EMPTY VESSEL: Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice SPRING 2018

The Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice Spring 2018

Thoughts for Spring

$5.95 U.S. $6.95 Canada

Spiritual Individualism in China Qigong Mysteries The Tao of NOW

The Empty Vessel

Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps On the Way

by Solala Towler

Solala Towler

practicing the tao te ching

practicing the tao te ching

Solala Towler’s approach to the Tao Te Ching reveals the quintessence of the study. Taoism relies upon practice, the cultivation of innate nature, and the preservation of life force. Under his guidance, anyone can deepen their practice as well as digest the core meaning of this classic.”

HU XUEZHI author of Revealing the Tao Te Ching A well-written and eminently useful guide to putting the teachings of Taoism’s greatest sage into one’s daily life and practice. So simple, even Lao Tzu would understand it.

RED PINE author of Lao-tzu’s Taoteching Ingenious. Towler turns this classic of mystical Tao philosophy into a boots-on-the ground manual for spiritual practice. A worthy addition to any Qi-cultivator’s library.

MICHAEL WINN founder of healingtao.com

81 Steps on the Way

Solala Towler

Most people think of the Tao Te Ching as a book on philosophy or a treatise on leadership.

Yet there is a little-known treasure hidden within the familiar passages of Lao Tzu’s work: step-by-step practical guidance for the spiritual journey. With Practicing the Tao Te Ching, renowned teacher Solala Towler reveals a new facet to this spiritual classic, offering accessible instructions paired with each of the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching. “Tao is a way of deep reflection and learning from nature, considered the highest teacher,” writes Towler. “It teaches us to follow the energy flows within the heavens, the earth, and our own bodies.” With lucid instruction and deep insight, he guides you through meditations, movement and breathing practices, subtle energy exercises, and inner reflections—all to help you to embody Taoist wisdom in every aspect of your life.

Paperback, 306 pages, $16.95 https://my.ecwid.com/store/1783331#product:mode=edit&id=64656005&return=products :name-or-sku%3Dpracticing Available at www.abodetao.com, amazon.com or your local bookstore!

ii

Spring 2018

A letter to our readers With the next (summer) issue I will have been publishing The Empty Vessel for 25 years.

It has been quite a ride...I have met so many amazing masters, teachers and students and learned so much.

But now it is time to pass the torch on to someone else to shepherd this wonderful project. I am needed elsewhere and rather than just stop publishing I am hoping there is someone who wants to become the new parent of this journal.

So, I am putting out the word here to see if there is someone or someones who would like to take it on. I t could be one person or a group.

What is required is having knowledge about the subject (Taoist meditation, qigong, taiji, Chinese medicine etc.), the ability to work with desktop publishing and the ability to sell advertising (which in a large part is what pays for the printing and mailing of each issue.)

I would, of course, guide the new person or persons for at least one issue and introduce them to all of my advertisers, some of whom have been with me for many years.

To be honest, publishing a magazine on the Taoist arts is not a big money maker. It is more of a labor of love...love of the many aspects of Taoism that have helped so many people for so many centuries.

If you are interested in taking this on please give me a call at 541.345.8854 or write to solala@abodetao.com.

In the meantime, I am greatly expanding my free newsletter, with articles, video and links to many interesting sites. If you would like to be included on this please send me your email address.

Contents

Spring 2018 Volume 25 Number 3

2

Spring Cultivation

3

Thoughts for Spring

by Mark Reinhart

4

Spiritual Individualism in China

by David A. Palmer & Elijah Siegler

10

The Man Who Knew Too Much

by Solala Towler

16

The Tao of NOW

by Daniel Skach-Mills

18

Qigong Mysteries

by Ke Yun Lu

22

Spiritual Duties of Chinese Culture

by Hua Ching Ni and Mao Shing Ni

What is Taoism (Daoism)?

“The Tao (Dao) that can be described is not the eternal Tao.” So begins the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) of Lao Tzu (Laozi) written some 2,500 years ago. How then, to describe the indescribable? How to fit into words that which is beyond words? The Tao can only be pointed to, or referred to, say the ancient sages. It cannot be held, only experienced. It cannot be touched, only felt. It cannot be seen, only glimpsed with the inner eye.

Tao, then, is the Way, as in direction, as in manner, source, destination, purpose and process. In discovering and exploring Tao the process and the destination are one and the same.

Lao Tzu describes a Daoist as the one who sees simplicity in the complicated and achieves greatness in little things. He or she is dedicated to discovering the dance of the cosmos in the passing of each season as well as the passing of each precious moment in our lives.

Taoism was already long established when Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching. It originated in the ancient shamanic roots of Chinese civilization. Many of the practices and attitudes toward life were already established before Lao Tzu'’s time.

For many centuries Taoism was an informal way of life, a way followed by peasant, farmer, gentleman philosopher and artist. It was a way of deep reflection and of learning from Nature, considered the highest teacher. Followers of the Way studied the stars in the heavens and the energy that lies deep within the earth. They meditated upon the energy flow within their own bodies and mapped out the roads and paths it traveled upon.

It is a belief in life, a belief in the glorious procession of each unfolding moment. It is a deeply spiritual life, involving introspection, balance, emotional and spiritual independence and responsibility and a deep awareness and connection to the earth and all other life forms. It requires an understanding of how energy works in the body and how to treat illness in a safe, non-invasive way while teaching practical ways of maintaining health and avoiding disease and discomfort. Taoist meditation techniques help the practitioner enter deeper or more expansive levels of wakefulness and inner strength.

But most of all, it is a simple, natural, practical way of being in our bodies and our psyches and sharing that way of being with all other life forms we come into contact with.

Today in China and in the West, Taoism is often divided into two forms, tao jio and tao jia. Or religious Taoism and philosophical Daoism. Many scholars argue that there are not two distinct forms of Taoism and in many ways they are right. There is really a great intermingling of the religious form of Taoism and its various sects and the philosophical Taoism of Lao Tzui and Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi). But many people who follow the Tao do not consider themselves religious people and do not go to temples and are not ordained as priests. Rather these two forms exist both side by side and within each other.

It is up to each of us to find the way to the Way in our own way. What we try to do with The Empty Vessel is offer articles and information to help you, our dear readers, to do that.

The Empty Vessel The Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice Publisher The Abode of the Eternal Tao Editor and Design Solala Towler Contributing Editor Kurt Levins Sr. Copy Editor Shanti

The Empty Vessel: A Journal of Contemporary Taoism is published quarterly by The Abode of the Eternal Tao, 1991 Garfield Street, Eugene, Oregon 97405.

E-Mail address: solala@abodetao.com.

Web site: www.abodetao.com.

Subscriptions are $24per year (U.S. funds).

Digital version is $20 per year. Please see our website under Store to order subscriptions. ©2018 by The Abode of the Eternal Tao, all rights reserved. The Empty Vessel is not responsible for opinions or statements expressed by authors or for advertisers' claims.

Advertising rates are available by calling The Empty Vessel at 541.345.8854, or emailing solala@abodetao. com.

Statement of Purpose The Empty Vessel is dedicated to the exploration and dissemination of Taoist philosophy and practice. It is open to sharing the various traditional and contemporary teachings in a nondiscriminatory manner. We at The Empty Vessel believe that it is in using these practices and attitudes of the ancient achieved ones in a timely and contemporary manner that we can best benefit from them and in doing so, be able to effect change in the world around us.

Embarking Upon the Way: A Course on Taoism

by Solala Towler 5 CDs One DVD 130-page book (on disk) Take a journey into the philosophy and practices of Taoism with master teacher Solala Towler.

Over five hours of audio and two hours of video along with a 130-page book (on disk).

The eight main principles of Taoism and instruction on Taoist Meditation.

Seven guided meditations and more.

130-page book covering all the main principles and history of Taoism plus Chinese medicine, meditation, the Way of Tea and Tao and the Great Mother.

Hard copy on disks: $79 (with free shipping ) http://abodetao.com/store/#!/Embarking-Upon-the-Way-ACourse-in-Taoism/p/94364000/category=28462308

Hard Copy on flash drive $79 (with free shipping.)

https://my.ecwid.com/store/1783331#product:mode=new

Digital version: $59

http://abodetao.com/store/#!/Embarking-Upon-the-WayA-Course-in-Taoism-DIGITAL-DOWNLOAD/p/103406332/ category=28462308

DVD: Instruction on Dao-In (Taoist Yoga), Grounding and Rooting Qigong, Spiraling Dragon Qigong, video from China and more!

Now available in three formats: Hard copy on disk.

Hard copy on flash drive.

Digital download. or call 541.345.8854

Along the Way Spring has sprung here in the Pacific Northwest....we actually had a very mild winter, much milder than we are used to and very much milder than other parts of the country...of course this summer could be very hot and dry as we did not have the usual amount of rain...

In Chinese medicine Spring season is associated with the color green (as in new plant growth), the direction East (as in sunrise and the direction of new beginnings), the element wood (as in plants and trees)... the principle of flexibility...the liver (also having to do with flexibility and the freeflowingness of blood, qi and lymph throughout our body)... and the power animal Green Dragon.

In the qigong form that I practice and teach: Wuji or Primordial Qigong, we always begin by facing East (Green Dragon)...as in new beginnings, as in the sunrise...then, after circling around to all the various directions: South (Red Phoenix), West (White Tiger), North (Black Turtle)...we end up facing East or new beginnings again...a perfect circle...

So it is with our life...we may sometimes feel we are running in circles...but hey, what's wrong with that?

All life is really a circle...

When we watch how animals build their nests and burrows, it is always in a circle...when animals prepare to lie down they circle themselves around... many traditional peoples build their tipis, wigwams, yurts and huts in a circle...

Our own body is made up of a number of circles — torso, neck, head, legs, arms, fingers, toes...our blood and qi flows in a circular way throughout our body...

It is a European conceit that time flows in a linear fashion...most ancient cultures knew that it actually flows in a circle or even a spiral...

Our own lives move in a circle or spiral...sometimes doubling back on itself...sometimes seeming to spiral out of control...but always we are in the center (the Golden Dragon)...our center is both within us as well as without us...as we dance along, sometimes gracefully, sometimes clumsily but in gratitude for the dance itself (and with gratitude comes grace)...

Solala Towler, editor

The Empty Vessel

Subscribe to and receive four issues of • Insightful and stimulating interviews with contemporary Taoist masters and teachers • Informative and inspirational articles on Taoist philosophy and practice.

• Reviews of the latest books & DVDs. Subscribe now for only $24 for one year.

(U.S. funds please.) or subscribe to our on-line version for only $20 at www.abodetao.com

Begin my subscription with the next issue

Name Address City State

Zip

(Add $15 for postage outside the U.S.)

Abode of the Eternal Tao 1991 Garfield Street Eugene, Oregon 97405 541.345.8854 www.abodetao.com

1

Spring Season Practice

There was something formed in chaos, coming before heaven and earth, existing in the silent and tranquil void.

It stands alone and unchanging, it pervades everywhere without becoming exhausted, it is the mother of heaven and earth.

I do not know its name and so call it Dao. For want of a better word I call it great.

Being great it is far reaching.

It is far reaching yet it returns to its source.

Therefore I say that Dao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and humankind is great.

In the universe there are four greats and humankind is one of them.

