singing ocean

You may find it interesting to read some of the material by Graham Hancock, a british journalist who attempts to show the legacy of a vastly ancient civilization on ancient knowledge. One interesting fact that appears to surface is that many ancient cultures (over 600) have “myths” about a flood that devastated the earth, this is also included in…[Read more]

I think it is best not to presume anything about ancient history, especially about what they did not know. Look at the Shu culture artifacts that were found at Sanxingdui, they are at least contemporary with or predate the Shang, have extremely sophisticated metalworking skills in bronze and gold, and almost no written records describing their…[Read more]

What are your sources on Shang history? How do you know the natural schools, the five phases or yin-yang did not exist at the time? How do you know that more spiritual knowledge was not in the hands of shaman lineages such as those similar to King Yu, possibly outside the circles of royalty?

To give the impression they did not exist may be…[Read more]

Bagua, I have learned alchemy from monks in daoist monasteries in china, interestingly, their formulas are very similar to One Clouds, with some difference in the dan tien used to focus, and some other details. I don’t think anyone is making this stuff up, although refinements have been added. Michael has studied with many daoist masters both in…[Read more]

From my understanding, the sitting and observing part of the kan and li practices is the “yin phase”, and opposed to the yang part of activating the formulas; it is the phase where whatever has been activated is allowed to complete itself.

We never did get bagua to elucidate on what his contact said about just HOW One Cloud used emptiness for cultivation, or what he did to cultivate it. The word emptiness (kong, xu or wu) could be a synonym for the neutral space, which is a result of alchemical practice, and could also mean a formless state. The function and context would be…[Read more]

we will see that using intention to harmonize with the neutral space in the self is an effective method of integrating with the dao.

Max,

your example of the results of alchemy would make more sense if the person was in a boat in the river. The person would either drift with the river not using the paddle, passively allowing it to tke its course, or using intention and action to accelerate their journey, the person could use the paddle to go up or down or wherever they…[Read more]

>>”You have a model you use and you want all to be compared to your model”

I think you are doing the same.

>>”Point 2: this is a natural process in the body” (mixing of yin and yang)

The difference is that the chan practitioner allows whatever will happen to happen while an alchemist will actively accelerate the…[Read more]

Yin and yang appear in the body as the kidney water-heart fire relationship. According to chinese medicine, as a person grows older, yin and yang separate in the body.

The alchemist actively reverses these forces in a cooking process to cultivate a neutral space through intention.

Does a chan practitioner use intention to:

1) observe…[Read more]

What you say about process and going deeper along the path sounds similar to what I was also expressing.

The achievement of the still mind (heart-body-mind), and the relation of the composite self to worldy physical plane needs and desires is an ongoing process, I agree. The “still mind”, or the deep inner experience of a permanent part of…[Read more]

Interesting advice. Spiritual science is highly subjective, and each person experiences it differently depending on their initial inheritance from heaven and earth, the amount they practice, the strength of their will, etc.
I have been enjoying the process of my daily practice as it sounds like you have also.

I have not been to Wudang Shan, but maybe will someday; Lu Shan in the same mountain range is supposed to be a good place to cultivate also.

Just to clarify, the One Cloud lineage comes from Chang Bai Shan, and the Wujigong lineage from Zhang San Feng comes from Wudang.

This is actually the busiest time of year for me as well, and I will be taking off to NY in a few weeks. Say hello to the immortals at Wudang Shan for us. Enjoy your cultivation! Maybe you can find a nei dan teacher while you are working with the Gong Fu association. I am hoping to return to China in a few years to enjoy the qi also.

Greetings Farooq and Fajin,

We could hang out if you all want to do some push hands (I haven’t practiced this in a while but would be interested to get your take on it) or qigong. Saturdays are good for me, I live near fraser and kingsway in vancouver. QE park is close by, depending on where you all live.

True that everything is interconnected and interdependent. My point is that there is a difference between being merged into the collective mind with no individuality, and being merged while maintaining an individual sense of free will.

>>”the view and the viewer are one”

Ultimately interconnected, yes, but in the sense of free will, no.

I harmonize the microcosm to harmonize with the macrocosm, but for practical purposes the microcosm is not the same as the macrocosm though they are obviously connected.

Plato, are you speaking from experience? Have you been to Chechnya? You can go ahead and ridicule anything I say at your own risk; it sure won’t hurt me. A great teacher once said that there is no punishment in life until one feels remorse of ones own actions, that is the worst and only judgement that exists, and may not even happen while one…[Read more]

Is that what you call karma? It is the principle of energetic resonance.