Dear Lily & Colleagues Please be advised that after returning to my London-flat after the Xmas-break (staying in the remote hills of Southern England) - I was pleasantly surprised to find the above copy of 'Qi Journal' waiting on the mat for me! Of course, I profoundly appreciate the efforts of Qi Journal in the publication of one of my articles - and offer a bow of thanks! There is discussion on the China Daoist Association website of the formation of what is being called the '世界道教联合会' or the 'World Daoism Federation'. You probably already know of this - but for ease of access I have fed an article about the project to design an emblem through a universal translator - given that the artwork produced by the Staff of Qi Journal is so professionally produced and full of Immortal Vigour! All Best Wishes Adrian
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At this Telegram LINK there are a number of very good e-books regarding the Dao - which includes Meditation, Herbalism, Qigong, Taijiquan, and TCM. Most documents are in PDF or EPUB format.
Dear S The words will tumble as they will - all simultaneously (and equally) full of 'worth' (Yang) and worthlessness (Yin) - and who is to say where this distribution occurs? Many spend their time ascribing 'worth' and denying 'worthlessness' - except those immersed in the essence of the Dao (whatever that is). Linguistic trickery springs to mind - but then I find that when we sit in the endless moment - here and now - we can fill eternity with whatever we want. The point about this is that we do not have to necessarily 'fill' it with physical things - as this remains beyond the means of many (and for different reason) - but ideas cost nothing in the material sense, although the spiritual paths quite rightly advise against not filling the psychic space with visions that might upset the emotional balance (as many are prone to do). Of course, I fill the space with 'silence' and with 'words' as and when the moment seems right to do so. I am not suggesting you are doing (or thinking) any of the above - but through the sharing of these words perhaps a premise for the next step might materialise - for either one of us. Many years ago, I communicated with Eva Wong (perhaps in the late 1980s) and she discussed her Old Daoist Master with me. This distinguished lady (old herself at the time) was very kind to communicate with me when she discovered my lineage link with Zhao Bichen (1860-1942). Like all effective things ‘Daoist’ - this lady chose her words very carefully - so that she did not tread in a sensitive place. She agreed to pass my respectful greetings to her Old Master - and that was enough. Again, the expert use of 'emptiness' and 'form' - 'words' and 'silence' (dare I say - 'women' and 'men'). I was taken with the stories about Bodhidharma preserved in the Chinese language (Daoist) literature - and how they differed (in content and scope) to those retained in the Ch'an Records. This was at a time long before the Internet - when there was no direct link with any other country and all academic work was pursued face-to-face and via local libraries! Letter-writing was a crucial skill in those times - something akin to a relatively short but highly mobile 'book' (a 'pamphlet' I suppose) - through which important data could be made known, provided and exchanged. Not every recipient was willing to exchange data through this method - but each letter had to be written exactly right - just in case! For a time, the inner path takes on an isolatory stage and letter-writing (already existent in ancient China) was an excellent way to remain detached from the direct machinations of everyday life - whilst still benefitting from the wisdom traditions accrued by humanity! Today, we do the same but in different ways! Best Wishes Adrian
Very interesting.
The human urge to stratify as a means to move from one place another - figuratively and materially - is highly creative and drives the ongoing engine of evolution. It exists and is perpetuated because it works - regardless of the subject it is applied to. Mathematics, engineering, medicine, politics, spirituality, sport and art, etc, and so on. This is why humans conform to group activities - even group activities such as monasticism - where everyone believes they are on their own - requires a supportive mechanism that would mirror any normally functioning royal abode precisely! And here we are - at the end of stratification, somewhere in the middle of stratification - or nowhere near stratification! As for myself, I see reality from the inside - as it is happening at the root of unfolding - even though the limitation of human language makes this sound like a 'subjective' statement. Reality is a) out there, but b) I experience it through the continuous unfolding of perception. Removing fear and attachment changes the game. After-all, we manifest within a physical body that itself manifests within a physical world - which although 'real' - manifests within our perception! So, in answer to your question 'How do I see it?' - or something similar - in answer I must say that I do not see it in anyway at all - as this would fall into a false dichotomy - which is just too time consuming and energy sapping to generate, maintain and defend! Perception is spacious - that is all I know. As far as I can tell, once the mind has been 'stilled' (not an easy task), and the awareness 'expanded' (tricky), then the body and material universe appear to manifest and exist within the conscious awareness. This understanding should be, (although achieved within 'time'), purely 'existential' when profoundly experienced. The 'cause and effect' of spirituality cannot occur without material reality (and the proper placement of events) as conscious growth and development unfold in the correct physical sequence (that is, the correct unfolding of the 'mysterious' path or 'technique'). The correct sequence of events (the 'quest') ensure an enhanced and permanent transformation in 'awareness' (which seems 'timeless') whilst the body continues to 'age' according to natural (mechanical) processes.