People follow the way of earth; earth follows the way of heaven; heaven follows the way of Dao; Dao follows its own natural way.

Daode Jing 25

Green Dragon. The element is wood, the wood of newly growing grasses, plants, trees and flowers. The direction is east, the direction of the sunrise, of new beginnings, new ventures and adventures. The organ associated with spring is the liver. The positive emotion is free-flowingness, our ability to flow freely through the challenges of our lives. It is also associated with flexibility, the flexibility of the young plant to bend with the wind and not be broken.

Laozi says:

2

Spring 2018

When we are born we are supple and tender like a young plant.

When we die we become rigid and unyielding.

The ten thousand beings, including plants and grasses, when young are soft and pliable.

At their death they are dry and brittle.

Therefore we say that the stiff and unyielding are the companions of death.

The soft and yielding are the followers of life.

76

In the morning sit, stand or lie upon the earth in an area of trees, bushes, flowers or grass. Open your eyes wide and let the good, deep, green color fill your vision. Allow the color green to fill your being with the energy of new growth.

Feel your ability to flow freely throughout the challenges of Wood (Spring) your life as well as your day-to-day life. Feel the excitement We begin with the season of spring, the time of year of the new sunrise, the new day, the new opportunities each when the new growth of trees, plants, flowers and people day brings. Allow your inner being to soften and become as begin to reach out towards the life-giving sun. The color flexible as a newly sprouted blade of grass. associated with spring is green. The totem animal is the

Thoughts for Spring Mark Reinhart

A

wakening deep within are the seeds of your cultivation from the winter season of dormancy, consolidation and cultivation. Are you ready for what is soon to germinate and begin the manifestation process?

If there’s one thing the winter season allows us to do it is think, sometimes too much if we allow the monkey to run away with our thoughts. Today’s society has a hard enough time with stillness, so it is exponentially more difficult to adjust to a forced stillness that sometimes happens with the unpredictability of the winter weather.

Consciously or unconsciously your thoughts have been generating something that will soon begin to awaken. On the conscious level, it may be a new business, educational direction, some form of new cultivation or fitness regimen, or a commitment to a deepening of what you already practice.

Spring is the time the world awakens into a new cycle of growth. Things are set into motion.

Unconsciously, whether we like it or not, whether we’re aware of it or not, thoughts have been swirling and regardless of the focus of those thoughts, something will manifest.

On the unconscious level, a critical factor not often taken into consideration is regarding what kind of soil we have been preparing for the eventual growth. Focusing on peace, love, how one can be of service and those things which support life will provide soil that will yield a peaceful, loving and supportive crop. Focusing on hate, anger and resentment is guaranteed to

yield toxicity. Your reap what you sow. Be careful!

Cultivation takes into consideration the environment in which we reside. A certain crop may be a little more challenging to grow in adverse conditions and may require much more attention. Much like the weather systems that swirl around us there are planetary energetics that must be incorporated into the picture.

Saturn has joined Pluto in Capricorn for the next few years.

From the Western Astrological perspective, Pluto (which has a cycle of 248 years and is traditionally associated with destruction with the promise of rebirth) is in the sign of Capricorn (the sign that has to do with the institutions we create to provide structure, e.g. business and especially now, governments). The last time Pluto was in Capricorn was when the United States was being founded in the late 1700’s. Saturn (which rules Capricorn, is the planet of delineations, restrictions, and other elements of structuring/re-structuring). This is providing what may be a challenging climate for some but an opportunity for substantial growth for others. As Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t always repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” As always, the choice is yours on how you swim in the energetic currents of life!

In Chinese Astrology, this is a double Earth Year - the 5th Heavenly Stem - WU (Yang Earth) and the 11th Heavenly Branch - XU the Earth Dog. It is a year of soil and foundations of growth from which something can be cultivated. The questions is what will eventually burst forth and grow?

On a personal level this will depend on the quality of the seed you have generated and how you have prepared the soil for the eventual germination. And then once it sprouts, how will you tend to the new growth? The strongest and heartiest seed with the most potential can fail without the proper nurturing at the initial stages of growth.

So as you can see, the growth process is never ending as we consolidate our thoughts and intention during the dormancy of winter to create a seed, allow that seed to germinate in a properly maintained soil, tend our crop in anticipation of what it will yield, reap what we have sown and ultimately start the process all over again!

There is no step of the process during which we cannot be mindful! Where does a circle begin or end?

Mark R Reinhart has been a practitioner of the energetic arts for over half a century. He has been a student, teacher and practitioner of Eastern Arts (philosophical - martial - healing) since the mid 1960's.

Mark has extensive and ongoing training in all aspects of Classical and Traditional Chinese medicine and is proficient in numerous styles and systems of taijiquan and qigong. He has been a Professional Member of the National Qigong Association (NQA) since 2006, served on the NQA's Board of Directors for seven years, President for four years, and currently serves on the Advisory Council of the NQA. Mark is based in Northeastern Pennsylvania at Three Pure Rivers Studio for the Arts.

For more information visit: threepurerivers.com

The Empty Vessel 3

Spiritual Individualism in China David A. Palmer & Elijah Siegler

4

Spring 2018

If we avoid a monolithic view of Chinese culture, might it not be possible to identify a strand of spiritual individualism in the Chinese tradition, one that is precisely incarnated by certain strains of Daoism? The historian of Daoism Vincent Goossaert claims that the order of Complete Perfection, with its focus on inner alchemy, marks the beginning of “modern Daoism”— even though it appeared in the twelfth century!7 In one essay, he asked: “Integrated into popular literature, open to all, freely taught in temples, adaptable to all lifestyles, emphasizing individual choice instead of collective belonging, giving much more authority to experience than to faith, does not inner alchemy deserve to be considered a resolutely modern spirituality?”8 Daoist body cultivation is perhaps the most prevalent form of a more individualistic facet of Chinese culture, in which the individual turns inward, into observing, monitoring, and nurturing his body and its powers, in a discourse that is critical of conventional social obligations. From such a perspective, then, the “fit” between Daoism and American spiritual individualism would not simply be the result of decontextualization and reinvention. Rather, one might trace parallel strands of spiritual individualism in both the Chinese and Western traditions, and it is thus inevitable that the affinities between them would become evident with their connection and convergence in the era of globalization. Or, considering the technologies of the body themselves, one might consider their universal psychosomatic base, as argued by Jeffrey Kripal: The cross-cultural correspondences and actual borrowings that we can see between Asian Tantra [a broad category within which Kripal includes Daoist psycho-sexual technologies] and American counterculture can best be explained by one simple but astonishingly complex fact, that both the phenomenology of consciousness as witness of all human experience and the anatomical, hormonal, sexual, molecular, genetic, and subatomic processes of the human body display similar dynamics and structures across all known human cultures and recorded times.

This is why human beings in different cultures and times can the predicament experience similar, if probably never identical, forms of the enlightenment of the body. This is why Tantric traditions can and do migrate from culture to culture: everywhere they go, they find the same psychosomatic base. 9 But, in contrast to Western conceptions of the self as an ontological reality, the Chinese Daoist understanding of the self has tended to be fluid, embodied, and dynamic; it is a composite of numerous entities, energies, and flows, in an unfolding relationship with other beings, objects, forces, and dimensions of the cosmos. It has no fixed “being.” “Self-cultivation” in a Daoist context implies shedding the illusion of the self’s ontological autonomy and boundedness, and returning to, or aligning with, an original, prenatal self that is at one with the Dao, through cultivating relationships between dynamic patterns and cycles in the body, the land, and the cosmos. Daoists never speak of “cultivating the self ” but rather of “cultivating Dao” (xiudao) or “cultivating perfection” (xiuzhen), which implies a process of spiritual self-transcendence, of spiritual individuation that grows out of but ultimately transcends the physical body. This cultivational process involves a dissolving of the experience of the bounded self and body, until the body is experienced as a field of locations and forces, that are correlated with cosmic patterns, recombined with each other, and refined to produce a purely spiritual being.

Enchantment consists in the ability to communicate with spirits and Immortals, and, at a higher level, to become one; to decode the significance of cosmic patterns, and to manipulate cosmic

forces. Spiritual subjects are formed through their affiliation to masters and lineages, through their relationships with deities and places, and through their conscious work with cosmic forces in and through their body.

Here, we are far from modern individualism which, from a Daoist perspective, can be seen as an extreme form of dissipation and differentiation: Daoist cultivation in the framework of cosmological attunement is not simply a question of “follow your instincts,” “be yourself,” “be different,” and “relax”—all of which may well be expressions of “going with the flow” of one’s ego and desires, rather than any true self-transformation or alignment with Dao. As explained by Master Chen, “This does not mean that you can just be who you want—there is a work of self-transformation, to reach your true self which is at one with Heaven and Earth and all beings. You can’t just take spontaneity (wuwei) and say it means you make no effort, do whatever you want. Wuwei refers to noninterference, not imposing your self on others; but you still need to make an effort on your self.”

He criticized another American qigong operator—whom he was, otherwise, very fond of as a person—for writing, in a book, that one can be wild and carefree in Daoism. “But what he doesn’t understand is that being carefree (xiaosa) is not an attitude a Daoist takes toward oneself, but only a way to deal with the world.

In their dealings with other people, Daoists may appear careless, easygoing, even unconventional, getting drunk and so on, but this can only be connected to a strong inner discipline, otherwise it is not Daoist at all.”10 Master Chen, at times, spoke of reaching the “true self,” for example, “the truest, the most free, the most original self, which is the most beautiful. It is in communion with all beings, with Heaven and Earth, it does not need to be controlled. . . . We want to attain the independent, free, true self.” This search for the true self must pass through the stage of attaining tranquility (jing)—“Before that, there is no true self (zhenshi de ziwo). The attachment to that self is very dangerous. It’s not a stable self, it’s changing here and there. Today it might think this, and tomorrow it doesn’t agree. It is pulled in different directions by different things.” But when he describes the nature of this “true self ” that is attained through tranquility, there is no stable ontological reality, only a fragile union between multiple hun and po souls that are associated with different organic systems and locations in the body, and express different ethical orientations, in line with the correlative cosmology.

Chinese Daoists are not ontological individualists in the American sense—but this does not mean that they are the opposite of individualists. Our comparison of the Western and Chinese trajectories does not aim to contrast a Chinese “collectivism” to American individualism. Rather, the “individualistic” dimension of Chinese Daoism has interacted with selfhood, authority, and tradition in ways that cannot be described through the lens of Western dichotomies of the individual versus the institution, resistance versus authority, or innovation versus tradition.11 Where American self-spirituality posits the care of the self as a bounded and unique being endowed with interiorality within the framework of the naturalist ontology, Chinese Daoism begins with the quest for attunement with a cosmic pattern that transcends the self, within the framework of a correlative cosmology.

In Master Chen’s words, the “lesser self ” (xiaowo) is abandoned for a “greater self ” (dawo), the “true self ” that encompasses the entire cosmos.12 Where the American “religion of no religion” is founded on the rejection of the authority of the church, Chinese Daoism has, in the course of history, repeatedly created alternative structures of authority, always in a dynamic interaction with the

The Empty Vessel 5

dominant authorities of the Chinese state and its official doctrines of Confucianism or, later, of Socialism. Where the American “New Age” strives for a universalistic detraditionalization and decontextualization of exotic spiritual techniques and symbols, the predicament Chinese Daoism has typically been the vehicle for processes of localization and contextual traditionalization .

