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Hi Max,
It looks like the dust has cleared. I was just wondering if you don’t mind describing your experiences with Michael’s alchemy, ie. why you stopped at Greatest Kan and Li and if you intend to go further, and what are your comments on it.
I would love to hear what you have to say on this, it would be an honour.
Thank you,
FajinHi Max,
Wether we are making blue and red pearls or emptiness, we are using our thought/intent for that specifically. I don’t think that advanced practitioners like Michael or Singing Ocean are the ones to fall asleep while in meditation.
Everyone has their problems wether we are over-sleepy, horny, etc. And that’s why I think emptiness is very good as a prerequisite too. It gets you into that balance.
Falun Dafa believes that you cannot cultivate if you are ill or sick. The teacher (I forgot his name), said to come to him so that he may heal you then begin cultivating. So emptiness is a good way to get into a neutral point because everyone has their own share of unique difficulties and an inner smile might not be the perfect starting point.
One can still make sure that neutrality is maintained by practicing emptiness meditations throughout their life, just like Bagua does.
I remember Buddha once saying that we should become concsiously aware of what we are doing, wether we are putting our clothes on, eating, drinking, speaking, etc. But that is still intent or thought. Prior to becoming aware, you make the choice to become aware of it. If we are making a choice to do something, there is a reason why we WANT to do it. If we want to do something, there is a desire. If we want to manifest a desire, then we act.
This action CAN be an observation, a visualization, or anything as long as it manifests what we want. So, if we choose to live life as it is, then we can CHOOSE to be fully aware of the moment like Buddha said. We use intent to live life as is. When we meditate, why not visualize something to manifest it specifically to what we WANT. This way we can live life 24/7 in intent. We use one thought to stop all thought.
My point is that we are constantly making choices, so when we cultivate, let’s make the choice to get something we want, so we visualize. When we live life, let’s choose to live it as it is so we may be aware of every moment.
I am learning Zen now so I can do this in life. But there is a goal we all want, that’s why we make a specific choice. So why not be aware of nothingness, wu, in life, but in cultivation, why not visualize to get something we want specifically. Is this not wu-wei 24/7? We are using intent 24/7, not a moment without it!
Btw, are you going to learn Star Alchemy and Heaven and Earth Alchemy or did you decide to stop?
Smiling in the Dao,
FajinMax
I must say that this most recent post of yours is refreshingly clear in it’s expression of your critique of the HT system, or any cultivation system.
Look for the results is your demand. I quite agree.
No matter what system I think some will get it, and some won’t.
Perhaps there are limitations to any approach.
This most recent expression does seem more reasonable than earlier expressions which seemed to paint the whole HT system ala M.Chia and M.Winn as completely devoid of merit and actually wholly harmful. Perhaps you never meant that, but that was an impression I got from reading your posts.
On one level I know you agree that some/many HT practices are potentially beneficial.
On another level I think you have the opinion that the ultimate result of this type of alchemical cultivation is a dead end. It is difficult to know, surely more so for beginners.All I can say is that what I know of the HT methods can lead to results which are quite beneficial. Whether they ultimately will result in achieving certain high level goals is perhaps an impossible question to answer.
I appreciate your candor. Critique is healthy. Especially when in the spirit of kindness and concern.
Question for anyone doing cultivation. What are your results?
It is worth self reflection and course correction.
Craig
Max says: “If we want to follow the natural flow of the Dao, is it better to let the awareness of Alchemy unfold in us naturally as the way it was originally intended? I say Yes. Many people prefer taking classes and do visualizations to accomplish the same. They have their own ideas how and why it should work. And I wish them the best.”
————————————————–I say: why not both? I attend alchemy retreats with Michael once every one or two years. It is a wonderful holiday to be with like-shened people, resonate with and learn from the energy fields that Winn brings in, and be introduced to related ideas.
Back at home, I then play with bits of the practices, but mostly explore my being through Focusing. The practice of Focusing sometimes leads me to emptiness, other times to fulness, often-times to patterns similar to those I learned in an alchemy retreat, but always to a state that is unexpected and new.
Spending a week on a course is like going out for a meal — sure, we should always cook our own food, to select the most appropriate ingredients for how I am right now, and to imbue them with the cleanest energy I can, but it sure is nice to get food from someone else that is different from what I usually cook for myself.
Oh, you suggest that the courses are about “visualization”. The visual is part of “one finger that points to the moon”, but there are many other types of fingers (sound, thought/shen, chi, movement) that help alert our individual being to other dimensions of great Being. It is common when first learning a practice to get caught up in the mechanics such as visualization.
Chris
You said it well. Why not both. Immortality is about living in wu, but with the sense of self so it is effortless. But until then, let’s live life in wu, but through cultivation, let’s work on three treasures. So we are cultivating 24/7.
Hey Craig,
I read at toabums that you had done some learning with master Zhingxian Wu.
I got the shamanic tiger book and DVD.
Man, he’s the real thing, he seems so genuine.
I asked him if he would come to Aust, he said he would if we could get a group together.
I was wondering, how has it been learning/practicing with him in person?
Thnaks
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