The Complete Lao Zi/Dao De Jing Translation
I recently ran into this VERY complete concordance of the best English translations of this important and elusive work. Highly recommended if you do not read ancient Chinese.
“Liu An, Prince of Huai Nan, liked to surround himself with magicians (Fang Shi) who all distinguished themselves with various magical skills. Some of these sorcerers could make a river flow simply by drawing a line on the ground; some could gather up earth to form mountains and precipices; other sorcerers could use their breathing to influence the temperature, inducing winter and summer at will; still other sorcerers could, by simple sneezing and coughing, create rain or fog. In the end, the Prince eventually disappeared with those magicians.”
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Book of Records, Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 AD)
One of many amazing images on this site exploring the Yijing. A very nice breakout of the Three Treasures (SanBao) and its attendent effects/realms.
Mantak Chia on Guided Standing Meditation. Not so sure about how comfortable the testicle massage might be, but the alignment and heating breath (like the fire breath in pranayama) seems good.
The Secret of the Golden Flower: Illustration: Stage 1 of meditation: Gathering the light Chinese Taoists believe this book was written by Wang Chong yang, who is the student of Lu Dong bin. This book focused on Taoist inner alchemy practice techniques. Notable English Language translations have been made in 1920 by Richard Wilhelm (originally translated into German, and then into English by Cary F. Baynes), and in 1991 by the respected Harvard academic, Thomas Cleary. The translations are at variance. Wilhelm’s inspiration derives from his Chinese practitioner teacher. Cleary’s authority relies on his prolific experience in Eastern Studies. Per some rather insightful entries in Wikipedia: Classic works of Chinese philosophy preserve a spectrum of pre-modern science, from a time when philosophy and science were less distinct. The foundations of their teachings often do not comport with modern science, yet the teachings are of significant efficacy in providing a degree of awareness that might otherwise remain obscured by modern society’s attention to more stringent standards of rational thought. the poetic aspect of Chinese philosophy communicates an imagery that serves to inform and confirm practitioners according to their own predispositions. The poetic imagery essentially conveys ideas and perceptions better suited to imagining than reasoning, with the hope that in time a convergence of imagery and reason will take place in a manner that is informative.
If you have ever read the commentary on Rigorous Intuition you will find Drew Hempel in the mix, talking about his electromagnetic vagus nerve pulsating with light and attracting celestial females. That might seem crazy to the uninitiated but his life story and tireless research confirms some pretty wild stuff. His blog, Natural Resonance Revolution, is a great repository of information and always seems to post about stuff I am just coincidentally thinking of myself! The link above leads to part one (and two) of Drew’s interview with Martial Development. Interested readers should note that an unedited (and 18pgs long!!) interview is available as a PDF at the bottom of Part One.
If you read “Opening the Dragon Gate” you’ll really like this blog created by a student of Wang Liping
Wow. A great find, thank you.
Remote viewing is the topic of discussion on this TaoBums forum and it branches out into an interesting discussion of remote viewing in terms of a definite bifurcation. One way, I would venture to call, is the lefthand path- a concentration skill - and the other, the right hand path - siddhi development within a spiritual practice to guide it.
Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians
I was wandering downtown and found this book on Saturday and nearly finsihed it today. There is nothing quite like the Daoist mystics of old, who saddle up dragons, ride the clouds, abstain from eating grains, avoid fame and societal position and leave no trace when their physical body dies.
