and cornus (shan zu yu), which will help the Kidney to consolidate Qi and Essence but will not generate additional Heat and Dampness. (Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine, pp. 361-362)"

 

I like how the book organises the recipes according to the Five Elements and conditions characteristic of each. For example:

 

Supplement and Harmonize Earth

 

General tonic if unsure what exact condition is affecting the Earth.

For Congested Earth

For Damp Earth

For Dry Earth

For Cold Earth

 

Check with a TCM practitioner first to make sure you are addressing the exact ailment for this particular organ network.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Gerard

[Gerard]

Another highly recommended book with excellent healthy and nutritious recipes:

 

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes from the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life

 

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen, a winner in the 2010 International Book Awards, reveals how easy it is to tap into the 3,000-year-old secrets of the Eastern healing arts. This entertaining and easy-to-use book provides scores of delicious recipes, anecdotes about various herbs and foods, and all you need to know about acquiring ingredients--even if you don't know the difference between a lotus seed and the lotus position.

 

Highlighting "superfoods," such as goji berries, as well as more familiar ingredients like ginger, garlic, and mint, Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen includes indispensible information:

* An overview of traditional Chinese medicine, herbs, and food therapy
* Details on 100 healthy Asian ingredients
* Healing recipes for common health concerns, including fatigue, menopause, high cholesterol, weight control,
and diabetes

[Sunbeam]

Interesting topic. Diet is one of the things I struggle with the most because I've honestly never been shown a healthy balanced way of eating. I feel at this juncture I have a fairly healthy diet, but I'm far from ideal. I think as my life and practices become more and more stable I see my diet evolving with it. Right now I eat a lot of beans, and avoid refined sugars and flours as much as possible, a fair amount of white meat, and veggies often. My Achilles heel is pasta! But I'm trying some wheat free kinds at the moment.

 

My Ba zi has a lot of water, though I'm year of the fire tiger. All other pillars are water unless you go by liuming's model making my hour the metal rooster. Though I am adept with Western planetary astrology, the bazi is still a giant mystery to me so I won't claim I understand it, but it is interesting to note the dominance of certain elements. Right now I live in a very yin home on a creek. It is so beautiful here but I feel the excess of water is not good for me! This house is damp much of the year and I feel it reflects in my health with lots of damp swampy feelings, emotionally and even physically! Though now it is winter and I burn fire for heat, which really feels nice to me.

 

I'm going to have to investigate this more in terms of my diet!

[futuredaze]

Lots of vegetables and fruit. For protein I eat lots of nuts, beans/legumes, nut butter, tempeh (only eat fermented soy products), etc. For carbs I like rice, millet, barley, buckwheat - want to experiment with more grains. Sweet potatoes with maple syrup and cinnamon is a delicious starchy treat (especially in winter). Avoid processed stuff. If you want to "feel lighter" (not necessarily lose weight, but that usually happens too), cut out grains. Tea is incredible, there are so many powerful herbs that are suitable for different conditions and people.

 

Eating seasonal is important. It was really easy to do that when I worked on a farm. I hope I can start growing my own food one day (hard when you are a traveller). If you can, eat local too. Not only is it healthy to eat local food (e.g. raw local honey is helpful against allergies) but it is good for the local economy and environment.

 

Foraging is very Taoist to do. Going on a walk, leaving the town, finding some delicious fruit or greens to munch on is amazing. I like to collect leaves for tea, too (look for ginkgo leaves, berry leaves, and any fruit tree leaf can be used for tea pretty much). Can't get more seasonal or local than that.

 

I'm not vegetarian but most meat is tortured so I don't eat stuff from a supermarket (unless I have no choice). Death is a part of life and nature, torture is not. When I worked on the farm, we ate goat, pig, and chicken. They lived good lives (my friend would walk the goats for miles when they were kids, and loved them dearly), and were killed humanely. Animals serve a function on the farm, a farm is kind of like a body where it is all working as a single unit but as many different systems functioning. Animals are like an organ in a way - you can get by without them on the farm, but they serve many functions, from clearing out the fields (nature's lawn mowers) to generating compost.

 

As others have said- find what works for you and your body type! I don't know if people here are into totem animals, but some of my totem animals give my guidance on how to eat. For instance- I love fish, berries, and bear happens to be one of my primary totems. I also identify with the condor, who is a bit of an opportunist/recycler, so I eat vegetables that are old and slimey rather than throwing them out, and eat processed stuff without hestitation if I am really hungry and nothing is around.