The Cosmic Self What is now known as the Daoist tradition can be traced back to early Chinese texts of the Warring States period, especially the Neiye, the Zhuangzi, and the Laozi, around the third and fourth centuries BC. These texts appeared at a time when the dominant mode of human interaction with the divine was through sacrificial ritual. Spirits were seen as having power over natural phenomena; humans needed to establish relationships with them in order to avoid misfortunes and ensure prosperity and success. This relationship, however, was not “harmonious”; as Michael Puett has argued, “This results in seemingly endless attempts by humans to placate, coax, and influence the spirits through sacrifice and divination.”13 Ritual systems were elaborated to domesticate these forces, to anthropomorphize

them as ancestors, to fix them into a hierarchy, and to regulate their interactions with humans. This ritual system was also the foundation and pattern of social and political order. Central to the functioning of this system were the priests—the ritual specialists whose technical knowledge was required tooperate the communications with the spirits, and to orchestrate the ceremonial enactment of sovereignty.

The early Daoist texts challenged this sacrificial order, claiming that humans themselves could transform into divine beings.

Without employing ritual arts, through practices of cultivating the body and consciousness, humans could access spiritual power, and acquire the knowledge of fortune and misfortune.14 What emerged was a notion of “self-divinization,” which could be accomplished through practices of the body and of consciousness. These practices were theoretically accessible to anyone. In the Zhuangzi, there is no concern for social rank; in its stories, we meet men and women, lettered gentlemen, farmers and artisans, freemen and servants, who all aspire to transcendence. The questions they discuss revolve around concerns of the individual—the meaning and purpose of life, the nature of death, and how to deal with the vicissitudes of the world. 15

6

Spring 2018

The Daoist texts do, then, point the way to a process of individuation, of awakening the consciousness of one’s self, one’s desires, one’s illusions, and of the patterns and forces of the cosmos—and point to a path of transformation through individual meditation and cultivation, leading toward divinity.

This is a path that openly mocks the priests and their sacrifices.

There is a clear resonance here with modern individualism, both in terms of the inward turn to self-knowledge and development, and of the rejection of traditional and institutional authority.

But the divinization process advocated by the early Daoists involves attunement with a pattern of broader cosmic forces.

A condition for attaining Dao is transcending the self; only when we become “empty” can we become “filled” with Dao. The natural process of life, leading toward death, is one of differentiation, moving ever farther from the undifferentiated state of Dao; the Daoist path of self-transformation involves turning around and returning to the undifferentiated state of the infant or the “uncarved block,” “returning to the One.” A precondition to the effortless, spontaneous “going with the flow” of Dao, one must “reverse the flow”(ni) of dissipation and differentiation.

The Empty Vessel

But as Daoist traditions of self-cultivation evolved, they became integrated with the analogical cosmology of correspondences that was systematized during the Han dynasty. This process involves passing through a stage of redifferentiation, as the body/mind aligns itself with the categories of the correlative cosmology: first one learns to respond to the forces of the Eight Trigrams, the Five Phases, of the Heaven-Man-Earth triad, of the Yin-Yang duality, and to identify their correspondences with locations, forces, energies, and time cycles in one’s body, one’s environment, and in the universe. Then, it is through the combination of these forces in the body that their differentiation is transcended, and unity with Dao is attained.

David A. Palmer is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Hong Kong. Elijah Siegler is professor of religous studies at the College of Charleston.

Reprinted from Dream Trippers: Global Daoism and the Predicament of Modern Spirituality, by David A. Palmer & Elijah Siegler. © 2017 by The University of Chicago Press.

7

Special Sale on Back Issues Many of our back issues have already sold out. If you would like to order back issues we still have a few sets of 50 issues available for $100 plus $35 p&h! (U.S. postage only) This is a $200 discount! Go to our website at www.abodetao.com to order. For overseas orders please contact us at solala@abodetao.com. (Individual issues may also be found there.)

The Journal of Daoist Philosphy and Practice Summer 2014

$5.95 U.S.

$6.95 Canada

The Poetry of Passion The Daoist Arts of Wudang Mountain Zhuangzi’s Perfect Happiness in the Light of Contemporary Western Psychology and more!

The Empty Vessel

8

Spring 2018

Medical Qigong Certification

Programs Begin In January and February ~ Designed for non-local students ~ ~ Multi-level certification programs ~ ~ Highest standards and limited class size ~ ~ Emphasis on theoretical and practical applications ~ ~ Approved by the Chinese Ministry of Health and Education ~ ~ Approved for NCCAOM and California L.Ac. CEUs ~

Dr. Bernard Shannon, DTCM, DMQ (China) Internationally recognized doctor and teacher • Founder, International College of Medical Qigong • Ordained Daoist Priest • Shifu (Master Instructor) of Baguazhang and Taijiquan • Former Chairman, National Qigong Association

Please visit www.MedicalQigong,org or call 800-848-0649 for more information

The Empty Vessel

9

The Man Who Knew Too Much A Story of Enlightenment and Tea Solala Towler

There was once a great Master who had studied all the esoteric knowledge and all the spiritual teachings of all the great masters. He had traveled for many years all around the world, studying with this master and that. He had read all the great books that had been written and had spent years in deep meditation high in the mountains of the Himalayas. He had practiced secret tantric rites, both with a female consort and with the bones of ancient masters. He had reflected on himself as a numinous being as well as a bony skull, waiting for death for release from the material world. He himself had written many dense and obtuse works of spiritual knowledge. He had taught at many of the great universities as well as the great spiritual centers around the world.

He had many students, many of whom would have worshiped him if he had allowed it.

He had had many lovers and had fathered numerous children,

all of whom, he had announced, would grow up to be sages. He had looked death in the face and laughed, he had spent vast sums of money, most of it donated to him by his many wealthy students, building grand temples and ashrams but he never stayed at one of them for long, for he was a restless spirit and was always drawn on to the next new teacher, the next new lover, the next new spiritual experience.

He could control his body temperature and had studied tumo with Tibetan monks and could dry a dozen wet sheets they had wrapped around him as he sat by a freezing lake high in the Himalayas. He had meditated with Shiva worshipping sadhus in India and had smoked vast quantities of hashish with them as they sat meditating by the burning ghats along the sacred Ganges. He had watched many people’s bodies transform from human being to piles of glowing ash.

10

Spring 2018

He was famous and rich and very, very successful and many called him enlightened, but he was not satisfied. He was restless but could not say what it was he was restless about. He felt he was missing out on something very important and perhaps even crucial but he could not say what that very important and crucial thing was. All he knew was that he did not have it and he felt he would never be whole until he did.

He stopped traveling, stopped public speaking and writing, and shut himself deep within his meditation chamber. He refused food and drank only a small amount of fruit juice a day, just enough to keep himself alive while he went deep inside himself to find what it was that he was missing.

But, after many days of this he felt no closer to the elusive something than when he had started, and he became very angry.

Then he became very depressed. He sat listlessly in his room, deep in the heart of his ashram and looked idly out the window and sighed deep, sad sighs.

Then one day one of his students begged for an audience with him, saying that he had made a great discovery and wanted to share it with his guru. So the great Master decided that he was so completely bored that he would speak with someone, even if it was a student, and a not very advanced one either.

So imagine when this student came into his presence, and, after making obeisance to him, told him that he had found a great teacher, one who far surpassed all other teachers, one who was as the sun to the moon, as a shining lotus flower to a weed, whose immense knowledge dwarfed all other spiritual teachers.

The Master began, in spite of himself, to become interested.

He was sure that he had already met all the great masters of the age and had gleaned from them whatever knowledge they possessed. But perhaps there was still yet one whom he had not met who might have an answer to his problem. In spite of himself, he was becoming interested. His student then told him where this great teacher could be found. It was in a little tea shop which was located in a run down part of the city, upstairs from a laundry.

This does not sound promising, said the great master to himself, but he decided he would go there anyway and see if there was not some crumb of knowledge he could glean from this new teacher.

So, after consulting his star chart and other divinatory tools for an auspicious day, he followed his student’s directions and traveled to a part of the city where he had never been before. As he picked his way through the congested streets he found himself becoming more and more convinced that he was wasting his time.

How could there be any sort of realized master in this part of town, he thought to himself. He knew that great masters always dwelt in the mountains where they could breathe the pure air and be closer to the spiritual realm, or else deep within sacred caves where they could not be polluted by the dust of the world, or else in ashrams or temples, where they could be closer to the divine energy of the gods.

And so, as he picked his way through the mounds of trash and dog feces (he was, as usual, wearing sandals, which had cost a lot of money and which he did not want to be smeared with dog feces) he began to have greater and greater doubts. But he decided to go on and see it through to the end. After all, if he could spend all that time in the Himalayas studying arcane tantric arts and smoke all that pungent and incredibly potent hashish with the sadhus while they watched the fat bubble on the bodies of the dead, he figured he could handle traveling through these nasty streets.

After some time he came to the laundry, from which clouds of odiferous steam emerged and, after poking around for some time, found a set of dilapidated steps leading up to the second floor. He

The Empty Vessel

climbed up the stairs, which squeaked and squawked under his feet and threatened to crumble before his weight with every step until he found himself at the door to the teashop. There was no written sign indicating it was a business there but he saw a crude picture of a tea pot with steam rising out of its spout in the shape of a dragon so he figured he was in the right place.

He tried knocking a few times but when that got no response he tried the door and, finding it unlocked, he opened it and entered the tiny and cluttered shop. No one was about and he spent a few minutes surveying the room. It was indeed very small and was filled with shelf after shelf of various clay jars of tea. There were also many clay teapots, some of them fantastically shaped and most of them covered in a thin film of dust.

He looked around some more until he found a small table with several tiny stools in front of it, the very low stools like the ones used by the peasants in China. He wondered where the proprietor could be and was on the point of leaving when suddenly a door he had not noticed before opened at the back of the room, and a very old and very odd-looking man came through. He was so bent over that his head was aligned with his waist and he needed to look up and twist his neck around so that he could see his visitor.

“Ah,” he said, with a great smile, which seemed to emerge from out of his wrinkled face like the sun coming out of a cloud. “I did not know I had a customer. Please forgive my inattentiveness.

I’m afraid I have no excuse.” And he tried to bow a little lower but he was already so hunched over that to bow any further was impossible.

The Master was feeling a bit uncomfortable and would have liked to leave but the little man was smiling so sweetly at him that he decided it would be very rude and so he decided to take a few moments to be cordial to this funny looking old man and then be on his way.

The old man pointed to one of the tiny stools and invited the Master to sit. The stool looked so small and old and fragile that the Master was very sure it would not support his weight but, in the interest of politeness, he decided to try it. As he lowered himself onto the stool he was surprised to find it held up very well.

He relaxed then and breathed out a deep sigh. For some strange reason this miniature stool felt more comfortable than the throne he usually sat upon when receiving pilgrims at the ashram.

The old man smiled again at him and said, in a very loud voice, “Please wait a moment, good sire, while I make us some tea.”

The Master began to protest that this was not needed but cut himself off. Perhaps it would be nice to have a hot cup of tea before he left, he thought to himself. So he sat and watched as the old man shuffled around the room in a sort of odd fashion that almost looked as though he were floating a little above the floor.