The expanded awareness (Samadhi) is purely existential as all past, present and future events (its three reconciled qualities) are easily (and naturally) reconciled within 'it' - here and now. For instance, although the expanded mind is able to discern and participate within dualistic (subject-object) thinking processes (the last word of our previous communication feeds seamlessly into the first word of this exchange - and the time inbetween being both 'insignificant' and yet highly 'relevant') - all barriers fall away when this dualistic function is 'suspended' for the duration of the intense and/or profound meditational experience. When discursive thinking is required - then the 'dualistic' function re-emerges - but we are no longer enslaved to it. In the unenlightened state, we have no choice but to be thrown from one dualistic pole to another - but in the enlightened state - all is well, reconciled, complete and at peace. At least this is the case when we sit quietly in the fully expanded mind - allowing conscious awareness to fully permeate the maximum extent of the six senses. This is the ideal (and the idyllic) state. Everyday life, that is all the machinations concerned with interpersonal interaction, is an 'aside' that can be intense or sedate (and every level inbetween). This 'interlude' is the drama that defines our lives and which forms our (material) personal history. Samadhi exists right in the centre of all this nonsense - and yet has absolutely 'nothing' to do with it! Although we may prefer 'this' or 'that' - Samadhi does not care about any of it - and this is where it might get serious. Although we are 'alive' to be consciously aware - eventually we will be 'dead' to be consciously 'unaware'. I suspect this is the contradiction the Buddha discusses in his Pali Suttas when he describes 'Nirvana' as being 'non-conditioned' and 'beyond' (and 'between') the states of perception and non-perception. This is the reconciliation of 'awareness' and 'non-awareness' - as this is the actual challenge to be dealt with in the human mind, body and environment. The traditional answer is to 'sit through' all the worldly movement so that the 'still' and 'underlying' reality is 'identified' and 'pulled' into the present... Dear R
Master Zhao Ming Wang (Beijing) tends to favour 'face-to-face' instruction due to the teacher being able to 'adjust' the energy imbalances. In other words, treating any outstanding illnesses and ailments with Daoist medicine (pressure points, herbs and exercise). However, when this is not available, then 'neidan' becomes the focal-point - or 'self-study' through self-cultivation. In this sense, we all form a supportive 'net' around the world helping one another on the path. In China today, Western medicine exists side by side with TCM, and people can choose and switch between these systems. Obviously, acute, chronic or severe medical issues should be treated with the correct medicines if available as no amount of will-power will cure a physical ailment. On the other hand, preventative medicine probably does work but we are never aware of the illnesses we do not catch! Sometimes, I have had the honour of working with those who are 'dying' from an incurable disease and the issue is then one of psychological and emotional transcendence of the body (loosely termed 'spiritual').This must happen whilst the individual is still within their body and before the life-processes come to an end. With Best Wishes Adrian Immortality has not really got anything to do with a long life lived over many years. A genuine Daoist must a) perceive the eternal moment, and b) integrate with that insight. As perception folds in on itself at the point of physical death – this is the only immortality that truly matters! We dissolve into the ‘eternal moment’ - this is the genuine ‘immortality’! The side-effects of taking the journey that leads to this insight involves the ‘neidan’ self-discipline and the pursuance of psychological and physical science that comprises ‘Daoist’ methodology. In this case, the functionality of the mind and body is brought to a maximised frequency whereby a robust health and a certain sense of longevity are definitely incorporated. Although this type of immortality is important – it is not the most favoured or elaborate of those available. We may give-up our bodies at the point of death and merge with the timeless universe – or we may remain in our no longer functioning bodies which retain the upright, seated meditation position. In this case, the physical is ‘dead’ in one sense, and yet ‘living’ in another – again, this is a matter of ‘frequency’ of manifestation. Furthermore, there are people who possess bodies that are permanently ill or injured (for various reasons), and yet they are considered ‘immortal’ by their teachers. This being the case, health is not always the complete lack of illness, injury or disability, and is reliant upon what the mind is able to ‘perceive’ rather than the state of the cells of the physical body. Such insight carries with it the power to revitalise the cellular structure of the human-body even if it is carrying an illness, injury or disability. The point is that life will improve for such successful aspirants and they will certainly live longer than if they had never trained. Immortality, of course, is linked to the purification of insight rather than any notions of physical purity. Physical purity does not exist as the body certainly does not last forever – but forever is a very long time!