 

Like all good enchanters, shaman, whatever you want to call them, I do not distinguish drugs from food. Coffee is amazing in moderation, but drinking it every day WILL tax your body and deplete long-term energy. I like taking psychedelics about once a season to once a year - I won't go into that now, but I recommend extreme caution with these substances. Alcohol is nice once in a blue moon, if I can drink homemade hard apple cider or mulberry wine I will be delighted. Cannabis also is helpful in moderation to me, and the older I get the less I use it. Then again, find what works for you. Don't listen to anybody else's BS (belief-system) unless it resonates with your own experinece.

 

Finally, moderation is key! I love to eat some really delicious treats once in a while, even though I've been trying to avoid sugar lately (I do make exceptions for honey and maple syrup). I try to make or purchase stuff that is healthier though, e.g. making a pie from scratch with local fruit and maple syrup, sunflower seed flour crust, rather than buying one from the store with crappy dairy, chemicals, etc. I try not to be too picky though, I think if we eat mostly good our bodies can filter out toxic processed crap.

 

There is much debate about raw vs. cooked food. I think it's good not to be extreme, balance is key remember . Some foods like broccoli, kale, mushrooms, benefit from cooking (apparently, you can't absorb nutrients from mushrooms unless they are cooked). However, raw is good for more nutrients/enzymes.

Edited November 30, 2014 by futuredaze

[futuredaze]

Interesting topic. Diet is one of the things I struggle with the most because I've honestly never been shown a healthy balanced way of eating. I feel at this juncture I have a fairly healthy diet, but I'm far from ideal. I think as my life and practices become more and more stable I see my diet evolving with it. Right now I eat a lot of beans, and avoid refined sugars and flours as much as possible, a fair amount of white meat, and veggies often. My Achilles heel is pasta! But I'm trying some wheat free kinds at the moment.

 

My Ba zi has a lot of water, though I'm year of the fire tiger. All other pillars are water unless you go by liuming's model making my hour the metal rooster. Though I am adept with Western planetary astrology, the bazi is still a giant mystery to me so I won't claim I understand it, but it is interesting to note the dominance of certain elements. Right now I live in a very yin home on a creek. It is so beautiful here but I feel the excess of water is not good for me! This house is damp much of the year and I feel it reflects in my health with lots of damp swampy feelings, emotionally and even physically! Though now it is winter and I burn fire for heat, which really feels nice to me.

 

I'm going to have to investigate this more in terms of my diet!

 

Rice pasta is good. Egg noodles might work too but idk if they have wheat in them. There is gluten-free stuff with quinoa and whatnot too, but it's usually more expensive than rice pasta so I get that.

 

btw, I heard from my qigong teacher that white rice is better than brown rice for digestion. Brown has more nutrients, but is harder to digest. People w/digestive issues might want white rice. Plus, the arsenic that has been found recently in rice is usually concentrated on the outer part of rice which is removed to make white rice.

[freeform]

Anyone soak their grains? The idea is to soak your grains in water and some form of acid (bit of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, over-fermented kombucha even whey)

 

This is meant to break down most of the anti-nutrients found in foods like brown rice. The main problem is that it takes a bit of planning - needs soaking for 12 hrs at least. My schedule has prevented me from being able to do this for any length of time unfortunately. I did used to buy this atrociously expensive brown rice that had been pre-soaked in a green tea kombucha then re-dried. Really tasty.

 

Our ever ingenious ancestors always found clever ways to improve the digestibility of foods... For example I found out that wheat used to be harvested by cutting it down, and leaving it on the ground for a couple of days before being collected as they're starting to sprout. Changes the whole nature of wheat considerably... then preparation goes a further step - such as the sourdough fermenting process.

 

It's all a kind of external alchemy. Our digestion is comparatively sensitive - so we 'pre-digest' outside of our bodies. Cooking, fermentation and food combinations are all an example of this.

Edited December 4, 2014 by freeform

[Taomeow]

Anyone soak their grains? The idea is to soak your grains in water and some form of acid (bit of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, over-fermented kombucha even whey)

 

This is meant to break down most of the anti-nutrients found in foods like brown rice. The main problem is that it takes a bit of planning - needs soaking for 12 hrs at least. My schedule has prevented me from being able to do this for any length of time unfortunately. I did used to buy this atrociously expensive brown rice that had been pre-soaked in a green tea kombucha then re-dried. Really tasty.