“I have some very good Lung Jing, Dragon Well, tea here from a friend who lives in Hangzhou,” he said, in that loud voice. “I just can’t exactly remember what I did with it,” he said, while searching through the many jars that sat upon the shelves. “Ah,” he said at last, “here it is.” He shuffled on over to the table where the Master sat and plopped himself down on the stool opposite him. “Now we shall drink some tea and become acquainted.” Here he looked over expectantly at the Master, who looked back at him, feeling more curious by the moment about just who this old man was.

Suddenly the old man started. “Oh dear, he said, “I forgot to get the water!” And here he jumped up and shuffled across the room again in his funny floating way and disappeared behind the door from which he had emerged earlier. In just a moment he was back again, carrying a steaming kettle of hot water. “I had just put it on right before you arrived,” he said. “I have been so looking

11

forward to this meeting.”

The Master wondered to himself how in the world the old man had known of his visit before he had arrived but decided that his student had probably told him. For some reason he felt very relaxed there, sitting on the ridiculously small stool looking over as the old man placed a small handful of tea leaves into a small clay teapot. This Dragon Well tea, the Master knew, was a favorite of poets and artists. He watched as the old man poured the water onto the leaves and put the lid onto the pot.

“We must wait for a moment or two while the water and the leaves dance together,” said the old man, looking over at the Master with such a sweet and accepting gaze that he felt a little flushed.

He was used to people looking at him in awe and even worshipfully but this was different. The old man looked over at him in complete acceptance he felt, not because of who he was or what his attainments were but just as a fellow traveler on the road of life. Yet it was more than that. It was as if the old man could see right down deep into his heart and, upon seeing the real essence of his being, not only accepted him but even approved of him.

Again, he had the feeling that to the old man he was not the great Master that most people saw but just a fellow human being and worthy to be accepted and treated with warmth and friendship.

The Master felt something stir within him as he sat there.

Perhaps this old man truly was a great teacher. Perhaps he had the answer to the question that had plagued him these last few years.

He wanted to speak up right then and there but, for some reason, felt shy about doing so. This is odd, he thought to himself, he had

never felt this sense of shyness with anyone before, not even the Dalai Lama or any of the other great teachers and masters he had met. He decided to hold his tongue for the moment and see what the old man said.

The old man suddenly reached over to the teapot and began pouring the steaming liquid into two round clay cups. “I find that when I get anxious or stressed all it takes is a good cup of tea to make things right again. That is,” and here he looked over at the Master with a quick and penetrating gaze, “if I truly relax and allow the tea to do its work on my soul.”

Now that is an odd thing to say about a cup of tea, thought the Master to himself. He reached over and picked up his cup and made to drink it. “Wait,” said the old man. “We must first inhale the rich aroma of the tea and let it make its way down into our bodies and souls.”

There was that strange phrase again, thought the Master, as if tea could have an affect on our souls. But he dutifully took up his cup and held it before his nose and inhaled deeply. Yes, he thought, this is good tea. The aroma seemed to enter his nose and reach down into his heart. He felt something unclench there. What was that? he thought.

“Now we drink,” said the old man and lifted the cup to his lips and drank. The Master did the same. It was strange but as the tea entered his mouth he felt his whole being stretch forward to receive it. I wonder if the old man has bewitched this tea, he thought to himself and felt a short pang of fear but, just as quickly, he put that thought out of his mind and just allowed the sweet goodness

12

Spring 2018

of the tea to enter his being. He felt himself relaxing in a way he hadn’t for some time.

The old man was looking at him over the rim of his cup. While it was true he was still terribly bent over, at the same time it looked as though he was sitting straight and tall and looking over at the Master on an equal level. The Master shook his head and again the old man was bent over and drinking his cup of tea with both hands.

“You know,” said the old man. “Tea once saved my life.”

At this the Master looked up expectantly. He wondered how this could be so. He had always loved a good story and he looked forward to this one.

“It was during the so-called Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution,” he said. “Such a dark time.” Here he stopped and took another sip of this tea. His body was so bent over that he seemed to be having some trouble swallowing. But after a moment he went on. “The Red Guards had come to my home town and set about destroying the Four Olds. They were children really, so young.

Yet they were willful and destructive children and they were on a mission to destroy the old traditions and had the blessing of the Great Helmsman. They had already smashed everything in the local temple and had beaten the few priests that had not run off. They had made a huge bonfire of all the paintings and books that they had torn out of the villagers’ homes. Some of these had been in families for generations. People were crying but the Red Guards only beat them when they tried to resist or even when they expressed their emotions about what was happening.

“I stood on the edge of the crowd. I had no belongings that interested the Red Guards. Or at least not at first. But after looking through my house the first time and not finding anything of value

The Empty Vessel

there they decided to look a little closer. I had, of course, hidden anything of value out back in the privy before they came.”

“How did you know they were coming?” asked the Master.

“Oh,” said the old man, “the tea told me. Just as it did about you.”

The Master was not sure he had heard right. “Does the tea speak to you then?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” replied the old man. “It always has.” He cleared his throat and went on. “The second time they came through they found a small tea pot that had been in my family for seven generations. It was such a small and ugly thing that I had not thought to hide it. But, as it was obviously old, even ancient, it was a great find for the Red Guard.

'What is this?' they shouted, spitting in my face in their excitement. This looks like contraband from the Imperial Feudal times.

You should have turned this in the first time we came here. But instead you sought to hide it from us,' which was ridiculous since it sat right up on a shelf in plain sight. But they were rapturous at their find. I could see that, in their excitement they meant to use me as an example. They raged around my small house, ripping shelves down and destroying all my pitiful furniture. Meanwhile several of them guarded me, lest I escape.

“When they were done they held up the very small, old and very ugly tea pot in my face and shouted. ‘Why do you hide this old feudal thing from us? Why did you not destroy this as you were supposed to?’ They actually spat in my face they were so excited.

So I said the first thing that popped into my head. ‘Because its magic!’ I shouted.

“This stopped them in their tracks. Because you know, even

13

if a few of them were from the city most of the Red Guard were country boys and girls. They did not have the sophistication of their fellows from the big city.

“I looked at them and saw so many emotions playing across their faces. The city ones were, of course, contemptuous, but I could see that the country ones believed, almost against their will, a little of what I had said. “’What do you mean, magic,’ they thundered and threw me to the floor. ‘There is no such thing in modern China!’ They kicked me then and would have done much worse but I could see that a few of them wanted to know more about what I was saying. ‘Show us this magic,’ they shouted, shoving the teapot into my face.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. So I gingerly reached out for the teapot and got up from the floor. ‘I need to heat some water,’ I said, 'so you can see the magic.' When they allowed me to rise and hobble over to the stove I knew I had them. The ones from the city were, of course, sneering at me, but the country ones, while they also tried to sneer, looked at me as if I might decide to sprout wings and fly away. Many of them had grown up around priests and shamans and some part of them still believed in the old ways, even if they were not supposed to.

“I heated water for the tea. I had some Lung Ching tea left, the same kind we are drinking now. I brought the water to a boil and then let it sit a moment. ‘What are you doing?’ shouted the Red Guards, especially the city ones. ‘I am waiting for the water to transform,’ I told them. This caused much muttering and I could see the city ones were going to lose their patience soon if I did not

produce something good.

“After waiting a few moments I began to pour the water into the teapot, which I had filled with a huge handful of tea leaves. In reality, it only takes a small amount of high quality tea to brew good tea but I wasn’t going to take any chances. After I poured the water I set the teapot on the counter and walked over to the other side of the room. ‘What are you doing?’ they shouted. ‘I am now waiting for the marriage of the tea and water to finish. Then you will see some magic.’

“Of course this made them all very upset. The city ones were running out of patience with me and I could see the violence in their eyes. But the country ones wanted to make sure. ‘Hold on,’ they said to the others. ‘He is just a stupid old man and when we see that he has no magic we will beat him and break his ugly old teapot.’

“This seemed to calm the city ones down a bit and they smiled in anticipation of the good beating they were going to give me. After a few more minutes I went over to the teapot, which now held a strong brew of tea. ‘You have broken all my cups,’ I said to them. ‘We will have to drink out of the pot itself.’ I knew that many country people did not use teacups but just drank straight out of the teapot so the country ones did not think that strange.

“I will drink first,’ I said and raised the teapot to my mouth. They all stood around me then, their muscles tense, as if they were getting ready to flee at a moments notice. I took a small sip and shouted ‘Long life to Chairman Mao!’ Of course they all had to shout along with me. I took another small sip and shouted ‘Ten Thousand Years for Chairman Mao!’ Of course I knew I was taking a chance with this

14

Spring 2018

one. The phrase Ten Thousand Years was what they used to say to the Emperor. But I was counting on the fact that, even though Mao was not, in name, the Emperor, to these youngsters he might as well have called himself that, so exalted was he to them.

“So I decided to go out on a limb. ‘I now call upon all the spirits of this village to enter this teapot in the name of the great Chairman Mao! I held the teapot over my head and shook it a bit, as if unseen beings were entering it. Then I lowered it and offered it to the Red Guards. ‘Please drink to Chairman Mao,’ I said to them. One by one they came forward to drink from the pot. Of course, once I had dedicated it to their great leader they would not dare to turn me down. One by one they came forward and drank from the teapot.

“What they were not prepared for was the electric tingle of the tea as it entered their mouths. I could see each one of them jump as they tasted it. I could see that the country ones were sure that spirits had entered it. Even some of the city ones, I could see, were convinced that something had altered the tea. Of course what they did not know, and would never know if I could help it, was that, in addition to the great amount of tea I had filled the teapot with, I had also surreptitiously dumped a good amount of red pepper powder into it. The strong spice had been left on the counter from the night before when I had used it to make my favorite Szechwan dish, Kung Po Dofu.

“Once the teapot was emptied they acted very differently than before. They offered the teapot back to me, almost shyly. A few of them even bowed to me. The city ones were still a little unconvinced and said to me “Remember next time, old man, not to try and trick us. We will not be so lenient with you then!’

“I smiled and bowed to them, holding the teapot to my chest.

The pain in my back from when they had thrown me to the floor, was already beginning to travel up my spine but I held back my tears and smiled at them. ‘Love live Chairman Mao,’ I called to them, brandishing the teapot.

“After they finally left I collapsed to the floor, the pain in my back so strong I wept aloud with it. Later on one of my neighbors came by to check up on me and found me there on the floor and helped me to my bed. I was babbling by this time. 'It was the pepper I kept saying, it was just the pepper.' ‘What are you talking about?’ asked my neighbor. I tried to tell her about tricking the Red Guard but I’m afraid I made very little sense. Finally I blurted out, ‘In the teapot, look and see.’ So she went over to the counter where I had laid the teapot before I collapsed to the floor. She opened the top and smelled it. She looked at me curiously. Finally she upended the pot and shook out the last few drops of tea there. ‘This tea tastes fine,” she said, ‘it is a little strong but it is good Dragon Well.’ “’Bring it here,’ I said and she dutifully brought it over to me. I opened the lid myself and smelled. It smelled like tea and nothing else. I cautiously dipped my finger into the mass of damp tea leaves and brought it to my lips. Nothing but the taste of tea. But what had happened to the pepper that I was sure I put into it? “’On the contrary,’ I said, red pepper.’ My neighbor went to the counter and looked around. ‘Things are a bit of a mess here,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘But there is no red pepper, only the dust from the bottom of the tea canister.’

