Bone Marrow Washing

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

Currently I do a routine of Ba Duan Jin and Zhan Zhuang in the mornings. I am very interested in learning Bone Marrow Washing but I have no idea where to even begin. Can anyone recommend a good book on the subject or some source I can learn from?

[Sibylle]

This looks pretty simple:

http://www.drhuqigong.com/art_bonemarr.htm

I haven't seen reference to Bone Marrow Washing before, and don't know if it needs to be more complicated than explained there.

[Okazaki Castle]

Mantak Chia's got it in his system, if you don't mind paying for it and doing all the pre-requisite courses. It think it's at Iron Shirt II, if memory serves right... (cd be mistaken there tho, it's been five years since I've been into the Mantak Chia stuff).

Btw, whilst he may seem a bit of a fraud or channel, his master, White Cloud, was seriously cool and knew his stuff. So the material is authentic, and does work...

Simple version of it: run Jing thru your bone marrow. More to it than that of course, but do that and the rest will come to you as you practice, then just do it. That's how the formal techniques were prbbly first discovered anyways...

Ba duan Jing are cool btw, like 'em a lot myself...

all the best,
Oaz.

[Okazaki Castle]

ps when you do tree stance what/where do you draw the energy from? Out of interest sort of thing... (don't have to say if you don't want to).

all the best,
Oazaki.

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

ps when you do tree stance what/where do you draw the energy from? Out of interest sort of thing... (don't have to say if you don't want to).

all the best,
Oazaki.

Out of the earth. Although I have seen other texts giving information on drawing from many other sources such as trees, the sun and moon, storms, and even rainbows.

[Nuhad418]

Out of the earth. Although I have seen other texts giving information on drawing from many other sources such as trees, the sun and moon, storms, and even rainbows.

Also, depending on the movements of the body you can be drawing down "sky" chi or pulling up "earth" chi then rooting the enrgy through the body into the earth. I suppose one could argue that sun, moon and rainbows would fall under "sky" chi.

[Nuhad418]

This looks pretty simple:

http://www.drhuqigong.com/art_bonemarr.htm

I haven't seen reference to Bone Marrow Washing before, and don't know if it needs to be more complicated than explained there.

It can get very complicate depending on the form. As with any Qigong or internal martial art what looks easy on the surface belies complexity of breath and visualisation occurring internally.

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

Also, depending on the movements of the body you can be drawing down "sky" chi or pulling up "earth" chi then rooting the enrgy through the body into the earth. I suppose one could argue that sun, moon and rainbows would fall under "sky" chi.

I'm no expert but I believe the theory is your head acts as an antenna connected to heaven drawing in chi which travels down the body and grounds in earth. Of course the flow can go either way.

In actual practice I do not concentrate on such things as where the chi is coming from. I am only focusing on remaining relaxed throughout the exercise and combating any muscle tension as it arises. But the increadable feeling of being rooted to the earth is usually present if I am doing it correctly. It feels like if you tried to pick me up most of the ground would come with me.

[Okazaki Castle]

Strong rooting there. In practice, if you don't focus on where the energy comes from it is usually taken care of by your subconscious mind on the basis of where it it needs to come from given the path you are on and how that fits into the Flow of Life, or The Way. However, if you wish to deviate that flow, this is where specific intent is useful. That's part of what the Taoist internal alchemists were doing with the whole drawing energy from specific celestial bodies thing.

The Earth is also very interesting when you get into it.

Theory is just theory though, it is the practice which counts really. The theory/understanding naturally comes with practice, but not vice versa, usually (it is said / I have found).

all the best,
Oazaki.

[Kain]

Theory is just theory though, it is the practice which counts really. The theory/understanding naturally comes with practice, but not vice versa, usually (it is said / I have found).So true a statement really...

I find it interesting that Taoist Alchemy approaches energy drawing from particular celestial sources. I come from a Tantric background personally and usually the focus in that system is on the correct *distribution* of the accumulated energy (prana) around the body rather than the type of the energy gathered. I've been interested in the ways of Taoist Alchemy yet have learnt relatively little about it over the years...So, here's a question. How pronounced are the differences of the attributes from the different energy sources you use in your energy work (directed to everyone here who practice this system)? Could it be more closely described as drawing on different aspects of the same force or as working with different elemental constitutions altogether?

