Approaches to Cultivation

[Maddie]

My general understanding of Buddhism is that typically one focuses on cultivating the mind and it is assumed as a given that the energy will follow suite. 

    What I want to know if I am understanding correctly (or not) is if the concept in Taoism in general is to cultivate the energy and then let it affect the mind? 

[Cleansox]

I would say that you cultivate both, perhaps with more emphasis on the energetic aspects but you also still the mind and look at your behaviour at large (see for example the 49 barriers). 

[exorcist_1699]

People who follow the Buddhist way must know the Taoist framework of jing-qi-shen otherwise they very likely will fall into the trap of ignoring the importance of  body energy;  people who follow Taoist way must know Zen's criticisms about  attachments to  ideas, forms and  statuses  otherwise they definitely will be entangled by those tricks of  MCO or visualization , not capable of achieving anything  great .

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by exorcist_1699

[RiverSnake]

Lot of different approaches: Energy, Mind, Emotion, Body Postures/Mudra

 

Taoist practices tend to focus on energy cultivation.....though i am hesitant to make that a rule of thumb as what we experience as Westerners in terms of Taoist practices is limited....same thing likely applies to Buddhism and it's various sects. 

[exorcist_1699]

There are  two things , as preconditions , you need to have in order to attain an eternal life or  something  spiritually great  :

 

1) You are capable of initializing qi  . Unable to get such an ability   beforehand   means  you get no criteria to measuring how good or how high a level  your spiritual practice  is or will be  . Note that  praying , visualization  or how well you imagine things  , is some kind of subjective  experience or creation ,   hardly  any kind  of   criterion  to  be used to  judge itself  , and is  unmatched to a criterion like qi so  reliable .

 

2) You somehow know what a genuine emptied Mind look likes . In capable of  tasting some flavor of it  will either make  you  mistake those talks in Buddhist Sutra  as philosophical stuff  ,  or   make you  ignore  those spiritual presuppositions that Taoist emphasize before   doing your MCO .  

Edited April 22, 2021 by exorcist_1699

[Indiken]

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Edited February 15, 2023 by Indiken

[exorcist_1699]

On 2021/4/10 at 3:35 PM, Indiken said:

 

Does qi has to be felt? If so, what is the feeling like?

I think I felt qi. There was "qi" rising from dantian to lungs rythmically. This was inner breathing. Is this the right way to feel qi? 

I had the same feeling couple of days ago, yet could not keep handle of it. I think because I could not keep concentration stable.

 

 

Some may feel it as a stream of  energy with heat , even with some light. 

[Indiken]

On 4/10/2021 at 8:22 AM, exorcist_1699 said:

 

2) You somehow know what a genuine emptied Mind look likes . In capable of  tasting some flavor of it  will either make  you  mistake those talks in Buddhist Sutra  as philosophical stuff  ,  or   make you  ignore  those spiritual presuppositions that Taoist emphasize before   doing your MCO .  

 

Again, I am interested how MCO does feel? Does it feels the same as You mentioned that qi feels - Light or Heat?

 

Be well.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Indiken

[exorcist_1699]

On 2021/4/12 at 6:03 PM, Indiken said:

 

Again, I am interested how MCO does feel? Does it feels the same as You mentioned that qi feels - Light or Heat?

 

Be well.

AL.

 

Similar to nature ,  heat air rises  to the heaven ,then it  gives rise to lightning and  rain  downwards..