“How could this be true? I asked myself. I was sure I had put red pepper in the teapot, not tea dust. What had made the tea so hot and spicy I wondered. Could it really have been the local spirits entering it? Whatever it was, I thought, it had saved my life. Yes, I was in pain and the injury did leave me as you see me now but if I had been wrong and the tea had not worked its miracle on the ferocious Red Guards they would have surely killed me.”

The tea in their cups was gone now and the old man filled the

The Empty Vessel

teapot with hot water once again. The Master sat there wondering what to say. He had heard more amazing stories than this one on his travels around the world but, for some reason, he felt very touched by this one. Maybe it was the sweet smile of the old man who, after having suffered so much, seemed to be happy and content here in his tiny shop.

Perhaps, he thought to himself, he is the teacher that I have been searching for. He decided to tell the old man who he was and what his accomplishments were. He would list for him the various initiations he had gone through, what spiritual powers he had attained, what masters he had already studied under these long years, how many people he had already touched with his spiritual force, how many people he had healed, how famous he was. He knew, of course, that he was bragging but it seemed important to him to establish himself in the old man’s eyes before the old man might impart something of his vast wisdom to him.

He began to speak, but just as he did the old man got up from the table and came over to the Master’s side of the table. “Allow me to fill your cup,” he said, warmly. He tipped the pot of hot tea into the Master’s cup. On and on he went until it began to spill over and run all over the table. Surely he sees what he is doing, thought the Master. He was about to say something as the old man continued to pour and pour hot tea until it ran over the edge of the table onto his lap!

He leapt up, his thighs having been scalded with the hot tea and sputtered, “Do you not see what you are doing old man? You have poured hot tea all over my lap!”

The old man then stopped pouring the tea and looked up at the Master with a gentle smile. “I know very well what I have done,” he said. “Your mind and heart are so full of your past accomplishments my friend that I am afraid, just as with this cup, there is no room for me to fit anything else into it.”

The Master wobbled a little and sank suddenly back down onto the tiny stool. He felt something move within him and he was flooded with tears. It was true, he was already filled to the brim.

How could anyone reach him the way he was? He remembered something he had read long ago from the Dao Te Ching, the sacred book of the Daoists.

In the world of knowledge, Every day something is added.

In the world of Dao, Everyday something is let go.

He lowered his head and bowed to the old man. He bowed so low that his head was actually lower than that of the bent old man.

“Teacher,” he exclaimed. “You are right. Please enlighten me!”

The old man continued to sit there and smile at the Master.

The Master felt vast moving in his being and he began to weep. And as he did so he felt all the accumulation of his spiritual quest pour out of him along with his tears. He sat and wept for a long time, so great were his accumulations. When at last he felt empty he lifted his head to the old man.

“Please,” he said, as he held out his teacup. “May I have some more tea?”

It is said that this man who knew too much spent much of his time visiting the old tea master and drinking many kinds of tea with him. They spoke of this and that and the old man never seemed to be sharing anything special but when the master returned home after drinking tea with the tea master he always felt refreshed and full of joy.

15

The Tao of NOW Daniel Skach-Mills

Eleven

Fifteen

The human mind is like a potato ricer— put the world in, push down on the plunger of thought, and out comes the oneness separate and fragmented through a hundred holes.

Struggling to make it to the top.

Struggling to avoid hitting bottom.

It's all the same.

To know the potato as it is, put aside the ricer.

To know life as it is, put aside the mind.

The elevator in an office building moves up and down.

Riding it either way, you're still enclosed in a box.

Step off where there is no floor.

That way, there's nothing to carry you toward or away from anything.

Thirteen Mind gives birth to ego.

Ego gives birth to wanting to become something.

Complete in itself, Being doesn't grasp at or push anything away.

Can the air inhale more of what it already is?

Can a bird flying freely divest itself of the sky?

Twenty-Two Pick up a hammer to use it.

Put it down when you're through.

Use your own mind like that, as a tool rather than a self, and you'll no longer be wielding what nails you to building yourself up or knocking others down.

You won't even have to lay a foundation for peace.

16

Spring 2018

Twenty-Six

Seventy-Nine

A spider frees her web of leaves by cutting away the sticky strands.

An awakened person frees her mind of clutter by cutting away sticky thoughts.

In this way both remain one with Oneness, abiding peacefully at the center, being nourished by whatever comes.

The surest way to the heart of the Now is to fall in love with it.

Make the present moment your lover.

Give it a lover's attention.

Step out of the dysfunctional love-hate relationship you've been having with life and the world.

Beneath the croon-woven coverlet of your skin listen for the heartbeat that has no sound, the pulse that is the heartthrob inside the pulse.

Press your lips to the silence, and let yourself be seduced by it.

Now the entire cosmos is your bedroom, and you don't even care who's watching!

Forty-Three

When you swoon, the universe swoons.

The person awakened to the Now is like a good pot of tea— strong, but not biting, smooth, but not weak, she brings people together, permeates the entire room with fragrance without even trying, embodies the One Source that fills an infinite variety of cups.

Eighty

This is why people relax in her presence: because she brings what's been gathered on the heights down to where people can taste it; pours herself freely into emptiness, which is why those around her experience being filled.

Ask, and she'll tell you her job is easy.

She simply lets whatever comes brew into what is.

The Empty Vessel

The great spiritual falsehood?

That you have to wait until you die to return to the Source.

The even greater falsehood?

That there's a you separate from the Source who needs to return at all.

Reprinted from The Tao of Now by Daniel Skach-Mills. © 2014 Daniel Skach-Mills (Dan Daoren) has received awards from the 21st Annual Writer’s Digest book awards (2013), the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (2013, 2015), and the Oregon Book Awards (2012) sponsored by Oregon Literary Arts. His latest book, The Beyond Within: The Downtown Dao of Lan Su Chinese Garden, was published in 2017. Daniel lives with his partner in Portland, Oregon, where he has served as a docent for Lan Su Chinese Garden since 2005.

17

Qigong Mysteries Ke Yun Lu Translated from the original Chinese by Lucy Liao

18

Spring 2018

dent may experience self-cultivation; that is, receive no instructions from any teacher. This usually happens as a result of natural and In theory, anybody can practice qigong. There are many styles special circumstances such as during a thunderstorm, earthquake, of qigong, and different people can benefit from different routines. or meteorite falling, when one’s potential psychic power is sudHowever, to the few who suffer from mental illness, or have undenly awakened. Very often powers induced in such a manner can stable mental conditions, one restriction must apply in spite of the be strong and intense, but the person may lack proper understandtheoretical presumption that everyone is fit to practice: they must ing of such qigong phenomena, and may have difficulty staying in be under the close guidance of an experienced and adept qigong control. Such a person can easily go astray and remain on the lower master. Because it is difficult to guarantee such guidance, they are level of self-realization. generally advised not to engage in qigong practice. Other types of Fouth: a student may not study with any particular instructor, physical training would be more suitable. With the exception of the but instead draw experience from everyone. He or she learns from above, all others – male and female, old and young, are fit to pracall things that are useful and meaningful, and teaches himself or tice qigong. Naturally, a qigong style that best suits your individual herself the essentials of qigong. condition would be the most beneficial both to your mental as well Generally speaking, the four methods are not absolutely as physical state and even to your life. separate but are often interrelated. Regardless of which method one adopts, one common rule is to respect the master. We should respect anyone or anything that has been of assistance to us.

Transmitting Qigong From Ancient Times By respect, we do not mean the enslaving worship of the master.

People who are curious about qigong may wonder how qigong In qigong practice, modesty and simplicity always help a person masters impart their knowledge and how students learn the routine. receive energies from different sources. Someone without much They soon find that most students begin their practice by following education may follow a master sincerely and humbly and learn very a certain instructor and a particular routine. They may then begin to quickly and make great progress. His neighbor may be well-educated wonder just how many teaching methods have been used throughout and very intelligent, but somewhat dubious of qigong or qigong the history of qigong. Based on my research of numerous historical masters. It is true he also learns qigong but does so condescendingly qigong records as well as through my own and will get nowhere. practical experience, I have concluded We certainly need not idealize qithat the following five methods are used: gong but to disregard it won’t help us First is the method of guiding demunderstand it either. It is important to be It is important to be onstration, which is the one used by most humble and to pay our respects to qigong, qigong masters and instructors. In accorto our masters, and to anyone who has humble and to pay our dance with the progress of the student’s done us favors. This is also a good way skills, the master or instructor gives a respects to qigong, to our to practice. step-by-step demonstration of the practice masters, and to anyone routine and at the same time explains and expounds some qigong theories. who has done us favors.

Choosing a Practice and a Formula, the second method, is a step Master higher than the first one. Formulae often Many people ask me which qigong relate to some restricted higher degree style or form they should learn, and want practice. to know which master they should follow. Almost all practitioners In the third method, the master gives no demonstrative instrucare certain to wonder what path they should take, whether they tions but only talks, either in a few words or in effusive speech, deare at the initial stage of practice or are advancing to a higher level. pending on his or her individual style, about the morals of practice.

The answers to these questions vary according to the many masters The entire Zen practice, as well as Buddhist qigong and even the and different schools of qigong. Nonetheless, all truths are one. I methodology used by the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha, shall go beyond the details of each school of practice to focus on the all have this in common. ubiquitous nature and the general rules of qigong practice, which The fourth method is transmitting, or bestowing power. The can be proven true by any test. The foremost principle is to “accept Guan Ding (sudden realization) method of Buddhist qigong belongs the natural occurrence.” to this category, in which the master transmits, through power of Let me show you an example of what I mean by this. You may mind, his inner power to the disciple, who immediately experiences follow the School of Fragrance or you may practice the Soaring immense improvement in practice.

Crane style. It is all right if you follow the School of Silent Wisdom.

The fifth method is the communion of heart to heart, or initiaIt is also all right to learn the Kongjin gong or the Zen qigong. What tion. This is widely used in Zen practice, and combines the third and practice you choose is most likely to have resulted from opportunifourth methods into a comprehensive and more advanced procedure. ties of one kind or another that happen to come along at some point Many qigong masters or instructors adopt one or the other of in your life, having much to do with your socio-economic status, these five methods. It helps to know this, because you then know individual experiences and social circles. For instance, a seminar on when and how to receive the messages conveyed by the master. a certain practice of qigong may have been given in your area, and you happened to be there. You had the time and desire to learn, and there you started. Or when you were visiting a friend, you chanced Seeking a Master to meet a qigong master whom you really believed and trusted. You Following are ways one may go about seeking a qigong master:

Who Can Practice Qigong?

One: a student may seek only one master in a lifetime. Two: a student may have more than one master. To be more accurate, he or she may seek different masters at different stages of practice, or seek several masters during the same stage of practice. Three: a stu-

The Empty Vessel

continued on page 28

19

Empty Vessel China Tour 2018 with Solala Towler and Jessica Kolbe Hangzhou • Wudang Shan • Chengdu September 10 - 28, 2018

Join us in September when we travel to the sacred Wudang Mountains – home of Taoist tai chi, qigong and martial arts.