I prefer the written word over the spoken word if students are not present with me in the room. This is why I have not yet participated in any online teaching sessions. Some people benefit only from face-to-face encounters – whilst others can also benefit from the written word if we are apart. However, I feel that at the moment, video-calling lacks the ‘spiritual’ connection that I use with my students – where are inner beings integrate and mingle when we are together – or when I establish a similar ‘link’ through the written word. Without this ‘spiritual’ connectivity, I do not see any genuine interaction being present – and as I do not participate in the commercial system in operation throughout this culture – I have no reason to generate a poor replication of the personal experience just to make money. In this attitude I follow the instructions of Master Xu Yun (1840-1959) and Zhao Bichen (1860-1942) - both of whom forbade their respective lineages (inherited by myself) from ‘charging’ money for spiritual instruction! Of course, individuals can donate providing they have a respectful attitude – otherwise this money will be rejected as well, regardless of its amount.
Name: ‘Bai Yun Guan’ (白云观) = ‘White Cloud Temple’ - with the ideogram for ‘temple’ (观) - pronounced ‘Guan’ in Putonghua and ‘Kwoon’ or ‘gwoon’ in the Guangdonghua - referring to a wide-open ‘sacred space’ within which various religious rituals and spiritual activities take place that open a doorway between the material and unseen (immaterial) realm. These practices can involve seated and standing exercises, martial arts practices, prayers for the dead, prayers for the ill, and even divination consultations, as well as scripture-chanting and various kinds of ‘healing’ ceremonies, etc. In a large, central temple in a major city, part of the structure will contain a ‘Sacred Library’ within which the holy books and classical literature of the lineage or school will be stored, protected, and accessed. Address: The Baiyun Guan is located in Baiyunguan Street - outside Xibianmen - Xicheng District, Beijing – PRC. 白云观, 位于北京西城区西便门外白云观街道, 中华人民共和国) History: The Baiyun Temple is considered the spiritual home of the ‘Complete Reality’ (教全 - Quan Zhen) and the ‘Dragon Gate’ (龙门 - Long Men) Schools of Daoism – and the first ‘official’ large-scale monastery designed to house and train large numbers of Daoist priests in China. Founded during the Tang Dynasty, it was the preferred holy place of Emperor ‘Xuanzong’ (玄宗) [r. 713-756] - who would spend his time within its walls performing rituals of respect dedicated to the shrine of the Daoist Sage – Laozi (老子). In those early days, the area was known as the ‘Divine-Sky Broad-View’ (天长 - Tian Chang) Temple (观 - Guan). During the time of the reign of Jin Dynasty Emperor ‘Shizong’ (世宗) [r. 1161-1189] - the temple grounds and buildings were extended – and was renamed ‘Ten Directions Divine-Sky Broad-View' (十方大天长观 - Shi Fang Tian Chang). At the end of the Jin Dynasty it was re-built and became known as the ‘Grand Ridge-Pole' (太极 - Tai Ji) Palace (宫). There are a large number of precious cultural relics in the Baiyun Temple, with the most famous known as the ‘Three Treasures’ (三宝 - San Bao) - or the ‘Ming Dynasty Edition’ of the text entitled ‘Correct Unified Daoist Tradition’ (正统道藏 - Zheng Tong Dao Zong), a Tang Dynasty sculptured stone statue of a seated Laozi, and the Yuan Dynasty calligraphy of ‘Zhao Mingfu’ (赵孟頫) entitled ‘Loose Snow – Way Virtue Classic’ (松雪道德经 - Song Xue Dao De Jung). After the founding of New China (in 1949), national Daoist organizations, colleges, and research institutions such as the China Daoist Association, the China Daoist Academy, and the Chinese Daoist Culture Research Institute were successively established here. Baiyun Temple is also one of the few temples in Beijing which escaped destruction during the ‘Cultural Revolution’ (1966-1976). The Baiyun Temple was originally built during the twenty-sixth year of the reign of the Tang Dynasty Emperor ‘Kaiyuan’ (开元) [739] - and was officially named the ‘Divine-Sky Broad-View’ (天长 - Tian Chang) Temple (观 - Guan) during the third year of the reign of the Jin Dynasty Emperor Mingchong (明昌) [1192]. During the third year of the reign of the Jin Dynasty Emperor Taihe (泰和) [1203] - the temple was reconstructed and renamed the ‘Grand Ridge-Pole' (太极 - Tai Ji) Palace (宫) - but this structure was originally destroyed by fire. During the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, the