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Taiji ruler – good for solo push hands training
A slower approach
More of a qigong approach
awesome soundtrack
youtube…
The taiji ball master
The same dude
A different approach
master of the heavy ball (bad audio)
master of the really big heavy ball
a western approach
discussion board
Actually, I think He did practice Taiji with it, but never taught any of his students how to use it. Apparently he used to throw it up in the air and bounce it off his body (the stone ball), its like the Harlem globetrotters of the taiji world.
Fu Zhen Song was famous for practicing his dragon Bagua form with a 25 pound granite ball. Good training for core muscles and balance! Kettlebells also work well for this.
It seems that the quote attributed to Lao Tzu may actually be closer to this excerpt from Lu Dong Bin’s Hundred Character Tablet:
“Sit and listen to the stringless music.
Clearly understand the Universal way.”
– Translation by Zhongxian Wu, posted by Craig on a different forum.This sounds also like what Michael is referring to as a central foundation of his alchemy practice.
Here is the original quote (mis)attributed to Lao Tzu (Lao Zi):
“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”
Lao TzuHere is a quote by Karl Paulnack from a speech to parents, Head of the Boston Conservatory. He doesn’t mention ancient China that may have been more advanced than the Greeks at the time, but their accomplishments in ancient times and the focus it had are related on a deep level:
“One of the first cultures to articulate how music really works were the ancient Greeks. And this is going to fascinate you: the Greeks said that music and astronomy were two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects, and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects. Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us. Let me give you some examples of how this works.”
Even more interesting when you apply it on a deeper level, with the connection between emotion, spirituality, mathematical ratios and of course alchemy, with the “music of the spheres”.
Point taken from both responses – thanks.
I like the way verse 41 has such a rhythmic cadence 3-5-5-2 (at least in this random translation by Derek Lin I found on the net).
Also how the whole verse seems to describe the “unseen quality of virtue given substance”, or the “(physically) silent tone” as Michael mentioned that is also central to (some) neidan practice.
“The clear Way appears unclear
The advancing Way appears to retreat
The smooth Way appears unevenHigh virtue appears like a valley
Great integrity appears like disgrace
Encompassing virtue appears insufficient
Building virtue appears inactive
True substance appears inconstantThe great square has no corners
The great vessel is late in completion
The great music is imperceptible in sound
The great image has no form
The Tao is hidden and namelessYet it is only the Tao
That excels in giving and completing everything”These are the only ones I could find that contain the word music:
Chapter 2
When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other
Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes awayChapter 35
Hold the great image
All under heaven will come
They come without harm, in harmonious peaceMusic and food, passing travelers stop
The Tao that is spoken out of the mouth
Is bland and without flavorLook at it, it cannot be seen
Listen to it, it cannot be heard
Use it, it cannot be exhaustedChapter 41
Higher people hear of the Tao
They diligently practice it
Average people hear of the Tao
They sometimes keep it and sometimes lose it
Lower people hear of the Tao
They laugh loudly at it
If they do not laugh, it would not be the TaoTherefore a proverb has the following:
The clear Tao appears unclear
The advancing Tao appears to retreat
The smooth Tao appears uneven
High virtue appears like a valley
Great integrity appears like disgrace
Encompassing virtue appears insufficient
Building virtue appears inactive
True substance appears inconstant
The great square has no corners
The great vessel is late in completion
The great music is imperceptible in sound
The great image has no form
The Tao is hidden and nameless
Yet it is only the Tao
That excels in giving and completing everythingGood advice on restoring normal sleeping patterns. Meditation definitely helps too, but when the body is in self sabotage mode, the problem becomes actually doing the restorative activities, not falling asleep. In these cases though consistently taking one step in the right direction will eventually produce positive results and turn the situation around. Consistency is key.
Use the speaker phone! The radiation is much less concentrated when it is farther away from the head and body.
Alchemy is inherently a method of accelerated change, of accelerated spiritual evolution, but contains within it safeguards for moving too quickly. While it has the possibility of causing imbalance in a person through unleashing some hidden or buried aspect of their personality, it also has the tools to balance that. I have found that if a person practices alchemy, the personality generally keeps the rate of change in check. I think the main dangers are not necessarily in alchemy (kan and li) but in other energetic methods not focused on crystallizing yuan qi, as they are not self-balancing.
To practice alchemy, one needs will, and when one is overwhelmed by issues that prevent one from practicing, or if one has practiced too much, the will to practice usually subsides for a while, or other personal issues prevent one from practicing.
I think the main danger in adding too much detail to time-tested alchemical meditations is that the intention of the practitioner may be diluted of sidetracked by paying attention to too much detail in the procedure rather than focusing on the energetic intention behind the practice.
This is a very large subject because all practices are not always part of an overall system. If they are part of a progressive system than usually the system contains methods of self-regulation. If we call Kan and Li the mainstay of One Clouds alchemical system, then I would say it is self-regulating because Kan and Li is inherently balancing no matter how much one practices it.
The author of this article that Michael posted teaches Wu style Taijiquan in Kansas city, and was the first teacher that charged money to teach Six elbows Kung Fu in North America that I know of, as well as openly calling it by one of its names not normally advertised to the public. The form is also called Tai Xu quan and after viewing some of the forms of his students on youtube, they look “different” than the ones I have seen here in Vancouver. Here is a blog by a man in Guangzhou on the recently formed official association. The founder also traces it back to Zhang San Feng, and whether it is traceable to him or not, I could care less, but I like the form! It works on a different principle than Taiji.
http://blog.sina.com.cn/gdtuys
Here is Mok Sifu (recently passed away) who brought the form to Vancouver