While we are there we will be studying a unique form of Wudang Tai Chi as well as Wudang Qigong with Master Zhou Ju Bu. This will be a nine-day immersion into the sacred arts of Wudang! Master Zhou has been studying Taoist gongfu since he was 10 years old, and has students all over the world. We will also spend time hiking and visiting some of the many Taoist temples there, drinking tea in the temple teahouse and visiting our friend Jiaye, who has lived in a cave above the Purple Heaven Temple for over 20 years! (See our video interview with him on our website.) We will also be spending time in Hangzhou, one of the most beautiful cities in China. Hangzhou, circling around West Lake, has long been revered for its beauty and culture. While there we visit a tea plantation (where the famous Dragon Well tea is grown), as well as the Tea Museum and take in an awe-inspiring lake show by Zhang Yimou, the well-known Chinese film director. The last few days will be in Chengdu, home of the famous Chinese Pandas, enjoying their famous hot pot meals, visiting the Taoist Temple (Qingyang Palace), the Panda Park, and other sites. All along the way we will eat amazing food, meet qigong masters, artists, musicans, tea masters, and one cave dwelling hermit. It will be a spiritual and cultural tour that you won’t soon forget!

19-day China Tour $6250 all inclusive double occupancy $7250 all inclusive single occupancy Credit card payment available What’s included: • Roundtrip airfare from U.S. to China • All hotels double occupancy • Study tuition • Meals • Excursions and sightseeing • Translation • All bus, train and air transportation within China • all tips and gratuities

20

Our teacher in Wudang, Master Zhou Ju Bu

Spring 2018

All along the way there will be time for reflection, sharing, exploring, eating incredible food, learning and practicing qigong, tai chi, and making new friends! We will be learning a special form of qigong and tai chi in the mountains of Wudang, home for centuries of Taoist martial arts and qigong masters. Each day will begin with qigong practice led by Jessica. During the day we will have class with Master Zhou and lots of time for hiking the beautiful trails and visiting some of the ancient temples on the mountain. Each day we will also gather for group meditation, sharing, and classes on Tao Te Ching and Taoist philosophy with Solala.

China as a spiritual journey and life changing experience!

Go our website at chinatrip.mystical-abode.com to register as well as see much more information about this trip!

(This tour is already almost half full. If you are interested in joining us we suggest you This trip full.usIfsoon.) you are getisinalmost touch with

interested in joining us we suggest you get in touch with us soon.

Your Tour Leaders Jessica Kolbe is a Senior Teacher Trainer for The Institute of Qigong and Tai Chi, (IIQTC) and a faculty member of The Esalen Institute. Jessica is based in the Santa Barbara area, where she leads classes, workshops, corporate wellness programs, certification trainings and private healing sessions. In addition Jessica has an award winning TV/Internet show, “Qigong with Jessica Kolbe,”. To learn more about Jessica please visit www.QigongSB.com.

Solala Towler has been teaching qigong for 26 years. He has been the publisher of The Empty Vessel: The Journal of Daoist Philosophy and Practice, since 1993. He has had 12 books on the Daoist arts published, including The Inner Chapters of Chuang Tzu, Tales of the Tao and Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps On the Way and has recorded four cd’s of meditation/qigong music. In addition, he is a founding board member and past president of the National Qigong Association. This will be his tenth trip to China. solala@abodetao.com/www.abodetao .com We will be working with Dana (Xu Shu Xin), a delightful and experienced guide. She will travel with us for the whole trip and be our guide, translator and confident in the Middle Kingdom.

To register send $1000 deposit to: The Abode of the Eternal Tao 1991 Garfield St. Eugene OR 97405 Any questions or concerns call Solala at: 541.345.8854 or write to solala@abodetao.com

The Empty Vessel

21

Spiritual Duty of Chinese Culture Hua-Ching Ni and Mao Shing Ni

22

Spring 2018

Modern Chinese people have a ten thousand year v old cultural heritage, although few possess spiritual maturity. This is because they have neglected their heritage as they increasingly engage in the wider competitive world.

Using a spiritual standard, the Chinese are more direct and truthful in accepting that all human life can be expressed in the growth of an individual, as most suffering and troubles are universal. In other ways the young Chinese are no different from the young in other societies in wanting easy social acceptability. However, some religious and political ideologies commonly used to unify people for various reasons have taken advantage of their innate openness.

China has suffered from this natural openness through her inability to confront the ideologies from other more economically or politically dominant nations in the world.

Several of her new leaders then began to focus on the contention within China at the expense of the nation’s cultural growth. Such contention blocks the vision of the universal law of life that governs all people and nations.

In early China, the essential pursuit for the most developed people was seeking reunion with Nature, as they believed that Nature and human life were interconnected and mutually supportive. Although people are now attracted to numerous theories and ideologies, Nature remains the root of all life. This suggests that if there were no conceptual attractions, people would return to their root, Nature, to guide their direction in life.

Worldly matters can be interesting and exciting, but if people reviewed the foundation of life with a clear vision they would see the support from Nature, and work to improve and lengthen their life. Living solely at the worldly level only offers the shadow of life, although people can still be strengthened by frequently returning to Nature. This is because all people contain the depth of life from Nature, which enables them to draw on their own life nature and seek the best nutrition for a healthy life, rather than relying on an external medical system.

Quietude also enables people to know more about their nature and how to achieve a healthy life. Today most people are too busy minded, but a busy mind is very shallow and limited, and slows any opportunity to revitalize the health of life. Moreover, most peoples’ interests tend to be dominated by their desires or emotions, although any gain from achieving these desires does not necessarily sustain their life force. This is a heavy cost for ignoring the real support in life.

People who seek more material support in order to improve their life may be respected, but totally concentrating on worldly needs also affects the health of life. Any

The Empty Vessel

spiritual limitation, however, is a self-created circumstance that usually arises when people lack a spiritual vision of life. Unfortunately, those who only follow a material vision have already booked their place on the list of names whose beginning and end of life will be managed by professionals at the hospital.

Early Chinese Vision of Life

All this is counter to the early Chinese vision of life where the principal goal was their ultimate reunion with Heaven, the true destination of human life, because people are part of Nature, and Nature is part of all human beings.

That is one way of presenting human life. Then there is the way of creating a conceptual religion. Another approach is that of the modern professionals who have devalued life by denying its spirituality. The resulting confusion, combined with the control of society by various religious and professional practices, has led to a situation where many people have lost the courage to explore life. Instead, they let these religionists and professionals manage much of their life.

Initially, the conceptual approach to organizing human life, which now limits that life, came from various social interests. Many of these concepts may be totally groundless, although people continue to insist on a chosen belief, ideology, or some other social construct. In several of the conventional faiths, God is an all-powerful being able to single-handedly achieve everything in life. At the same time, many people oppose the divine effort that was bestowed on our world.

The ‘new’ faith of the Integral Way is based on the ‘old’ faith in the sky, or the union of Heaven and humanity , where God collaborates and cooperates with all forces to achieve everything of value. God provides the ‘eye’ or ‘sight’, but people can be part of the force that produces the good work, or God’s work, that brings hope to humanity. Then it is all very clear - people who choose to be with God become a God, while those who choose animal behavior are seen as animals.

Yet, everyone clearly knows how they can uplift their life.

Why do we call this the new faith? Most spiritual faiths believe that God or Buddha or other divinity is separate from human life. That separation then establishes the basis of the spiritual teaching. The union of the Way and humanity differs in that it dissolves the separation between the sacred and the secular. So, our spiritual goal is to reunite with the divine endeavor of Mother Universe and all her life.

Chinese faith in the union of people and God, or Heaven, has existed for around 10,000 years. This faith, which suggests that people live partly in the human sphere and partly in the spiritual sphere, can be viewed through the following counsel: do not let matters related to the human sphere overly stress the nature of the bodily life given by Mother Universe; do not let an interest in the spiritual sphere of life prevent the important fulfillment of this precious bodily life.

23

Look up at the sky, where the ‘light years’ make the earthly units of calculating time, such as decades, centuries, and millennia, no big deal, or even nonsense.

24

Spring 2018

The message is to balance all aspects of life. In practice, the human side is usually more stressful and causes the greatest imbalances. So, the weight of life stresses many people, who run after time like a donkey chasing a carrot on a stick, although people really operate both the carrot and the stick! Just know there is a different life, even within the tight time system driving the modern world.

Look up at the sky, where the ‘light years’ make the earthly units of calculating time, such as decades, centuries, and millennia, no big deal, or even nonsense. However, we live on Earth and must manage our life with other earthlings, so we need to respect that earthly system, and recognize that the hour or date is important in many people’s lives.

Human cultures have existed for around 10,000 years, although many are much younger. The Chinese culture is older than most, but not necessarily greater as they have suffered defeat several times during their long history, and sometimes see their highly respected civilization as a burden. They can also be stubborn about their culture, but if all people accepted a firm humanistic position, we could all live together and survive without the need to destroy each other.

When I use 10,000 years for the age of human civilization, I really mean the time people left the animal stage of life.

Even so, some people might require another 10,000 years to achieve civilization because the 10,000 years of human culture has been accompanied by 10,000 years of tension, strife, bloodshed, and other harmful and unhealthy behavior.

Hence, the overall human condition could be better and generally people do not see we may not survive long enough to see the necessary improvement. So, as a fellow human being, I demand we improve the health of humanity now, rather than leaving it too late. This would entail a more serious approach to achieving complete harmony in the world by all national leaders and their citizens.

Today, people live with constant stress, much of which relates to the need for physical survival and the conflicts from living in the complexity of modern civilization. Family life can be both supportive and stressful, as can living in any local society, or culture, or national political structure, and its relation to world politics. The variable climate on Earth also causes periodic stress, and hinders the valuable life support in many areas.

What then can we recommend to better manage the stresses in modern life? The well intentioned promises of freedom, independence and happiness that recently allured people often creates more trouble, and increases the overall stress, by keeping them further away from what they want to achieve.

Does intellectual weakness create this situation? No, but clever people unwittingly create more trouble, then find new

The Empty Vessel

solutions, that take their fellow citizens on a downward spiral leading to permanent slavery. All I am saying is: in spite of all the academic effort, intellectual solutions are limited because the intellectual does not and cannot perceive all pre-existent obstructions.

In contrast, the pre-historic people who wanted to control their activities took a more direct approach to developing their perceptions and capabilities. These people knew they were the Wayfarers of the Milky Way, and trained themselves by watching the sky. The stars first inspired them to perceive the differences in time. Then, they discovered the connection between the planet Earth and various groups of stars, and eventually they gained a clearer idea of their place in the universe.

During the course of this observation they also began to produce their philosophy of a higher life. Their views on the relationship between the sky and human life did not make them nervous. Rather, they were able to dilute any tensions in life by observing the stars in the sky that surrounded them.

Around 6000 years ago, star worship still formed the background to all human cultures, but around 3000 years ago the strong influence of the unbiased world of the stars lessened as people made closer social connections, and each community started to build their own social code based on various images in the sky. These new initiatives offered some help to the communities, but also introduced stress into the broader scope of human life.

The earliest stargazers believed that the sun was the biggest life force in the sky, and the multiple groups of stars supported human life as they continually endeavored to shape their world on planet Earth. Since then, people have established many different faiths and ways of living, and that is fine with me, but everyone should be open to the fact that the human vision of life varies.