Kain

[Okazaki Castle]

How pronounced are the differences of the attributes from the different energy sources you use in your energy work (directed to everyone here who practice this system)? Could it be more closely described as drawing on different aspects of the same force or as working with different elemental constitutions altogether?


Ah, well, in many ways it is a question of layers. If you draw energy from a celestial source in its 'raw', on unrefined, form (ie how that source is putting energy out into the physical universe directly) then the differences are very pronounced. For example, the energy of pluto is very, very different to the energy of Neptune. Or take the Sun vs Moon as another example of that. Drawing energy in this natural, or unrefined, state is liable to give most people 'energy indigestion', or a form of overload, if they do too much too soon. Gradually, gradually increase how long you do your Chi-Kung for when embarking on celestial practices, starting at the ten minute mark initially. That's the standard advice anyway... Personally, to most here, I'd say, feel free to disregard such 'safety features' and just go thru the indigestion by pushing harder and stronger. You'll get cut a bit doing so, ie side-effects, but its well worth it in terms of the speed of progress gained.

So, at the level of 'Physical As-Is' the differences are very marked.

Then, at the other end of the scale, it's all Mind anyway. At this end, everything is like a homogenous forcefield taking different forms of expression lower-down on the scale. It's a process of veils, or encapsulations. Like those Russian dolls, where there's one doll inside another inside another. At the Enlightenment level sitting out there being one with everything it's just a question of position and conceptual role really which distinguishes one energy source from another. But that level is very far from the physical reality of the situation. However, you can tune into it. It doesn't really give you any form of indigestion, but it does make you quite introverted and quiet to draw on that energy band. Hence not good for being present in physicality so much as for being in a cave meditating. Good when restricted in movement, eg due to money shortages, for example, though, or other such times, eg winter.

There's a big emphasis in some branches of Taoist practice on refining the energy you've drawn in raw from the celestial sources. The simplest way to do this is to run it thru your microcosmic orbit. The more complex way to do this traditionally used is to place the Pa Kua at your dan tien area, using it as a "cauldron" to combine and change the energies drawn in. Doing it the latter way, you draw in, combine and fine tune with sensitive drawing a 'golden elixir' using the energies of the system you are working with, mainly this solar system normally, plus often the pole star (Sirius) is used. This elixir is essentially the energies of the most potent clestial sources you are subject to anyway (by virture of being in physical form on Earth) combined into a more refined, balanced and transcendent version, one which you have decided on its precise harmoinic (or ratios of combination) yourself. This you then use to transcend the limitations of this incarnative system by creating the 'celestial foetus' within it, or from it. That's how the process of immortality is first touched. As I said, Mantak Chia actually publicly sells this information in his system, and it does work, some others have tried it and succeeded (or so they claim). But at any rate, leaving aside such considerations, it does at least sound logical and as if it might work.

The focus of much of Taosim has always been physical immortality, they do say it themselves.

Do note that I personally strongly advise against using Sirius as an energy source. Thuban is a much better placement for that position.

So, in conclusion, it is the same source at one level of operation (a high one) but it is a disparted, distiguished force of many different, often competing and contradictory qualities the closer you get to the physical.

Thanks for the questions btw, good ones. I would be interested, in another thread, to hear of the tantric perspective on these things if you are willing?

all the best,
Oazaki.

[Anibis]

Although I don't have anything to add to this, at the moment, I find what you have said in this post to be very interesting.... I must contemplate it more... Thanks for posting it.
-Anibis

[Kain]

I agree with Anibis, this was a most interesting post Okazaki, very informative indeed. Very glad you shared this with us. Thanks for the questions btw, good ones. I would be interested, in another thread, to hear of the tantric perspective on these things if you are willing?Sure, I'll get to it in due time and post the link here.

Kain

EDIT: Here (http://www.forums.abrahadabra.com/showthread.php?t=1297) it is.

[Okazaki Castle]

Ace, thanks guys, glad you liked it :)

*runs off the check Khain's link* (that was very fast man, grazie :) )

all the best,
Oazaki.