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video on limits of exercise/forms and importance of internal alchemy, attending to both. MW covers it extensively, video just different words. This teacher has some good videos.
The Immortality Trick
For all the interesting things this teacher says I notice something very strange about this tradition. Two things in fact.
Firstly, people talk of immortality as if there is some kind of trick you have to do to get it, if only you get the purple swirly energy and mix it with this, and alchemize it and so on. A trick here and a trick there, and you have to go up strange Chinese mountains to find the only hermit in the world who knows it. Well yes they do know interesting things, but is this what immortality is about ? A trick ?
Is someone else entering immortality or is it me ? If it is me, then should I be involved in it ? Is it just a question of driving my pickup to some energy hardware store and loading it up with the right bits ??
Where am ‘I’ in all this ? Does anyone ever speak of ‘I’ in these circles ? It’s as if people don’t quite realise that there is an ‘I’ that is doing all techniques – is anyone interested in who is doing this …. in who you are ?
Can you become immortal if you have no interest in ‘I’ ? Then who will be immortal ? Your pickup truck ?
Surely you begin with ‘I’.
Second thing is looking through many of his videos (which I enjoyed) I notice once again that he considers control/force/effort as the means to cultivation. But this is not what Laozi taught, Laozi taught the opposite.
Or am I mistaken ?
yes, he is very traditional. Glad I did not get too side-tracked with the traditional tai chi chuan martial track. The last video I watched – he basically said full immersion in Chinese culture was required. Compare that with the simple morning meditation in the linked video of M Chia – he whizzes through grounding, flexing, smiling, creation cycle virtues, sun light on the water, steaming, transforming ching including saliva, becoming still and absorbing true yang power. This practice is great and very accessible. How simple – earth centre, sun shines on water, steam rises, condenses down again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94ImZRunGVg
As for Laozi there is the great reverence for the translation of what might have been said by some person or persons. As I understand it the yi ching precedes all that and IMO is greater help in understanding the interplay of forces relevant to the particular situation. It does not really advocate becoming a nobody unless one really want to go unnatural to the nth degree. Heaven Earth Man and Man is important as the local rep, the manifest person living life. The dao te ching has a poetic appeal now and then but dare I say seems a mish mash of old sayings thrown together with a bit of preaching about the way, which is described more fully in the Yi Ching. So this teacher’s way might involve him being drawn into being very strong and disciplined (he says he is a metal type – strength and courage, and has to be careful to balance with other elements, such as gentle water, generous and kind for wood). Does not fit everybody’s elemental type.
People are addicted to doing/acting/control/force.
It’s incredible that after all the fancy talk if you really listen to what people are doing in most traditions … they are simply trying to control control control.
Control gives a small illusion that you can do it.
But the meta-tradition of control ends with the wailing of women and gnashing of teeth, and your death.
They have no idea that anything else is possible.
Surrender is the last thing they consider because they are so much the ego.
The ego has many games and it takes with it many lives.
How many times can a monkey listen to the words “valley of the universe” and translate it to “control” ?!!!!
Please become more intelligent.…he considers control/force/effort as the means to cultivation…
Of course effort and control are unnecessary; only relaxation and indolence are needed and bring results.
HOWDY
… the meta-tradition of control ends…gnashing of teeth, and your death…surrender is the last thing they consider…
What about if these are one’s aims?
If one thinks for example that so called god is simply just stupid and lazy pervert and surrendering means to become a similar loser.
…they are so much the ego…
Who are they?
HOWDY
… but this is not what Laozi taught, Laozi taught the opposite…
…full immersion in Chinese culture was required…
To have any kind of possibility to become a Taoist you actually start to perfect your spoken and written Chinese?
…control gives a small illusion that you can do it…
But who is really giving all control away?
…please become more intelligent…
This is something which is really necesserary, but if one stops controlling how it’s possible?
HOWDY
What does it mean to be the valley of the universe ?
Surely you can see it is a picture of reception and surrender rather than force and control.
Your responses indicate that you have difficulty comprehending this or respecting this.
The ego false self has a big big story about itself. It has to prove itself continuously by being in control doing this or that … or alternatively being the most pious and ascetic guru ever. Always in control one way or another.
But Laozi is about flowing, not controlling. Relaxing into the river.
And you say indolence. Yes it can be indolence if you go to sleep in this process. If you have no love nor higher intention.
Practicewise, silently sitting, merging with the breath through the body, and on the exhale letting go, surrenderng, settling down, flowing down.
Dying on the exhale, dying and loosening all the knots of your hold on this world.