To the Wayfarers of the Milky Way, the sun in the sky is the bright king that rules all human life; the moon carries the blood and liquid in our body, and planet Jupiter is the symbol of our protection. Similarly, Mercury symbolizes public communication; Venus relates to our intelligence; Mars relates to our life force, while Saturn provides the force that stabilizes the entire solar family that rotates on the axis of the Northern Star.

Today, this vision from the Wayfarers may seem backward, although we all enjoy the same sky, but around every 200,000 years, the axis for the merry-go-around of the solar system shifts to Vega and the influence of the sky on our life changes. Whatever the influence, however, Mother Nature is, and has always been, kind to us.

So, these early people believed that Mother Universe created and shaped the sky with its various constellations and planets, and planet Earth is the cradle of humanity, although

25

that species was only born there because the conditions were suitable for that form of life. The early people appreciated the orderliness and harmony in the sky, but modern people have forgotten the influence and support given to the human world by the sky. Instead, they want to manipulate their own world without any real thought of developing a larger vision of life.

This approach differs from the early Wayfarers, who respected the natural order of life, and accepted the spiritual orderliness of Nature, which they called the Way. Hence, the ancient Way included the order of the entire universe, and being orderly in life expressed their wish to live like the sky. Once people began to create their own faith in life, they deviated from this orderliness, and eventually lost their connection with the deeper nature of human life.

Living with universal orderliness remains the duty of all life, and if we have faith in Nature and a clear perception of the galaxy we feel supported. An even deeper observation produces an awareness of our spiritual connection with Mother Universe. That connection to the sun, and Mother Universe through the Northern Star, or Vega, the Weaving Maiden, flows through the blood of the umbilical cord. This has kept the human species spiritually sane, although some people still develop an unhealthy mind that creates trouble.

This was also the perception of the early Wayfarers of the Milky Way who believed that humans and the constellations in the vast sky are connected and form one large family. Now, we are their spiritual heirs.

Is this Ancient Culture still Relevant?

Modern people have made the world very small, and territorial divisions, once created for the purpose of survival, continue to cut the earth into smaller and smaller pieces. This idea of self-protection was then expanded to building conceptual fences against other cultures, although the resulting social tension creates much contention and physical conflict, especially when trying to resolve an inherited problem. Yet, few leaders openly admit that any form of conflict discourages mutual respect, and hinders global harmony.

Perhaps we should consider the good example of the early people, who watched the stars, and applied their observations to understanding the climatic cycles and weather patterns on Earth, as well as the possibility of a disaster.

At the same time, they held a deep faith in the stars and sought social help from the sky. If modern leaders were able to observe and understand the changes in the starry world above, this would hopefully improve their vision too, and they would become more aware of the human limitations on Earth, and the futility of taking a contentious approach to global politics.

Our vision of the world is a very serious matter, and when a small faith held by small minds full of small beliefs

effectively shapes the mentality that conditions the fate of the world, we are all in trouble. So, let us respect all social and cultural codes, but at the same time be aware of the limitations of some of these visions. This approach also requires a common effort to recognize and look up to the starry world as the real context of human society. That is, we must reconnect our sense of life with the greater sense of life in the vast galaxy.

The early people built their life based on their faith in the sky. Recognizing our connection to the wider universe would broaden our lives, while conceptual faiths, based on the fear of survival, have only led to the physical solutions that make people stiff, and push them further towards the sharper edge of life. There are still some deep natured people who seek spiritual solutions to the many problems in this world; these people see the inherent weaknesses in life, but look for moderate opportunities as they live in the world.

Reuniting the human sense of life with that of the sky is an old spiritual tradition carried by the people who have followed and respected the Way throughout many generations, and adopted it as their own standard in life. People are more developed today, and as human development is our permanent pursuit, we now welcome you all to consider the value of this approach.

The specific spiritual goal of seeking the Union of the Way and People, or the Union of Heaven and Humanity comes from an 8000 years old family tradition, as protected by the Ni family. Some people may think this valuable but gentle culture comes from the shallowness or narrowness of one family, so we remain open to revising our approach to life.

Nonetheless, we continue to insist that most problems in the world have been and still are created by people, and thus the improvement of overall humanity may be the only solution. That solution is not new – it comes from our early human ancestors, the Wayfarers of the Milky Way, and hopefully it is still valid.

Hua-Ching Ni — author, teacher, healer — addresses the essential nature of human life and works to further the personal growth and spiritual development of this and future generations. He was raised in a family tradition of healing and spirituality that is being continued by his two sons, Drs. Daoshing and Mao Shing Ni, and by his many friends and supporters throughout the world. For futher works of Hua-Ching see the website at www.taoofwellness.com.

Dr. Mao Shing Ni is a doctor of Chinese medicine, best-selling author and longevity expert. He practices acupuncture, Chinese medicine and nutrition with his associates at the Tao of Wellness, with offices throughout Sountern California, co-founded Yo San University of Tradtional Chinese Medicine in Los Angeles and lectures internationally. Visit him at taoofwellness.com.

26

Spring 2018

The early people appreciated the orderliness and harmony in the sky, but modern people have forgotten the influence and support given to the human world by the sky. Instead, they want to manipulate their own world without any real thought of developing a larger vision of life.

The Empty Vessel

27

continued from page 19

Time and Place of Practice

were eager to follow the master and the master was also willing When to practice? Different qigong schools have different to instruct you. Soon you went on your way. So when you start requirements. In general, any time of day should be fit for practice; training naturally with a qigong form because of some disposition otherwise the ideal of being in a qigong state twenty-four hours a of fate and circumstance, that is what is destined for you. Whence day would not make much sense. That is a non-formulated way the meaning “to accept the natural occurrence.” Choices made in of practice, however. Usually when we talk about practice, we this way are rarely misguided. talk about rules.

However, sometimes you may have to face making a deliberWe live and function in society, and most of us have different ate choice as to what routine you are to learn, and your friends lifestyles and work schedules. So, what is the best time to practice? have also made available many masters whom you can follow. It The first thing to consider is convenience. It is important to is very difficult to decide which is the best to choose. Under such know what time is suitable for you because all too often it is the circumstances we can apply the following three principles: First, inconvenience of time that discourthere are many names of many differages the practitioner from carrying ent qigong practices and upon hearing through. them, you like a particular one the most.

The second consideration is Most high-level qigong Second, you have met a number of finding a quiet time with the least qigong masters but somehow only one disturbance. It can be early in the masters typically have inspires your total trust even the first morning or late at night. The third studied and practiced under time you meet. Third, you may have consideration is somewhat subtle. tried a few qigong routines before but It has to do with the particular more than one master. as soon as you start practicing this very moment of heaven-earth harmony. one you feel completely at ease.

According to many experienced If these are the cases, then you can practitioners, from 11:00 pm to 1:00 be sure of which qigong you will pracam – near midnight or around the tice and which master you will follow. We have discussed the two noon hour are usually the best times. What is the rationale behind aspects of which qigong practice to follow and which master to this? One may point out that it is quiet at midnight, but it is more seek: to accept the natural occurrence and to follow the one you than just that. During midnight practice it is more important to feel like most, trust most and feel most at ease with. Having understood the shifting of yin and yang energy. Midnight is the deepest part the intricacies of these secrets, you will have no difficulty in folof the night, when the element of yin is at its peak. However, the lowing your judgment despite the disputes and varied opinions element of yang is also on the rise, when deep night gives way to others may offer. The three intuitive decisions you readily come the coming of a new dawn. A process of change is taking place. to may very well be the judgment of your intrinsic nature. That is Usually we talk about the harmony of heaven, earth and man, and true knowing. We ought to honor this insight because it embodies that is part of this mysterious cycle. When we do midnight trainmany of the mysteries of qigong. ing, the main thing is to be aware of the alternating force. So it is not only the quiet moment we are looking for since we can find quiet at other times.

Pertinent to the place we choose for practice are the following Learning Other Practices three principles: convenience, a quiet place without disturbance, If a person has already been practicing one style of qigong, and the delicate temporal relationship. is it practical to learn another style and is it advisable to do so?

Qigong practice requires a certain place or environment. TheoThis question has a quick answer. When you fully comprehend retically, any place will be fine; even when you are in Wangfujing, the mystery of qigong, the right way comes easily. If you want to the most crowded part of Beijing, you can still do your routines. learn another practice and yet are hesitant and indecisive, then Quietude is a comparative concept. If you live in the city it would it’s best to consult your heart; if you are definitely determined not be realistic to retreat to the deep mountains just to practice. and solidly prepared to go ahead with the new practice, and you However, try your best to secure as noiseless a place for practice feel no reluctance in giving up the previous practicing routines, as possible. In addition, it is important that you are conscious of then by all means do it. When a practitioner is advancing in his some connection to the surroundings, which somehow makes you or her practice chances of having to make such a decision are very responsive. inevitable. Most high-level qigong masters typically have studied and practiced under more than one master. They roam about the world and seek worthy masters. It is highly improbable that a responsive practitioner who is intelligent and alert would follow just one practice all his or her life. When you feel that you want to learn another form of qigong try not to dwell on too much doubt or concern in your mind.

For quite a number of practitioners, however, it is necessary and advisable to concentrate on one particular practice within a certain period of time. It is said that “single-minded practice is more beneficial than many a diversion.”

Ke Yun Lu, widely known in China where he has published many books on diverse subjects, brings years of research and experience to this fascinating and often misunderstood subject.

Reprinted from The Essence of Qigong by Ke Yun Lu, © 1998 by Abode of the Eternal Tao.

28

Spring 2018

The Empty Vessel

29

Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters

by Solala Towler

A new version of this ancient and timeless classic with commentary.

Profusely illustrated with photos from China, printed in black and silver on glossy paper.

Through its many stories, odd little passages and discourses we can find illumination on how to live in the world as free and spiritually independent beings. The principles of spontaneity, flexibility, not going against the natural flow of Tao, grace under pressure, facing death fearlessly, and going beyond the obvious and commonplace to find our own true nature, thereby transcending the world’s problems and vaulting us into the world of spiritual immortality are all contained in this work.

Oversize soft cover: 192 pages $22.95 + $5 p&h Small hardcover $16.95 + $5 p&h from Abode of the Eternal Tao 1991 Garfield St. Eugene OR 97405 541.345.8854/www.abodetao.com solala@abodetao.com

30

Spring 2018

Ying Yu Jade

Genuine Natural Jade “Good Qi Energy” Traditional Jade Gua Sha Tools Jade Rollers and Health Instruments Women’s Wellness: Jade Eggs and Benwa Jade Bangle Bracelets and Pendants Jade Carvings, Teapot Sets

www.YingYuJade.com

I Ching (Yi Jing) Readings with Solala Towler Through the Book of Changes or the Book of Transformations (Yi Jing) it is possible to receive guidance/information about the various forces that are influencing our situation at any point in time. It is how we work/play with these forces that creates our future. Any situation, no matter how challenging, can be used in this way to further one on the path of spiritual self-cultivation. Through the guidance of this ancient book and the teachings it contains, we learn how to flow with the changes life offers us instead of fighting them. The words and teachings of the ancient masters can help us see and understand more clearly any situation and give us the tools we need to use each present moment to create the future we seek.