Quanzhen School sent its enlightened representative – the ‘true man’ (真人 - Zhen Ren) Qiu Chuji (丘处机) - to Beijing where under the orders of Genghis Khan, he was stationed at the Taiji Palace as the ‘Head’ of all Daoist schools in China! This is why it was re-named the ‘Changchun’ (长春) Palace and became renowned as a great centre of Daoist learning in China! During the fourth-year of the reign of the Jin Dynasty Emperor Zhengda (正大) [1227] - Qiu Chuji passed away. Around this time, his key disciple – Yin Zhiping (尹志平) - established a Daoist Temple on the east-side of the Changchun Palace – which was named the ‘White Cloud Temple’ (白云观 - Bai Yun Guan). As the Yuan Dynasty started to collapse – the Changchun Palace (and many of the surrounding buildings) were burned-down (in the fighting) – with only the ‘Baiyun Temple’ left-standing. During the twenty-Seventh year of the reign of the Ming Dynasty Emperor ‘Hongwu’ (洪武) [1394] - the front and rear two halls and some annex buildings were re-built. During the reign of Ming Dynasty Emperor ‘Zhengtong’ (正统) [1435-1449] - the area was re-built on a grand-scale and the Teachings of Daoism refined and made clear. During the eighth year of the reign of the Ming Emperor ‘Zhengtong’ (正统) [1443] - the name ‘白云观’ (Bai Yun Guan) was officially conferred upon the temple (and grounds) with an ‘Imperial Plaque’. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the ‘Baiyun’ Temple was destroyed by fire. During the forty-fifth-year of the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Kangxi (康熙) [1706] - the original foundation was re-built and structure repaired and greatly expanded. This is when the structure of the ‘modern’ temple was constructed and its governing regulations were firmly established. Later, during the reigns of the ‘Qinglong’ (乾隆) and ‘Guangxu’ (光绪) Qing Dynasty Emperors – repairs were carried-out and small additions were made. During the Nationalist Government (post-1911), however, the temple fell into a terrible state of disrepair. After Liberation, the government allocated funds for repairs in 1956, and in 1957 it was designated as the site of the Chinese Daoist Association. During the ‘Cultural Revolution’, the Baiyun Temple was once again damaged. In 1981, the Government of China allocated funds for comprehensive repairs and it was re-opened to the outside world. In 1979, the ‘Baiyun’ Temple was declared a Chinese Site of Great Cultural Importance and Containing Great Cultural Relics – in Beijing! On June 25th, 2001, the Baiyun Temple was recognised as a place of great cultural (and spiritual) significance for the Qing (and earlier) Dynasties. Today, many Daoist groups world-wide look to the Baiyun Temple as the spiritual centre of all Daoist practice.
The Founding Patriarch of the ‘Longmen’ School is the highly respected ‘Qiu Chuji’ (邱处机). He is considered one of the Seven ‘Enlightened Beings’ of the ‘Quanzhen’ (尊全) - or ‘Complete Reality’ School. Qiu Chuji’s most respect disciple – Zhao Daojian (赵道坚) - is considered the first-generation inheritor of the ‘Longmen’ School. The following is a list of eighteen enlightened disciples which accompanied Qiu Chuji on his journey to the Western Region:
Zhao Daojian (赵道坚), Song Daoan (宋道安), Yin Zhiping (尹志平), Sun Zhijian (孙志坚), Xia Zhicheng (夏志诚), Song Defang (宋德方), Wang Zhiming (王志明), Yu Zhike (于志可), Zhang Zhisu (张志素), Ju Zhiyuan (鞠志圆), Li Zhichang (李志常), Zheng Zhixiu (郑志修), Zhang Zhiyuan (张志远), Meng Zhiwen (孟志稳), Ying Zhiqing (蓦志清), He Zhiping (何志清), Yang Zhijing (杨志静) and Pan Dechong (潘德冲). This lineage of the Eighteen Enlightened Patriarchs of the ‘Longmen’ (龙门 ) School (cultivating the ‘Quanzhen’ Path) was confirmed by the Yuan Dynasty Emperor ‘Yuan Shizu’ (元世祖) through his Edict entitled ‘Wu Zong’ (武宗) - or ‘Martial Lineage’ - as these special people had successfully demonstrated the highest and most worthy levels of self-discipline whilst cultivating the Path toward fully realising Daoist Immortality! Chinese Language Text: https://baike.sogou.com/v4303691.htm |
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles (內丹 - Shi Da Dao) - Qianfeng Lineage: Zhao Bichen (1860-1942), Charles Luk (1898-1978) and Richard Hunn (1949-2006). Acknowledges Master Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺) of Beijing as the ONLY Lineage Head of the Zhao Family Lineage of Qianfeng Daoism in China and the world. Archives
February 2024
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