This is very interesting. I have worked with many of my clients (i am a psychotherapist) to enhance their informal state when in a place of mental or physical block both in stress and in a bout of poor mental illness. They would have rejected a formal meditative direction but do well with the physical aspects of ‘informal’ leading to a healthier mental and physical outcome.
Thanks for sharing this Jane! I've found something similar. Back when I was studying at a temple in China, many students arrived seeking healing from mental health issues. Usually our teacher would give them rigorous martial arts practices and only after this physical work had begun to make their internal environment a more pleasant place to be would he advise meditation. Best wishes!
All three writings here in series were so clear and well written. I thank you for this clarity on a number of points. But the release is good to uderstand as this cultivation has made an immense difference in my life and practice of Qigong.
Thank you for this translation Oscar; it is most helpful to have a concise summation of the essential nine practices in the Dao De Jing. Worth practicing those "release" methods as well; most of us are not conscious of how tense our bodies and minds really are, and how this tension restricts the natural flow of Qi.
You're welcome Rex! I completely agree, one of the most important things about practice is that it develops awareness, which is the foundation for all further development.
Hey Riccardo! Stephen Bokenkamp's 'Early Daoist Scriptures' has at least a partial translation of the Xiang Er. Also, many apologies but the name of the precept text is in fact Taishang Laojun Jinglü (The Scriptural Precepts of the Most High Lord Lao, 太上老君經律). There does not seem to be a translation of it. The remainder of the text is two other lists of precepts. The second is 27 precepts, divided into three sets of nine. The third is a list of 180 precepts. Here is a link to an online version of the full text if you want to take a look!
Have just discovered your newsletters and am enjoying them!
It seems that the Presocratic Philosophers who laid the foundations of Western Culture were sharing the exact same principals and at the same time as those philosophers who laid the foundations of Chinese Culture.....
Hi Garry, I'm glad you're enjoying the newsletters! Yes, there are some very interesting parallels and I'd love to know more about Heraclitus. You can take a look at a short comparison I did between East Asian thought and post-socratic traditions like Stoicism and Epicureanism in the fifth edition of the Nüwa. Best wishes!
This is very interesting. I have worked with many of my clients (i am a psychotherapist) to enhance their informal state when in a place of mental or physical block both in stress and in a bout of poor mental illness. They would have rejected a formal meditative direction but do well with the physical aspects of ‘informal’ leading to a healthier mental and physical outcome.
Thanks for sharing this Jane! I've found something similar. Back when I was studying at a temple in China, many students arrived seeking healing from mental health issues. Usually our teacher would give them rigorous martial arts practices and only after this physical work had begun to make their internal environment a more pleasant place to be would he advise meditation. Best wishes!
All three writings here in series were so clear and well written. I thank you for this clarity on a number of points. But the release is good to uderstand as this cultivation has made an immense difference in my life and practice of Qigong.
Your welcome, and thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're experiencing the benefits of the path in your life and practice.
Thank you for this translation Oscar; it is most helpful to have a concise summation of the essential nine practices in the Dao De Jing. Worth practicing those "release" methods as well; most of us are not conscious of how tense our bodies and minds really are, and how this tension restricts the natural flow of Qi.
You're welcome Rex! I completely agree, one of the most important things about practice is that it develops awareness, which is the foundation for all further development.
Thank you for this translation
You're welcome!
Very interesting thank you! Is there a translation into english of Xiang’er or Laodan Jinglü? I cannot find them online
Hey Riccardo! Stephen Bokenkamp's 'Early Daoist Scriptures' has at least a partial translation of the Xiang Er. Also, many apologies but the name of the precept text is in fact Taishang Laojun Jinglü (The Scriptural Precepts of the Most High Lord Lao, 太上老君經律). There does not seem to be a translation of it. The remainder of the text is two other lists of precepts. The second is 27 precepts, divided into three sets of nine. The third is a list of 180 precepts. Here is a link to an online version of the full text if you want to take a look!
https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=en&chapter=405117#道德尊經想爾戒.
Thanks a lot Oscar!
Hi Oscar,
Have just discovered your newsletters and am enjoying them!
It seems that the Presocratic Philosophers who laid the foundations of Western Culture were sharing the exact same principals and at the same time as those philosophers who laid the foundations of Chinese Culture.....
Hi Garry, I'm glad you're enjoying the newsletters! Yes, there are some very interesting parallels and I'd love to know more about Heraclitus. You can take a look at a short comparison I did between East Asian thought and post-socratic traditions like Stoicism and Epicureanism in the fifth edition of the Nüwa. Best wishes!