Types of questions/issues we could look at: What do I need to know/hear right now for my spiritual evolution?

Please give me guidance about my life path.

I am thinking of moving to a new location.

I am thinking of a new career.

I am seeking guidance on pursuing/not pursuing a new relationship.

I am seeking guidance on a business decision.

Phone sessions are $50 per half hour. (Sessions are recorded and an mp3 copy will be emailed to you.) Call 541.345.8854 to schedule an appointment.

31

Spring 2018

Directory Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Three year academic and clinical program. We offer classes in Oriental medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese herbology. Master’s degree is accredited. Financial aid and China internships are available.

Preparatory to national certification and state licensing examinations. (503) 253-3443 for information, literature.

Genesee Valley Daoist Hermitage. Qigong, sustainable gardening, meditation for self cultivation. Chinese herbs, daoist healing to harmonize chronic disorders. PO Box 9224, Moscow, Idaho 83843-1724. (208) 285-0123. Celebrating 23 years of service.

The Alaska College of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture & Massage Therapy. 2636 Spenard Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503.

Offering course work in a full spectrum of Asian Studies including Taiji, Qigong, Meditation, Medical QiGong, Taoist Herbology, Massage Therapy, with advanced study in Thai Yoga Massage and Tui Na Acupressure Massage and a three year Masters program of study in Acupuncture. We offer year round full or part-time schedules of study. We feature biannual Spring and Fall Health and Wellness Festivals where participants can study cutting edge information with our expert staff and visiting masters from around the globe. Traveling to Alaska? Check out our website and make sure our classes and workshops are in your plans. www.touchoftao.com. (907) 279-0135 White Cloud Institute. Classes open to everyone. Taoist Studies, Energy Medicine, Chi Nei Tsang, Pelvic Health. Qigong and Meditation. Retreats. NCBTMB approved. 505 670-3538. www.whitecloudinstitute.com.

American Dragon Gate Lineage: Shifu Michael Rinaldini offers 125, 300, 500 hour Qigong Certification. Trainings in Daoist practices. A 3-year training to become ordained Daoist priest of the Lineage. qigongdragon.com Taoist Arts Center. Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Taoist Meditation.

Traditional Taoist arts offered in a friendly and cooperative environment. Classes, Workshops, Private Instruction. Director: Susan Rabinowitz, 342 East 9th Street, NYC 10003. (212) 477-7055. www.taoist-arts.com.

The Empty Vessel

Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts in Asheville, North Carolina. Accredited Masters program in Oriental medicine; steeped in the spirit of Daoism and teachings by Jeffrey Yuen, a world-renowned leader in Classical Chinese Medicine. Preparing students to enter the profession as skilled acupuncture clinicians. www.daoisttraditions.edu.admissions@daoisttraditions.edu. 828-225-3993.

Qigong Meditations CD (with music). Three guided meditations – Three Level Relaxation, Organ Balancing Meditation, Expansion Breathing Meditation – by Solala Towler. $10 plus $3 shipping. Abode of the Eternal Tao, 1991 Garfield St. Eugene, OR 97404/www.abodetao.com.

Kirtan Qigong CD. Three slow, relaxing bhajans (Sanskrit chanting) with Solala Towler and friends. Perfect for slow movement. $10 plus $3 shipping.Abode of the Eternal Tao, 1991 Garfield St. Eugene, OR 97404/www.abodetao.com.

Chi Wellness, The Center of Qigong. 3-year Medical Qigong Practitioner and Qigong Instructor certification training curricula. Retreats and weekly transformational Qigong Lifestyle and Qigong Movement classes for all health objectives and self care. Medical qigong treatment, and Qigong Lifestyle and Chi Nutrition coaching appointments. Consulting and training for enhanced productivity and balance customized for organizations. Founder/Director: Debra Lin Allen. 4155 East Jewell Ave., Suite 105, Denver, CO 80222. (720) 427-0406 / DebraLin.ChiWellness@gmail.com / www.ChiWellness.net.

National Qigong Association. Since 1996, the NQA is the premier non-profit membership organization for all types of qigong schools and enthusiasts, and offers annual conferences and qigong certification. Website: http://www.nqa.org.

Directory/Classified $25 for first 30 words, $1.00 per word thereafter, 15 word minimum.

B 32

Temple of the Celestial Cloud Esoteric Daoist Mysticism

The following books have been written by Professor JerryAlan Johnson and contain translated texts from ancient Zhen Yi Daoist Mystisicm and are introduced for the first time in English!

Daoist Exorcism. At 559 pages, the following book contains the History of Exorcism, The Three Realms of Daoist Magic, Interactions with the Spirit World, Schools of Daoist Sorcery, Understanding Psychic Influence, Principles of Psychic Interference, Psychic Attacks, Types of Psychic Attacks, Symptoms That Indicate a Psychic Attack, Defending Against Psychic Attacks, Encounters With Ghosts, Types of Hauntings, Communicating with Ghosts, Encounters With Spirits, Historic Classification of Spirits and Immortals, Seductive Spirits, Animal Spirits, Plant Spirits, Nature Spirits, Spirits of the Elemental Realms, Spirit Snakes and Spider Spirits, Sensations Attributed to the Presence of Spirit Entities, How and Why Negative Spirit Entities Attack, Self-Defense Against Spirit Entities, Protecting Children, Closing the Ghost Gate to Protect against Ghosts and Spirits, Encounters With Demonic and Evil Spirits, Demonology, Levels of Demonic Influence, Demonic Manifestation, Demonology According to Christian Mysticism, Historical Facts, Demonic Attacks, Encounters with Demon or Spirit Possessed Individuals, Demon or Spirit Oppression and much more. $175 Daoist Alchemy: Nei Gong. Finally, 628 pages of the much sought after secret teachings of esoteric Daoist Alchemy are available to the public for comprehensive reading and practice. Written by a Senior Daoist Abbot for his “Wen (Healer/Scholar) - Wu (Martial)” disciples, and now available to serious students for the purpose of experiencing exciting life-changing transformations. This historic instructional book includes, an introduction to Ancient Chinese Alchemy, Spiritual Transformation, The Metaphysical Realm, Returning to the Original Nature, External Alchemy and Daoist Lower Magic, Internal Alchemy and Daoist Middle Magic, Esoteric Alchemy and Daoist High Magic, Magic and Immortality, The Natural Forces of the Three Powers, Nine Treasures and Daoist Alchemy, Understanding Energy (Qi), The Five Realms of Energy, Energetic Formation of the Universe, The Five Pure Lights, The Yellow River Chart (Hetu), The Luo River Graph, Three Martial, Medical, and Magical Schools of Daoist Neigong Training, and much more! $200 Daoist Incantations. Never before has a book been written that contains so much informative on the esoteric subject of Daoist Magical Incantations, Hand Seals and Star Stepping. Now at 323 pages, this incredible book contains secret Daoist teachings on Magical Incantations, Imprinting with Incantations, Enchantment, Trance Induction, Daoist Magical Hand Seal Training, Types of Hand Seals, Specific Functions of the Hand Seals, Hand Seals Used For Worship, Summoning, Protection, Obstruction, Attacking, Binding, Imprisoning, and Sealing, Mao Shan Hand Seals Used for Healing or Protection, History of Daoist Star Stepping, Using Star Stepping with Hand Seals, Incantations and Magic Seals, Summoning the Spirits of the Dead, Summoning Celestial Immortals, and much, much more. $85 Daoist Magic Tools. This particular training manual provides information originating from the Taiqing (Great Clarity) Daoist tradition, and includes secret methods of writing magical talismans and speaking sacred Words of Power via Breath Incantations. This particular Taiqing Daoist Manual provides for four special categories of magical talismans, as well as their specific stroke orders, and their essential activation incantations. Included in this special training manual are: The special categories of magical talismans traditionally used for the “Suppression of Demon Spirits” and for “Blessing the Home;” which are to be posted up on the wall or main pillar of the house like a “Public Notice.” These special Taiqing Talismans must both be written with Black Pine Soot Ink and Cinnabar on Yellow Talisman Paper. The special categories of magical talismans traditionally used for “Summoning Spirits” and for “Treating Diseases.” These special Taiqing Talismans must be written with Red Cinnabar Ink on standard Yellow Talisman Paper.

These four special categories of Taiqing Talismans are extremely important, and essential for all Daoist disciples to study; therefore this special instruction manual is presented here as an essential companion to the Daoist Magical Talismans textbook. $175 Daoist Transformation Magic. Transformation Skills of Daoist Sorcery, Two Types of Magical Transformation Skill, The Magical Transformation of Man, Observing the Present Meditation, Psychometry, Clairaudience, Transferring Thoughts, Clairvoyance, Perceiving a Person’s Destiny, Seeing Spirits and Having Visions, Dream Magic, Dream Magic Training, Herbs Used To Induce Lucid Dreaming, Mind Magic, Illusionary Magic, Invisibility, Three Types of Invisibility Skills, Suspended Animation, Walking Through Walls, Soul Travel, Teleportation, Bilocation, Shape-Shifting Magic, Methods of Shape-Shifting, The Magical Transformation of External Things, Defense Magic, Healing Magic, Sex Magic, Materialization, Weather Magic, Divination Magic, Corpse Magic, Transferring a Soul, Stealing the Soul of a Coma Victim, Rituals Used In Corpse Magic In Order to Obtain a Spirit Helper, Energy, Spirit, and Soul Projection, Qi and Thought Projection, Shadow Magic Training,Three Types of Soul Projection, Five Phases of Soul Travel, Soul Projection Training, Imagination Techniques, Respiration Techniques, Mantra Sound Techniques, Advanced Soul Projection and Shape-Shifting Techniques, Communicating in the Spirit World. $85

The Empty Vessel

To order these books send check along with $10 postage for each one to: The Abode of the Eternal Tao 1991 Garfield St. Eugene OR 97405; call us at 541.345.8854 or go to our website at www.abodetao.com

B

Entering the Dao

A Weekend of the Daoist Arts of Meditation, Qigong and Tea Ceremony with master teacher Solala Towler

October 26 - 28 Eastover Retreat Center, Lenox, Massachusetts $180

A full immersion into the Daoist arts of qigong, meditation, Daoist philosophy, and tea ceremony.

This weekend will cover: Study of the ancient Daoist text the Dao De Jing, revealing the many practices that contained therein.

Daoist Meditation Dao-in or Daoist yoga.

Daoist Tea Ceremony (pin ming lun dao). We will be sampling some special teas and taking part in a ceremony designed to open your heart and hara. By tuning into the sacred plant medicine we will experience an opening to higher spiritual and psychic planes.

Wuji (Primordial) Qigong, created by Daoist master Zhang San Feng 800 years ago. By working with the primal energies of the five directions and the power animals of each — (East: The Green Dragon, South: The Red Phoenix, West: The White Tiger, North: The Black Turtle and Center: The Yellow Dragon) — the practitioner is performing an energetic ritual that has been done for hundreds of years. The movements, done in a circling pattern, guide us into a powerful and primordial state of grace and healing.

Come for the day or stay for the weekend at this beautiful 600-acre retreat center in Western Massachusetts!

For more information on this workshop and to register go to: eastover.com/Solala-Towler-workshop

34

Spring 2018