 

Our ever ingenious ancestors always found clever ways to improve the digestibility of foods... For example I found out that wheat used to be harvested by cutting it down, and leaving it on the ground for a couple of days before being collected as they're starting to sprout. Changes the whole nature of wheat considerably... then preparation goes a further step - such as the sourdough fermenting process.

 

It's all a kind of external alchemy. Our digestion is comparatively sensitive - so we 'pre-digest' outside of our bodies. Cooking, fermentation and food combinations are all an example of this.

 

Well, these days they do things a bit differently... They kill the grains first with a massive dose of Roundup administered a few days before harvesting:

http://www.247wereport.com/health-news/chemicals-toxins/item/2495-the-real-reason-wheat-is-toxic-it%E2%80%99s-not-the-gluten.html

 

As for pre-soaking grains -- that used to be a common practice, and what was mostly used is lye, to my knowledge (for masa de maiz, they still use it in Mexico. Mmm... tamales... Before I went grain free, I occasionally bought this lye-treated corn flour at a Mexican store and made my own tamales the traditional way, with lard, no BS oils, and with... nevermind... that was zen, this is tao.)

 

A staunch against-the-grain researcher would tell you that sprouting solves a few problems and creates a few new ones. Sprouts, they will explain, are plant infants, and like all infants, they could be easy prey for predators -- lots of insects and small and large grazers would be all over them while they are tender and nutritious, but the thing is, they don't touch them. That's because those tender nutritious sprouts defend themselves by releasing massive amounts of natural pesticides, toxic substances aimed to discourage the would-be munchers. As one biologist put it, "In the language of biochemistry, plants spell out, loud and clear, their profound hatred of the herbivores."

 

So, if you're after a safer grain -- well, lucky you, they don't practice Roundupicide in Europe -- I would go traditional with lye water, or stick to grains that aren't grains -- buckwheat, quinoa... although hardcore paleo people would explain why that isn't OK either... but I'm not doing the hardcore thing for the moment.

[Silent Answers]

against-the-grain

[futuredaze]

It's good to soak some raw nuts and seeds too. I used to buy into all the "raw" hype, but some nuts - like almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc. are best soaked then roasted - for enzyme content, digestive purposes.

 

http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/69542/That-s-Nuts-A-Complete-Guide-to-Soaking-Nuts-and-Seeds

[vonkrankenhaus]

"Diet" is an interesting concept - but most often an incorrect one, as it assumes a "body" in an "environment" eating "food" - and all of these seen as somehow separate. For example, I've seen texts and lectures advertised that purport to define "food as chi". But in terms of the manifestation/dispersal of the universe, what is really happening is chi manifesting AS food. "Food" did not exist before chi. The body did not exist before chi nor before the environment. Food dissolves back into/as chi. The body dissolves back into the environment.

 

So "diet" is the way the environment (chi) is manifesting and dispering as "body". What we call "food" is a physical crystalization of the environment as "taken in by" (becoming) the body - but can also mean less dense energy than physicalized food - the whole spectrum, actually.

 

The basics for understanding this is I Ching, yin/yang, 5 phases, and actual living experience.

 

Thus that "diet" becomes an understanding of the ways that the overall environment is manifesting as the body, and the ways the body is dispersing back into the environment in every expression it therefore makes. These are nothing but the movements of yin/yang and the condensation/dispersal of chi.

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[thelerner]

fwiw, I just made some nice chia pudding. Found a new recipe. Interesting variation since it used boiling water. One cup boiling water put over 1/2 cup of chia seeds. Wait a little bit (this softens the seeds), add a cup of milk or 1/2 & 1/2, a tablespoon or two of sweetener, a few drops of vanilla and you're done. A pinch of salt and cinnamon isn't bad. Stir well and refrigerate. You can substitute almond or coconut milk.

 

Chia seeds are very healthy, lots of protein and a power house of other vitamins and minerals. Plus it just tastes good, very rice puddingish.