Hua Ching Ni (Taoist author and teacher) in his I Ching book talks about the form/formless aspects of Tao and says if you attach yourself to the formless you remain outside the Way, because the Tao is also form. So form/formless is a balance. A lot of ‘just let go’ and advocating surrender is great but is favoring the formless, which may be necessary to some degree, especially with busy modern life, to regain balance and progress. Balance means both creative and receptive. For human life, being in a body, according to the Taoist alchemy taught here, involves natural virtues of courage (Po, lung) and will (Zhi, kidneys) balancing the upward tendency of the wood (Hun) and fire (Shen). Attuning to, earth (Yi) enables more balance. Then, as per the Tao saying, ‘man follows earth, earth follows heaven and heaven follows the Way’. So we follow earth. The other saying, ‘follow earth and heaven will chase you’.
last message crossed with preceding. Equating surrender to balance and harmony, okay. Neutral earth-centred, natural virtue.
…what does it mean to be the valley of the universe…
What does it mean to be the stream of the universe?
HOWDY
-http://www.wussu.com/laotzu/laotzu28.html-
Know the strength of man,
But keep a woman’s care!
Be the stream of the universe!
Being the stream of the universe,
Ever true and unswerving,
Become as a little child once more.Know the white,
But keep the black!
Be an example to the world!
Being an example to the world,
Ever true and unwavering,
Return to the infinite.Know honour,
Yet keep humility!
Be the valley of the universe!
Being the valley of the universe,
Ever true and resourceful,
Return to the state of the uncarved block.When the block is carved, it becomes useful.
When the sage uses it, he becomes the ruler.
Thus, “A great tailor cuts little.”
And you think Taoism hasn’t rusted ?
Doesn’t everything rust, here in this world ?How can you love nature and at the same time steal longevity with tricks ?
Where is your sincerity ?
This is the way of man, a low beast who does not love.What can you give ?
Rather than what can you take.
So scared, so lost.Let your love be a death to all your fear.
Let your practice be a surrender not a clinging on.
Show the universe your heart, by returning.Lay down your life for love, for truth, for nature.
For hope.
For trust.Returning and returning.
.. Returning and returning.
.. .. Returning and returning.
When you ride a bicycle, the momentum carries you … oh the joy of it.
The wind blow in your hair, strokes your cheeks, you are free, flying.Riding, forever.
…steal longevity with tricks…
How then is the immortality different from the eternal life?
Sorry, but I have actually tried several times to ask-but of course not too seriously-if there are guaranteed methods to ensure that there won’t be any afterlife.
The question in that situation would be for example if it’s possible to steal longevity with tricks to have a total annihilation/not any hereafter?
HOWDY
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_word-
In linguistics, function words (also called functors) are words that have little lexical meaning or have ambiguous meaning and express grammatical relationships among other words within a sentence, or specify the attitude or mood of the speaker. They signal the structural relationships that words have to one another and are the glue that holds sentences together. Thus, they serve as important elements to the structures of sentences.
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_word-
In linguistics content words are words that name objects of reality and their qualities. They signify actual living things (dog, cat, etc.), family members (mother, father, sister, etc.), natural phenomena (snow, Sun, etc.) common actions (do, make, come, eat, etc.), characteristics (young, cold, dark, etc.), etc. They consist mostly of nouns, lexical verbs and adjectives, but certain adverbs can also be content words. They contrast with function words, which are words that have very little substantive meaning and primarily denote grammatical relationships between content words, such as prepositions (in, out, under, etc.), pronouns (I, you, he, who, etc.), conjunctions (and, but, till, as, etc.), etc.
You are a complicated person. Probably better to choose one thing and dig deep. One only needs a single deep well. Many shallow wells means nothing.
This world is treachery and most treachery is done by good natured people.
If you are ready to work and to give and to learn … then demand a good teacher and be a good student. Can you find a teacher who is immortal and speaks your language ?
Probably most paths do work, but most students don’t follow them whatever they may be. They simply do not do what is asked of them.
Better is to follow exactly giving 100% intense effort. Only super-efforts count. With super-efforts you will know Yes or No, otherwise you just drift with vagueness.
After several months you decide if it works, if not leave.It is good to taste 5 things first, and then choose 1.
When some people talk they say nothing nothing, many hours of talk and it’s still nothing. Others say one word and it means everything.
What is the difference ?
Who is inside the words ?
Who is inside that being ?
Who is inside you ?
Who is it that does Qigong ?
Who is it that wants immortality ?
Do you know ?
Can you feel ?
Can you be ?
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