[eye_of_the_storm]

"Diet" is an interesting concept - but most often an incorrect one, as it assumes a "body" in an "environment" eating "food" - and all of these seen as somehow separate. For example, I've seen texts and lectures advertised that purport to define "food as chi". But in terms of the manifestation/dispersal of the universe, what is really happening is chi manifesting AS food. "Food" did not exist before chi. The body did not exist before chi nor before the environment. Food dissolves back into/as chi. The body dissolves back into the environment.

 

So "diet" is the way the environment (chi) is manifesting and dispering as "body". What we call "food" is a physical crystalization of the environment as "taken in by" (becoming) the body - but can also mean less dense energy than physicalized food - the whole spectrum, actually.

 

The basics for understanding this is I Ching, yin/yang, 5 phases, and actual living experience.

 

Thus that "diet" becomes an understanding of the ways that the overall environment is manifesting as the body, and the ways the body is dispersing back into the environment in every expression it therefore makes. These are nothing but the movements of yin/yang and the condensation/dispersal of chi.

 

-VonKrankenhaus

 

Hm, ya

 

So... technically one could live on Chi? cut out the middleman so to say? Is Chi different to Sunlight/. Cosmic/ Radiant energy? Then you fly away like a unicorn?

Edited December 9, 2014 by eye_of_the_storm

[vonkrankenhaus]

RE:

-----

"So... technically one could live on Chi? cut out the middleman so to say? Is Chi different to Sunlight/. Cosmic/ Radiant energy? Then you fly away like a unicorn?"

-----

 

Sarcasm? Seriously interested?

 

Technically, we are chi living in chi. ALL "food" is chi - physically manifested - like your body is.

 

"middleman"? - do you mean not eating physicalized food and directly "eating" chi? In a sense, this is what eating physicalized food is, because physical and spirit are the same things at different densities.

 

It is possible to intake/digest/express chi in more primary forms from natural (and "un-natural") sources. This is Tao Yin, Chi Kung and Hei Kung practices, etc. But those who cannot see that the environment as compacted in the selection, preparation, and eating of food is primary at the beginning, will undoubtedly see it at the advanced level of practice - there's only so far one can go without it. Doing even good Chi Kung while taking in, "physically" (compacted), the overall environment in chaotic fashion will not produce strong or sustained progress.

 

Nothing is different from chi. The "intermediary" or "middleman" you refer to could also be seen as mankind, as in Heaven/Mankind/Earth, as we are appearing and functioning in the interplay between Heaven and Earth.

 

I don't even know how to respond to the "unicorn" thing.

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[eye_of_the_storm]

I agree, I mean more refined chi...not as dense so the body becomes more heavenly?

I am seriously interested.

Re unicorn:

 

The Japanese likewise practiced various dietary abstentions: nikudachi from meat, shiodachi from salt, kokudachi for abstention from the Five Cereals and hidachi or from cooked food (Blacker 1999). Japan’s famous sages, such as Ryosan retired to Mt. Kimpu eating only leaves, or Yosho who diminished his intake to a single grain of millet and then ceased altogether and vanished only to be seen flying like a “unicorn or phoenix” (Blacker 1999). The Japanese have a specific practice, “tree-eating” or mokujiki, to help give up the cereals which consists of eating berries, bark or pine needles. Blacker mentions, Mokujiki Shonin, the Saint Tree-eater, which is applied to ascetics since medieval times. I have been unable to find examples in China of a similar level of cultic devotion as is found in Japan, where people pray to Koshin-sama for protection with attendant koshin cult and cult monuments (koshin-to) of veneration. These innovations seemed to have appeared in Japan in the 16^th century and represent a fusion of monkey, koshin and Mountain Deity folklore into a religion rather than the social festivities of the past (Ohnuki-Tierney 1989). This may well indicate a formal religion centered on liberation from corpse-demons that evolved from an austere Daoist observance in China to a festive occasion in Japan and then finally into a folk-religion. Therefore ritual devotion can be said to be one method of ridding the Worms. The above mentioned techniques of Li Shaojun, who taught Han Wudi (141-87 BCE) the "method of worshipping the furnace and abstaining from cereals to prevent old age” (cizao gudao quelao fang) demonstrates a more devotional form though existing in China as well.

More of my ideas regarding this: http://thetaobums.com/topic/36842-10000-suns/

[Taomeow]

;

Edited December 10, 2014 by Taomeow

[eye_of_the_storm]

;

 

 

Edited December 10, 2014 by eye_of_the_storm